Tuesday (4/16/13) practice report
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:18 pm
• As he promised Monday, RB K.C. Nlemchi (hamstring) returned to practice, albeit on a limited basis. In addition, NT Nick Reed (back muscle strain) has been back on the field with the defense.
• Those sitting out included WR Arrius Hollemon (hamstring), CB Ajee Montes (hamstring), QB Conner Preston (shoulder), LB Jonathan Yenga (knee), CB Horace Richardson (knee) and WR Kyle Guinyard, who has missed both practices this week after straining his left hip flexor in Thursday's practice. Missing practice didn't mean everyone was hobbling, though: in a footwork drill with a rope ladder on the ground, Yenga moved so quickly it would be hard to believe he ever had been hurt, and Richardson looked pretty smooth (and fast) in backpedal and change-of-direction drills.
• Passing drills (no defense) were up and down - in some stretches, receivers struggled with some passes that were a little high or out in front, but there also were stretches when they seemingly caught everything thrown anywhere near them. Probably the most consistent hands were those of WRs Keenan Holman and Stephen Nelson.
• In many of the passing drills, the Mustangs roll out four receivers and four quarterbacks throwing simultaneously. At one point Tuesday, receivers and defensive backs engaged in a series of one-on-one drills. WR Jeremy Johnson stood out, losing his defender on several deep passes.
• Although they compete with each other, offensive and defensive players can be supportive of each other. For example: in the same drill, WR Deion Sanders got behind S Hayden Greenbauer, whose size on the school's on-line roster (6-1, 210) makes him five inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Sanders. The freshman wideout waited for a slightly underthrown pass, held Greenbauer at bay and made the catch before tumbling into the end zone. As they trotted back to the line of scrimmage, Greenbauer looked at me and said, "great catch - make sure you put that in your report." So here it is.
• Two candidates for the best catch of the day in the one-on-one drills:
- WR Stephen Nelson ran a fade to the back left corner of the end zone, leaped to grab a pass that appeared headed toward the brick wall, looked down and got both feet in bounds.
- WR A.J. Buffini ran a straight route down the right sideline and made the diving catch in the end zone with a cornerback draped all over him.
• One of the more entertaining drills of the day feature the linebackers and running backs going one-on-one in a goal-line drill (using the sideline as a mock goal line). RB Prescott Line didn't flinch while running through a defender on a couple of plays. The drill ended with defensive coordinator Tom Mason setting up a single play to decide the winning team, with RB Traylon Shead carrying the ball and LB Rishaad Wimbley defending. The two caused a major collision and wrestled for a couple of seconds, but Shead eventually got over the line ... meaning the defensive players all got to do a few push-ups.
• Those sitting out included WR Arrius Hollemon (hamstring), CB Ajee Montes (hamstring), QB Conner Preston (shoulder), LB Jonathan Yenga (knee), CB Horace Richardson (knee) and WR Kyle Guinyard, who has missed both practices this week after straining his left hip flexor in Thursday's practice. Missing practice didn't mean everyone was hobbling, though: in a footwork drill with a rope ladder on the ground, Yenga moved so quickly it would be hard to believe he ever had been hurt, and Richardson looked pretty smooth (and fast) in backpedal and change-of-direction drills.
• Passing drills (no defense) were up and down - in some stretches, receivers struggled with some passes that were a little high or out in front, but there also were stretches when they seemingly caught everything thrown anywhere near them. Probably the most consistent hands were those of WRs Keenan Holman and Stephen Nelson.
• In many of the passing drills, the Mustangs roll out four receivers and four quarterbacks throwing simultaneously. At one point Tuesday, receivers and defensive backs engaged in a series of one-on-one drills. WR Jeremy Johnson stood out, losing his defender on several deep passes.
• Although they compete with each other, offensive and defensive players can be supportive of each other. For example: in the same drill, WR Deion Sanders got behind S Hayden Greenbauer, whose size on the school's on-line roster (6-1, 210) makes him five inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Sanders. The freshman wideout waited for a slightly underthrown pass, held Greenbauer at bay and made the catch before tumbling into the end zone. As they trotted back to the line of scrimmage, Greenbauer looked at me and said, "great catch - make sure you put that in your report." So here it is.
• Two candidates for the best catch of the day in the one-on-one drills:
- WR Stephen Nelson ran a fade to the back left corner of the end zone, leaped to grab a pass that appeared headed toward the brick wall, looked down and got both feet in bounds.
- WR A.J. Buffini ran a straight route down the right sideline and made the diving catch in the end zone with a cornerback draped all over him.
• One of the more entertaining drills of the day feature the linebackers and running backs going one-on-one in a goal-line drill (using the sideline as a mock goal line). RB Prescott Line didn't flinch while running through a defender on a couple of plays. The drill ended with defensive coordinator Tom Mason setting up a single play to decide the winning team, with RB Traylon Shead carrying the ball and LB Rishaad Wimbley defending. The two caused a major collision and wrestled for a couple of seconds, but Shead eventually got over the line ... meaning the defensive players all got to do a few push-ups.
