It's football fever time. Now more than ever. Getting to watch some of the Seahawks game helped put it at bay, but nothing beats seeing the Eagles in full gear.
The only thing hotter than the weather was the player intensity throughout the field. Everyone was pumped, especially the defense. There were a large number of players not suited and a couple seem to be nursing injuries. I asked a few players during the autograph session about the extent of these injuries, but didn't get much information. The following players did not participate:
Ronnie Hamlin: Still nursing that foot injury. I saw him briefly at the end of the game, but I think he left early for an appointment in Spokane.
Shaq Hill: Also nursing a foot injury.
Cooper Kupp: Unknown. Looked healthy enough. I even saw him run around for a few passes.
Jake Withnell: Had a boot attached to his leg
Cody McCarthy: Unknown
Albert Havili: Unknown
During this scrimmage there were three positions I paid close attention to. Offensive line, Defensive line, and Quarterback. I also spent some time watching some key positions such as cornerback, but I was interested in seeing how our holes on the line were filled. I also wanted to see if there was an clear successor for Vernon Adams in the making.
Offensive Line At first I brought a stopwatch to the game in hopes of recording how much time our line could buy the quarterback. This became a pointless activity, because our high tempo offense got rid of the ball within two seconds every time. Aside from that, our offensive line looked extremely dominant. When our starting offensive line was in, there was almost no penetration up field. They were explosive off the ball. Although it was hard to see players on the left side of the line, it was nice to see Jake Rodgers blow defensive lineman five yards back. I'm glad to have him back in action and hope we don't lose him to injury again. The seeming back up to Jake Rodgers, Jerrod Jones, also played really well. Fun fact, Jerrod Jones only played one year of football. He signed up his senior year and wreaked havoc at nose tackle. Enough so that EWU offered him a scholarship. One player who struggled was T.J. Boatright at center. I think he is the backup to our starting center, but he had a lot of low snaps which cost quarterback Gage Gunbrud a lot of plays.
Defensive Line It was hard to gauge exactly who our starting line was. Without a depth chart, I didn't know which players to keep an eye on. There were a lot of incoming freshman in the rotation, likely to deal with our depth problems. One player I was impressed with was #55 Andre Lino who either played DT or DE. He was one of the only defensive lineman to cause the O-line problems. At one point he had back to back tackles in the backfield. This seemed to upset Jake Rodgers who made sure to put him five yards back the next play. I don't remember seeing Zylstra out there, even though I was hoping to see some action from him. He looks like he put on even more muscle over the summer.
Quarterbacks
Vernon Adams: On the roster he is listed as 200 pounds. Wow! His throws were on point. There were only two notable mis-throws by Adams today. Both being freshman who seemed to have gotten tangled up with the secondary before going down for the deep ball. Plain and simple, Vernon Adams is going to be everything we want him to be this season.
Jordan West: Tall and powerful. This 6'4, 220 pound quarterback has the build of an NFL prospect. His presence is strong and even though he is second on the depth chart, players look to him as a leader. I watched Jordan West during the throwing drills and I have to admit, I got a little worried. In those drills, many of his throws were inaccurate and lacked that soft touch which make balls that much more catchable. Indeed, the power behind the throws were obvious. There is a time and a place for those bullet throws, but during drills where a receiver is wide open and trying to stay in bounds, they aren't ideal. That being said, all of his mishaps in the drills were erased while he played on the field. His throws looked nice, he is a good scrambler, and has good speed. I would like to see how he throws a deep ball.
Conner Richardson: We have another tall and athletic quarterback on the roster with Richardson. Richardson is 6'2, 215 pounds. Richardson seemed to reverse Jordan West. His throws looked nice during drills, but when Conner was on the field he seemed to falter. It only got worse for Conner when he seemed to lose confidence and run at bad times. Toward the end of the scrimmage, Conner seemed to find himself and threw some very nice balls and began to execute well. Conner is only a freshman and such mistakes are not only common, but expected. Conner has the potential to develop into a good quarterback.
Reilly Hennessey: This incoming freshman stands at 6'3 and weights 200 pounds. I really liked the arm on this one. During drills and on the field his arm was powerful, versatile, accurate, and had a nice touch. Indeed there is nothing but great potential for Reilly Hennessey. He made a few mistakes, throwing into coverages and a few overthrows, but overall he did well for an incoming freshman. His touchdown throw to Zach Eagle was beautiful. It made me wonder if he would skip his redshirt year, but that probably wouldn't be smart just to keep him competing for a third spot in the QB depth chart.
Gage Gubrud: Another incoming freshman, but I don't know what to make of this QB. Gage stands at 6'2 and weighs 195 pounds. Stumbled at the beginning and I wouldn't put the blame on him. Gage lined up under a second string center and had to contend with low and inaccurate snaps time and time again. At one point he had a snap which flew up to his facemask, he tried to recover and toss the ball to Jalen Moore(?). The ball was inaccurate, dropped and returned by the defense for a touchdown. Like Richardson, Gubrud seemed to get more opportunities and played better later on, but his playing time was limited and it was difficult to assess this quarterback.
