Tulsa World: TU coach praises freshman center

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TU coach praises freshman center

GETTING BETTER
Trent Dupy: TU coach Todd Graham said the freshman center has "improved dramatically" the last few weeks.

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Published: 11/6/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 11/6/2009 6:41 AM

While Tulsa's offensive line continues to struggle as a unit, head coach Todd Graham went out of his way to say freshman center Trent Dupy has "improved dramatically" in recent weeks.

"I'm excited about his future," Graham said of the All-Stater from Enid. "That was a weak spot for us, at center, at the beginning of the year, and he's really played exceptional. He's done better and better."

Graham said youngsters like Dupy, true freshman Brian DeShane and redshirt freshman Jared Grigg have a chance to be outstanding in the future.

What is Dupy doing to make himself better in the present?

"I'm just trying to execute on my fundamentals every day and every play, thinking about footwork a lot more and trying to get after it every game," he said.

In a nutshell, Dupy is learning how to better play the game, co-offensive coordinator Herb Hand said. Lack of fundamental technique is often the biggest drawback for outstanding high school linemen jumping into the college game overnight, Hand said.

"He was a two-way player in high school, and on offense, I'm sure he was able to overpower a lot of kids on sheer athletic ability. But you're not gonna be able to do that at this level. You have to have outstanding technique," Hand said.

"He's gotten better at coming off the ball, getting his feet in the right spot, not overstepping as much on the (zone read play) and not oversliding on some of our pass protections."

Dupy said he's also become more aggressive.

"At first, I was a little bit timid, going into games and letting things happen, just feeling my way through. I've started tapping into my mean streak a little, executing my assignments, not worrying about anything and just going as hard as I could," he said.

Baby steps: Hand said all the young linemen are improving individually but still aren't playing as well as a unit as they need to be.

"We've gotten incrementally better each game. I can see some things that are not visible (to fans and outsiders) right now because we're in a tough run, but the guys have done some things better. Hopefully, we can finish this last third of the season and play at the level of our expectations," he said.

TU ranks 118th nationally (third from the bottom) with 31 sacks allowed in eight games.

The Hurricane couldn't protect G.J. Kinne from the outset in Saturday's 27-13 loss to SMU. TU's starting quarterback was sacked on the first play and took a blow to the head in the first series. He was removed from the game early in the second quarter and Graham said later that the quarterback had sustained a concussion.

Graham says the situation could improve when sophomore Tyler Holmes, a preseason all-conference selection, returns to the lineup after missing six games with a broken leg.

Holmes has practiced for the first time this week and could return Saturday against Houston.

Teachers welcome: Saturday's game is Teacher Appreciation Day. Any schoolteacher or school employee can purchase a $7 ticket at the TU athletic ticket office with your school ID before 5 p.m. Friday.

Mike Brown 581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

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