The bad news about Tulane's scrimmages under Willie Fritz is they are not media friendly. He prefers situational scrimmages rather than game-like scrimmages, so there are no drives per say and the down and distance are largely predetermined. They also are rotating the quarterbacks every few plays this preseason, so they don't get full series.
The good news is the scrimmages are football-team-gets-better friendly, and ultimately, my ease in transcribing what's going on is irrelevant. Tulane ran 48 plays today and had six live punts (minus the tackling) with six referees on hand, giving the coaches plenty to observe live and on video and to go forward from there.
A number of players were held out due to injury--wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, running backs Amare Jones and Ygenio Booker, tight end Reggie Brown and lineman Josh Remetich on offense and tackle Jeffery Johnson, safety Chase Kuerschen and Kanyon Walker on defense. Brown is going around on a scooter with a left leg injury.
The other difference is today's scrimmage was the high number of rushes, which are hard for me to judge in no-tackling drills. Keon Howard took three snaps on the opening series and did not pass once, handing off to Tyjae Spears and Stephon Huderson and scrambling when the offensive line gave him a ton of time to throw but he could not find anyone open.
Justin Ibieta went in next and tried to hit Mykel Jones, who got his first action in team drills in the days I've been there, on a deep pattern. Kiland Harrison blanketed him and prevented the catch.
Next it was Michael Pratt's turn. He handed off to Spears, who was stopped by excellent penetration from Carlos Hatcher. After a couple more running plays, Pratt scrambled when he received early pressure.
Josh Hall was in briefly for a pair of handoffs to walk-on Logan Ammons before Howard returned. This time, Cameron Carroll accelerated through a nice hole for what would have been a sizable gain in a tackling drill. Cameron Sample, who is poised to have a tremendous year if he stays healthy and the season is played, forced Howard into a throwaway, and Marvin Moody took Spears' helmet off after reaching him on an outside run. There was not heavy contact, but the helmet ended up on the ground.
Pratt was next for a series of handoffs, with two inside runs by Huderson of indeterminent success and a run by Carroll.
Back in went Ibieta, who ran a keeper before completing a short pass to walk-on Reed Rutkowski on an inside route and a short dump to Spears after holding on to the ball for a while. The offensive line held its own against the defensive front, usually giving the QBs time to throw. Then it was more time for Holl, who dropped a snap on one play.
The scrimmage ended without any huge plays from the offense, which is hampered by not having Jones and, for the last two days, the receivers' inability to get open. It probably feels like I'm picking on Tyrek Presley, but he had another play today when he looked a little lackadaisical going for a ball he probably was not going to catch anyway because he was well covered and Pratt threw an off-target floater. I'd like to see more aggressiveness from Presley.
Wright was impressive in the live punting drills that took place right before the scrimmage, booming a high 52-yarder on the first one from the offense's 17. They then went down the field and punted in the opposite direction, and he got off another good one. Backup punter Casey Glover was good on his two punts, hitting his first one 51 yards, before Wright got two more. The first one traveled 60 yards. The second one, when he got heavy pressure and had to hurry it, went about 36 yards. Spears was the primary returner with Jones sidelined. He tried to catch the short punt on the bounce in traffic and muffed it, a definite no-no.
The first-team offense had Spears at running back, Jones, Duece Watts and Jacob Robertson at wideout, Tyrick James at tight end and the usual suspects on the offensive line.
The first-team defense had Jaylon Monroe and Kyle Meyers at cornerback, Larry Brooks at strong safety, Ajani Kerr at free safety, Willie Langham at nickelback. Kevin Henry and Moody at linebacker, Eric Hicks and De'Andre Williams at tackle and Sample and Patrick Johnson on the outside. Hicks, playing for the injured Jeffery Johnson, who has a cast on on hand. appears to have moved ahead of Davon Wright, who worked on the second-team line with Adonis Friloux, Carlos Hatcher and Angelo Anderson.
