As the UMass football team gets closer to its first game against New Mexico State on Aug. 26, the team is looking sharper in practice.

It is still practice, after all, and it’s hard to know how the Minutemen will shape up against any of their opponents. But so far, the coaching staff seems pleased with where everybody is at two weeks into the season, including running backs coach Damian Mincey.

“A lot of improvement in guys being able to make their reads and cuts and those kinds of things a lot faster. We went to a little bit (of a) different way to read things. It took a little bit of adjustment but the guys picked it up really well and understand it now so everything’s moving a little bit faster,” Mincey said on his group’s improvement from Day 1 of practice. “I think we got a good group of guys that can really help the program play. It’s not just one main guy that has to run the ball 40 times a game. We got a good group of guys that can do it and they all have adjusted to what we’ve put in.”

The change in how players read plays came about from Mincey, associate head coach and offensive line coach Alex Miller and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Steve Casula “putting their heads together” to try and come up with a better system, Mincey said. So far, it seems like the running backs have picked that up quickly, and it’s translating to quicker movements on the field.

As much as Mincey is hoping to rely on a number of running backs during the season, one of the players who has stepped up is Greg Desrosiers Jr., one of the returners from last year. As a redshirt freshman last season, Desrosiers appeared in 12 games, rushing for 210 yards on 44 carries and scoring two touchdowns. Already known for his remarkable speed, the coaching staff asked Desrosiers to get bigger and stronger for this season to help fill the hole that last year’s leading rusher Ellis Merriweather left. Merriweather is now with the New Orleans Saints, signing with the squad as an undrafted free agent, and Desrosiers has bulked up without losing any of his speed in an effort to be an impact player.

“Coach (Scott McLafferty) and the strength staff has definitely helped me a lot with putting on weight but also keeping the speed. This summer we’ve done a lot of speed work on the field. And I also can’t shy away the fact that the track team has helped me, my track background has helped me a lot with that as well,” Desrosiers said. “Just my mechanics. It’s not just putting on weight, it’s also putting on muscle to help me with that speed as well.”

Desrosiers is hoping that his emphasis on adding muscle will make him more than just a speed guy. He’s banking on that muscle to help him get through tough arm tackles, making him a more dangerous player on the field.

“I put on some size, definitely improving the inside zone game, running through the holes, finding the holes and kind of getting skinny through them. Before I was considered kind of a speed guy, so I was trying to balance it all the time,” Desrosiers said. “I feel like the physicality of the game, I feel like that’s improved a lot.”

It’s not just his game that’s improved – when asked which one of his teammates he’s seen step up, Desrosiers listed off a number of players – tight end Gino Campiotti, wide receiver Anthony Simpson, fellow running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams – and was ready to keep going before he stopped himself, laughing at how many players came to mind.

“I could keep going. We all looking good,” Desrosiers said. “This team is different. We’re going to shock the world.”

Hannah Bevis can be reached at hbevis@gazettenet.com. Follow her on Twitter @Hannah_Bevis1.]]>