Vanderbilt just wrapped it's first scrimmage of the fall.
Offense (Joey):
-Thought the defense won the day, although I think the offense technically won the scoring.
-Ball security was an issue. Some of that was defense making plays but a lot of it was bad decision making out of the quarterbacks. Some fumbles too. Penalties were also an issue. There were some operational errors that plagued them.
-To me Diego Pavia looked like the best quarterback today. The operation seemed to be much cleaner with him running it, the ball wasn't pushed down the field much with him but he seemed to find guys and his drives were consistently the longest out of the main starters I thought. He seems to have a real connection with Cole Spence, the arc he puts on the ball fits well with a 6-foot-7 guy like that. He did try to force a throw from out of the pocket and was intercepted, though.
-Nate Johnson just seemed to be a little off with his timing and communication. Also made some bad throws for interceptions and put the ball on the ground. Pavia definitely had a better day. Johnson still has the measurables but I think there's a lot more to this competition. I also wonder what could be different if quarterbacks were live.
-Drew Dickey was ok, felt like the ball didn't move much with him out there but it did more than I thought. No turnovers from what I remember. Berlowitz made some awesome throws and moved the ball well at times but also made some really bad ones that seemed to be communication issues.
-Jeremy St Hilare and Whit Muschamp both only got a few reps but made some really nice throws. Think both have bright futures.
-The running backs and the running game were definitely better than I expected. Sedrick Alexander wasn't out there long but he made the run of the day that Clark Lea called "different" than he'd seen from any backs last year. That was called back but the breakaway and open field ability was impressive there. AJ Newberry had some flashes but put it on the ground and failed to come up with a catch that led to an INT.
-The backup running back battle rages on. I like Newberry as the second back, but will have to see more to declare it. Moni Jones was good in short yardage but Chase Gillespie took advantage of all of his carries and might've been the best back considering usage. Johann Cardenas got a lot of carries and was good but competition wasn't high for him.
-Receivers weren't awesome but there were some flash plays. Thought Skinner was quiet. Sherrill was fine but not super standoutish. Richie Hoskins was the regular that stood out. Long TD catch from Pavia, seems like he'll be a good fit for what they want to do. Joseph McVay was the other standout, just kept making plays. His yards will probably stand out in Chris' stats. Finally saw something from Micah Bell at the end of practice. His speed is an asset, just don't know how much they'll be able to utilize it. They'll have to be creative there.
-Brycen Coleman is out for awhile with a broken collarbone. Won't cost him the season. Would've been a nice player to have, but he wasn't someone they were relying on.
-The offensive line was the positive for me. I thought they did give the quarterbacks some time and they also opened up a good bit of running lanes. Not a whole lot of sacks in the stats I'd think. Steven Hubbard is emerging as a leader in my mind.
Defense (Billy):
-I thought they won the day, but not by much, there were still some mistakes that were made.
-CJ Taylor still had a brace on his left knee, but looked to be flying around the field, which is a good sign. He laid a couple pretty good licks, one in particular on Cole Spence. Looks as if he has warmed up to the safety position. I have a feeling he’ll be head hunting quite often this season, just needs to be weary of targeting.
-Prince Kollie looked good when he was in, he made a couple strong hits. He’s still behind Patterson and Longwell in my mind though.
-The defense as a whole looked to be pressuring early, but Pavia did a good job of counteracting that with creativity.
-Tyson Russell covered and tackled well for the most part, but still had a couple lapses.
-Steven Sannieniola made a really good tackle in the open field, he was flying around all night. This needs to be the year he takes a big jump.
-Marlen Sewell looked pretty good, he seems to be playing with much more confidence thus far.
-Khordae Sydnor was really active. He had at least one sack that I can remember. Check with Chris’ stats to confirm.
-Bradley Mann looked better than I anticipated. He had a sack and forced a fumble on AJ Newberry (I think)
-Jeff Ugo should’ve had an interception, but he made up for it later
-Random note, but a Cleveland Browns scout was in attendance
-Taco Wright struggled a little bit with open field tackling and also dropped wehat would’ve been an easy pick six. He did make up for that later though, by forcing a tipped interception
-Kolbey Taylor was talking a LOT. He made a really good play on Quincy Skinner in the endzone and gave him an earful. That’s exactly what this defense needed after last season.
-Jaylin Lackey made a really good open field tackle on Newberr and almost had an interception. I was encouraged by his play tonight, he’ll have to play some this season with Jones and Davis out.
-Dontae Carter didn’t stand out as much as I thought he might, but he also didn’t make any obvious mistakes either. He caught a tipped interception that caught my eye.
-Hopefully, that’s enough info. Let me know if you have any questions.
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