Posted By: Ma'ake
Date: Saturday, 6 April 2002, at 2:19 p.m.
First of all, there were maybe 50-60 spectators at practice today. The enthusiam I think is beginning to build... There is going to be some kind of a fans meeting on April 20 9:00-10:30a in the RES Tower where Mac & the staff will go over where things are with the team.
This team is a lot of fun to watch, they approach practice with a sense of urgency, a blue collar approach to getting better, good chemistry, nobody is laying around, looking at clouds, etc. Solid, steady noticeable improvement from practice to practice.
Today was a nice day, with lots of hardcore Ute fans catching up with each other and watching the team.
Dustup o' the Day - DE Marcus Jones #52 and LG Chris Kemoeatu #68 apparently had something they didn't quite see eye-to-eye about. It's great to see Marcus getting into it - he is a serious athlete that we'll need to put pressure on opposing QBs - but between CK and Marcus duking it out a phone booth, it could get ugly. Kemoeatu is built like a tank.
Collision o' the Day - FB Brandon Bliss #47 caught a screen pass & turned upfield where he & CB D'Shaun Crocket #21 met on the left sideline with what could be called "a significant energy exchange". I would rate the result as a tie, but the noise was sufficient to scare some birds on the other side of the field.
Position Changes? - DB Steve Smith #28, transfer from Oregon, is getting a look at FS, where he had long, educational discussions with safeties coach Bill Busch. (Yes, the same Bill Busch who pulled out far more than his limit in recruiting the San Diego area this year.)
Arnold Parker SS #17 played quite a bit at RCB. There were some players held out today, but Arnold is certainly athletic enough to play CB, even at 215-200 lbs.
Notable Performances - RB J R Peroulis #2 had some sweet runs today, displaying a burst and nice lateral elusiveness that helped him get some separation, where he is *really* dangerous.
CB Bo Nagahi #22 - Bo is bigger this year, I would say by 10-15 lbs, but appears to have not lost any quicks. He broke-up a pass, and had an Int in his hands (but juggled & dropped it), a gift from a wrong route run by FR WR Steven Savoy #15. Savoy is young... Bo is showing a break on the ball that I wouldn't hesitate to describe as "Dyson-esque".
D-Line
Today I watched the DLine a bit more than I normally would. I think we're in good shape here, with talent & depth. If I miss any players, sorry - I wasn't able to rip off one of the glossy yearbook rosters Bill Hall had under his arm.
Jason Kaufusi DE #86 - Out from shoulder surgery, looks a little funny in his sling. Linda Hamilton was talking with him after practice, so there might be something in the D-News on him soon.
Marcus Jones DE #52 - State of Arizona sprint champ, is a nice athlete at about 250 lbs now. I think this guy will bust out this year.
Lauvale Sape DT #97 - cat quick, strong, high motor. A leader.
Garrett Smith DT #63 - same as Sape, pretty darn athletic, for a DT. I remember at the fan fest a couple of years ago Garrett was playing around on the make shift hoops court, throwing down a few dunks with ease. Nice player & a great kid.
Josh Savage DE/DT #44 - Solid contributor last year. Expect more of the same this year. He had a sack or two against Oregon. Quality player.
Sione Pouha DT #95 - Looks an awful lot like Sape, quick, explosive, is a vocal leader as a Soph.
Steve Fifita DT #94 - Human fire hydrant. I would *not* want to piss off this guy.
Tevita Kemoeatu DT #96 - 3rd Kemoeatu brother at the U. I'm not sure what year he is, but if he's a FR or SO he'll contribute next year, IMO.
Corey Dodds DE #93 - Special teams maniac last year is at the very minimum a quality reserve. Nice young player.
I know I'm missing some guys. Apologies...
Minor Dings
> Jordan Gross LT #69 apparently broke his hand in an earlier practice, but it doesn't look real serious. He'll be fine.
> Marty Johnson RB #1 has been out a couple of practices, I'm not quite sure why. I think they're just being careful - it doesn't appear to be very serious.
> Antwoine Sanders FS #4 was not in pads today. At the last practice he told me his lower back has been aching. Get used to it, 'Twoine... it only gets worse as your get older. :-)
Not so minor dings
> Desmond Davis CB #31 (ACL) told me his knee is getting better daily & he should
be ready for the fall camp. Sheldon Deckart LB #54 is pretty involved in the
practices, even though he's out with shoulder surgery.
