I found three different articles on the second scrimmage so here we go.
DEFENSE ENCOURAGED | LAJ's Don Williams writes that the defense is encouraged by another solid scrimmage and please notice the use of pronouns by head coach Tommy Tuberville:
"It’s not a secret we were bad on defense last year," Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said, "and we’ve got to get a lot better or it’s not going to get any better in the win column. You can’t win on offense. You’ve got to play defense. It’s good to see them step up."
And before anyone jumps up and down about the the comment, "You can't win on offense," we have heard it and I think that Tuberville has traditionally said the offense can't win games win by themselves, which is true, evidenced by last year, and the defense needs to play a big part of the overall team's success, not near the bottom of NCAA rankings. I'm still expecting witty comments about how teams won with just offense the last ten years, but not having a completely failing defense helped out quite a bit.
Tuberville and LB Terrance Bullitt know that the defense has to be better:
"We have to have something," said Bullitt, who is limited to non-contact work after offseason shoulder surgery. "Last year, our defense was bad. That’s just how it is. We have to do something. Our attitude has to be different."
Tuberville said the Red Raiders seem to have improved in coverage, playing the run and limiting missed assignments while they learn from new defensive coordinator Art Kaufman. They threw in more coverages and blitzes Saturday than they used in the first scrimmage.
"Mentally, it looks like they’re much further than I ever thought they’d be after eight practices," Tuberville said. "It’s good to see that. If we can make that much improvement in the next seven, we’ll be off and running to make this defense a lot better. The jury’s still out."
I'm excited the defense is progressing in terms of coverages, blitzes and those sorts of things.
If you know what's best for you, you'll click after the jump.
OFFENSE STRUGGLED | RRS.com's Mike Graham (complete with video of the post-scrimmage press conference, so make sure and check it out) has a detailed report. First, I enjoyed seeing the team do up-downs after practice. Good times. Here is another bit from Bullitt:
"He's the same guy. He's trying to teach a whole defense, and he knows what he's talking about with linebackers too," he said. "I like him. I like Coach Kaufman. He teaches us everything and it's real simple. We can line up, play fast, and he's doing a good job coaching."
And QB Seth Doege talks about how good CB Cornelius Douglas and CB Eugene Neboh have been playing this spring:
"They've gotten a lot better. You can tell, especially when they man up. Sometimes our receivers have a hard time getting releases and that's good to see. It helps our receivers as well. They're getting better," he said. "They're huge. They work really hard and you can tell it means something to them. Both of them are really strong, and Neboh's really fast. I think they're going to be good corners for us."
Both Williams and Graham both said that RB Ronnie Daniels had a terrific day.
OFFENSE IMPROVED | Double-T 104.3's Jamie Lent thought that the offense played much better and here's a bit on TE Jace Amaro and IR Jakeem Grant:
In the passing game, Jace Amaro and JaKeem Grant continued their impressive spring camps on Saturday. Amaro once again made a few nice plays down the field coming from the slot position and looks like he will be a major weapon for the Tech offense this upcoming year. Grant has been one of the most explosive players on the offensive side for Tech this spring. The Mesquite native makes up for his small stature with terrific quickness and an array of moves after the catch. But, just because he is small, don’t think the redshirt freshman is afraid to mix it up. On Daniels TD catch and run early in the scrimmage it was a block from Grant on linebacker Will Smith that made what would have been a three yard catch into the 20 yard touchdown.
And a good bit on the defense:
On the defensive side I continue to be impressed with both Jeremy Reynolds and Cornelius Douglas. While Reynolds may still be a year away from contributing, his toughness and competitive nature is evident. He again made a big play in the backfield on a run play while also battling in the secondary. Reynolds looks like a guy who could definitely help on special teams in 2012 and have a much bigger role in 2013. As far as Douglas goes, I think the constant battle between he and Darrin Moore continues to be the most interesting battle in camp. The two seem to have an on going feud that is fueled by a desire to beat the other. The one time receiver Douglas is more than holding his own against the Red Raiders number one flanker from a year ago. The move last year to switch the Oklahoma native from defense to offense looks like it will pay major dividends this year.
I had not heard much, if at all about Jeremy Reynolds, so that's good to hear he's in the mix. Make sure and red the whole thing.