Coaching staff shifts fourth-year junior Lambert to left guard
CLEMSON — When Brad Scott told him he was moving to guard, Cory Lambert thought his coach had made a mistake.
"I thought he said the wrong name when he said it," Lambert said with a laugh.
Scott didn't have Lambert confused with anyone else. He made the move because he doesn't have anyone else to play guard.
Lambert, a fourth-year junior who's never played the position, is seeing time at left guard as Scott tries to navigate through injuries and inexperience.
"I really don't have a whole lot of other choices at guard right now," Scott said Wednesday.
Lambert started the season at right tackle but shifted to the left side after Chris Hairston suffered a severely bruised knee in a moped accident Sept. 6. Hairston has resumed practicing and is not yet 100 percent, but he's expected to play at Wake Forest a week from today.
The emergence of redshirt freshman Landon Walker at right tackle allowed Scott to shift the 6-6, 310-pound Lambert inside.
"Landon is doing such a good job there that you don't want to mess up a good thing," Lambert said.
The Tigers are hurting at left guard, where David Smith is out several weeks with a high ankle sprain. Jamarcus Grant is also banged up; he suffered a shoulder injury last week, and he was hampered with a back injury Wednesday.
Fifth-year senior Bobby Hutchinson started at left guard in Saturday's 20-17 loss to Maryland, but coach Tommy Bowden said there's only so much he can do.
Scott said he thinks Lambert can pick up the new position.
"The way our offense is, the blocking schemes, guards and tackles are together a whole lot," he said. "He knows all the calls and all the combination blocks and stuff, so it's not that difficult a transition."
Common thread
Bowden was asked to reflect on the criticism that his teams always seem to lose to a team they shouldn't.
"That's the way it is with most teams," he said. "Southern Cal. Ohio State. Usually all of them lose to a team that they shouldn't have. LSU lost to Kentucky (last season). I wish I could win them all. But Maryland's a good team that gives full scholarships.
"Coach (Ralph) Friedgen is a good coach. They've got good players."
Follow the leader
Bowden said junior center Thomas Austin called a players-only meeting Tuesday. The coach said leadership on this team has been good because so many of the seniors led as juniors last season.
Humphries returns
Junior guard Barry Humphries did some running Wednesday. He's still recovering from a slightly torn ACL and isn't expected to be ready for Wake Forest.
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This article has 1 comment(s)
Posted by nappyd on October 2, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cory Lambert is in a good situation. He's too bad to start at left or right tackle. Fortunately, we don't have enough quality OL to replace him though, so he gets to play guard. If he's not good at that, he'll have to learn how to snap.