Practice Observations - 8/11

[JasonB]

I was able to make it out for my first practice of the fall today. I spent a ton of time watching the OL, so my notes might be a little light outside of that. As usual, lots of observations about individual players.

- Really impressed with Lashlee's leadership and control to make sure that the practice is sharp, holding players in line and accountable.
- The team as a whole looks GREAT. Top to bottom. I came in thinking we would win the conference, and after watching practice, my confidence in that is even higher. I really don't want to jinx this thing, but wow.
- In the past, we have always had those one or two guys who could do punt return or kick return, and you question if they should actually do it because we can't lose them as a starter (Massey or Kerley as an example), and the rest of the players who are options you just are hoping they don't fumble. Today, when they practiced that at the beginning, it was the first thing that hits you in the face of how deep the team is. Daniels, Bailey, Kerley, Dixon, Rooster, Gardner, Lavender, Knox - they have a ton of guys who catch it clean and explode.

- QB- There were reports earlier this week that Preston had a good day of practice. Well, buy into it because holy crap. Best QB day today that I have seen in my time watching SMU. Arm strength, accuracy, short and deep. Money balls all over the place. DBs aren't getting toasted or whatever, it is just dimes all over. That was real deal all over. True leader, he has it all. Just one practice, but wow, and in all of the game stuff it was 1s versus 1s, it wasn't against 2s or 3s. No chuck and duck, no cutting off half the field that Gilbert had to do, no accuracy issues to the boundary, no issues putting touch on the ball. Better than anything I have seen. And the defense looks great, it isn't the defense. Jennings doesn't look bad but in 2s v 2s was running for his life out there, threw 3 picks and had a 4th dropped. Luster has a great arm. But Stone was elite today.

- RB - The room is as loaded as everyone thinks it is. Rooster had a long TD catch, LJ had a long TD catch. Lots of runs bottled up because of how good the DL is. But the room is stacked. Wheaton didn't practice, but I have heard great things. Gardner got some run today and really looks terrific. His body is built, but he is very quick, is decisive and makes sharp cuts. He had two good redzone TD runs.

- WR - Hudson sat out today (nothing big), so I didn't get to see him. Everyone has been wondering if we have a leader in the group. We do - Keyshawn Smith. He is starting to really run great routes and has a good blend of size and speed. He is a clear leader - maybe it is the miami connection, but a leader like Michael Irvin is what popped out to me - always pushing players to be their best, celebrating the big plays. Had some really nice catches, long TDs, and broke up an INT on the only bad throw from Stone in the practice. Brinson made a really nice play on a deep ball. Dixon made plays. Carroll got some run and made a nice catch on the sideline - he is long, but still lean and is a little stiff. He will be really good for us down the line. Bailey looks great, Daniels looks fantastic. Lavender runs great routes out of the slot and is very quick out of breaks - he won't get much time this year, but he is definitely a player. One guy who has drastically improved is Knox. Last year, his legs were kind of all over the place. He is more built, and runs with much more balance - fast, but smooth. He is much sharper out of breaks, and his hands are incredibly soft. Definitely a huge step up for him.

- TE - This group looks much better and much more ready to contribute than I anticipated. Maryland looks the part. Matthews looked good and made a nice catch. Riordan and Moore both look ready to play from a size perspective. Even Kam Allen looks like he is filled out, even though he is buried in the depth chart. Moore acted a little like a freshman when he complained that Sanders held him on a fly route. But the fact that Sanders, a two year starter in the MWC at Fresno, was having to push himself full speed to keep up with Moore on the fly route and was having to hand check him to keep from getting burned says a ton about the potential there.