Before the scrimmage, they had some 7-on-7 work, and the defense dominated. Pratt tried to fit in tight passes on consecutive plays, with Meyers deflecting a pass to Sorrell Brown while running stride-for-stride with him and and Kerr stepping in front of Brown for a pick six. Both grad tranfers appear to be strong additions as expected. Robertson had a chance to make a huge play, but he could not hold on to the ball after laying out for it in traffic. Tight end Will Wallace had the longest gain on a seam route on a nice pass from Ibieta. Christian Daniels and Phat Watts had catches, too.
Fritz had a few comments on the scrimmage:
"It was a nice humid day here in NOLA. I thought our guys did a good job of battling through. We had an officials crew, which I thought was good for us. We had some calls we need. Coaches have been talking about them on multiple occasions, and sometimes it means more when the officials throw the flag. It was good to have the officials out there. We did a lot of kicking game, a lot of competitive kicking game. We started the day off with extra point and field goal (I was not there yet) versus extra point and field goal block and did nine reps, then we moved on to kickoff versus kickoff return and did six reps. We went with a lot of guys so we could see who could actually run down the field and do the whole thing. Then we went ahead and did 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush with the officials there and came back with punt versus punt return. We finished up with 48 plays offense versus defense. We weren't tackling to the ground, but we got a lot of good work in with it.
"We'll get a chance to go up and watch the film right now. Our guys are getting in better shape. We're fighting through the heat and humidity because our expectations are we're going to play fast and furious the whole time. It doesn't matter to us what the temperature is. We're doing a good job of giving breaks and hydrating. Kudos to our athletic training staff and what they're doing as far as keeping these guys well taken care of."
On what he liked and did not like:
"The biggest thing I thought was just the kicking game. A lot of people don't run reps in the kicking game to completion. Now we weren't tackling the returner, but this was the first time we had good on good with techniques on kickoff return and techniques on kickoff covering the field and simulating a real live kickoff and tagging off on the ball carrier. We're going to get a lot out of that watching film on it, and the same thing with punt versus punt return. Some guys got reps on both sides of the ball
"We also got a lot out of 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush, then also the team segments where we had officials out there. Guys were getting away with something that they didn't get away with today. The yellow flag came out, and just getting a little more game-like."
On most improved area from year to year on the team:
"Offensive line. We're going three full groups right now, and all of them can operate. We've never had close to 15 guys. And obviously they're all not AA starting offensive linemen right now, but they can operate bodies into bodies. They're not getting whipped quickly off the offensive line like sometimes happens with freshmen. I think we hit on all of our freshmen. We signed five offensive linemen and all five of them are excellent players. They've provided a ton of depth. Sincere Haynesworth is a big-time player. He can start for anybody in the country. Corey Dublin, a four-year starter, provides a ton of leadership and toughness. Joey Claybrook has gotten much better, and we have a bunch of competition on the right side of the line. We have four guys vying for those two spots (Jaylen Miller and Cameron Jackel at RT; Ben Knutson and I guess Stephen Lewerenz at right guard, although it might be Rashad Green). We need to be (improved) because we're really good on the defensive line. Those guys are going to bury us if they don't come and compete every day and use proper technique."
He also talked about the cancellation of the Southeastern game:
“It’s a disappointment, but we have to adjust and fight through the adversity,” he said. “There’s one constant right now. It’s change.”
“We want to play 12 games. That’s what we’d like to do. If we can find somebody, we’ll jump on and try to find them. Our intentions are if we’re going to play, let’s play a full schedule.”
“Our guys have had a great attitude. We update them as soon as we get any information that’s real. I know our players want to play 12 games and then hopefully more with a conference championship (game) and a bowl game.”
“I’m just following our docs, particularly Doc Stewart. They’ve done a great job of testing and we’re testing all our guys tomorrow. Obviously the health and safety of our student-athletes is at the forefront, but we also feel like this is very doable. If it’s not and someone says we can’t do it, we won’t do it, but the jury still seems to be out. There’s been a lot of hesitation amongst groups who are canceling and groups who are playing. We’re full speed ahead until someone tells us positively otherwise.”
