Yesterday, I posted this video while practice was still going on.
After watching it again, here are some observations:
In taking a second look at that video, some observations (aside from the positional assignments):
* On the first rep, Matt Allen playing nice and low, working out to a fast-flow LB (Kline), turning and taking him on squarely. Of course it’s play one of a practice so fatigue is not a factor, but I like how low he played that.
Meanwhile, I like how low JD Duplain played against Maverick Hansen and I like how low DT Simeon Barrow played against Kevin Jarvis. And Jarvis was low too. A lot of good football going on, there
* It's difficult to get a read on the linebackers because they are thudding and not really going full force on collisions.
* Jeff Pietrowski (47 at LDE) is sneaky, playing low and strong and quick and sneaky in making first contact, and doing it with low, strong hand placement. He just seems like a pain in the neck to block. I look forward to seeing if he has any plus traits as a pass rusher (quick take-off, ability to bend and turn the corner?, ability to make himself small and get off with a shoulder dip? Not sure on any of that. But his initial engagement is sneaky bothersome).
On the last play of Pietrowski, he has Arcuri sliding in the pass set and once again Pietrowski is sneaky quick with his fundamentals and timing in making first contact, which is often the first step toward winning an exchange. Pietrowski with those quick hands to go with waddle-fast feet, might have been a good boxer. He's interesting.
* Payton Thorne is just kind of steady with his one throw, and on-time to Jayden Reed on that play-action curl against tight man-to-man from Kalon Gervin.
* Chase Kline has added 10 pounds and it's a good 10 pounds. He's always been athletic, now he looks kind of tough-athletic. I'll be interested to see how that looks at full-go contact.
**
As for the second group:
* Anthony Russo threw an incompletion, but it looked to me like WR Terry Lockett turned the wrong way vs the bailing CB (Ronald Williams). It looked like Lockett ran a curl and Russo threw an out or a comeback toward the sideline. That play ended up ugly but I'm not sure it was on the QB.
Two plays later, Lockett turned the other way vs the bailing CB, to the sideline for an out/comeback as part of a zone read option. This time they hooked it up for a completion.
* As I said in the V-Cast, very interesting that AJ Kirk was getting these reps with the second group. That doesn't mean he is second string, but any of the guys that were on the field are guys that at least have shown they know what to do. Kirk as a true freshman, and a hell of a hitter in high school, probably has some of that Ohio DB IQ that we see all the time at Michigan State. I'd venture to guess that Kirk is on schedule. It's only been a week, but he's on schedule.
* Same with Tank Brown. He has a redshirt year of college ball under his belt but is at a new program. Brown getting some run with this second unit in a 2-4-5 alignment is intriguing and a good sign for him, after he sat out last year with the Gophers.
I watched Brown's reps closely but haven't arrived at an opinion. Still early for him. Needs to show he can change direction with burst. He's just getting started. Has a chance to have a nice frame. Avery Dunn's frame is really filling out nicely.
******
As for the third group, we saw some of the walk-on DBs that played in the spring scrimmage. At CB we saw walk-on Justin White and a true freshman Charles Brantley.
At safety, a freshman named Khalil Majeed, (5-11, 190, Moorestown, NJ/Suffield, Conn. Academy) was out there with redshirt freshman Zach Denha (6-0, 185, Rochester Hills/Stony Creek).
Walk-ons Terry O'Connor and Sam Edwards were at linebacker.
On the d-line, it was true freshman Alex Okelo, walk-on DT Jacob LaFave, true freshman DT Derrick Harmon and junior d-end Zach Slade.
No opinion on any of them. But I continue to see positive signs from Harmon. Today, o-line coach Chris Kapolovic mentioned Harmon as a youngster on the other side of the ball who has caught his eye a little bit.
* Noah Kim was at QB, and completed a little flare out to Kenneth Walker for an easy gain.
* Elsewhere on the offense: Keon Coleman, Tre Mosley and Christian Fitzpatrick at the WRs. No opinion, other than I would have expected Mosley to be with Nailor and Reed during the first series. Or with the second group, which consisted of Terry Lockett, Cade McDonald and Ian Stewart at WR.
But Mosley was out there with Coleman and Fitzpatrick. Who knows? Maybe those three were the actual second stringers although they repped third.
On the o-line: Brandon Baldwin at LT, Kevin Wigenton at LG, Jacob Isaia at C, Geno VanDerMark at RG, Ethan Boyd at RT. Parks Gissinger was at tight end.
