Coordinators concerned about consistency
Schramm and defensive coordinator Nick Toth both came away concerned with some inconsistent play after reviewing film of the first live scrimmage in camp, much of it from twos and threes.
“We just have to be more consistent,” Schramm said. “I was pleased we handled the cadence. We didn’t have too many procedural penalties, which is always good. We had some alignment issues that we have to get fixed, typical things that show up on the first day of scrimmages.”
There is a lot of tape to learn from, Schramm said, and work for the young inside and outside receivers’ groups that flashed potential in spots throughout the scrimmage.
“Inconsistent,” Schramm said. “Nothing too horrible. We have to block better. That has to continue to be a point of emphasis and it showed up again (Thursday) night. They’re young and they’re not sure, and it’s different when it’s game speed than it is at practice speed. They have to figure that out. Lining up right, a lot of times is going to dictate you’re not going to run the right route, you’re not going to be in the right spot that we practiced because you’re lined up too tight or too wide, whatever it might be. The quarterbacks have to handle that, too. The quarterback has to understand that, hey, if that guy is not lined up right you better get him lined up right before you get the ball snapped.
“I thought in our tempos at times we were so concerned about going fast that we weren’t poised enough to make the little adjustments that we need to make when you see the defense.”
Defensively, Toth was irked by the first series of the scrimmage when the No. 1 defense allowed the No. 1 offense and Zack Greenlee to convert three third-down plays into first downs, the last turning into a 50-yard touchdown scramble by the redshirt sophomore quarterback.
But Toth also was pleased by the response after it.
“I’m really pleased with our first 16 players. Our next 16 have a lot of growing to do,” Toth said. “I was happy with the way we responded, but we should have been off the field on that first third down. We had a 3rd-and-3 and missed a play two yards deep in the backfield and we have to make it. Then we get them in a 3rd-and-9 and we blow a blitz, we misfit it, we don’t contain to the boundary. So we get them to 3rd-and-9 again and really it’s not a good call, it’s not a third-down call I made. But we still should be able to get him down and it goes for 50 yards.
“The first series was frustrating because we had some chances to make some plays and we blew some assignments. The thing I liked was that the next six series in a row, I don’t think they had a first down. There were a lot of sacks, some takeaways. We were around that quarterback a lot.”
If there was a concern coming out of the scrimmage, it was with some of the younger players.
“You saw some big eyes, and that’s what I didn’t like from our twos,” Toth said. “We have a couple of freshmen and sophomores that are in that two group and they got in that stadium last night and there were people there and their eyes got really big. It wasn’t like practice any more. It was a game, and they reached a little bit. We have to grow up a little bit with those young guys, with our twos. I feel really good about our first 16, but I need our first 22, so we still have to grow a little bit.”
Also ...
▪ The Bulldogs practiced for about two hours on Friday morning, ending with a team period and the offense trying to work its way out from the 1-yard line. Greenlee, who had a solid scrimmage working against the Bulldogs’ blitzes, took the first series with the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense and again showed some poise when his play broke down. On the first snap, Greenlee lost the first read when it was taken away rather forcefully by outside linebacker Ejiro Ederaine. But Greenlee stayed in the play and worked his way back to his second option, hitting redshirt freshman tight end Kyle Riddering for a 20-plus yard gain and a first down.
▪ The four quarterbacks – Greenlee, redshirt freshman Kilton Anderson, freshman Chason Virgil and junior transfer Ford Childress – split reps evenly when the Bulldogs were in 7-on-7 periods.
▪ Virgil took the second run in that last team period and he also helped generate a first down. After a sketchy play on first down where Virgil was almost sacked in the end zone, Dustin Garrison picked up 2 yards and then busted through the defensive front for a big gain off a one read fake by the freshman quarterback.
▪ Mike linebacker Kyrie Wilson was excused from the practice to attend a wedding, with freshman Nela Otukolo taking his place with the No. 1 defense.
▪ Cornerbacks Charles Washington and Malcolm Washington remain out with lower body injuries, which obviously hurts an already thin position group. Washington is the only senior in the group, and just when it appeared the Bulldogs had worked past some inherited depth issues ... uh, no, they haven’t. “It’s football,” DeRuyter said. “Guys are going to get injured, there is always the unexpected and that’s why you have to have depth and when someone is out you have to do a good job developing those younger guys for their opportunities.”
▪ Junior Jamal Ellis has had a strong camp at one cornerback spot, and freshman Mike Bell, redshirt freshman Anthoula (Tank) Kelly and junior college transfer Tyquwan Glass have been getting a lot of extra reps at corner.
▪ Ellis, Toth said, had one of the better scrimmages on the defensive side of the ball. “He played really well,” Toth said. “Jamal Ellis made a great open-field tackle, did a really good job in man. He got beat on a heck of a catch in the end zone (by Da’Mari Scott), but competed his butt off. The kid made a good play, but fundamentally and technically, he was there.” Toth also singled out Wilson at Mike, defensive ends Todd Hunt and Claudell Louis, nose guard Nate Madsen and outside linebackers Ederaine and James Bailey.
▪ Senior Aaron Peck continued to have a strong fall camp, making a contested catch in a red zone team period over the freshman Bell for a 14-yard touchdown.
▪ Running back Marteze Waller, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher a year ago with 1,368 yards and 11 touchdowns, was held out of the scrimmage to guard against injury and has been held out of the live periods in practice. He has been in during team periods when the Bulldogs play to a thud, but, no surprise, he would prefer to be on the field all the time. “To tell you the truth, I’d rather be live because you get the feeling of it,” he said.
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