Saturday's Scrimmage

[gopherMD]

McDonald was nothing special IMO. He very much looks the part but when I watched him he was not getting great separation.He missed the bowl game and spring practice so he probably was a bit rusty. I thought Rhoda played well with the 3rd unit but Leidner seemed to run a little too quick. Part of that was that the DBs really played tight coverage. Wozniak is all of 6'9"; he had one drop. Grayson Levine made some plays and is a firey, enthusiastic safety. I was hoping to see more from Maxx Williams but not sure he was a target. The offense was kept basic I would guess.

 

[gophers&guns]

I went today with my 7 and 6 year old. Before we left, I was going to take them to Goldy's Zone and look for some Gopher gear. But, of course, it was closed. But then again, beggers can't be choosers. They are under no obligation to provide us with a scrimmage open to the public.

Goldy's locker room was open before the scrimmage, I picked up a ton of gear and they had a sale going on as well. This was essentially another open practice for us fans and while it would have been nice to have replays the music is the teams selection to use for practice.

 

[BleedGopher]

1500: Gophers fall camp Day 9: Philip Nelson solid, composed in scrimmage

Notes from Day 9 of fall camp

• Mentions of freshman running back Berkley Edwards' head-turning speed have been frequent in the first week of camp. Edwards put that speed on display Saturday.

Taking reps with the third team offense, Edwards took his first carry of the afternoon and tore through the middle of the defense, barely touched, for a 70-yard touchdown run.

"I went crazy. I love seeing those young guys do that kind of stuff," 19-year-old K.J. Maye said.

• Senior left tackle Ed Olson was not at the scrimmage after waking up with the flu. Redshirt freshman receiver Jamel Harbison was held out as a precaution due to tightness in one of his hamstrings.

Kill and the coaching staff have been markedly cautious in monitoring injured players. Cornerback Derrick Wells (shoulder) and safety Brock Vereen (knee), both of whom were limited at times earlier in the week, did not play. Freshman linebacker De'Niro Laster, who injured his knee on Thursday, spent the afternoon on the sidelines as well.

• With Wells out, junior cornerback Briean Boddy took his first team reps opposite sophomore Eric Murray. In nickel packages, Murray played down in the Nickel, where Wells will likely be situated, while senior Martez Shabazz came in to play field corner with Boddy.

• Defensive end Theiren Cockran had a pair of would-be sacks on Nelson, showing his speed in chasing the sophomore quarterback out to the right on a play action run.

• For the first time in camp in a full team drill, freshman quarterback Donovahn Jones was shifted out wide as a receiver. Jones has crafty speed and he was able to unleash it take a straight route down the left sideline, despite not being able to complete the catch. Jones still took snaps at quarterback, used largely as a running option. On one of Jones' few throws, freshman linebacker Chris Wipson stepped in and made an easy interception.

• The use of Maye on the first team was intriguing. Maye was very active in the passing game, being used often in motion and in the slot. He also has a notable level of chemistry with Nelson. After switching full time from running back to receiver in the offseason, Maye is starting to thrive in the stability of his role.

"We're just focusing this year on getting me in a steady position and to be a playmaker to the team," Maye said.

• Under a sunny blue sky at TCF Bank Stadium, the Gophers had a sizeable crowd turn out for their first and only scrimmage opened to the public this fall.

• The Gophers are off on Sunday, but the coaches are expected to meet and start making a few roster decisions as far as firming up their best first and second team options.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/...ilip_Nelson_solid_composed_in_scrimmage081013

Go Gophers!!

 

[Flatfoot]

Did McDonald play?

Yes, he played. Was thrown a few long balls... nothing much to highlight though for anyone. I walked out of the stadium behind him and he sure looks the part. It will be interesting to see who we come up with for two deeps in that group. There were many playing today. It will also be interesting who gets R-shirted. There are some pretty good young kids to talk about, like Donovahn Jones and H Epke on both sides of the ball, but I will let the staff/experts do this. We are getting faster and stronger.
Overall, the offense needs more work/timing to me... just not there yet and maybe not expected yet either. The D looked the part today and I was more impressed with their play. Although two things will be highlighted in the film room, holding/pass interference and it seems all of our QBs ran pretty effectively, no matter which D was in.