After watching it again, here are some observations:
In taking a second look at that video, some observations (aside from the positional assignments):
* On the first rep, Matt Allen playing nice and low, working out to a fast-flow LB (Kline), turning and taking him on squarely. Of course it’s play one of a practice so fatigue is not a factor, but I like how low he played that.
Meanwhile, I like how low JD Duplain played against Maverick Hansen and I like how low DT Simeon Barrow played against Kevin Jarvis. And Jarvis was low too. A lot of good football going on, there
* It's difficult to get a read on the linebackers because they are thudding and not really going full force on collisions.
* Jeff Pietrowski (47 at LDE) is sneaky, playing low and strong and quick and sneaky in making first contact, and doing it with low, strong hand placement. He just seems like a pain in the neck to block. I look forward to seeing if he has any plus traits as a pass rusher (quick take-off, ability to bend and turn the corner?, ability to make himself small and get off with a shoulder dip? Not sure on any of that. But his initial engagement is sneaky bothersome).
On the last play of Pietrowski, he has Arcuri sliding in the pass set and once again Pietrowski is sneaky quick with his fundamentals and timing in making first contact, which is often the first step toward winning an exchange. Pietrowski with those quick hands to go with waddle-fast feet, might have been a good boxer. He's interesting.
* Payton Thorne is just kind of steady with his one throw, and on-time to Jayden Reed on that play-action curl against tight man-to-man from Kalon Gervin.
* Chase Kline has added 10 pounds and it's a good 10 pounds. He's always been athletic, now he looks kind of tough-athletic. I'll be interested to see how that looks at full-go contact.
**
As for the second group:
* Anthony Russo threw an incompletion, but it looked to me like WR Terry Lockett turned the wrong way vs the bailing CB (Ronald Williams). It looked like Lockett ran a curl and Russo threw an out or a comeback toward the sideline. That play ended up ugly but I'm not sure it was on the QB.
Two plays later, Lockett turned the other way vs the bailing CB, to the sideline for an out/comeback as part of a zone read option. This time they hooked it up for a completion.
* As I said in the V-Cast, very interesting that AJ Kirk was getting these reps with the second group. That doesn't mean he is second string, but any of the guys that were on the field are guys that at least have shown they know what to do. Kirk as a true freshman, and a hell of a hitter in high school, probably has some of that Ohio DB IQ that we see all the time at Michigan State. I'd venture to guess that Kirk is on schedule. It's only been a week, but he's on schedule.
* Same with Tank Brown. He has a redshirt year of college ball under his belt but is at a new program. Brown getting some run with this second unit in a 2-4-5 alignment is intriguing and a good sign for him, after he sat out last year with the Gophers.
I watched Brown's reps closely but haven't arrived at an opinion. Still early for him. Needs to show he can change direction with burst. He's just getting started. Has a chance to have a nice frame. Avery Dunn's frame is really filling out nicely.
******
As for the third group, we saw some of the walk-on DBs that played in the spring scrimmage. At CB we saw walk-on Justin White and a true freshman Charles Brantley.
At safety, a freshman named Khalil Majeed, (5-11, 190, Moorestown, NJ/Suffield, Conn. Academy) was out there with redshirt freshman Zach Denha (6-0, 185, Rochester Hills/Stony Creek).
Walk-ons Terry O'Connor and Sam Edwards were at linebacker.
On the d-line, it was true freshman Alex Okelo, walk-on DT Jacob LaFave, true freshman DT Derrick Harmon and junior d-end Zach Slade.
No opinion on any of them. But I continue to see positive signs from Harmon. Today, o-line coach Chris Kapolovic mentioned Harmon as a youngster on the other side of the ball who has caught his eye a little bit.
* Noah Kim was at QB, and completed a little flare out to Kenneth Walker for an easy gain.
* Elsewhere on the offense: Keon Coleman, Tre Mosley and Christian Fitzpatrick at the WRs. No opinion, other than I would have expected Mosley to be with Nailor and Reed during the first series. Or with the second group, which consisted of Terry Lockett, Cade McDonald and Ian Stewart at WR.
But Mosley was out there with Coleman and Fitzpatrick. Who knows? Maybe those three were the actual second stringers although they repped third.
On the o-line: Brandon Baldwin at LT, Kevin Wigenton at LG, Jacob Isaia at C, Geno VanDerMark at RG, Ethan Boyd at RT. Parks Gissinger was at tight end.
Last edited:
