Spring Practice

[bluffrunner]

For those of you lucky enough to be around the program. I'd appreciate some insight on how the team looks, enthusiasm any new wrinkles or changes. Any info would be nice. I understand today is the first day of full pads...

[obc]

Notes from this weekend's scrimmage


Really good intensity from start to finish - good hitting and pursuit on every play. Liked the team's collective energy.

Kevin Earl was the only QB taking snaps - Saeger was not suited up as far as I could tell. Kevin was throwing very accurate passes and seemed to be making good decisions distributing the ball. I think Kevin will take a huge stride this year.
The RB position is as deep as the team has had as long as I have followed the program. None of them is as good as Logan was a few years back, but collectively they are solid. Bouma most importantly looked healthy. Roberts perhaps had the best day at the scrimmage. Kilgore played early but sat out the entire second half - he didn't even have his helmet in hand so I wonder if he had a slight concussion (total guess). He is a powerful and showed some quick lateral movement to hit the hole. Jasper Sanders was in street clothes.

JVM was also not suited up. Riley Donovan was suited up but did not play (as far as I could tell)

The WR group had some good receptions and runs after catch, but also had too many drops. Van Roekel is going to be a big time target for Earl - tall and good hands.
The new JC receiver - (Shufford) is a smaller guy but has good burst off the LOS and has a good shiftiness quality.

The OL struggled at times giving Earl time to pass. It looked to be a combination of not sliding toward the blitz (coach Harvey looked really upset that they were not recognizing it) , other times the OL was just not able to stay on their blocks. The other disappointing thing was that they jumped offsides three times during the short scrimmage. How the OL plays and their development will determine the USD offense's success this coming season. The other positions look good. Run blocking was better for the OL than pass protection. Make sure and watch Drew Potter (FB). He is a steamroller and was crushing the defense yesterday.

On defense Auston Johnson and Drew Iddings are the standouts. Auston has gotten better every step of the way. You can tell he is an extremely intelligent FB player - my guess is having a father that is in the CFL hall of fame like he does at the same position could help you.....
Drew Iddings is a genetic freak like Starr was and is getting better at using his physical tools - shedding blocks and redirecting to the play. the USD OL struggled blocking him.

Keyen Lage was not suited up and did not have any noticeable injuries. Steve Tellefson had a metal elbow brace and sling - not sure on the severity of the injury and timeline for his return.

The DBs never looked out of place but did give up a few over their heads. I think we all know this new/young position group will have to come together quickly or the good teams in the MVFC will shread them.

Schad Wilson did all the long snapping duties and he did a great job delivering the ball. There are three kickers competing but Bergner is clearly the best. He didn't miss all day - kicking FGs of 42 and 49 yards. There was no rush coming and very little pressure, so that should be noted. Bergner was the only punter that punted yesterday. He was getting good hang time and distance.

I walked away very optimistic about Earl and the offensive skill positions. My concern is the OL and DB unit.

FB season will be fun - wish it was starting today.

[Yotes]

Thanks for the info OBC. OL and DB are the big questions on this team, maybe the only questions. Joe Glenn has said that the OL is much improved, but I just can't see much depth there. I expect Nile Banks to take a big step forward this year as a starter, and we bring back Schoefield, Chancellor, and Huffer, but I'm not sure what we have talent beyond those 4. We have plenty of names on the roster at OL, but things could get rough once our starters get worn down.

If the secondary doesn't get good quickly then they could ruin our defensive effort. We do have one JUCO guy, Michael Lily, who isn't listed yet on the roster, hopefully he can help shore things up. Glenn says he should come in and play right away. Colpitts and Jiles sound like two freshmen who may be able to contribute when they make it to campus too, if they don't redshirt.

If there's anything that makes me nervous about the team it is certainly the secondary. I really like the rest of our team. We return so much on offense, and even add in some guys. QB is pretty solid with Earl, I am worried about the lack of backups though. RB is going to be stacked, it's going to take a Hawkeye-esque act of god to have injuries bring us down this year. All six of our receivers at Spring Practice could probably start. Missing Wilhelm at TE will hurt, but I think Barkley should do a good enough job.