 

[froggopher]

One of the above posters was ranting about a "dull" scrimmage. I think these practices were arranged impromptu so fans could at least see something of the team before the opener. IMHO, these are better than seeing nothing. Go Gophers!!!

 

[froggopher]

Forgot to mention that Phil Nelson will make some great running plays this season. This guy is very quick and smart! Today he showed just that at TCF Stadium. Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

PiPress: Gophers football: Freshman Berkley Edwards dazzles with his speed

"He's learning," Kill said. "But he said, 'Coach, I'm starting to feel more comfortable about what I'm doing. He popped the ball right off the bat and made a nice run. He also made some nice inside runs in there.

"For not being a big guy, he stuck it in there pretty good. He's a pretty quick learner. He's done a nice job. I was excited about seeing that playmaking ability."

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/c...ll-freshman-berkley-edwards-dazzles-his-speed

Go Gophers!!

 

[Goldteam]

McDonald was nothing special IMO. He very much looks the part but when I watched him he was not getting great separation.He missed the bowl game and spring practice so he probably was a bit rusty. I thought Rhoda played well with the 3rd unit but Leidner seemed to run a little too quick. Part of that was that the DBs really played tight coverage. Wozniak is all of 6'9"; he had one drop. Grayson Levine made some plays and is a firey, enthusiastic safety. I was hoping to see more from Maxx Williams but not sure he was a target. The offense was kept basic I would guess.

I was there and spent a good deal of time focused on mcdonald. He couldn't get separation and I was little disappointed.

Overall, it was a good scrimmage. Our qb's had to take off on the run a lot. I still question our receivers but our secondary looks strong and athletic.

I met some guy before the scrimmage. We both talked gopher football and our back and hip problems. I'd like to give a "shout out" to him as he was a great guy and I had fun conversing with you. He said he reads gopherhole!

I do wish they'd turn off the music during the scrimmage. That seems a little over the top.

 

[Goldteam]

Yes, he played. Was thrown a few long balls... nothing much to highlight though for anyone. I walked out of the stadium behind him and he sure looks the part. It will be interesting to see who we come up with for two deeps in that group. There were many playing today. It will also be interesting who gets R-shirted. There are some pretty good young kids to talk about, like Donovahn Jones and H Epke on both sides of the ball, but I will let the staff/experts do this. We are getting faster and stronger.
Overall, the offense needs more work/timing to me... just not there yet and maybe not expected yet either. The D looked the part today and I was more impressed with their play. Although two things will be highlighted in the film room, holding/pass interference and it seems all of our QBs ran pretty effectively, no matter which D was in.

Please redshirt ekpe and jones.

Yes, we are getting bigger, stronger, and faster!

What a gorgeous day to watch football.

 

[husker70]

KFAN had snippets of play by play, from behind the bench. The site lines were not conducive. The 1st team O line was Lenkiewicz, Epping, Christenson, and they said Hayes, and Campion. Ed Olson did not play. On the other side of the ball the call and tweets say its Manuel, Lynn, and Hill, The twos Rallis, Wilson, and Campbell. There is still time, but the questions still remain what will it take for Wilson over take Lynn? Will he? And what does that say about Lynn? And Campbell looks the part. Is Manuel too experienced? Can you imagine Cockran on one side a Campbell on the other. Or lining Campbell over Cockran?

They had an interview with . He talked about the facilities plan, finding the big Kahuna. And with space constrains the need to tear down some structures to build the facility. He touched on the Thursday Night challenge and said the early printing deadline of 3 PM was corrected to 2. He mentioned a Victory Tailgate.
That would be "like a carnival" Then he walked it back a little, saying we walk a fine line between a great time and over the line. He talked a little about taking things off Coach Kill's plate. Little things, administrative stuff. He did mention some space at the Bierman Complex. Across from the Coaches office That has a gym, that Pitino wants for 1 on 1 drills. And shooting drills. It not a practice facility, but Teague indicated its his to use.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Hugh, we met once. Is that you photobombing this picture?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>RT <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherSports">@gophersports</a>: Nice crowd on hand for today's open scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> <a href="http://t.co/2fCQCQX4jr">pic.twitter.com/2fCQCQX4jr</a></p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/366321588729163777">August 10, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yes, that is me ruining a great picture

