Friday (3/28) practice observations
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:01 amSeen at practice: Several alums and a trio of incoming freshmen were spotted. Alums included Donald Mitchell, Craig Swann, Darren Harrington, Brandon Jones and Rich Coady (I know, he's an Aggie, but he coached at SMU for a year). Incoming freshmen included quarterbacks Braden Smith of Rockwall and Winston Gamso of Highland Park again, as well as defensive back Ryan Smith of Houston (Lamar).
Better coverage: Coach Frank Gansz clearly is making special teams coverage one of the Mustangs' spring priorities, and it appears to be paying off. For the second day in a row, he and (offensive line) Coach (Dennis) McKnight turned loose four players racing downfield at returners. There were fewer returns sprung for touchdowns, and many of the "tackles" (they weren't actually hitting each other - just grabbing ahold of the returners until the whistle blew) took place deeper in the receiving end of the field. Best coverage of the day: Tyler Jones, John Nwisienyi, DeMikel Shankle and Tim Crosby headed downfield and cornered Aldrick Robinson, who juked and changed directions repeatedly in an effort to shake loose, before just giving up.
The good, the bad and the ugly: Logan Turner had a little of everything Friday.
• Near the beginning of the two-hour practice, he fired a beautiful 35-yard pass that curled over the outside shoulder of Bradley Haynes, who hauled it in before tumbling out of bounds.
• Moments later, he let his release point slide down a little while attempting a screen pass to redshirt freshman running back Travis DeJohn, and his low release allowed linebacker Taylor Bon to break up the play.
• Arm strength is not an issue for Turner: at one point, he fired a pass toward receiver Josh Bryant, about 25 yards downfield. The ball shot through Bryant's hands, drilling him in the facemask and bouncing straight up in the air, landing almost 15 yards away.
• A few minutes later, Turner locked in on his receiver, oblivious to cornerback Bryan McCann, who stepped in front of the pass and returned the interception to the end zone.
Interception of the day: Several players have commented this spring about the improved play in the secondary. One reason for the improved reviews is the performance of Tim Crosby, who baited Daniel Miller into a pass, stepped in front of the receiver and strolled to the end zone.
Better coverage: Coach Frank Gansz clearly is making special teams coverage one of the Mustangs' spring priorities, and it appears to be paying off. For the second day in a row, he and (offensive line) Coach (Dennis) McKnight turned loose four players racing downfield at returners. There were fewer returns sprung for touchdowns, and many of the "tackles" (they weren't actually hitting each other - just grabbing ahold of the returners until the whistle blew) took place deeper in the receiving end of the field. Best coverage of the day: Tyler Jones, John Nwisienyi, DeMikel Shankle and Tim Crosby headed downfield and cornered Aldrick Robinson, who juked and changed directions repeatedly in an effort to shake loose, before just giving up.
The good, the bad and the ugly: Logan Turner had a little of everything Friday.
• Near the beginning of the two-hour practice, he fired a beautiful 35-yard pass that curled over the outside shoulder of Bradley Haynes, who hauled it in before tumbling out of bounds.
• Moments later, he let his release point slide down a little while attempting a screen pass to redshirt freshman running back Travis DeJohn, and his low release allowed linebacker Taylor Bon to break up the play.
• Arm strength is not an issue for Turner: at one point, he fired a pass toward receiver Josh Bryant, about 25 yards downfield. The ball shot through Bryant's hands, drilling him in the facemask and bouncing straight up in the air, landing almost 15 yards away.
• A few minutes later, Turner locked in on his receiver, oblivious to cornerback Bryan McCann, who stepped in front of the pass and returned the interception to the end zone.
Interception of the day: Several players have commented this spring about the improved play in the secondary. One reason for the improved reviews is the performance of Tim Crosby, who baited Daniel Miller into a pass, stepped in front of the receiver and strolled to the end zone.