Gamble soaking in positives for Lions
The early stages of fall camp for the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team have unfolded the way
Coach Doc Gamble envisioned.
No real surprises or glaring disappointments, just consistency from his veterans and accountability out of the newcomers.
“Things are going pretty good,” Gamble said. “The first couple of days were a little rough because it was just more or less getting acclimated to everything. We knew it’d be that way, though. It wasn’t as pretty as it was in the spring, but that’s because we have some new guys.
“With the older crew of guys, it looked like they never left. For our new ones, their heads were spinning a little bit, and things were moving kind of fast for them. Naturally, it’s gonna get to a point where things are gonna slow down for them, and they’ll be able to just start perfecting their craft.”
That’s par for the course for a team with lofty expectations.
UAPB is four months removed from playing for a Southwestern Athletic Conference title and return all but three of their starters, but the Golden Lions feel they’ve got something to prove after being picked to finish next to last in the West division in the preseason coaches poll.
Gamble hasn’t had to say much to his team regarding that projection, nor is he taking it personally. He’d
rather allow things to play out on the field, which is why he hasn’t been shocked by anything he’s seen in practices.
He has noticed a difference in a position group that struggled at times last season, and he believes that change is going to be a bonus.
“We’ve had some really good flashes in our run game,” Gamble said. “We know we’ve got to improve our running back situation, but we believe we’ve got some good ones. We’ve got a couple of new guys that have really been like, ‘Wow.’ ”
UAPB averaged 119.2 yards on the ground last season, which ranked seventh in the SWAC. That average was bolstered by two games — a 188yard effort against Southern in the opener and a 145-yard outing against Prairie View A&M in the regular-season finale. The Golden Lions rushed for 93 yards or less in their other three games.
The two players that Gamble raved about are Kayvon Britten, a 5-9, 190-pound freshman from Cincinnati, and Kierre Crossley, a 5-8, 178-pound transfer from the University of Central Arkansas. Britten ran for nearly 3,400 yards and 38 touchdowns during his high school career at Western Hills (Ohio) while Crossley, the 2017 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, led UCA in rushing with 596 yards and four touchdowns last fall.
“They’ve really stood out,” Gamble said. “They’re two really good additions for us. We’ve got another one that’s going to join us pretty soon, too, that’s going to help solidify that area. So we feel really good about what we’re going to have at that position.”
Gamble said a freshman running back, whom he was high on, recently jumped into the transfer portal after he struggled being away from home. His departure was a tough one to swallow, but the second-year coach said he understood the youngster’s stance.
“You get that every training camp, but it’s always disappointing,” Gamble said of players deciding to transfer or leave. “He loved it here, but once things start to flow … I wish there was a way to have convinced him that it was gonna get better. You know, just get through [camp] part of it because when school starts, it’s the same for everybody, as far as things toughing it out.
“For me, once school starts, it’s the other distractions that go on, and that’s when it becomes a coach worry. But I get it.”
Gamble is also encouraged by his team’s covid-19 vaccination rate. He said over 80% of his team would be fully vaccinated after receiving their second shots today.
“We’re excited about that because they’re all pretty much on board,” he said. “Everybody has at least one shot. [Today] will take care of the majority of the team, and then the other guys will get their second shots within a week or two.
“These guys want to play ball, and they’re doing their part to make sure we do.”