 

[Kratos3]

KFAN had snippets of play by play, from behind the bench. The site lines were not conducive. The 1st team O line was Lenkiewicz, Epping, Christenson, and they said Hayes, and Campion. Ed Olson did not play. On the other side of the ball the call and tweets say its Manuel, Lynn, and Hill, The twos Rallis, Wilson, and Campbell. There is still time, but the questions still remain what will it take for Wilson over take Lynn? Will he? And what does that say about Lynn? And Campbell looks the part. Is Manuel too experienced? Can you imagine Cockran on one side a Campbell on the other. Or lining Campbell over Cockran?

I don't think it would say anything about Lynn. Wilson was a very good JUCO MLB.

 

[patrick08]

My takeaways from the scrimmage:

- 1st team O moved the ball well vs 1st team D
- on the flip side 2nd team D shut down 2nd team O
- young DL guys played well. future looks good for DL
- Jones is a special athlete (not in my Brewster voice)
- Nelson looks like the starter to me
- Campbell has quite a presence
- Sitting in the bank made me want to fast forward to game 1

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

I don't think it would say anything about Lynn. Wilson was a very good JUCO MLB.

Agreed. Wilson was brought in to start. He's a Jr, he's 254lbs. What it says about Lynn is that he's a R-Fr & thin still. He'll have his day, but let's cross our fingers & hope we're not starting R-Fr at MLB.

 

[husker70]

I don't think it would say anything about Lynn. Wilson was a very good JUCO MLB.

If Lynn was with the 1st team in the spring, and through the fall including the scrimmage, then I would say Lynn is better than a very good Juco MLB.

 

[husker70]

Agreed. Wilson was brought in to start. He's a Jr, he's 254lbs. What it says about Lynn is that he's a R-Fr & thin still. He'll have his day, but let's cross our fingers & hope we're not starting R-Fr at MLB.

He was brought in to start, but...... Lynn is taller and roughly 14 pounds lighter. I have no idea if he is quicker, better in coverage, is aligned, and reads keys well. There is much more to playing middle linebacker than 254 or being a junior. My point is all the press coverage has been about Wilson, none about how in the world in Lynn holding him off.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

If Lynn was with the 1st team in the spring, and through the fall including the scrimmage, then I would say Lynn is better than a very good Juco MLB.

Or Lynn knows the schemes because this is his second full year and Wilson is still learning. If Lynn is still starting when Iowa hits TCF, then your statement may be true...but, barring injury, I don't think he will be.

 

[patrick08]

My takeaways from the scrimmage:

- 1st team O moved the ball well vs 1st team D
- on the flip side 2nd team D shut down 2nd team O
- young DL guys played well. future looks good for DL
- Jones is a special athlete (not in my Brewster voice)
- Nelson looks like the starter to me
- Campbell has quite a presence
- Sitting in the bank made me want to fast forward to game 1

A few other things;

- in response to a previous post it was Bak not Hayes on 1st team OL
- concerning item is back up C. a few bad snaps
- #39 Woz (not going to try to spell) is huge. he is all 6'9" just needs to work on hands. had a big drop.
- OL looks the part
- our RB's could really wear out a B1G defense.
- excited to see how they use Maye in a game situation

 

[gopherdudepart2]

I agree with the sentiment to red-shirt a few freshman that could help

Please redshirt ekpe and jones.

Yes, we are getting bigger, stronger, and faster!

What a gorgeous day to watch football.

It truly was a nice day, with comfortable weather. If we could get this lucky for the opener?

