QBs: Adams looked like he has the past two years. He had some really good throws, but he also missed some wide open receivers because he didn’t check down and decided instead to force the throw to his first target in traffic. So not a big shocker there – he has essentially been a starter the past 2 years, so he is a known commodity. Adams played almost exclusively in the first half, the only time that he didn’t play was after a run where he tweaked his shoulder and Bolles came in to finish the last two plays of the drive. Bolles looked really good. He had a couple of great throws – he also had one throw that I remember where he threw the ball too low and it was uncatchable. But that was the only one that stands out.
RBs: There is not going to be any shortage of horses in the stable. Billy Creason is still a very hard runner. He’s not super-fast and doesn’t have the ability to cut really quick. Behind Creason there is a lot of good competition – between Bobby Burton, Phil Jackson and Justin Fulks, there are a lot of good players there. Jackson is a big guy and is not a slouch. He reminds me of a former RB by the name of Xavier. Only time will tell how he compares!
WRs: The two returning receivers Bryce Young and Clint Utter we both on the sidelines wearing street clothes. The two transfers Korey Jackson and Reuben Thomas both looked good. Jackson had a TD where he had to go up and get the ball in good coverage, and managed to come down with the ball. Thomas had a couple of really nice catches as well. But the biggest surprise was true freshman Haden Bryant. He was playing with the first team squad and was looking really good. He was playing primarily out of the slot position and had 3-4 great catches in the middle of the field where he caught the ball in traffic. When was the last time that NW didn’t redshirt a player in a skill position? Not counting kickers of course. Add to that the fact that the kid is a walk on – I have a feeling you would have to go to the pre-Mel years of the program to find that.
OL: Almost impossible to really tell anything here. The freshmen defense didn’t stand a chance against the first team OL. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that Cole Chevalier was not playing.
DL: Here again – wasn’t able to tell a lot because the starters were just blowing up the freshman. Longacre was having a field day in the backfield. Since Bailey quit – the starting role is currently being filled with Meinert. Kevin Arnold and Jordan Chrisman also saw a lot of field time. Bevins was on the sideline in streetclothes with what looked to be an ACE bandage on his elbow. Didn’t look serious – just playing it cautious.
LB: Since the Dline was able to open up the holes, the LB’s were able to shoot the gap and get in the backfield. Gnader and Reimer were the only names that stood out to me. Matthewson was on the sideline in streetclothes. The only real success that the freshman offense had was when the line and LB’s all overpursued on the run and the runner was able to change direction and get to the outside before a CB was able to get to them. There was a look at the future on one play – freshman LB Nicholas Turner was able to run down Reuben Thomas. So he has some definite speed – will be fun to watch in the future.
DB: Dixons are known commodities. The rest of the DB’s looked good as well. There was a lot of switching between Safties and CB’s – which is kind of the hallmark of a Kenny Gordan secondary. Enyard looked good at safety and will be a welcome addition!
Like I said – it is really very difficult to tell much from this scrimmage. The 1s looked good – but they should when looking at their competition. Defense was especially difficult to tell anything. Needless to say - I think that there will be lots of shifting around of personnel before the best fit is found. Wouldn't be surprised to see some major changes by the end of the year.
