Fresno State quick hits: Jeffrey Allison taking hold at one linebacker spot

Fresno State throughout fall camp has moved its personnel around on the defensive side of the football, but this week sophomore Jeffrey Allison has been a constant right in the middle of it all at the Mike linebacker spot.

“Jeff has done a really nice job,” linebackers coach Bert Watts said. “He didn’t participate in spring (due to shoulder surgery) and we didn’t really know what he as going to be. I knew just from spending time with him that he was extremely bright, a guy that understood the concepts and the schemes. We just had to see him out there more than anything.

“He has done a nice job of not just competing and getting out there and making plays, but also helping to communicate and run that group once they’re out there. You see him directing traffic. You see him getting guys in the right spots and making sure we’re executing the way we’re supposed to and at that Mike position that’s what you need.”

Kicked off – Kicker Kody Kroening made 15 of 17 field goal attempts last season (88.2 percent), but is facing competition in camp from Jimmy Camacho.

Coach Jeff Tedford had them kicking while surrounded by the offense and defense on Thursday, adding a little peer pressure into the equation. There were some makes, there were some misses. Tedford said what he wanted was consistency.

Quarterback quest – Chason Virgil, the Bulldogs’ returning starter at quarterback, continues to get the majority of reps with the No. 1 offense. But Marcus McMaryion, the transfer from Oregon State, continues to make progress picking up the concepts and plays and terminology and everything else.

The difficulty there is the offense keeps moving forward with each day in camp as McMaryion tries to make up ground.

“That’s really the deal,” Tedford said. “It’s hard to play fast when you’re second-guessing or you’re trying to figure things out. But he is coming along. He has done a good job in a short amount of time. That position, there are a lot of moving parts obviously from cadence to you name it. He continues to work at it, then it comes down to the execution piece.

“Playing that position you have to have some reps to be totally comfortable with what you’re doing, what the reads are. But for the short amount of time, it’s impressive what he has been able to do.”

Fan adds – In addition to autographs and photos with the players and coaches, Fresno State on Saturday at its fan appreciation day will have activities set up for kids including a tackling dummy, field goal kicking and a net for aspiring quarterbacks to test their accuracy.

The Bulldogs’ final scrimmage in camp follows at 7 p.m. and it is open to the public.

The meet-and-greet with players and coaches is scheduled to from from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Fresno State quick hits: Jeffrey Allison taking hold at one linebacker spot."