Notes from FRIDAY's morning practice

[PonyPride]

• Fair is fair: a day after singing his praises for a pair of one-handed catches, Richard Crawford dropped what would have been a drive-killing interception when he beat his man to a pass in the corner of the end zone, got in position to make a great over-the-shoulder catch .... and then watched it bounce off his hands.

• Secondary coach Derrick Odum had his guys run a drill which basically amounted to a jumping contest, where three or guys went up to fight for high passes. A couple of the nicer catches were turned in by freshman safety Randall Joyner, who twice out-leaped three other teammates to pull in interceptions.

• A couple of days after making a surprise appearance with the first-team defense, quarterback-turned-safety-turned-linebacker Braden Smith was back with the second-team defense. Sophomore Taylor Reed retook his position with the first team.

• Sophomore Brandon Henderson has been moved from linebacker to defensive end.

• Scary moment: freshman receiver Jeremy Johnson rolled out to grab a quick screen pass, but before he could make the catch, defensive back Robert Mojica was shoved, hitting Johnson in the back of the head. Johnson took a second to shake off the cobwebs and bounced right up.

• Speed and jumping ability goes a long way at many positions, including receiver. Cole Beasley always has been pretty fast, but he is listed at 5-9, meaning most wouldn't expect him to go get high passes. But Beasley is an explosive leaper, and in one drill, he ran a deep route down the center of the field and got an early jump, easily reaching over Mojica for a high pass from Kyle Padron. Part of it was the timing — Mojica simply hadn't jumped yet — but it looked like half of Beasley's body was above Mojica's head.

• Aldrick Robinson's speed is no secret. But it appears that he is developing into a more complete receiver. Through the first week of camp, wide receivers coach Jeff Reinebold has lauded Robinson (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46827) for his newfound leadership of his young teammates, Robinson has made a series of one-handed grabs and he has blocked more than ever before. Friday morning, he also showed more of a power element, splitting a double-team, pinballing off defenders and maintaining his balance while fighting his way through would-be tacklers. True, they're not hitting hard, but in years past, he often would have tucked the ball and stopped. He seems to be practicing more physically.

• The quarterbacks looked pretty accurate Friday. Kyle Padron and J.J. McDermott, in particular, completed a number of passes into double and even triple coverage.

• Think Reinebold preaches downfield blocking to his players? At one point, freshman receiver Keenan Holman blocked linebacker Byron Brown and stayed after him until the play was over ... at which point the players were a full 40 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Another couple of seconds, and the two might have ended up on the south end of The Boulevard.

• Speed and height alone don't make a complete receiver, of course. Some of the best are those who adjust well to a ball in flight and can adjust their bodies to reach a pass that is slightly off-target. Sophomore Darius Johnson showed off that ability to adjust Friday when he raced over the middle of the field on a crossing route, only to have Padron fire a strike that was slightly behind Johnson. Unfazed, Johnson leaped, twisted his body in mid-air and made a snag of the ball as it was about to sail behind him ... and still got both feet down in time.

• The depth chart is far from being decided, but a couple of notes of interest when the team broke into 11-on-11 drills at the very end of the practice session: freshman Kevin Pope took the first snaps at running back (lest anyone think he has claimed the starting job yet, Pope was among the last in the RB rotation during skeleton drills in the afternoon session). Also, freshman Ben Gottschalk took a few snaps with the first-team offense at left guard, with Bryce Tennison sliding over to center. But that might have been an injury adjustment, as center Blake McJunkin was walking a little gingerly on the side.

[ALEX LIFESON]

I think Bryce was in there, because Blake had slipped back to days of old, and had some bad snaps. Pony Up!

[BUS]

After a week in NOLA it is great to hear about the Mustangs. The wifes cousin lives next door to the Tulane practice field so I watched a little.
Their d-line looks pretty big but what I saw they are not so quick. I was suprised that they had tents on the side lines for shade. It was only 94 degrees. Yes is rains everyday and very humid but tents?

The first team QB was pretty accurate but # two needs work. They have also dumped the fullback and are putting more receivers out to catch. I smell SACKS brother Mustangs.

[indianmustang]

thanks

[ALEX LIFESON]

Also, my old friend Michael Bowen was in town on business today, and we spent a little time watching practice. Bo 17, was the one that made the winning touchdown catch in "The Miracle on Mockingbird"!
Bowen still has that burning passion for the Mustangs! Pony Up!

[Hoss]

On behalf of out-of-town PonyFans everywhere, thanks for doing these reports!

[ponyscott]

Thanks for the good info...Beasly is a great athlete and his jumping ability is well known as he throws it down at Dedman in pick up ball games....

[ParkyPony]

Any updates on the RB's? Who is making an impact?

PP

[42sparty]

Unless one of the freshman really shows something in fall camp, I suspect Line will start at RB and probably Chris Butler will play a lot in this first game.

[PonyPride]

Any updates on the RB's? Who is making an impact?

PP

Honestly, it's hard to say, because they don't hit almost at all, and they all look good racing through lanes wide enough to allow a truck to go through. Every one of them has taken snaps with the first-team offense, although none have taken enough to be able to say one guy has taken the majority. Without breaking down tape or charting plays, I'd guess the two who have taken the most snaps with the first-team offense would be Chris Butler and Kevin Pope ... but again, that's a guess. More importantly, running backs coach Wes Suan said Thursday that none of the running backs has separated himself from the pack. He said he likes the versatility this group that will allow the offense to have a lot of versatility in the running game, but said that at the moment, he and head coach June Jones have no clear-cut starter.

[ParkyPony]

Are they going to RS Daryl Fields?

[GoRedGoBlue]

only to have Padron fire a strike that was slightly behind Johnson

Kind of like a direct hit that misses?