The good news is the scrimmages are football-team-gets-better friendly, and ultimately, my ease in transcribing what's going on is irrelevant. Tulane ran 48 plays today and had six live punts (minus the tackling) with six referees on hand, giving the coaches plenty to observe live and on video and to go forward from there.
A number of players were held out due to injury--wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, running backs Amare Jones and Ygenio Booker, tight end Reggie Brown and lineman Josh Remetich on offense and tackle Jeffery Johnson, safety Chase Kuerschen and Kanyon Walker on defense. Brown is going around on a scooter with a left leg injury.
The other difference is today's scrimmage was the high number of rushes, which are hard for me to judge in no-tackling drills. Keon Howard took three snaps on the opening series and did not pass once, handing off to Tyjae Spears and Stephon Huderson and scrambling when the offensive line gave him a ton of time to throw but he could not find anyone open.
Justin Ibieta went in next and tried to hit Mykel Jones, who got his first action in team drills in the days I've been there, on a deep pattern. Kiland Harrison blanketed him and prevented the catch.
Next it was Michael Pratt's turn. He handed off to Spears, who was stopped by excellent penetration from Carlos Hatcher. After a couple more running plays, Pratt scrambled when he received early pressure.
Josh Hall was in briefly for a pair of handoffs to walk-on Logan Ammons before Howard returned. This time, Cameron Carroll accelerated through a nice hole for what would have been a sizable gain in a tackling drill. Cameron Sample, who is poised to have a tremendous year if he stays healthy and the season is played, forced Howard into a throwaway, and Marvin Moody took Spears' helmet off after reaching him on an outside run. There was not heavy contact, but the helmet ended up on the ground.
Pratt was next for a series of handoffs, with two inside runs by Huderson of indeterminent success and a run by Carroll.
Back in went Ibieta, who ran a keeper before completing a short pass to walk-on Reed Rutkowski on an inside route and a short dump to Spears after holding on to the ball for a while. The offensive line held its own against the defensive front, usually giving the QBs time to throw. Then it was more time for Holl, who dropped a snap on one play.
The scrimmage ended without any huge plays from the offense, which is hampered by not having Jones and, for the last two days, the receivers' inability to get open. It probably feels like I'm picking on Tyrek Presley, but he had another play today when he looked a little lackadaisical going for a ball he probably was not going to catch anyway because he was well covered and Pratt threw an off-target floater. I'd like to see more aggressiveness from Presley.
Wright was impressive in the live punting drills that took place right before the scrimmage, booming a high 52-yarder on the first one from the offense's 17. They then went down the field and punted in the opposite direction, and he got off another good one. Backup punter Casey Glover was good on his two punts, hitting his first one 51 yards, before Wright got two more. The first one traveled 60 yards. The second one, when he got heavy pressure and had to hurry it, went about 36 yards. Spears was the primary returner with Jones sidelined. He tried to catch the short punt on the bounce in traffic and muffed it, a definite no-no.
The first-team offense had Spears at running back, Jones, Duece Watts and Jacob Robertson at wideout, Tyrick James at tight end and the usual suspects on the offensive line.
The first-team defense had Jaylon Monroe and Kyle Meyers at cornerback, Larry Brooks at strong safety, Ajani Kerr at free safety, Willie Langham at nickelback. Kevin Henry and Moody at linebacker, Eric Hicks and De'Andre Williams at tackle and Sample and Patrick Johnson on the outside. Hicks, playing for the injured Jeffery Johnson, who has a cast on on hand. appears to have moved ahead of Davon Wright, who worked on the second-team line with Adonis Friloux, Carlos Hatcher and Angelo Anderson.
