Another solid day for the defense today, as the team started its final week of spring
practice. Here are the five points.
1. Someone who stood out to me as I watched the DL do their one on one drills against the OL was Viane Moala. He'll be on the scout team this year since he has to sit out after transferring from Hawai'i, but the progress he's made since the beginning of spring is noticeable. By this time next year, I suspect he'll be competing for a spot in the DT rotation.
2. A lot of time was spent working on tackling form and technique today, and it wasn't just the defense. After the first session of 11 on 11, the entire team split into four groups and went to work with the defensive coaches on how to properly tackle. This including gang and solo tackling, how to properly approach to make a tackle, and how to wrap up and take down.
3. The secondary had a solid day. Tareke Lewis had a couple of interceptions and earned a shout out from Coach Whitt for his progress in spring. Julian Blackmon, Javelin Guidry, and Josh Nurse all excelled as well. Vonte Davis took reps as the second team free safety, and although he has a lot of work to do, I personally think that he'll be better suited there in the long run.
4. Early in the practice, the linebackers were working on tackling with each other. It looks like Devin Lloyd has made some good progress with his ability to read and react to a ball carrier, and he has the athleticism needed. As he continues to learn the defense, I suspect he may just turn into a pretty dang good player.
5. Speaking of linebackers, Donavan Thompson had one of the funnier moments of practice. During the aforementioned tackling drills, his group was working with Coach Shah on gang tackling, and it was Thompson's turn to be the ball carrier. He was going against two walk ons, and as he made his way upfield, he started dancing around and cutting back, trying to make them miss. He succeeded. As he took a step forward and the tacklers committed, he cut back quickly, causing the two defenders to collide. He then spun out of an arm tackle attempt, leaving them in a pile on the ground as he waltzed away. The funny thing was how casual he looked in doing it. If Utah needs a fullback in their heavy goal line set, Thompson may just be the guy for the job.
practice. Here are the five points.
1. Someone who stood out to me as I watched the DL do their one on one drills against the OL was Viane Moala. He'll be on the scout team this year since he has to sit out after transferring from Hawai'i, but the progress he's made since the beginning of spring is noticeable. By this time next year, I suspect he'll be competing for a spot in the DT rotation.
2. A lot of time was spent working on tackling form and technique today, and it wasn't just the defense. After the first session of 11 on 11, the entire team split into four groups and went to work with the defensive coaches on how to properly tackle. This including gang and solo tackling, how to properly approach to make a tackle, and how to wrap up and take down.
3. The secondary had a solid day. Tareke Lewis had a couple of interceptions and earned a shout out from Coach Whitt for his progress in spring. Julian Blackmon, Javelin Guidry, and Josh Nurse all excelled as well. Vonte Davis took reps as the second team free safety, and although he has a lot of work to do, I personally think that he'll be better suited there in the long run.
4. Early in the practice, the linebackers were working on tackling with each other. It looks like Devin Lloyd has made some good progress with his ability to read and react to a ball carrier, and he has the athleticism needed. As he continues to learn the defense, I suspect he may just turn into a pretty dang good player.
5. Speaking of linebackers, Donavan Thompson had one of the funnier moments of practice. During the aforementioned tackling drills, his group was working with Coach Shah on gang tackling, and it was Thompson's turn to be the ball carrier. He was going against two walk ons, and as he made his way upfield, he started dancing around and cutting back, trying to make them miss. He succeeded. As he took a step forward and the tacklers committed, he cut back quickly, causing the two defenders to collide. He then spun out of an arm tackle attempt, leaving them in a pile on the ground as he waltzed away. The funny thing was how casual he looked in doing it. If Utah needs a fullback in their heavy goal line set, Thompson may just be the guy for the job.