Individual Standouts
Rashad Wadood: Everyone has to be wondering how Rashad will contribute to our defense. I think that Wadood proved how physical of a player he can and will be with his massive hit on a tall receiver (Jalani Phelps?) at the beginning of the scrimmage. I can't wait for him to shake up some receivers during the season. Rashad had to play a soft coverage, standing off the line by 5-10 yards, but he did well following receivers, staying tight, and making the tackle. There was only one player who was clearly a match for Rashad Wadood.....
Kendrick Bourne: This kid was everything he is hyped to be. As mentioned above, Kendrick was the one player who had Rashad on his heels. There was a series where Kendrick beat Rashad three times in a row. The first, Bourne cut back for a catch gaining eight yards, the second Bourne beat Rashad on the deep ball, only barely stepping out of bounds, and the third Bourne caught the ball and juked out Rashad for a touchdown. Kendrick is going to have a big year and it will be very exciting to see the number 10 and 11 (Cooper and Kendrick Combo). Indeed, I believe EWU will have another all american trio in Cooper, Bourne, and Shaq.
Zach Eagle: Very fast and had a Blair Bomber presence about him. As a matter of fact, they were wearing the same jersey number today (#80). Zach had a lot to prove, being vertically challenged in the college football world (5'8), but showed that he could make up for it with speed, exclusivity, and a good set of hands.
Jalen Moore: Seemed to take some passing routes and caught everything that came at him (besides the botched toss). He made some of our young quarterbacks look good today by coming up above coverage and snagging the throws for some solid gains.
Alek Kacmarcik: Do we have another long haired linebacker machine? Incoming freshman Alek Kacmarcik did well flowing and flying to the ball. He was the one who returned a fumble for the touchdown. Alek will have to spend his redshirt freshman year bulking up to find a place starting linebacker corps, but he showed a lot of potential and should be a player to watch in the future.
Quincy Forte: Proved why he deserves to be the front runner in our runningback corps. The guy was fast and dominant. He read blocks quickly and seemed to average ten yards a play this scrimmage. EWU is going to be very powerful on offense once again and I think our running game is going to truly shock other teams.
Mario Brown: Always a fun one to watch and seemed to establish himself as Forte's backup. He looked fast and elusive, I just wish he was a little more difficult to take down. One of my favorites to watch on the whole team. The elusivity is somewhat reminiscent of the Taiwan Jones days.
The only thing hotter than the weather was the player intensity throughout the field. Everyone was pumped, especially the defense. There were a large number of players not suited and a couple seem to be nursing injuries. I asked a few players during the autograph session about the extent of these injuries, but didn't get much information. The following players did not participate:
Ronnie Hamlin: Still nursing that foot injury. I saw him briefly at the end of the game, but I think he left early for an appointment in Spokane.
Shaq Hill: Also nursing a foot injury.
Cooper Kupp: Unknown. Looked healthy enough. I even saw him run around for a few passes.
Jake Withnell: Had a boot attached to his leg
Cody McCarthy: Unknown
Albert Havili: Unknown
During this scrimmage there were three positions I paid close attention to. Offensive line, Defensive line, and Quarterback. I also spent some time watching some key positions such as cornerback, but I was interested in seeing how our holes on the line were filled. I also wanted to see if there was an clear successor for Vernon Adams in the making.
Offensive Line At first I brought a stopwatch to the game in hopes of recording how much time our line could buy the quarterback. This became a pointless activity, because our high tempo offense got rid of the ball within two seconds every time. Aside from that, our offensive line looked extremely dominant. When our starting offensive line was in, there was almost no penetration up field. They were explosive off the ball. Although it was hard to see players on the left side of the line, it was nice to see Jake Rodgers blow defensive lineman five yards back. I'm glad to have him back in action and hope we don't lose him to injury again. The seeming back up to Jake Rodgers, Jerrod Jones, also played really well. Fun fact, Jerrod Jones only played one year of football. He signed up his senior year and wreaked havoc at nose tackle. Enough so that EWU offered him a scholarship. One player who struggled was T.J. Boatright at center. I think he is the backup to our starting center, but he had a lot of low snaps which cost quarterback Gage Gunbrud a lot of plays.
Defensive Line It was hard to gauge exactly who our starting line was. Without a depth chart, I didn't know which players to keep an eye on. There were a lot of incoming freshman in the rotation, likely to deal with our depth problems. One player I was impressed with was #55 Andre Lino who either played DT or DE. He was one of the only defensive lineman to cause the O-line problems. At one point he had back to back tackles in the backfield. This seemed to upset Jake Rodgers who made sure to put him five yards back the next play. I don't remember seeing Zylstra out there, even though I was hoping to see some action from him. He looks like he put on even more muscle over the summer.