Before the scrimmage, they had some 7-on-7 work, and the defense dominated. Pratt tried to fit in tight passes on consecutive plays, with Meyers deflecting a pass to Sorrell Brown while running stride-for-stride with him and and Kerr stepping in front of Brown for a pick six. Both grad tranfers appear to be strong additions as expected. Robertson had a chance to make a huge play, but he could not hold on to the ball after laying out for it in traffic. Tight end Will Wallace had the longest gain on a seam route on a nice pass from Ibieta. Christian Daniels and Phat Watts had catches, too.
Fritz had a few comments on the scrimmage:
"It was a nice humid day here in NOLA. I thought our guys did a good job of battling through. We had an officials crew, which I thought was good for us. We had some calls we need. Coaches have been talking about them on multiple occasions, and sometimes it means more when the officials throw the flag. It was good to have the officials out there. We did a lot of kicking game, a lot of competitive kicking game. We started the day off with extra point and field goal (I was not there yet) versus extra point and field goal block and did nine reps, then we moved on to kickoff versus kickoff return and did six reps. We went with a lot of guys so we could see who could actually run down the field and do the whole thing. Then we went ahead and did 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush with the officials there and came back with punt versus punt return. We finished up with 48 plays offense versus defense. We weren't tackling to the ground, but we got a lot of good work in with it.
"We'll get a chance to go up and watch the film right now. Our guys are getting in better shape. We're fighting through the heat and humidity because our expectations are we're going to play fast and furious the whole time. It doesn't matter to us what the temperature is. We're doing a good job of giving breaks and hydrating. Kudos to our athletic training staff and what they're doing as far as keeping these guys well taken care of."
On what he liked and did not like:
"The biggest thing I thought was just the kicking game. A lot of people don't run reps in the kicking game to completion. Now we weren't tackling the returner, but this was the first time we had good on good with techniques on kickoff return and techniques on kickoff covering the field and simulating a real live kickoff and tagging off on the ball carrier. We're going to get a lot out of that watching film on it, and the same thing with punt versus punt return. Some guys got reps on both sides of the ball
"We also got a lot out of 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush, then also the team segments where we had officials out there. Guys were getting away with something that they didn't get away with today. The yellow flag came out, and just getting a little more game-like."
On most improved area from year to year on the team:
"Offensive line. We're going three full groups right now, and all of them can operate. We've never had close to 15 guys. And obviously they're all not AA starting offensive linemen right now, but they can operate bodies into bodies. They're not getting whipped quickly off the offensive line like sometimes happens with freshmen. I think we hit on all of our freshmen. We signed five offensive linemen and all five of them are excellent players. They've provided a ton of depth. Sincere Haynesworth is a big-time player. He can start for anybody in the country. Corey Dublin, a four-year starter, provides a ton of leadership and toughness. Joey Claybrook has gotten much better, and we have a bunch of competition on the right side of the line. We have four guys vying for those two spots (Jaylen Miller and Cameron Jackel at RT; Ben Knutson and I guess Stephen Lewerenz at right guard, although it might be Rashad Green). We need to be (improved) because we're really good on the defensive line. Those guys are going to bury us if they don't come and compete every day and use proper technique."
He also talked about the cancellation of the Southeastern game:
“It’s a disappointment, but we have to adjust and fight through the adversity,” he said. “There’s one constant right now. It’s change.”
“We want to play 12 games. That’s what we’d like to do. If we can find somebody, we’ll jump on and try to find them. Our intentions are if we’re going to play, let’s play a full schedule.”
“Our guys have had a great attitude. We update them as soon as we get any information that’s real. I know our players want to play 12 games and then hopefully more with a conference championship (game) and a bowl game.”
“I’m just following our docs, particularly Doc Stewart. They’ve done a great job of testing and we’re testing all our guys tomorrow. Obviously the health and safety of our student-athletes is at the forefront, but we also feel like this is very doable. If it’s not and someone says we can’t do it, we won’t do it, but the jury still seems to be out. There’s been a lot of hesitation amongst groups who are canceling and groups who are playing. We’re full speed ahead until someone tells us positively otherwise.”