- OL - OK, this is going to be long. First, White and Osborne are going to absolutely murder people on the right side this year. That is an amazing pairing. Osborne is coming off the surgery, but IMHO he looks great. White is the best tackle we have seen since Beachum. The guy is huge, but incredibly agile. In OL drills, he is exploding off the line and then is able to push a guy 15 yards down the field, and then because his athleticism and strength are great, he can extend at the end of that run and just blow a guy up. He looks like a pro. Left guard of course is a position of interest. Today, Parr and Sparks were alternating there between first and second team. IMHO (again, only one practice), Parr is going to end up winning the job. He has size but is also very agile. He gets out on the screens well and pulls well, but also has strength - he handled Miller really well a couple of times. On one play, he pinched inside to help the center and then released and found a linebacker to hit. It has been a while since we had mobile guards who can get to the next level. He was way better than I expected given our history of transfer linemen from UT. Sparks is solid - he has a nice explosion off the ball, but he doesn't have a really strong punch. He is good in pass protection, but isn't quite as agile, so he struggles more in pulling or getting out with the screen. On one play, Hickman got pushed back by Miller, and Sparks was supposed to pull but couldn't get around Hickman and ended up getting taken out of the play. I think Sparks can do an adequate job in the league, don't get me wrong. But I think Parr might be a "plus" guard for us. We all know what HIckman is - he isn't going to blow anyone away, but he is technically sound and does a lot of things right. Clark was running second team center and did well, but because of his weight he isn't agile. You can see his ability because we he locks onto someone, they are done, it is a great point of attack at the front of the line. I think the question is going to end up being whether he can get in shape to start, and if he doesn't, do you redshirt him instead of wasting his senior year in a rotation. Bryant looks good at the other tackle, like usual. PJ Williams is filling out a little bit and is a guy they want to find a way to get on the field. He will be a stud. Caleb Johnson from ND looks really good also, so those two at tackle next year are going to be great. Johnson looked better than I anticipated, and has really good arm length and mobility at tackle. Alex Woods got some time at guard with the second team today, and actually looked solid. Nothing spectacular, but he has a wide body and moves pretty well. Perdue looks like he is filling out his frame as well, and did okay at the end when he got some time at second string tackle. I came out of today thinking we have good depth, I feel better about LG than I did before, and the right side is going to crush.
- DL - what an impressive group. Size, depth, athleticism, it is all there. Roberts does a great job setting the edge and adding size. Miller and Levelston look outstanding in the middle, and then Paul is playing the bandit role with the starting group. They have so much depth at the 3 technique that they are surely going to play around with some formations and mix it up from a 4 man to a 3 man front sometimes. At second string DE, Samuels, Smith, and Robertson are battling it out for the two spots. Would love to see Samuels add a few pounds, but he looks good. All three of those guys make things happen. Chatman is going to bounce back and forth between H-Back and DT, so he will just be part of the rotation in the line. Kori Roberson from OU looks better than I expected. He has a big body and will play both the 3 tech and the NG, but has even pulled ahead of Wright (who is 41 now) in the rotation. I am kind of surprised that Sandjo is still holding the second string NT position, but I think Wimberly is going to push him pretty hard there. I didn't see Kevin Allen much because he isn't cracking the 2 deep, my impression is that Wimberly might be ahead of him.
- LB - It is a lot easier to play LB when the DL is plugging gaps and occupying blockers. They make plays constantly in the running game because of it. Walker is one starter and Burns and Wilson are battling on the other side. Wilson I think might end up winning it because he is really quick even though he is a little smaller. He makes plays. With all of the LB, they are smaller, but can really run, which I think is why Adimora is in the 2 deep and holding off Kilgore. Miyazono is someone to keep your eye on. He can really run to the ball and he makes plays, and I could see us playing him in certain situations if we switch things up. His ability was a surprise to me, and certainly reduces the concern about Farrar dropping out and Keke graduating early.
- CB - This room is way better than it has been for a long time. Woods is the real deal and Megginson is good also. Davis, Rogers, and Hall all look good in the next group; Rogers looks like he is filled in a bit. Nickel is Crossley and Sanders, and they both look great and are pushing each other.
- S - Again, this group looks great. Massey and McGill, with NWO and Moses backing them up. Moses will continue to push Massey. NWO looked fantastic today - he had two picks off Jennings. Massey had an interception as well.

So, yeah, on offense I guess I am worried about depth at C, and I want Preston to stay healthy. And while I think our second string DL is going to generate a fantastic pass rush, I worry a little about the ability to stop the run with that group with smaller LBs.

But other than that, make sure you set aside time to attend the conference championship game and a high quality bowl.

[birddogger]

A breath of fresh air, JasonB! Thanks.

[Charleston Pony]

Some of that depth you are so excited about should go a long ways towards improving special teams play as well. Opportunity for back ups and 3rd teamers to get on the field and contribute

[JasonB]

Some of that depth you are so excited about should go a long ways towards improving special teams play as well. Opportunity for back ups and 3rd teamers to get on the field and contribute

Yep, when you have your second string covering kicks instead of trying out true freshman and walkons all over the place, it is a massive improvement.

[3rdGenPony]

Thank you for the observations. Your perspective is always appreciated and enjoyed.

[Dukie]

Thank you for the observations. Your perspective is always appreciated and enjoyed.

Ditto!

[PNW_Stang]

Thanks so much for the write up!

Good to hear about guys like Parr and Kori looking good. Since they had been backups at previous spots, never know what to expect.

Brandon M. A LB looking good is great news in case we have some injuries there.

[SMUguy]

You should work in marketing and talk to prospective season ticket buyers!

[AusTxPony]

Well that got my blood flowing. From your lips JB to the Football Gods ears... Thanks.