Wednesday, Oct. 30
Venue: Kibbie Dome
Format:
Full pads, wrap-up but don’t take down for the whole team, don’t hit the quarterbacks.
Practice Rundown:
Position drills, 7-on-7 skeleton drill, first team offense and defense vs. scout team, punt/kickoff return drills, special teams drills.
Highlights:
Josh McCain is in pads again for the Vandals. He was wearing a red jersey, meaning that no one could hit him. Don’t expect him to be ready for the game on Saturday, but it is always a good sign to see one of the top two quarterbacks back in action.
All of the running backs were running hard. The defense couldn’t take them down but all of them were running through arm tackles and not allowing the opposing players to get a wrap on them. Kris Olugbode was getting a lot of the carries and you can expect him to probably start the game on Saturday.
The practice was very high tempo Wednesday. The players were expected to fly around the field and go all out, even when it wasn’t full contact. Many of the players would run to the end zone after the play was whistled dead and the defense was hustling on and off the field. Petrino got on the players a couple times when he thought they were slowing down or not hustling, but overall it was a good practice from a hustle standpoint.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Linehan saw quite a bit of time with the first team. It was surprising since McCain was back in pads. It looks like Linehan is still the back-up for the time being.
Other Observations:
Defensive end Quinton Bradley and cornerback Solomon Dixon continue to sit out of practice this week. Their return this week is doubtful.
The defense got an earful from defensive coordinator Ronnie Lee when running against the scout team. The scout team gained many yards while the defense was confused with some of the stuff they did, including the option. This obviously isn’t a good sign three day before they play against Texas State.
Wide receiver Dezmon Epps took many of the punt returns today and looked really good while returning. He was very elusive and would turn the speed when he saw a hole open up. The Vandals special teams have been mediocre this far into the season and look to put their most explosive player back to return.
After seeing the team practice the Wildcat formation with James Baker and Richard Montgomery last week, they have not shown that formation this week. It will be interesting to see if they would run out of that formation in the case that Davis is hurt or needs a break.
Speaking of Davis, he looked very consistent and had veteran poise in the pocket for the third week in a row. Hopefully with the experience he has shown in practice, it will translate into a win at home against the Texas State Bobcats.