Saturday the Gators held their second full contact scrimmage of the spring. It was a day of mixed results for the offensive unit which saw greater resistance this Saturday than they did in their first scrimmage last week. Here is a report on the offensive performances.
QUARTERBACKS: Tim Tebow, Cameron Newton, John Brantley
What I liked: Lots of Cameron Newton. There isn’t much of a need to press Tebow into playing a lot this spring, so may as well give the reps to someone who could use them. I didn’t see much John Brantley today. It was about 60 percent Newton and 40 percent Tebow. Newton was comfortable in blitz recognition most of the time. He got a blitz from the cornerback on a play and dumped the ball off to Chris Rainey, who made a great play to take it about 50 yards for a touchdown.
What I didn’t like: This group still isn’t sharp. I can’t even put a number on how many quick slants I’ve seen launched over wide open receivers’ heads or right at their feet. A lot of the passes that fell incomplete should be credited to excellent coverage by the defensive secondary. They’re making it a lot tougher for the quarterbacks or receivers to stand out so far this spring. Newton looked to be forcing the ball a little today. He drove the team down into the red zone, tried to force a throw and got it intercepted. He also left Tate Casey hanging out to dry, allowing Jamar Hornsby to make the biggest hit of the spring. This area needs to play better, but as was stated by many people yesterday, if we’re complaining about quarterback play from this group then the team must be in pretty good shape.
RUNNING BACKS: Kestahn Moore, Brandon James, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, Mon Williams
What I liked: This set of running backs provides a perfect group. They each have their own individual strengths and can be subbed into the game whenever needed. Chris Rainey continues to shine. I hate to keep harping on it, but he made some extraordinary plays yet again. The play I already mentioned where Newton dumped off to Rainey and showed some nice moves to get into the second level and turn on the jets. One situation during the scrimmage showed the offense taking the ball from their one yard line and needing to get a first down. The last back you would expect to get carries in this situation is Rainey, but he took them and gained four yards on both of his carries. He forced the pile forward and always fell forward. The blocking by the running backs looked better today, and Emmanuel Moody looked a lot better blocking. Moore had a good day today, outside of a fumble in the two-minute drill situation. He stays low at contact and makes it tough for the defense to drive him backward. Mon Williams also made a few nice plays outside the tackles. He can make people miss, even though he’s one of the largest backs on the team.
What I didn’t like: A lot of the runs were stuffed at the line. Most of the fault for that goes on the offensive line, but sometimes I was questioning how much Moore can make people miss. He’s still listed as the number one running back, but he needs to step up a little bit. His fumble during the two-minute drill is inexcusable, and it’s the timing of his fumbles last year that got him on the bench.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Louis Murphy, Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore, Justin Williams, Butch Rowley, David Nelson
TIGHT END: Cornelius Ingram, Aaron Hernandez, Tate Casey
What I liked: The first team offense started with only two receivers, Deonte Thompson and Louis Murphy. They continued using a two tight end set from Friday, with Ingram and Hernandez both lining up with their hands on the ground. Carl Moore gives this offense something they didn’t have much of last year when Riley Cooper went down. There is now a legitimate deep threat if Cooper goes down again. Moore is at least 6-3, and the rumor is he has the best vertical on the team. He went up over Janoris Jenkins and caught a fade from Tebow in the scrimmage. Murphy had a good day, catching multiple passes in heavy traffic and wasn’t scared to make the catch and get hit. He got banged up at one point in practice and scared everyone in attendance that the offense could lose another playmaker for the spring. He jumped up and finished practice with the regulars. He fights for the football when it’s in the air, and you love to see that from a go-to guy. Hernandez had a great day from his position. He had a few nice blocks and was one of the only players who could actually put a decent block on Brandon Spikes. Hernandez also went up in the air to make a nice catch, then stiff armed Dustin Doe to gain 15 more yards. Ingram also had some nice catches, one of which he ripped right out of the hands of Brandon Hicks. Ingram also took a jet sweep from Tebow and ran to the right side of the field. After running about ten feet to the right, he turned and threw the ball back to Tebow, who was on a dead sprint to the end zone. Unfortunately, the pass was just a few inches too far.
What I didn’t like: The receivers just weren’t open very much today. The credit again should go to the defensive secondary, and I think it’s a great sign that the defense has grown up enough to already stay with these guys.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
OT: Jason Watkins, Phil Trautwein, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert
OG: Jim Tartt, Mike Pouncey, James Wilson, Jim Barrie
C: Maurkice Pouncey, Corey Hobbs
What I liked: James Wilson continues to impress me. He dominated John Brown on multiple plays, and the interaction with some of his teammates is fun to watch. Jason Watkins is another one that impresses me. Thinking about the transformation he’s made in his career makes it that much easier to root for him. Another plus was Jim Barrie. I’m not sure if he’s big enough to play the guard position, but he’s beginning to show signs of becoming a player. He may not be on first team level right now, but he’s starting to show signs of becoming a quality backup that this line is going to need.
What I didn’t like: Running backs were getting blown up or stuffed at the line all the time today. Troy Epps was in the backfield over and over again. The negatives from the line came mostly on the second team. James Wilson was really the only consistent contributor in the group.
Player of the Day: This is just getting repetitive, but it’s Chris Rainey again. No receivers or running backs had the impact on the scrimmage that he had, and there was an anticipatory feeling from the crowd every time he touched the football. It’s no surprise Coach Meyer said after practice that he will absolutely play in the fall.
