We already had some good takes on the scrimmage in another thread, but here's my full report. I would like to emphasize, as winwave pointed out, that all of the bad snaps came from Elijah Baker, who would be Tulane's fourth-string center behind Vincent Murphy, Caleb Thomas and Gabe Fortson, who is out with an injury. I don't think center is Baker's natural position. The coaches love his potential, but he won't be playing center in a game any time soon.
I'm not sure what aspects of the special teams other than kicker Pauley is referring to from last night--and even the kickers were not terrible. Every kickoff went into the end zone again. It is impossible to judge coverage and returns in a scrimmage.
They started with field goals that included blocking and a (nominal) rush. Jacob Barnes connected from 33 yards and 40 yards before missing wide right from 50, which is stretching his range. Ethan Head clanked a 21-yard off the right upright, which is a no-no, but he nailed 40- and 50-yarders. Patrick Durkin made kicks from 21, 40 and 50 yards.
Will Karoll did drop a perfect snap on his first punt, which would be disastrous in a game, but that was an outlier. He kicked a high one 44 yards on his next attempt and had one go into the end zone from 41 yards. HIs backup, Brice Busch, had one from the same spot and it was downed at the 6.
They had individual drills next, and Mario Williams was the only receiver to drop a pass. He has great ability, but his concentration is lacking at times.
When the scrimmage started, it was Darian Mensah as promised with the 1s against the first-team defense, and the offensive line was intact with Rashad Green returning at right tackle, Vincent Murphy at center (for the first series only) and Josh Remetich at right guard. Mensah definitely looks better than the other two quarterbacks at the moment, and although it remains a small sample size, I now believe he will be the starter if he keeps up this level. Kai Horton has been better than Ty Thompson, but Thompson would benefit from real game action because he is a major threat to run. He got hosed out of a first down last night on a scramble because the referees were blowing the whistle when a defender was near the QB. I expect Tulane to use more than one quarterback in the opener against Southeastern, and I do not think Sumrall will announce his plan ahead of time.
I will list each series the QBs ran and then go on to the next QB rather than going sequentially.
(MENSAH SERIES 1)
1-10-25: Complete Makhi Hughes +2 in flat
2-8-27: Hughes power run +11
1-10-38: Complete Williams +27 on beautiful improvisation by Mensah, who rolled away from heavy pressure and threw a strike to Williams, who did a terrific job of keeping a foot inbounds while leaning to catch it.
1-10-35: Shaadie Clayton Johnson +9
2-1-26: Clayton-Johnson minus-1
3-2-27: C Dontae Fleming +6 on crossing route.
1-10-21: Clayhton-Johnson +4
2-6-17: Complete Sidney Mbanasor +6 despite tight coverage from Johnathan Edwards
1-10-11: Hughes +2
2-8-9: Complete Alex Bauman as safety valve +5
3-3-4: Incomplete on pass to wide open Mario Williams in corner of end zone. Simple drop. Gotta catch that.
(apparently a penalty was called because they lined up for third-and-1 from the 2 after that play)
3-1-2: Clayton-Johnson no gain
4-1-2: Fleming no gain on run that appeared perfectly set up. I believe Yulkeith Brown would have scored on same play, but it was terrific tackle by safety Kevin Adams to stop the drive.
MENSAH SERIES 2 (fifth overall, again 1s vs. 1s)
1-10-25: C Mario Williams +24 on a dart that beat double coverage
1-10-49: Arnold Barnes no gain
2-10-49: Complete Clayton-Johnson +7 in flat
3-3-44: Incomplete throwaway after heavy pressure from Angelo Anderson
4-3-44: PENALTY false start minus-5 when offense was going for first down
4-8-49: PUNT 38 yards, fair catch Bryce Bohanon (no punt rush)
MENSAH SERIES 3 (1 vs. 1 and No. 7 overall, right after halftime)
1-10-25: Barnes +8
2-2-33: Barnes minus-1
3-3-32: PENALTY false start minus-5
3-8-27: Incomplete spike into the ground because of pressure from Gerrod Henderson.
