Hey all. The offense didn't have their best showing today, in what was overall kind of a sloppy practice for Andy Ludwig's unit. This could be for a number of reasons, not the least of which are that several offensive linemen are dealing with bumps and bruises and were help out of practice today. It's also possible that it was a day of heavy install, and that guys were still getting used to new plays and calls.
Here are the five points.
Here are the five points.
- The offensive line is really my only area of concern with the offense, but as I said, it looked worse today than it actually probably is due to several guys who will likely contribute this season being held out due to injuries. However, don't be surprised if this line struggles on Saturday when the defense is allowed to go full speed during the scrimmage, particularly if the guys that were in the pit today are still banged up. One bright spot was Simi Moala, who has made strides since switching to offense last season, and took quite a few reps at right tackle. He still has work to do, but he might be able to contribute this season and I wouldn't be surprised if he's a starter next year.
- There weren't a lot of spectacular plays today, but the receivers did some good things in one-on-ones. However, consistency needs to improve with some of these players. The guys that stood out to me most from that group today were Bryan Thompson, Samson Nacua, and Terrell Perriman.
- The tight ends continue to impress me, and they should be utilized heavily in the offense this year. Both Fotheringham and Yassmin had a really good day of practice, and Yassmin is now taking reps with the second team offense. Brant Kuithe had his moments, too. One of the highlights of the day came when Jason Shelley fired a bullet pass into a tight window between two defenders and Yassmin caught it in the end zone for a touchdown. Really impressive arm strength by Shelley and Yassmin continues to show how far his hands have come since last season.
- No surprise here, but the running backs continue to look like a strength of this team. DHC is the unquestioned leader of the group that's participating in spring, but Green and Brumfield are both doing plenty of good things. Brumfield had another one of the highlights of practice when he lowered his shoulder going through the line and crashed into Manny Bowen, putting Bowen in the dirt and breaking away for a long touchdown run. Brumfield just needs to continue to improve as a pass catcher out of the backfield, but overall his game looks really solid.
- The quarterback pecking order continues to be Huntley, Shelley, Rising/Lisk. Huntley continues to show that he's improved the touch on his passes, and though the offense as a whole didn't look great today, each of the quarterbacks made some nice throws. Rising had one of the best passes of the day, a nicely thrown ball on a crossing route to Yassmin in the end zone, which floated right over the DB's outstretched arms and into Yassmin's hands for a touchdown.
- Bonus point, I said it in the live thread but I'll repeat it here, I don't think that Utah's kicker for 2019 is currently on the roster. Both Johnston and Redding missed a lot of attempts, and by the end of practice, Whitt was so frustrated that he told them to bag it and run laps for the rest of the day until the final whistle blew.
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