The Griz practiced in full pads today for the first time this week. There really wasn't too much difference between the practice in full pads vs. the practices of the last two days in shoulder pads and helmets. There is hitting, but the guys generally do there best not to tackle their teammates to the ground. Football being the physical game it is, this doesn't always work too well and when someone hits the ground the coaches immediately yell, "STAY UP!!"
Some observations from today's practice....
- Thomas Brooks-Fletcher was on the sideline again today. This time he wasn't in street clothes. He was fully dressed, with pads and all, but he was wearing the red jersey meant for those who aren't taking part in drills. I asked Bobby Hauck about TBF's status after practice, and while he didn't reveal the specific nature of the injury (the Griz are very tight lipped about the specifics of injured players), he said TBF would be back on the field shortly. I expect to see him back on the field early next week at the latest, but I'll keep an eye on the situation
- Andrew Schmidt and Chase Reynolds split the reps at running back with the first team. It seemed to me like Schmidt got more of the reps. He would start out with first team everytime they took the field during 11 on 11 drills, and Reynolds would come in to spell him. When I asked Coach Hauck if Schmidt was ahead of Reynolds on the depth chart, he said not too read too much into who was out on the field first. He said they're both even
- Local product Beau Donaldon got most of the carries with the second team offense. Donaldson, out of Missoula Big Sky High School, led the state with 1,682 rushing yards for the Eagles last season. His high school teammate Justin Montelius, a backup running back and linebacker for Big Sky, walked on the team as a safety and is wearing #41. That makes it 4 players from Big Sky HS who are currently on the Griz Roster, the other two being junior defensive end Jace Palmer and his twin brother, junior wide receiver Tyler Palmer.
- Tough day for freshman cornerback Mike McCord. Associate Head Coach Mike Hudson was on him several times for not being agressive enough against the run and on blitzes. After McCord got beat deep down the sideline by Ty Palmer, Hudson was in his face yelling, "You can't let him run 5 yards untouched." Asked about the prospect of starting two true freshman at corner (McCord and Trumaine Johnson, Coach Hauck said, "I think the corners have a long way to go in general. When you're true freshman out there it's certainly expected to be a little ragged and that's what it looks like. We've got a few weeks until the first game and I expect their legs to come back and they'll look sharper."
- Coach Hauck has definitely been pleased by the play of quarterback Cole Bergquist through the first five days of camp, saying, "The weight room has been good for him. He's gotten bigger and stronger physically, which will give him the ability to withstand some more punishment. He's really worked har on his arm strength and he looks like he's throwing the ball to the outside receivers better than he ever has, whether it's the fade ball our the outs."
- Coach Hauck said the total number of new faces in camp this year is 37. We had previously reported that number as 30-32
A few other notes courtesy of Montana Sports Information Director Dave Guffey:
- Sophomore kicker Brody McKnight, a walkon, has four years of eligibilty left after spending last year as a redshirt freshman at Purdue. He is competing with true freshman Russle Schey, from Billings West High School, for the starting kicker spot.
- Former Griz football players Karl Pitcher, Matt Troxel, and Clint Stapp have all decided to forgo their remaining years of eligibility and are currently working with the Griz as student assistant coaches. Both Pitcher, a defensive end from Anaconda, and Troxel, a wide receiver from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, will skip their senior seasons because of injuries. Stapp, a quarterback from Niwot, Colorado and the holder for the Griz last year, had two seasons of eligibility remaining, but is graduating from UM this year and wanted to focus on school while still contributing to the Grizzly football program.
- Tim Anderson, a 6-0, 213-pound sophomore from Loyola High School in Missoula was moved from strong safety to linebacker recently. Anderson was an all-state athlete in three sports as a prep.
That's all for today. I've won't be at this weekend's practices, but you can expect to hear from me again on Monday.
~Varun
varun@maxmontana.com
