Haven't had the chance to go to practice much lately. I caught the last 20 minutes the other day, but didn't get to see much. So, based on what I'm hearing and what I've seen, I decided to post a few random thoughts.
Tristan Davis
It's unfortunate that his turf toe wound up being a broken toe. However, we saw how a "turf" toe hobbled K. Irons all last year. For Tristan to be effective, he has to be at full speed. So, I'm glad to see we're taking all necessary precautions as soon as possible. We probably won't have him for KSU and USF. But, he'll have plenty of time to rest before we enter the Swamp. Could be a "secret" weapon for us.
OLine
Now, this has been a soap opera. First of all, a true freshman has held the 1st string slot longer than anyone at RT this fall?! You've got to be kidding me! I know Ziemba is a phenom. But, what's the deal with Daniels and Gonzales? I can understand, to some extent, McCain's dropoff being new to the whole position. But to have an incoming freshman beat you out is amazing! I, for one, hope he hangs on to the spot. I'm tired of seeing veterans feel like it's their turn and not putting out the effort, i.e. Leon Hart. And speaking of Leon, he's gone back home to take care of "family matters" with his mom? Not sure about that either. Boy, I hope he's got his head on straight. I'd hate for him to leave the team or something. I wish we'd stop using him as a backup center. He really needs to get his guard position down. I think Berry and Pugh can be an adequate backup at center. Once Hart returns, I hope to see Berry get a shot at RT. I really think he can contribute more as an every-down lineman vs. a utility man. Here's how I hope things shake out. Personally, I think either Ziemba or Pugh will not redshirt.
RT - Berry/Ziemba, McCain
RG - Hart, Eddins
C - Bosley, Berry/Pugh
LG - Green, Isom
LT - Dunlap, Gonzales
WR
Loaded, loaded, loaded! While I wouldn't say we're as talented as USC, I think we've got a great group of talent at this position, both experienced and young. I think it's looking more like the starters will be Smith, Billings, and Dunn. And, there will be several others on the field as well, Hawthorne, Prechae, Swinton, Zachery.
RB
Good to see Fannin is starting to take it to the next level. It'll be fun watching him and Lester battle for starting time over the next couple years. Oh, did I forget to mention Tate? He looks really good too. Looks like we'll have another unfortunate situation of a crowded backfield again, i.e. Cadillac/Ronnie '04. And if Carl Stewart returns to form from his hamstring injury, this should be a fun group to watch.
QB
Coach Tubs is looking for 3 to go with after scrimmage Saturday. Cox is the starter. The other 2 will likely be Caudle and Burns. This may be the biggest audition of Field's career. If he can't break the 3-deep, that might be 'sayonara'. I doubt he'll hang around for scout team duty. Cox will be off limits Saturday, but CTT has announced the other 4 will be fair game for the defense. Nothing to lose in my opinion. They've got to feel the heat. Kickoff is 3 short weeks away. It's time to make a cut.
I'll cover my thoughts on defense soon. Let me know your thoughts as well. Look forward to hearing your responses.
WDE!
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What's going on here? No updates in two weeks? Where's the latest coverage of the Tigers just 9 days before kickoff?
This team looks a little mysterious to me. I think the defense will be solid. My only concerns going in will be the outside linebackers and the cornerbacks. We also don't have a lot of experience on the D-Line after the starters. But overall, I think this will be a pretty salty bunch. If Groves & co. can get into the backfield often that will help our defensive backs from getting burned too often. The speed should be awesome. The only matchup problems I see are when we play a smash mouth running team like Arkansas, but fortunately there are not too many of those.
The offense is where it will get interesting. We didn't have much "pop" to the offense last year, and I don't know if it will be much different this time. A healthy Cox will certainly give us a chance. The receivers need to step up big time. I'm hearing good things about Slaughter and even Swinton as possibilities after Rod and Dunn. The tight ends should help Cox too. The line, I think, will make or break the season. A lot of new faces will be playing. I don't doubt their abilities, but we've all heard about how there is no substitute for experience playing the O-Line in the SEC, and we don't have much of that. I'm really nervous at the possibility of a true freshman protecting Cox's blind side, but the coaches seem to really like Ziemba.
The kicking game is a big question mark too. However, I can't remember the last time we didn't have at least a decent kicker and punter. Kick-offs may be more of a concern now that we're kicking from the 30 this year. And the return game may suffer until we get Davis back from the toe injury.
Anyway, that seems to be my impression up to this point. Enligten us some more aulaker!
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