[Note by Seth C, 04/08/11 10:29 AM CDT ] BUMPED TO THE FRONT PAGE! EXCELLENT WORK.
Tommy Tuberville wrapped up his second Spring Game a couple weeks ago. But in my opinion, he really wrapped up his first full Spring practice...Riverboat Gambler style. He was able to do it his way with a lot of his recruits coming in and enrolling early. So what did he learn? Well, here is what I saw and write in my own opinion.
I really enjoyed this year's Spring game and saw some good improvement on defense. They collected a high number of "sacks", but don't really register since the whistle gets blown after a defensive love tap. But the O-Line had me a little worried re: protecting the QB. Not sure if its an improved D-Line or an O-Line that needs some work despite the 3 starting seniors. For those worried we won't throw the ball as much, 73 passes for 526 yards; 51 rushes for 196 yards; roughly a 60/40 split. But I told Seth I would do an analysis of the QB & RB positions.
Quarterbacks:
Seth Doege - Very impressive arm strength. Ended the day 20-35, 317 yards, 4 TDs & 1 INT. He had a very impressive, stride for stride deep slant pass to Swindall for a 55 yard score. Clearly established himself as the 2011 starter. My concerns: he has "happy feet" and doesn't allow his feet to settle, plant, and throw. He had several throws off the back foot, which clearly has to be resolved between now and Texas State. He also had several passes batted down at the line. Lastly, he tends to throw passes into very tight coverage, usually resulting into incomplete passes (yesterday). One was picked by LB Daniel Cobb.
Jacob Karam - 10-13, 46 yards, 1 TD. Karam ran the 2nd team and seemed to always hit the underneath man. Very few times did he try anything deep. Had an impressive burst of speed to the outside when running with the ball. My opinion: seemed rattled at times and threw off his back foot. Did not do anything to establish himself as the starter.
Scotty Young - 8-10, 112 yards, 2 TD. I was very impressed with his poise. Led the White team on an impressive 97 yard scoring drive. He connected with a streaking Derek Edwards (Crabtree slant pattern) for 66 yards. Side note - Edwards will be the real deal! He has impressive arm strength, but probably not as much as Doege. Seemed very poised, even when starting at his own 3 yard line. Worked the pocket very well and worked the entire field. My opinion: Will have a hard time cracking the starting line up until Doege either loses it or graduates.
Michael Brewer - 5-10, 39 yards. Initial impression is that his stats aren't impressive. However, he will be exciting to watch in the coming years. He has very good arm strength, great wheels, and is poised. He often threw into tight coverage which led to incompletions, twice near interceptions. I kept having to tell myself he should still be in high school. My opinion: needs to put on some weight but can't wait for him to take the field in a couple years.
Running Backs:
Eric Stephens - 7 carries, 48 yards; 1 rec. 12 yards. Clearly established himself as the starter. Carried the ball much tighter under his arm (assuming Coach gave him the tough fumble talk). Seemed to have gained lower leg strength, fighting for extra yards in the pile. He hit the hole hard and fast with a great burst of speed.
Ronnie Daniels - 11 carries, 43 yards; 1 rec. 20 yards, TD. Very excited to watch this kid. He is the real deal and will see the field this year. Very strong, yet elusive runner. I wrote down three times - made something out of nothing. When the defense pushed his blockers into the backfield, he would turn a 5 yard lost into a 5 yard gain. He hits the hole hard and doesn't mind contact. I believe Karam was quoted that Daniels reminds him of "Adrian Peterson." Funny...I was thinking the same thing.
Harrison Jeffers - 5 carries, 25 yards;1 rec. -1 yard. I really wish he could see the field more, but something tells me this former 4-Star recruit has some baggage/attitude issues Tuberville wants resolved. Lightening quick and gets around the corner, yet not afraid of contact. He can make things happen it given the chance.
Ben McRoy - 7 carries, 61 yards; 2 rec. - 11 yards. Last year's exciting player just got better. McRoy is very elusive and showed unreal speed in the open field. Was able to break several tackles for big gains. The two receptions for loss were not really his fault; one was a shovel pass that was doomed from the start; second was a blown screen pass. McRoy needs to eat a few more steaks in my opinion to be able to take on Big 12, 10, 12 LBs if he's going to see open space. Love this guy!
Aaron Crawford - 8 carries, 19 yards; 3 rec. 22 yards, 1 TD. As a senior, Crawford will provide quality leadership for this young group of RBs, but I'm sure his carries will be somewhat limited. He had a great TD grab from Doege coming out of the backfield, where he was wide open and strolled in the zone. He's put on muscle and is a good change of pace back. I'd love to see him get more carries.
Other observations:
Blake Dees...know the name! He will be a starter this year. He was all over the field. Fehoko appears to be stepping up and had a great game. Cool thing that his father did - braided head bands (Hawaiian leaf types) for every member of the team. Chris Perry told me that he was up into the late hours Friday night braiding them. Torres seems to be an injury threat every time he gets tackled. Limped off the field after an impressive 63 yard catch. QBs need to work on the deep ball; still haven't figured it out. Defense gave up big plays, but Glasgow has them moving in the right direction. Seeing it in real time, he is as intense (if not more) as you read. He got into a DBs face (I believe Zach Winbush) after FB Omar Ontiveros barreled over him going into the end-zone. Zouzalik, Tyson Williams (West TX A&M transfer), D. Edwards (will see the field this year), Corker, Fisher, and Marcus Kennard (very excited to see what else he can do) were impressive for the WR's.
Hope this helps you guys. Sorry for the length, but this was my 1st ever Spring game and really watched/studied. Have had season tickets for 8 years, but never been to a Spring game. The autograph session afterwards was nothing like I have ever been to. I took my 5 year old twins and they really scored. A FULLy signed TTU autograph ball, gloves (D. Edwards), signed forearm covers (from D. Langley), tons of pictures and the twins running the field. A great memory!!
