4/20/13

NMSU FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE April 20th 2013

I arrived a little after 10. Shorter drill periods compared to start of spring. Second scrimmage of spring ball took place today. The first and second team players were getting most of the reps today. Both sides of the ball had their production, moments and lows.

To start, the defense again was very hyped up through out practice. They are fast all across the line and into the back field. Quite a few players came up and made stops at the line of scrimmage. Good pass defense by the secondary at times. A few times they let someone slip by. The tipped interception by the defensive linemen was exciting. That got the D very pumped up and excited. It got the small crowd into it as well. The biggest impact was the ability to rush the edge, putting a lot of pressure on the QB on multiple occasions. They ran a lot of Nickel and a 3-4 with the OLB edging on the outside line. Which is a much different look than what we are all use to from the past. I will try to put together a depth chart report next time I am out there.

The offense turned the ball over 3 times. Two interceptions and a fumble. A few botched snaps were recovered fortunately. They ran a lot of shot gun formation, 3-4 wr and then 5 wide with no backfield.

Manley, Colwell, McDonald  all stood out in their own. Colwell made good reads and got open receivers, moved the ball effectively. Ran the option read well and pounded out some yards a few times. McDonald made some good throws and evaded a few sacks, even though he was sacked a few times in the scrimmage. Manley threw some quick passes for good yards and also had a few bad throws on the day that should have been better thrown. Again fumbled the ball when it shouldn't have. Was right in front of my eyes. I don't know if he tried tucking it late or not but it just popped out on contact. KDIII ran the ball well on options and is mobile. He did not stick in the pocket and was eager to get out and run. He has trouble throwing on the run as one of his passes was 10 yards off from a wide open receiver on the sideline that would have resulted in a TD. He had plenty of time to square up his shoulders to make the throw. So we will see how he improves from that.

Morrison is still making an impact running the ball. He stays on his feet even after first contact. Gets his shoulder down and powers through first contact and usually resulting in extra yards. I would have to say he will be a 1000 yard rusher in the fall. Betancourt is fast and gets to the  corner quick on options or sweeps. He looks to be the #2 back as of now. I did not get to see Hall much today, perhaps because I saw him running onto the field a bit late. For the most part, they did not run the ball as much as last scrimmage and did not have a huge impact on game situations like last week.

The wide receiver corp showed up with out the #1 WR Franklin. They made some athletic catches, mainly 17 Jerrel Brown. They made good blocks on the run and made an effort to find someone to block after a catch. Every guy who stepped on the field made a great effort and looks improved over last week.

The offensive line, still slow. They looked gassed near the end of the scrimmage. I hope they can get in some good conditioning during the summer. The quarterbacks are going to need it. I don't know what time of blocking scheme they are running, but the tackles are getting beat on the edge quite a bit. They get turned around, not side stepping to stay squared up with them. They do however get a good push off the ball on run blocking. They seem fit for that play style. I really hope Coach Bart Miller can get these guys in a groove.

I did not put a lot of focus on the defense again. I will try to next practice.




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