Quarterbacks
Vernon Adams: On the roster he is listed as 200 pounds. Wow! His throws were on point. There were only two notable mis-throws by Adams today. Both being freshman who seemed to have gotten tangled up with the secondary before going down for the deep ball. Plain and simple, Vernon Adams is going to be everything we want him to be this season.
Jordan West: Tall and powerful. This 6'4, 220 pound quarterback has the build of an NFL prospect. His presence is strong and even though he is second on the depth chart, players look to him as a leader. I watched Jordan West during the throwing drills and I have to admit, I got a little worried. In those drills, many of his throws were inaccurate and lacked that soft touch which make balls that much more catchable. Indeed, the power behind the throws were obvious. There is a time and a place for those bullet throws, but during drills where a receiver is wide open and trying to stay in bounds, they aren't ideal. That being said, all of his mishaps in the drills were erased while he played on the field. His throws looked nice, he is a good scrambler, and has good speed. I would like to see how he throws a deep ball.
Conner Richardson: We have another tall and athletic quarterback on the roster with Richardson. Richardson is 6'2, 215 pounds. Richardson seemed to reverse Jordan West. His throws looked nice during drills, but when Conner was on the field he seemed to falter. It only got worse for Conner when he seemed to lose confidence and run at bad times. Toward the end of the scrimmage, Conner seemed to find himself and threw some very nice balls and began to execute well. Conner is only a freshman and such mistakes are not only common, but expected. Conner has the potential to develop into a good quarterback.
Reilly Hennessey: This incoming freshman stands at 6'3 and weights 200 pounds. I really liked the arm on this one. During drills and on the field his arm was powerful, versatile, accurate, and had a nice touch. Indeed there is nothing but great potential for Reilly Hennessey. He made a few mistakes, throwing into coverages and a few overthrows, but overall he did well for an incoming freshman. His touchdown throw to Zach Eagle was beautiful. It made me wonder if he would skip his redshirt year, but that probably wouldn't be smart just to keep him competing for a third spot in the QB depth chart.
Gage Gubrud: Another incoming freshman, but I don't know what to make of this QB. Gage stands at 6'2 and weighs 195 pounds. Stumbled at the beginning and I wouldn't put the blame on him. Gage lined up under a second string center and had to contend with low and inaccurate snaps time and time again. At one point he had a snap which flew up to his facemask, he tried to recover and toss the ball to Jalen Moore(?). The ball was inaccurate, dropped and returned by the defense for a touchdown. Like Richardson, Gubrud seemed to get more opportunities and played better later on, but his playing time was limited and it was difficult to assess this quarterback.
Individual Standouts
Rashad Wadood: Everyone has to be wondering how Rashad will contribute to our defense. I think that Wadood proved how physical of a player he can and will be with his massive hit on a tall receiver (Jalani Phelps?) at the beginning of the scrimmage. I can't wait for him to shake up some receivers during the season. Rashad had to play a soft coverage, standing off the line by 5-10 yards, but he did well following receivers, staying tight, and making the tackle. There was only one player who was clearly a match for Rashad Wadood.....
Kendrick Bourne: This kid was everything he is hyped to be. As mentioned above, Kendrick was the one player who had Rashad on his heels. There was a series where Kendrick beat Rashad three times in a row. The first, Bourne cut back for a catch gaining eight yards, the second Bourne beat Rashad on the deep ball, only barely stepping out of bounds, and the third Bourne caught the ball and juked out Rashad for a touchdown. Kendrick is going to have a big year and it will be very exciting to see the number 10 and 11 (Cooper and Kendrick Combo). Indeed, I believe EWU will have another all american trio in Cooper, Bourne, and Shaq.
Zach Eagle: Very fast and had a Blair Bomber presence about him. As a matter of fact, they were wearing the same jersey number today (#80). Zach had a lot to prove, being vertically challenged in the college football world (5'8), but showed that he could make up for it with speed, exclusivity, and a good set of hands.
Jalen Moore: Seemed to take some passing routes and caught everything that came at him (besides the botched toss). He made some of our young quarterbacks look good today by coming up above coverage and snagging the throws for some solid gains.
Alek Kacmarcik: Do we have another long haired linebacker machine? Incoming freshman Alek Kacmarcik did well flowing and flying to the ball. He was the one who returned a fumble for the touchdown. Alek will have to spend his redshirt freshman year bulking up to find a place starting linebacker corps, but he showed a lot of potential and should be a player to watch in the future.
Quincy Forte: Proved why he deserves to be the front runner in our runningback corps. The guy was fast and dominant. He read blocks quickly and seemed to average ten yards a play this scrimmage. EWU is going to be very powerful on offense once again and I think our running game is going to truly shock other teams.
Mario Brown: Always a fun one to watch and seemed to establish himself as Forte's backup. He looked fast and elusive, I just wish he was a little more difficult to take down. One of my favorites to watch on the whole team. The elusivity is somewhat reminiscent of the Taiwan Jones days.