DL and LB sound like pretty big strong points for the defense this year. We lose Emilious Davis and Tyler Starr, but we have plenty of talent and depth coming back. Bergner should take a step forward if he doesn't have to worry about the snap every time, that had to have been getting into his head last season.

[1959coyote]

Saeger and JVM both have groin injury problems and I think Saeger might have surgery.

[Yote 53]

Apr 14, 2014 13:03:13 GMT -6 Yotes said:

Thanks for the info OBC. OL and DB are the big questions on this team, maybe the only questions. Joe Glenn has said that the OL is much improved, but I just can't see much depth there. I expect Nile Banks to take a big step forward this year as a starter, and we bring back Schoefield, Chancellor, and Huffer, but I'm not sure what we have talent beyond those 4. We have plenty of names on the roster at OL, but things could get rough once our starters get worn down.

If the secondary doesn't get good quickly then they could ruin our defensive effort. We do have one JUCO guy, Michael Lily, who isn't listed yet on the roster, hopefully he can help shore things up. Glenn says he should come in and play right away. Colpitts and Jiles sound like two freshmen who may be able to contribute when they make it to campus too, if they don't redshirt.

If there's anything that makes me nervous about the team it is certainly the secondary. I really like the rest of our team. We return so much on offense, and even add in some guys. QB is pretty solid with Earl, I am worried about the lack of backups though. RB is going to be stacked, it's going to take a Hawkeye-esque act of god to have injuries bring us down this year. All six of our receivers at Spring Practice could probably start. Missing Wilhelm at TE will hurt, but I think Barkley should do a good enough job.

DL and LB sound like pretty big strong points for the defense this year. We lose Emilious Davis and Tyler Starr, but we have plenty of talent and depth coming back. Bergner should take a step forward if he doesn't have to worry about the snap every time, that had to have been getting into his head last season.

Do not incite or anger the AIRBHG (Angry Iowa Running Back Hating God) we don't need his wrath on the Coyotes.

[canislatrans]

As for TE, it is interesting to see that Ramsey converted from QB to TE and added 20 lbs to 230. If he can block enough, with his athletic ability shown on recruiting videos, he could be a force in the offense. It will be interesting to see how they all progress.

[94grad]

Apr 13, 2014 8:55:48 GMT -6 obc said:

Notes from this weekend's scrimmage


Really good intensity from start to finish - good hitting and pursuit on every play. Liked the team's collective energy.

Kevin Earl was the only QB taking snaps - Saeger was not suited up as far as I could tell. Kevin was throwing very accurate passes and seemed to be making good decisions distributing the ball. I think Kevin will take a huge stride this year.
The RB position is as deep as the team has had as long as I have followed the program. None of them is as good as Logan was a few years back, but collectively they are solid. Bouma most importantly looked healthy. Roberts perhaps had the best day at the scrimmage. Kilgore played early but sat out the entire second half - he didn't even have his helmet in hand so I wonder if he had a slight concussion (total guess). He is a powerful and showed some quick lateral movement to hit the hole. Jasper Sanders was in street clothes.

JVM was also not suited up. Riley Donovan was suited up but did not play (as far as I could tell)

The WR group had some good receptions and runs after catch, but also had too many drops. Van Roekel is going to be a big time target for Earl - tall and good hands.
The new JC receiver - (Shufford) is a smaller guy but has good burst off the LOS and has a good shiftiness quality.

The OL struggled at times giving Earl time to pass. It looked to be a combination of not sliding toward the blitz (coach Harvey looked really upset that they were not recognizing it) , other times the OL was just not able to stay on their blocks. The other disappointing thing was that they jumped offsides three times during the short scrimmage. How the OL plays and their development will determine the USD offense's success this coming season. The other positions look good. Run blocking was better for the OL than pass protection. Make sure and watch Drew Potter (FB). He is a steamroller and was crushing the defense yesterday.