"Celebrities" in Attendance - Donny Daniels & Dick Hunsaker seemed to be enjoying the pracice, and the nice spring day.
Misc - the other NFL team that has been talking with Yohance is the Packers. 2 weeks until the draft...
UTEopia owes us a practice report, as well!
My 2 cents
Posted By: UTEopia
Date: Saturday, 6 April 2002, at 2:40 p.m.
In Response To: FOOTBALL: Practice report... (Ma'ake)
I have watched spring practices going back to the Chuck Stobart era. This is the best any Ute team has ever looked physically, emotionally and mentally. I hate to get too excited because I know what usually happens.
Garrett Smith and Lauvale Sape are so quick that they are going to raise all sorts of problems for opposing OL's.
I watched mlb's Tune and Holdcraft and really liked what I saw. They both have a good blend of speed, size and a nose for the football. Antoine Sanders was resting a sore back today. Nothing significant. Parker played alot of corner. IMO the coaches liked the way Revill played in the nickel at safety a year ago. If someone Nagahi or Young don't improve at corner, I could see Parker moving to corner and Revill into the starting safety. Parker did get burned ona long pass to Lyman.
The most improvement has been on the offensive side of the ball. Things are just alot more crisp. Johnson sat out with some fluid on the knee after Thursdays practice. I like the strength in elliott's arm. He looks very good. He threw one pass that should have been picked by nagahi, but i couldn't tell whether he missed the read or whether the receiver did.
I thought Tommy Hackenbruck had a nice day and ran very hard.
FOOTBALL: Scrimmage Thoughts (long)...
Posted By: Utebiquitous
Date: Monday, 8 April 2002, at 7:22 p.m.
I'm sorry to post this so late. I read Maake's and Uteopia's posts about the scrimmage Saturday but I thought I'd add a few thoughts and perhaps reruns of some of their accounts.
I went particularly to watch the quarterbacks. I liked what I saw.
Rice is definitely stronger. I don't know if he's throwing the ball downfield
any better. His throw to the flat seems to have a little more zip on it - I
think that's how you describe the route Colorado St and BYU picked off last
year to end Utah's hopes at victories. However, Elliott and Breska definitely
throw this route better than Rice. Someone commented that Rice seems to have
a good rapport with receivers and lineman. I noticed this as well. Breska and
Elliott spent their time with Ver Steeg while Rice wandered around chatting
with teammates.
One noticeable improvement in Rice is his short passes to the running backs. His combination of too weak or too hard short passes last season led to much consternation. I thought he showed better touch and better zip depending on the situation. Anyway, he's obviously worked on this. The team was throwing a lot to the backs Saturday. Rice deliverd a short pass and an intermediate pass under intense pressure a couple of times Saturday.
A few comments on Elliott. First of all he is the most "athletic" of the three. Case in point - Whittingham brought a blitz from Elliott's left that had him running for his life from 3 or 4 Utes. Elliott sprinted right and managed to zip a 25 yard pass downfield to a receiver. The pass was knocked down by a diving Arnold Parker but Elliott threw it only where the receiver could catch it. Parker's play was as terrific as Elliott's effort.
Elliott's reads are pretty good as well - maybe slightly behind Rice at this point. He threw an out to Morgan Scalley that Morgan nearly caught (Morgan was covered well so once again Elliott threw it up and towards the sideline where only Morgan could possibly get to it)but he chose Scalley over a wide open tight end down the middle. He made up for it at least two other times where I noticed he went through two reads and found the third guy open - once on a post and another the tight end across the middle.
As for Breska. I agree with what's been said about him so far. He can throw the ball but he's slow. I think he's definitely third string at this point.
I really think the glass is at least half full as we speak about these quarterbacks. I think it's been said that if Rice gets the starting job over Elliott and Breska then McBride needs to do a better job of recruiting. I think we may have two really good quarterbacks in the fold right now with a third that could be above average if protected well.
Rice is turning himself into a pretty good quarterback. I think he can be a McCoy/Dolce type of guy. I agree with many of you who speculate that Elliott may be special if given the time. I don't know if that chance comes without an injury situation. Rice isn't doing anything to lose it that I can see. Elliott is making up ground but McBride is one to go with experience.
