April 7, 2009
By Ted Bryant - Media Relations Student Assistant -
The defense enjoyed a solid outing at today's practice, held inside Dan Devine Pavilion. Tuesday proved to be a nice turnaround for the defense, due to the fact that the offense has controlled the black jerseys (given to the overall winner of practice) for three straight sessions. The biggest revelation of today's practice was the full return of running back Derrick Washington, who was finally able to participate in contact drills.
Washington didn't appear rusty at all and had a pretty good practice. Shawn Scott was impressive as well, especially during inside run drills. He can spot the smallest holes and burst through them. His vision will be an asset to this team. There were a few other offensive highlights as well, despite a mostly defense-controlled practice. Tight end Michael Egnew made an impressive leaping 30-yard grab from quarterback Jimmy Costello on the left sideline. Wes Kemp made the play of the day, turning a short screen over the middle from Blaine Gabbert into a 35-yard scramble for a touchdown.
The defensive intimidation began earlier in practice during one-on-one route drills. The defensive backs caused a lot of problems for the receivers, forcing difficult passes from the quarterbacks. Cornerback Carl Gettis looked particularly sharp. I haven't watched him much this spring, but I tend to think that it's a good thing when players don't get noticed on defense – it usually means they're doing their job well. During one particular hitting drill, in which an offensive and defensive player start with their backs on the ground about ten feet from each other, spring up, and try to run through each other, the defense made quite a statement. This drill featured only skill players (receivers, running backs, and defensive backs), and receivers Wes Kemp and Jerrell Jackson were two of only a few offensive players that got by their defensive counterparts.
The defense really earned their victory at the end of practice, stringing together some good stops. When Jerrell Jackson took the handoff on a reverse to the left, he got a nice pop from cornerback Kevin Rutland. The very next play, defensive end Aldon Smith blew past the offensive line to record a sack on Gabbert. Smith seems to be improving with every practice.
The offensive line, however, managed to win one-on-one drills with the defensive line. The unit that wins each repetition is awarded a point, and both squads remained pretty even to begin the drill. When the second teams rotated in to the drill, both sides still went back and forth. It wasn't until the first team came back in that the offense began to pull away, eventually winning 24-17. Right Tackle Dan Hoch played very well, despite wearing a cast on his right arm. He was unfazed by the relentless rush from defensive end Brian Coulter. Defensive tackle Terrell Resonno's bull rush was effective in the one-on-one drills today. Resonno gets great leverage with his body and keeps his feet moving well when engaged with an offensive lineman.
Special teams were a major component of today's practice, specifically kick return and punt return. The focus was on each player getting their responsibilities down, as both units practiced without defenders and just did run-throughs. For those of you wondering who will handle the kick return duties for the upcoming season, you'll have to wait. However, cornerbacks Kip Edwards and Munir Prince and wide receiver Jared Perry each got some reps as the Tigers are looking to replace the all-world Jeremy Maclin in the kicking game.
The Tigers will practice again this Thursday, April 9th, on Faurot Field if the weather allows. In a post-practice interview, Head Coach Gary Pinkel mentioned the possibility of a brief scrimmage during practice, so be sure to check back on Thursday for the results.