Tuesday, Aug. 27 & Wednesday, Aug. 28
Venue:
SprinTurf outdoor practice field
Practice rundown:
Position drills, team scrimmage vs. scout team, special team drills, 7-on-7 skeleton drill.
Highlights:
Redshirt freshman Chad Chalich continues to impress. Chalich ran the offense very well against the scout team defense and made good reads to march down the field. Josh McCain continues to showcase his arm and speed, and found himself throwing a few deep touchdown passes to Najee Lovett, Tuesday. McCain is getting more reps than Taylor Davis but it’s still safe to assume Chalich will be the starter at the position Saturday.
The defensive line also continues to show why they are deepest of the position groups on defense. They came off the line very well both days and worked hard on stopping the scout team’s version of the North Texas run game while getting to the quarterback several times.
The scout team imitated North Texas’ jet sweep Tuesday, something that the team hadn’t seen until that point.
Four players rotated in and out during kick return drills. True freshman running back Richard Montgomery, junior wide receiver Dezmon Epps, senior wide receiver Najee Lovett, and sophomore cornerback Solomon Dixon all are getting reps at returning both kicks and punts. All four have shown blazing speed at the position, though Montgomery and Epps are clearly the fastest.
Running back Jerrel Brown had a rough go of things at his natural position Tuesday, but made a bone-crushing block that sent Montgomery clear to the end zone.
Freshman kicker Austin Rehkow missed several kicks during Wednesday’s practice. At one point, he had missed three field goals in a row before wrapping up with three consecutive makes inside the 25-yard line. Those three still didn’t overshadow the duds that preceded them.
Additional notes/injury update:
Roman Runner, who has seen time at cornerback this fall, seems to be back at his natural position of wide receiver. Runner is also working with the kickoff team.
Safety Trey Williams is still not out on the field. Coach Paul Petrino said that Williams is still questionable, for the game Saturday.
Running back Kristoffer Olugbode is game fit. After missing a good portion of fall camp, Olugbode was back in the fold Tuesday and Wednesday.
After a breakout spring camp, wide receiver Maurice Trotter is still absent from practice with an injury.
Four running backs continue to work in with the first team offense. Expect Jerrel Brown and Montgomery to get the majority of the touches while Olugbode and James Baker will also likely see action.