On defense Auston Johnson and Drew Iddings are the standouts. Auston has gotten better every step of the way. You can tell he is an extremely intelligent FB player - my guess is having a father that is in the CFL hall of fame like he does at the same position could help you.....
Drew Iddings is a genetic freak like Starr was and is getting better at using his physical tools - shedding blocks and redirecting to the play. the USD OL struggled blocking him.

Keyen Lage was not suited up and did not have any noticeable injuries. Steve Tellefson had a metal elbow brace and sling - not sure on the severity of the injury and timeline for his return.

The DBs never looked out of place but did give up a few over their heads. I think we all know this new/young position group will have to come together quickly or the good teams in the MVFC will shread them.

Schad Wilson did all the long snapping duties and he did a great job delivering the ball. There are three kickers competing but Bergner is clearly the best. He didn't miss all day - kicking FGs of 42 and 49 yards. There was no rush coming and very little pressure, so that should be noted. Bergner was the only punter that punted yesterday. He was getting good hang time and distance.

I walked away very optimistic about Earl and the offensive skill positions. My concern is the OL and DB unit.

FB season will be fun - wish it was starting today.

Thanks for posting this obc. With Earl, Donovan, and a ton of solid RBs, we should be able to put some points on the board if the OL can even be average. Can't wait for Fall!

[canislatrans]

Thanks to bluffrunner for starting the thread and obc and others with a first hand view taking the time to post.

I'm only able to get out to Vermillion about once or twice a year, so appreciate this board and the local press coverage.

[Yotes]

Apr 14, 2014 14:04:22 GMT -6 Yote 53 said:

Apr 14, 2014 13:03:13 GMT -6 Yotes said:

Thanks for the info OBC. OL and DB are the big questions on this team, maybe the only questions. Joe Glenn has said that the OL is much improved, but I just can't see much depth there. I expect Nile Banks to take a big step forward this year as a starter, and we bring back Schoefield, Chancellor, and Huffer, but I'm not sure what we have talent beyond those 4. We have plenty of names on the roster at OL, but things could get rough once our starters get worn down.

If the secondary doesn't get good quickly then they could ruin our defensive effort. We do have one JUCO guy, Michael Lily, who isn't listed yet on the roster, hopefully he can help shore things up. Glenn says he should come in and play right away. Colpitts and Jiles sound like two freshmen who may be able to contribute when they make it to campus too, if they don't redshirt.

If there's anything that makes me nervous about the team it is certainly the secondary. I really like the rest of our team. We return so much on offense, and even add in some guys. QB is pretty solid with Earl, I am worried about the lack of backups though. RB is going to be stacked, it's going to take a Hawkeye-esque act of god to have injuries bring us down this year. All six of our receivers at Spring Practice could probably start. Missing Wilhelm at TE will hurt, but I think Barkley should do a good enough job.

DL and LB sound like pretty big strong points for the defense this year. We lose Emilious Davis and Tyler Starr, but we have plenty of talent and depth coming back. Bergner should take a step forward if he doesn't have to worry about the snap every time, that had to have been getting into his head last season.

Do not incite or anger the AIRBHG (Angry Iowa Running Back Hating God) we don't need his wrath on the Coyotes.

I'm going to tempt fate anyways. We have immense depth at RB this year, and into at least the next few years. I wonder who will get more carries, Sanders or Bouma?

[azsod73]

Spring game.

In case you missed it, the Argus Sports Web Live this week was focused on USD & SDSU's spring game, and scheduling.

www.argusleader.com/videos/sports/2014/04/23/8066513/

Not a very polished product but I guess these guys are sports writers and not broadcasters.

Very obvious that TV is a full time Bunny reporter and Mick (at best) is a part time Yote reporter.

The background tv screens were supposed (I think) to alternate between Yote and State fb screen shots but ended up with mostly the bunny logo. Sorry, but that 'new' fierce bunny caricature of a few years back looks more constipated than fierce, in my opinion.