Thursday (8/25/11) MORNING practice report

[PonyPride]

• Thursday's practice was a strange one. As the session began, there were some strange grey/white things in the sky, blocking the sun, and it was cooler than the normal eleventy billion degrees. It had been a while since a practice had been held in such pleasant conditions.

• Matt Stone and Chase Hoover alternated kicking in punt drills, and were very similar in distance and accuracy.

• DL Aaron "Spike" Davis is a valuable special teams weapon, so special teams coach Frank Gansz, Jr., might have held his breath for a minute when Davis came up limping while running with the punt return team. Davis paused for a couple of minutes, and limped to the sideline, but after punt drills, he rejoined his fellow defensive linemen and took part in all remaining drills.

• LB Taylor Reed, who had been limited for a couple of days because of a sore foot, was back in all drills.

• Senior WR Terrance Wilkerson is a welcome addition to the offense, but by his own admission, he has had his moments of inconsistency. He said his stamina and overall conditioning are getting better, and his hands are getting better, too. But he has shown the ability to make a spectacular catch and drop an easier pass. Wilkerson is running with the first-team offense in most drills.

• One of the better receptions of the day — or maybe that should be two of the better catches — came courtesy of freshman WR Ronnell Sims. On an otherwise uninteresting crossing route, Sims reached out to grab a pass from QB Kyle Padron that was a little too far ahead of him. Sims made the catch, but then bobbled the ball as S Justin Sorrell closed in. Sorrell wasn't going to blast Sims in practice, but Sims still managed to spin around and re-catch the pass.

• Another player who has had an exceptional preseason camp is WR Cole Beasley. Coaches talk about QBs and WRs being "on the same page," and QBs Kyle Padron and J.J. McDermott, in particular, seem to be in sync with Beasley. Not only are the Ponies' top two passers completing a lot of passes to Beasley, but they also are putting the ball in spots where he can make the catch will running full-speed and pick up more yards after the catch.

• For the second consecutive day, when the Mustangs went to 11-on-11 team drills, the offense had two offensive lines ready at all times and got to the line of scrimmage quickly, simulating a hurry-up or no-huddle offense for the defense.

• Coaches have been stressing the importance of concentration and attention to detail. CB Richard Crawford, who has had a very good preseason camp, apparently got the message. When the Mustangs broke into seven-on-seven passing drills, QB J.J. McDermott threw a quick slant to WR Ace Holleman, who let the ball slip through his hands and roll over his shoulder, where Crawford grabbed it and breezed into the end zone.

• To be fair, it's not like Crawford got the upper hand every time. On one play, Holleman stopped Crawford in his tracks with a stop-and-go move on the left sideline. McDermott went elsewhere with the pass, but it's clear Holleman doesn't have to rely solely on his speed to get separation.

• WR Der'Rikk Thompson had a solid day, making numerous receptions over the middle and down the sideline, including a few when he out-leaped a DB for deep passes at the edge of the field. On one play, Thompson ran a stop-and-go route on the left sideline, and when the DB bit on a pump fake, Thompson blew past him. The pass was underthrown, so Thompson had to wait to make the catch (which he did), but he had gotten such a cushion on the defense that if the ball were thrown a few yards further, he could have strolled the rest of the way to the end zone.

• Practice ended about 20 minutes early when a mysterious water-like substance began falling — heavily — from the sky. Ford Stadium was strangely cool, and had an almost-autumn-like feel ... for a few minutes, anyway...

[SmooBoy]

I think Beasley is going to have a HUGE year.

[kull]

keep it coming

[95mustang]

Thanks for the great report! I agree; CB will have a huge year!

[cutter]

great.
thanks.

[mustangpride101]

Offense:How did the team do in the rain? Did our passing game have much affect because of it? How did Padron and McDermott do?

Defense: How do our safety and backs look on man on man coverage? Were going to have to stay tight with the A&M receivers.

Special Teams: Was the kicking game affected in the rain? How deep were we getting punts? How is Namdar and Loftus doing?

Thanks for the feedback. Go MUSTANGS!

[SMU 86]

Nice report.

[SMU 86]

By the way, what happened to the Wednesday report?

[Hilltopper]

Glad to hear Crawford is playing well. We need a big year from him and Acker.

[PonyPride]

By the way, what happened to the Wednesday report?

Didn't do one — very little of note happened, and I was buried with other work.
Sorry!

[SMU 86]

No problem, I know, code for secret plays you did not want to reveal.

[ALEX LIFESON]

By the way, what happened to the Wednesday report?

Yeah, I almost cacelled my subsciption!

[GrapevineMustang]

It's the only one I would pay for, but I'm so grateful that it's free.

Hope Taylor Reed is fully healthy to crack some Aggie heads!

[soccermom]

a hurry up offense---wonder if KP will still go to the sideline after every play?thanks for the info.

[95mustang]

I would love to see a more up-tempo game plan! Maybe that's what is needed to get our R&S going full speed! Will be very curious to see if that happens. Know Padron won't miss all the 20+ yard sprints to the sidelines!