I am really hoping that they red-shirt Berkely Edwards, Dohnavan Jones, and Hank Epke and I', pretty sure C Wipson. That Wipson kid is going to surprise some people,
he knows where to be and has the instincts of a good linebacker. I'm excited about that kid.
I realize that the first three Edwards, Jones, and Ekpe have really looked the part
as far as being ready to play, but imagine how good these three would be with the extra year to mature physically, and gain some strength.
The temptation will be to win now, and I realize these players can help us,
but when building a program we need to start developing waves of talent that will be better than the opposition over time.
Jones made a bad throw on the interception to Wipson but I liked his arm. I hope that they don't give up on him at QB to soon, the kid has the kind of wheels
and enough of an arm that he can play QB and be a difference maker down the road. I can see why Dohnavan Jones want the chance to be a QB, he has the ability
to play the position, he just needs a lot more reps throwing the ball and learning the offense. He has the chance to be a good one with some patience to learn the offense.
He and Strevlar the Chicago area kid can both really fly for quarterbacks, both can get some separation.
Epke that dude has some serious talent, and really long arms which you need on the D-line to be a good pass rusher.
I like Edwards he is a mighty mite, would be the lightening to Kirkwood and Williams jr, but I would still take the chance and hold him back so that he has a chance to be real special
next year and beyond. The Edwards kid is not afraid to take on contact, he seems to relish it and i like that.

I would still red-shirt him, we have three backs that are good enough right now, and with Cole Banham able to play the speed back role that Edwards can bring, I would red-shirt Berkely Edwards. He has the chance to be a true number one back
and would compliment Roderick Williams well next year. In the end this is why they pay the coaches to make these decisions though, I think long term we would benefit
from red-shirting some kids that could help now, but in our win now world it would be easier to play them now.

 

[husker70]

A few other things;

- in response to a previous post it was Bak not Hayes on 1st team OL
- concerning item is back up C. a few bad snaps
- #39 Woz (not going to try to spell) is huge. he is all 6'9" just needs to work on hands. had a big drop.
- OL looks the part
- our RB's could really wear out a B1G defense.
- excited to see how they use Maye in a game situation

I reported what KFAN reported they even made mention he was a Saint Paul Kid from Saint Thomas. It could have been midway through the practice, and they commented it was hard to see the action as they were behind the bench and players.

 

[diehard]

Redshirt freshmen that could add to the win column? Never! Play them and keep recruiting. Talent like they have wants and deserves to play as soon as they are ready. Makes it easier to recruit the next great talent that wants to play from day one.

 

[Killjoy]

I don't think it would say anything about Lynn. Wilson was a very good JUCO MLB.

I believe Kill would say "We have competition at MLB and that is a good thing."

 

[Dr.Don]

I believe Kill would say "We have competition at MLB and that is a good thing."

I will pull a howieramone and e.bigelow and say: +1

 

[jaymil]

I reported what KFAN reported they even made mention he was a Saint Paul Kid from Saint Thomas. It could have been midway through the practice, and they commented it was hard to see the action as they were behind the bench and players.

I heard it too. They said Hayes was playing with the first team at one point. Doesn't mean he started, but maybe the coaches wanted to give him a look.

 

[RedPoo]

Redshirt freshmen that could add to the win column? Never! Play them and keep recruiting. Talent like they have wants and deserves to play as soon as they are ready. Makes it easier to recruit the next great talent that wants to play from day one.

Agreed. If someone makes your team better today, they should be in the lineup. And hopefully when a kid with similar talent comes along, he'll be stuck behind the guy you started as a true freshman, and you'll have the luxury of giving him another year.

 

[Gopherlovin]

My takes from the scrimmage:


- Berkeley will get snaps this year. How many he'll get will depend on how well he blocks.

- The depth of our DL really showed yesterday as the 2nd and 3rd team DL absolutely dominated out OL.

- loved seeing the Ekpe brothers paired up out there. Both had strong showings.

- Peppers is going to be a force in the middle for us in years to come. He's already huge and has plenty of room to fill out his frame. The one play I focused on him he took on a double team and made the tackle on the RB. Should redshirt due to depth, but will be a difference maker down the road.

- Woz is huge but struggled to catch a ball yesterday. He struggled during warmups and then dropped two during the scrimmage. If he starts catching balls consistently there won't be a DB that can prevent an end zone fade ball.