MENSAH SERIES 4 (No. 9 overall)
1-10-35: Complete Mario Williams minus-5 on outstanding open-field tackle by Rishi Rattan (even with a strong spring, Rattan has fallen out of the picture on the depth chart)
2-15-30: Complete Fleming +5
3-10-35: Complete Clayton-Johnson +1 on dumpoff
Analysis: Although Mensah did not produce any points on his four series, his first one would have been a TD without the easy drop by Williams. He appeared to make the right decision almost every and threw some pretty passes. Despite never playing in a game and being considerably younger than Horton or Thompson, he appears more sure of himself. I have him going 10 for 13 for 83 yards with the drop by Williams on what should have been an easy TD.
KAI HORTON SERIES 1 (No. 2 overall, with the 2s vs. 2s)
1-10-25: Incomplete Bohanon slipped on look-in, so the ball almost was intercepted on trap on what probably would have been completed pass without the slip
2-10-25: Trey Cornist no gain (He gets stuffed almost every time he touches the ball, and Sumrall never mentions him as a candidate for playing time)
3-10-25: Incomplete pass in which nickelback Javion White grabbed the receiver before the ball arrived but did not draw a flag
4-10-25: PUNT +33, fair catch Fleming
HORTON SERIES 2 (No. 3 overall)
1-10-25: Complete Garrett Mmahat +11 on sideline (Mmahat has been a favorite target for Horton when he plays with the 2s).
1-10-36: Jamauri McClure +18 (This guy can be a special runner and will not be filed because of his fumbling issue)
1-10-46: Incomplete on deep ball, not that close
2-10-46: McClure second effort +8 (he is fast, has good instincts and possesses power, too)
3-2-38: Cornist minus-1 (there was no hole)
4-3-39: Complete Mbanasor +15
1-10-24: Incomplete as Gerrod Henderson hits him before throw
2-10-24: McClure loses fumble (the second is as many scrimmages for him)
HORTON SERIES 3 (No. 8 overall)
1-10-25: McClure +14 (have I mentioned how much I like his running ability)
1-10-39: McClure +1 (big hit by Chris Rodgers)
2-9-40: Cornist minus-1 (he is running with too much hesitation)
3-10-39: Snap over Horton's head by Elijah Baker
HORTON SERIES 4 (No. 11 overall, and a 2-minute drill where they were calling timeouts after almost every play)
1-10-40: Incomplete pressure Terrell Allen
2-10-40: Complete Zycarl Lewis +7
3-3-47: McClure +1
4-2-48: Complete McClure swing pass +12
1-10-40: Incomplete off Shaun Nicholas hands on slant (the throw could have been better, but he should have caught it)
2-10-40: Incomplete nearly picked off by Jayden Lewis
3-10-40: PENALTY offsides Shi'Keem Laister
3-5-35: SACK by Deshaun Batiste.
Analysis: Horton has some bad luck when receivers did not execute, when the refs did not throw flags for interference, when McClure fumbled and on a terrible snap, but he also went to his first read almost every time. His numbers were 4 of 11 for 45 yards by my count.
TY THOMPSON SERIES 1 (No. 4 overall, 1 vs. 1)
1-10-25: Incomplete deep and not close
2-10-25: Hughes draw+12
1-10-37: Hughes +1
2-9-38: Complete Bohanon minus-2 (stuffed by Micah Robinson, who I like a lot)
3-11-36: Incomplete high throw for Barnes after scrambling
4-11-36: PUNT +47, fair catch Mario Williams
THOMPSON SERIES 2 (No. 6 overall, 2 vs. 2)
1-10-25: PENALTY false start minus-5
1-15-20: Complete ZyCarl Lewis +17 on excellent throw through tight window
1-10-37: Incomplete not close
2-10-37: McClure +3
3-7-40: Thompson scramble +11 with nice block by McClure
1-10-49: McClure +3
2-7-46: Incompletion on pass I thought was clear interference by Joshua Moore down the sideline and was flagged initially before the flag was picked up
3-7-46: Complete Josh Goines +6 (nice catch by Thompson on a bad snap)
1-10-40: PENALTY +5 Makai Williams jumps offsides anticipating snap count
1-10-35: Bad snap minus-5 (Thompson could not repeat his feat from two plays earlier)
2-15-40: Cornist +3
3-12-37: Incomplete misses Bohanon
4-12-37: Punt downed at 11
THOMPSON SERIES 3
1-10-35: Incomplete Barnes drops (he has exhibited hands of stone)
2-10-35: Complete Barnes +3
3-7-38: Thompson keep +1 that would have been an easy first down in a game but was whistled down prematurely
Analysis: I thought Thompson was slightly better than Horton in this scrimmage, but it was hard to gauge with the mistakes by players around them. I like his ability to do damage with his legs, but he has work to do making the correct decisions in the passing game. His final numbers were 4 of 8 for 24 yards with a drop.
