JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State held its first scrimmage of the preseason on Thursday and head coach Jack Crowe said it was a very demanding day.

“It was a really physically, demanding day for us and it was the first day we've gone full speed,” Crowe said after the scrimmage, that began at 11 a.m. and lasted just over two hours.

Crowe was impressed with a pair of true freshman offensive players that caught his eye during the scrimmage.

“The thing that stuck out with me was some freshman that just competed and made plays, including Coty Blanchard and Jeremy Nicholson,” Crowe said.

Blanchard is a quarterback from Cherokee County High School and the reigning Mr. Football, and Nicholson is a freshman wide receiver from Brewton.

“We put the first offense out there at one point and we had a true freshman center and a true freshman quarterback out there. It was hard to say we had a first-team offense out there,” Crowe added. “I did see some good things, but we'll just have to study the film to be exact.”

The offensive line is a concern of the 11th year head coach.

“I do have concerns,” said Crowe. “It think right now we are not ready on the offensive line, by a long stretch. I think its personnel, we just have to get some people well.”

The Gamecocks will have their first two-a-day workout on Friday morning, working in full pads at 6:15 a.m., then practicing in helmets later in the afternoon, before holding their second scrimmage at 9 a.m. on Saturday.