- Nelson looked really comfortable out there. Showed some good movement around the pocket in stepping up or scrambling when pressure came and still making throws on the mark while on the run.

- I would guess that Jones will eventually move to WR. Streveler seems to have a better arm and has the speed to be a change of pace QB. Jones' athleticism seems better fit for WR.

- 1st team OL looked solid. Opened some nice holes the first two drives. Did a nice job in pass protection.

- Cockran is my pick for sack leader this year. He's fast off the edge and will benefit from Hageman getting double teamed. Had at least two sacks yesterday.

- Secondary looked great even without Vereen and Wells.

- Campbell is a huge presence in the middle at LB. should see plenty of PT once he'd fully up to speed and comfortable with the system by B1G play.

- Really liked the way Wipson played. Seemed to always be around the ball and had a nice INT.

- The WR's looked solid, but didn't really stick out either. Wouldn't be surprised to see Wolitarsky and Eric Carter both play this year, but Fruechte, Engel, and Maye caught basically everything that came their way. With Harbison thrown in there once fully healthy things will only improve. McDonald has all the physical things you'd want in a big time WR, but needs to become a student of the game and get better at route running.

- As others have mentioned, the team looks a lot more athletic. Excited to see how that transcends onto the field during games.

Can't wait for the next couple weeks to go by so we can see the whole package come game day!

 

[Killjoy]

Agreed. If someone makes your team better today, they should be in the lineup. And hopefully when a kid with similar talent comes along, he'll be stuck behind the guy you started as a true freshman, and you'll have the luxury of giving him another year.

Kill is in his third year now and some people here still don't understand that Kill's coaching philosophy is to wear the other team down. You do that by being stronger and in better condition than they your opponents and by substituting often. This requires that we have greater depth than we have had in the past. Kill has also stated that he wants the best players on the field. Therefore, if this is your philosophy and you want to substitute often some of your freshmen may be the players who can contribute more than some of your other players.

Given the lack of depth we had the first two years this was especially true. It may not be as true this year but given coach Kill's philosophy, I expect there is still going to be more true freshmen this fall who lose their red shirt than people would like. Obviously the argument against burning red shirts is that the players should be even better in their fifth year. That may be so but Kill still has to balance that with the need to win now. With winning, recruiting and the program's reputation gets better. I also suspect some of our fans lack the patience that is needed to do this. Anyway, it will interesting to see who loses and who keeps their red shirts this fall. My money is on more freshmen losing their red shirts than most of the GopherHolers would prefer.

 

[Dr.Don]

Kill is in his third year now and some people here still don't understand that Kill's coaching philosophy is to wear the other team down. You do that by being stronger and in better condition than they your opponents and by substitute often. This will requires that we have greater depth than we have had in the past. A part of this is he also wants the best players on the field. Therefore, if you are true freshman and you are the best player or can contribute you are a candidate to lose your red shirt.

Given the lack of depth we had the first two years this was especially true. It may not be as true this year but given coach Kill's philosophy, I expect there is still going to be more true freshmen this fall who lose their red shirt than people think should have. I think we all understand that part of the argument for not burning red shirts is that the players should be even better in their fifth year. That may be so but Kill still has to balance that with the need to win now. With winning recruiting and the programs reputation gets better. I also suspect some of our fans lack the patience that is needed to do this. Anyway, it will interesting to see who loses and who keeps their red shirts this fall. My money is on more freshmen losing their red shirts than most of the GopherHolers would prefer.

Right on, Killjoy. It is another example of the "I want it and I want it now" syndrome.

 

[Halsey Hall]

One of the above posters was ranting about a "dull" scrimmage. I think these practices were arranged impromptu so fans could at least see something of the team before the opener. IMHO, these are better than seeing nothing. Go Gophers!!!

The guy who called it dull must work for KFAN. They all hate football, unless it is colored purple. And they really hate practices. Jesus, how can a practice be dull? I can't get enough of them.

 

[Halsey Hall]

Or Lynn knows the schemes because this is his second full year and Wilson is still learning. If Lynn is still starting when Iowa hits TCF, then your statement may be true...but, barring injury, I don't think he will be.

Who do you blame for living in Philly???