Practice observations - Tuesday 8/11/15

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Killjoy

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I am just starting this so people will have a place to post their comments/observations from today's practice. Also, unlike Gopher Warrior, I do have some real inside information. I will keep it brief with two words - Saturday/Concordia. If you happen to see some U of M people walking around there this afternoon don't be surprised.

As far as today's practice I had a hard time recognizing our WRs. A lot of good things are happening at that position by a lot of players. Not only are they catching the ball, they are also going up for the ball and winning. Same names that were mentioned yesterday plus a few more. Chris Streveler was participating as WR and QB during practice drills but only as a QB during live scrimmages. One person who has rally changed from spring practice is Nate Wozniak. He is definitely bigger, stronger and more athletic. A felt sorry for Kianti Hardin having to work against some of of very tall receivers. The last thing I am going to mention is two players who look like they are ready to start the season. The first is Hendrick Ekpe who seems too fast for our lineman to block and the other Ryan Santos who definitely needs to practice outside when he is punting. When he connects his punts are REALLY HIGH. They better take that into consideration when they build the new practice facility.
 

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Go Gophers!!
 

Just would like to reinforce what Killjoy posted... I had to leave a little bit early but one 7 on 7 drill looked to be almost entirely deep throws. Several of us on the sidelines remarked the throws were, for the most part, accurate and as Killjoy pointed out, the WRs were fighting for the ball. I didn't keep track of completions but there were a lot more completed than not - maybe, and this is only a guess, 75% were completed.

One more little observation - this defense will be very had to run on.
 

diefirma said:
Just would like to reinforce what Killjoy posted... I had to leave a little bit early but one 7 on 7 drill looked to be almost entirely deep throws. Several of us on the sidelines remarked the throws were, for the most part, accurate and as Killjoy pointed out, the WRs were fighting for the ball. I didn't keep track of completions but there were a lot more completed than not - maybe, and this is only a guess, 75% were completed.

One more little observation - this defense will be very had to run on.
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Made it to my first ever practice today (brought the kids). I would agree that overall, I was pretty impressed with the QB/WR throws/catches. There are some real athletes at receiver.
 

Gophers Football Bierman Briefings – Tuesday, August 11 Practice Highlights

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/542769?referrer_id=

The Minnesota Gophers took the field Tuesday morning for their fifth fall practice. After players stretched and ran through calisthenics to Justin Moore’s “Small Town USA” and Luke Bryan’s “Kick The Dust Up,” drills began. Here are some reflections and insights from the day:

-There was a formal, organized manner to practice. Players were in full gear for the first time. On previous practices, they wore shorts, but today they put on padded pants. Officials were present once again. Even Minnesota Twins all-star pitcher Glen Perkins roamed the sidelines to check out this year’s squad.

-The defense played well during 11-on-11 drills. Perhaps the most impressive play of the day came when sophomore linebacker Jonathan Celestin flew by the offensive line and laid solid contact on halfback Berkley Edwards before he could take a step. During the same drills, Associate Head Coach Tracy Claeys looked encouraged, yelling, “that’s it!”

-For the second day in a row, wide receivers seemingly won the overall battle during one-on-one drills. They continued to look like a scrappy bunch on Tuesday, fighting for balls until the conclusion of every play. A perfect example occurred when redshirt sophomore receiver Brian Smith somehow managed to hold onto a 40-yard ball with defensive back Ray Buford applying near-perfect coverage. Head Coach Jerry Kill was also seemingly thrilled with his receivers’ grit on Tuesday, hollering, “atta boy Dez!” on a great route ran by Desmond Gant. Ironically, Gant didn’t even catch the ball on the play, but coach Kill was just that ecstatic to see the excellent effort.

- Senior KJ Maye and redshirt freshman Rodney Smith handled punts during punting drills. Peter Mortell, Ryan Santoso, and freshman Jacob Herbers each received multiple punting reps.

-Minneapolis native Jeff Jones seems to be cherishing the transition from halfback (the position he played at nearby Washburn High School) to wide receiver. He displayed his soft hands again Tuesday, hauling in a long throw during one-on-one drills and making two one-handed catches early in practice.

-Coach Kill never ceases to hold his players accountable. Near the end of practice during punt coverage drills, Kill chewed out defensive back Dior Johnson, hollering, “that’s poor effort!” As punishment, Kill had Johnson and other nearby players perform pushups.

Even though Tuesday’s practice may have lacked the big performances displayed on Monday and the elevated intensity exhibited on Sunday, it was an all-around sturdy effort. Let’s hope to see the same at practice on Friday, August 14, which is open to the public.
 


gotta say. love reading these practice reports. so keep em coming. thanks all for your participation on gathering the info.
 