I'm not sure what aspects of the special teams other than kicker Pauley is referring to from last night--and even the kickers were not terrible. Every kickoff went into the end zone again. It is impossible to judge coverage and returns in a scrimmage.
They started with field goals that included blocking and a (nominal) rush. Jacob Barnes connected from 33 yards and 40 yards before missing wide right from 50, which is stretching his range. Ethan Head clanked a 21-yard off the right upright, which is a no-no, but he nailed 40- and 50-yarders. Patrick Durkin made kicks from 21, 40 and 50 yards.
Will Karoll did drop a perfect snap on his first punt, which would be disastrous in a game, but that was an outlier. He kicked a high one 44 yards on his next attempt and had one go into the end zone from 41 yards. HIs backup, Brice Busch, had one from the same spot and it was downed at the 6.
They had individual drills next, and Mario Williams was the only receiver to drop a pass. He has great ability, but his concentration is lacking at times.
When the scrimmage started, it was Darian Mensah as promised with the 1s against the first-team defense, and the offensive line was intact with Rashad Green returning at right tackle, Vincent Murphy at center (for the first series only) and Josh Remetich at right guard. Mensah definitely looks better than the other two quarterbacks at the moment, and although it remains a small sample size, I now believe he will be the starter if he keeps up this level. Kai Horton has been better than Ty Thompson, but Thompson would benefit from real game action because he is a major threat to run. He got hosed out of a first down last night on a scramble because the referees were blowing the whistle when a defender was near the QB. I expect Tulane to use more than one quarterback in the opener against Southeastern, and I do not think Sumrall will announce his plan ahead of time.
I will list each series the QBs ran and then go on to the next QB rather than going sequentially.
(MENSAH SERIES 1)
1-10-25: Complete Makhi Hughes +2 in flat
2-8-27: Hughes power run +11
1-10-38: Complete Williams +27 on beautiful improvisation by Mensah, who rolled away from heavy pressure and threw a strike to Williams, who did a terrific job of keeping a foot inbounds while leaning to catch it.
1-10-35: Shaadie Clayton Johnson +9
2-1-26: Clayton-Johnson minus-1
3-2-27: C Dontae Fleming +6 on crossing route.
1-10-21: Clayhton-Johnson +4
2-6-17: Complete Sidney Mbanasor +6 despite tight coverage from Johnathan Edwards
1-10-11: Hughes +2
2-8-9: Complete Alex Bauman as safety valve +5
3-3-4: Incomplete on pass to wide open Mario Williams in corner of end zone. Simple drop. Gotta catch that.
(apparently a penalty was called because they lined up for third-and-1 from the 2 after that play)
3-1-2: Clayton-Johnson no gain
4-1-2: Fleming no gain on run that appeared perfectly set up. I believe Yulkeith Brown would have scored on same play, but it was terrific tackle by safety Kevin Adams to stop the drive.
MENSAH SERIES 2 (fifth overall, again 1s vs. 1s)
1-10-25: C Mario Williams +24 on a dart that beat double coverage
1-10-49: Arnold Barnes no gain
2-10-49: Complete Clayton-Johnson +7 in flat
3-3-44: Incomplete throwaway after heavy pressure from Angelo Anderson
4-3-44: PENALTY false start minus-5 when offense was going for first down
4-8-49: PUNT 38 yards, fair catch Bryce Bohanon (no punt rush)
MENSAH SERIES 3 (1 vs. 1 and No. 7 overall, right after halftime)
1-10-25: Barnes +8
2-2-33: Barnes minus-1
3-3-32: PENALTY false start minus-5
3-8-27: Incomplete spike into the ground because of pressure from Gerrod Henderson.
MENSAH SERIES 4 (No. 9 overall)
1-10-35: Complete Mario Williams minus-5 on outstanding open-field tackle by Rishi Rattan (even with a strong spring, Rattan has fallen out of the picture on the depth chart)
2-15-30: Complete Fleming +5
3-10-35: Complete Clayton-Johnson +1 on dumpoff
Analysis: Although Mensah did not produce any points on his four series, his first one would have been a TD without the easy drop by Williams. He appeared to make the right decision almost every and threw some pretty passes. Despite never playing in a game and being considerably younger than Horton or Thompson, he appears more sure of himself. I have him going 10 for 13 for 83 yards with the drop by Williams on what should have been an easy TD.
