Monday, Sept. 8, 2014
Venue: Kibbie Dome
Format: Full-pads, wrap up but don’t take down, contact in 11-on-11 drills, don’t hit the quarterbacks.
Practice Rundown: Position drills, 7-on-7 skeleton drills, 11-on-11 drills, first-team offense and defense vs. scout team, first team offense vs. first-team defense, special teams drills.
Highlights: During position drills, starting senior running back Jerrel Brown looked explosive on agility rope drills. He rushed for 117 yards on 22 carries against Louisiana-Monroe. Look for him to continue his success against Western Michigan at home Saturday.
Starting freshman quarterback Matt Linehan scrambled for more than 25 yards after a broken play. He had eight rushing attempts in his first game. If he can execute the read-option and escape the defense, he adds another threat to the Vandals’ run game.
Senior wide receiver Josh McCain caught a post route that could have resulted in a touchdown, breaking three tackles in the process. His speed is his greatest asset, and is dangerous when he enters the open field. Fellow wide receiver Deon Watson looked just as quick, connecting multiple times with his Coeur d’Alene High School teammate Chad Chalich.
The first team offense practiced a variety of option plays, focusing mainly on senior running back Kris Olugbode. He appeared explosive and showed his ability to get to the outside by breaking tackles, including a 30-yard touchdown where he slipped through two defenders.
Other Observations:
The tight ends, especially junior Jared Klingenberg, were strong on blocking during position drills. Senior Justin Podrabsky had a few nice catches for more than 20 yards while the offensive and defensive first teams played.
During 7-on-7 drills, offensive tackle Jesse Davis opened up some running lanes for running backs Brown and Olugbode. Davis and senior Nick Von Rotz did their job against ULM and should continue to hold off their defenders going into the weekend.
The quarterbacks focused on throwing across their body in pressure situations with Chalich and Linehan seeing the majority of the snaps. It’s been a battle for the starting quarterback job early this year, but it seems as though Linehan has the starting role locked up. Idaho coach Paul Petrino said he’d go with the hot hand at quarterback.
The Vandals spent a lot of time on secondary drills. Chalich, Linehan and freshman Jake Luton alternated snaps and completed a high percentage of deep passes to their receivers. Cornerback Delency Parham played good, tight defense and had an interception.