Receivers - I know this may be where Utah is deepest and that's why it's remarkable to me that Morgan Scalley looks so good. He looks stronger and faster. I don't know about Maake and Uteopia but he was one of the better players on the field Saturday in my opinion. He may not be a glamorous name but he reminds me of Lyman with better speed.
Two other notes - more intangible-type comments.
D'line - I don't know how anyone will run up the middle on this team. The tackles
are terrific - as are their backups. Tune and Holdcraft played very well Saturday
so the middle of the field is pretty solid. Sione Pouha really impressed me
Saturday. He has quite a motor and appears immovable. I realize those adjectives
are contrary but it fits him.
O'line - I really like these guys. I also like Coach Gehrke (sp?). I've heard that he's scared some players off with his sailor-like profanity and hard-nosed approach but I like him for one particular reason - He's building a team-like concept within the offensive unit. He was all over the lineman Saturday to "dig your guy outta there" whenever a running back or receiver was tackled. He expects the lineman to run to the tackling point and protect their player. I realize this may seem silly to some of you but I like the impact of this practice. I haven't noticed an emphasis on this with previous coaches.
'biq
Morgan Scalley & the wideouts...
Posted By: Ma'ake
Date: Monday, 8 April 2002, at 8:22 p.m.
In Response To: FOOTBALL: Scrimmage Thoughts (long)... (Utebiquitous)
Concur on Scalley. He's got calves like Fuamatu-Ma'afala, and ran a 4.4x 40 on Pro Day, per Yohance. Josh Lyman looks like a linebacker with his shirt off. (With twin brother Jeremy looking good as a linebacker, this isn't a far fetched comment. *wink*)
Also, Scalley's earned some PT with the punt return duty from last year. The only concern are the migraines.
I would have to rate the top WRs (in no particular order):
Paris Jackson #4 - big, physical, surprisingly elusive, athletic - looks like a completely different player this year.
Devin Houston #7 - quicker, stronger, more mature (per Mac)
Josh Lyman #27 - Warrior, good hands, physical, most experienced.
Justin Walterscheid #12 - very quick, good hands, good pedigree, 3rd year Soph.
Morgan Scalley #25 - physical, fast, fearless, good hands.
The next group would include:
Quincy Watkins #9 - very athletic, bad case of "hands of stone", so far.
#88 - I *still* haven't got this guy's name, but he looks to be about 6'2", 185#, good athlete with decent hands.
Steven Savoy #15 - Very young, not in great condition, makes mistakes, but smooth as silk. With a year of training, should be a 4.4-4.5 guy with hops. I don't expect to see him play in the fall, but if the kid has a work ethic, he'll be something special.
Juan McNutt #8 - Also very young. I don't know if he's slightly dinged, or is losing interest or what, but he's been pretty quiet. He could be a good one, too, if he puts his mind to it.
Brad Burtenshaw #20 Sr. - PAT & FG attempt holder, good hands, great work ethic.
Kylee Brown #84 FR - RM from Blanding (as is Burtenshaw), looks OK so far.
Yet to be seen:
Larry Miles JC #?? - 10.6 100m man. Haven't seen him at practice, must be finishing school in San Diego.
Lynzell Jackson SO #?? - LJ has to be just dying, not being able to be out there. Is far more developed physically than Kevin Dyson, at this point. No idea how his hands or routes are.
Apologies for missing anyone...
I think the QB situation is like this...
Posted By: Mr.
Crimson <me@me.com>
Date: Monday, 8 April 2002, at 7:33 p.m.
In Response To: FOOTBALL: Scrimmage Thoughts (long)... (Utebiquitous)
It says alot about Lance that he worked so hard but I think the problem is this. Lance while I'm sure would be a solid starter is never going to make a spectacular play. Elliott from what everyone is saying, is going to do some special things on the field. But any read problems he is having behind Lance are because Lance started last year. Elliott might have some growing pains but if any team has the talent to cover the mistakes it will be next years.
What I fear is going to happen, we'll go with Lance because thats the kind of guy Mac is, Elliott leaves for Portland State where he throws for a billion yards and wins the Walter Peyton Award while we're two or three great plays away from winning an outright conference title.
Like I said though, I'm not going to complain untill that time comes. I expect nothing less than the title next year and if Mac is willing to risk his coaching future on the arm of Lance Rice then that is his call.
We'll see.
Last modified .