KAI HORTON SERIES 1 (No. 2 overall, with the 2s vs. 2s)
1-10-25: Incomplete Bohanon slipped on look-in, so the ball almost was intercepted on trap on what probably would have been completed pass without the slip
2-10-25: Trey Cornist no gain (He gets stuffed almost every time he touches the ball, and Sumrall never mentions him as a candidate for playing time)
3-10-25: Incomplete pass in which nickelback Javion White grabbed the receiver before the ball arrived but did not draw a flag
4-10-25: PUNT +33, fair catch Fleming
HORTON SERIES 2 (No. 3 overall)
1-10-25: Complete Garrett Mmahat +11 on sideline (Mmahat has been a favorite target for Horton when he plays with the 2s).
1-10-36: Jamauri McClure +18 (This guy can be a special runner and will not be filed because of his fumbling issue)
1-10-46: Incomplete on deep ball, not that close
2-10-46: McClure second effort +8 (he is fast, has good instincts and possesses power, too)
3-2-38: Cornist minus-1 (there was no hole)
4-3-39: Complete Mbanasor +15
1-10-24: Incomplete as Gerrod Henderson hits him before throw
2-10-24: McClure loses fumble (the second is as many scrimmages for him)
HORTON SERIES 3 (No. 8 overall)
1-10-25: McClure +14 (have I mentioned how much I like his running ability)
1-10-39: McClure +1 (big hit by Chris Rodgers)
2-9-40: Cornist minus-1 (he is running with too much hesitation)
3-10-39: Snap over Horton's head by Elijah Baker
HORTON SERIES 4 (No. 11 overall, and a 2-minute drill where they were calling timeouts after almost every play)
1-10-40: Incomplete pressure Terrell Allen
2-10-40: Complete Zycarl Lewis +7
3-3-47: McClure +1
4-2-48: Complete McClure swing pass +12
1-10-40: Incomplete off Shaun Nicholas hands on slant (the throw could have been better, but he should have caught it)
2-10-40: Incomplete nearly picked off by Jayden Lewis
3-10-40: PENALTY offsides Shi'Keem Laister
3-5-35: SACK by Deshaun Batiste.
Analysis: Horton has some bad luck when receivers did not execute, when the refs did not throw flags for interference, when McClure fumbled and on a terrible snap, but he also went to his first read almost every time. His numbers were 4 of 11 for 45 yards by my count.
TY THOMPSON SERIES 1 (No. 4 overall, 1 vs. 1)
1-10-25: Incomplete deep and not close
2-10-25: Hughes draw+12
1-10-37: Hughes +1
2-9-38: Complete Bohanon minus-2 (stuffed by Micah Robinson, who I like a lot)
3-11-36: Incomplete high throw for Barnes after scrambling
4-11-36: PUNT +47, fair catch Mario Williams
THOMPSON SERIES 2 (No. 6 overall, 2 vs. 2)
1-10-25: PENALTY false start minus-5
1-15-20: Complete ZyCarl Lewis +17 on excellent throw through tight window
1-10-37: Incomplete not close
2-10-37: McClure +3
3-7-40: Thompson scramble +11 with nice block by McClure
1-10-49: McClure +3
2-7-46: Incompletion on pass I thought was clear interference by Joshua Moore down the sideline and was flagged initially before the flag was picked up
3-7-46: Complete Josh Goines +6 (nice catch by Thompson on a bad snap)
1-10-40: PENALTY +5 Makai Williams jumps offsides anticipating snap count
1-10-35: Bad snap minus-5 (Thompson could not repeat his feat from two plays earlier)
2-15-40: Cornist +3
3-12-37: Incomplete misses Bohanon
4-12-37: Punt downed at 11
THOMPSON SERIES 3
1-10-35: Incomplete Barnes drops (he has exhibited hands of stone)
2-10-35: Complete Barnes +3
3-7-38: Thompson keep +1 that would have been an easy first down in a game but was whistled down prematurely
Analysis: I thought Thompson was slightly better than Horton in this scrimmage, but it was hard to gauge with the mistakes by players around them. I like his ability to do damage with his legs, but he has work to do making the correct decisions in the passing game. His final numbers were 4 of 8 for 24 yards with a drop.