Excellent reports - thanks to all!
 

There were a few NFL scouts there, one from the Carolina Panthers. Not surprisingly, he spent the bulk of his time watching the DB's.

Santos was punting the ball well. Had excellent hang time and was consistently in the 40-45 range, with one bomb of about 50-55. He did drop one snap, however. Mortell was excellent, as usual.

Rashid Still is a huge target, can really move and seemed to have good hands. I think he has a chance to be very good.

As others have eluded to, the young WR's all look pretty good. Should be a fun competition. Jones looks right at home at the position.

Bryce Witham looked fast and fluid, although he looks like he needs to add some weight.

Joel Maturi was there (Don't call it a comeback?)

Croft has a strong arm and seemed fairly accurate. Leidner struggled (at least when I was watching).

I love the pace of their practices. Very little wasted time.
 

Coincidence that Joel Maturi was at practice today according to Justin Gaard? Remember he retired...
 



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A question for those who were there: How have the receivers looked when competing against the starting DBs?
 

Concordia-Saturday? AD announcement coming Saturday? Dan O'Brien or current Concordia AD being scrutinized?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


Big thanks to all the practice info contributors. Is Streveler still the second-string QB?
 




MaxyJR1 said:
Coincidence that Joel Maturi was at practice today according to Justin Gaard? Remember he retired...
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GopherWeatherGuy said:
Maybe Maturi is now the $285 consultant.
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Maturi still works at the U, just not as AD.... He was probably there because he was free at that time and wanted to see how the team has progressed like the rest of us.
 

Any looks of Jeff Jones returning kick offs or on the kick off or punt coverage teams. Seems like he is a player that could make some good stuff happen on coverage or the return game. Kids got really strong hands and grip from what I remember seeing when he would snatch a ball, just think he would have the opportunity to knock the ball out or block a kick on the coverage units. Hopefully they try him out there, I think he could be a player that does more than help out at wide receiver.
 

Thanks Killjoy and others for filling us in on practices.

It is very refreshing to hear that the offense, WR corps in particular are doing great in practice, and I hope we do surprise the conference with a new form of high octane offense when they start clicking on all cylinders.

The Gophers Offense may become very difficult to contain with a strong running game infused with a good passing attack. We shall soon see.

The passing game is the last part of the brick building that the Gophers are focusing on. I like their deliberate visionary planning they've undertaken to build a strong program.

I can't wait for the season to start!
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Any looks of Jeff Jones returning kick offs or on the kick off or punt coverage teams. Seems like he is a player that could make some good stuff happen on coverage or the return game. Kids got really strong hands and grip from what I remember seeing when he would snatch a ball, just think he would have the opportunity to knock the ball out or block a kick on the coverage units. Hopefully they try him out there, I think he could be a player that does more than help out at wide receiver.
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As far as I saw, Jeff did not take any punt or kick returns at practice. Does anyone know for sure if the #24 catching punts today was Rodney Smith? Or was it possibly Kiante Hardin?
 

Word said:
As far as I saw, Jeff did not take any punt or kick returns at practice. Does anyone know for sure if the #24 catching punts today was Rodney Smith? Or was it possibly Kiante Hardin?
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Definitely Hardin. Easy mistake to make though.
 

jaymil said:
Definitely Hardin. Easy mistake to make though.
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I heard the coach address Hardin by name while fielding punts. Interesting that he and Maye were getting work but not Craig James. Maybe it was just to get others some practice, but I thought James did a pretty good job last year.
 


Killjoy said:
Think Vikings
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My guess is that since The Vikings need TCF on Saturday, the gophers will be holding practice at Concordia University's stadium in Saint Paul and it will be an open practice.
 

Taji34 said:
My guess is that since The Vikings need TCF on Saturday, the gophers will be holding practice at Concordia University's stadium in Saint Paul and it will be an open practice.
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That would be my guess but it is not a done deal.
 

Killjoy said:
That would be my guess but it is not a done deal.
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Any idea on whether they'll make it start any later because of this? I only put two and two together since I live in Saint Paul and drive by Concordia and their stadium a lot. :p
 

Well there you go.

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balds said:
I heard the coach address Hardin by name while fielding punts. Interesting that he and Maye were getting work but not Craig James. Maybe it was just to get others some practice, but I thought James did a pretty good job last year.
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Yea this surprised me as well- James was excellent as our punt returner last year. I'd be shocked if he doesn't handle the duties this season.
 

Halsey Hall said:
Moving to this crummy facility was Teague's final decision
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Really? The change wasn't finalized until yesterday afternoon. It seems that now that he is gone he has become an easy person to blame. But on the other hand I expect that you're just having fun with this situation.:confused:
 

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