Saturday’s evening practice was SDSU’s first practice in shoulder pads so the team did less 7-on-7 stuff and more live plays but I’d still describe it as a light practice. The team will start doing full pads next week and will also start two-a-days on Wednesday.
There were much fewer quarterback interceptions today but still a couple of picks caused by receivers or running backs bobbling and tipping up would be completed passes.
Na’Im McGee had a forward diving interception over the middle when a pass was deflected into the air. Damontae Kazee also hauled in a tipped pass that ended up right in his chest and Austin Wyatt-Thayer stole one from Juwan Washington (who was playing hot potato with the ball on a short throw) during the freshman period.
I thought Maxwell Smith was a little better today but he didn’t do anything to make me think “he’s the definite starter at this point.” Both Rodrigues and Chapman had some very nice moments but still lacked consistency. I’d give Rodrigues and Smith the nod for better performances on Saturday. We should start to see at least some clear separation during the first full speed scrimmage.
At wide receiver, Holder, Judge, Mills and Clewis all impressed again. Clewis actually had the deepest catch of the day during the live period with a sideline catch about 30+ yards down field. He also made the toughest catch of day during the freshman period on a post route, catching the ball at it’s highest point right after his cut then colliding with the safety and corner back. It was no more than a 15 yard gain but the fact that he ran a crisp route, kept his composure and held on to it was impressive.
Holder and Mills caught everything today and I mentioned Judge because he was consistent and he also showed off his speed on a couple reps, including a crossing route against zone coverage where he found himself with a lot of space to work with down the sideline for a good 30 yards after the catch. I’d like to see him and Mills in a footrace.
By the way, expect to see a lot of variety when DJ Pumphrey is motioned out as a receiver. There’s been times where he actually lines up directly in the slot with Chase Price at running back, and there have also been times where he motions out with Dakota Gordon being the other back. They really are going to use him more in the passing game. It’s not just talk.
Juwan Washington is being tested early and getting more reps than Stamps and Penny it seems like (that will likely change once the coaches decide if they will use Washington this season). I don’t think Washington will see snaps at running back if he does play as a freshman. He doesn’t have the ability to gain yards between the tackles at this point, and is still more of an outside runner whether that’s the play call or not. Just my early guess on him.
On the OL, Sergio Phillips really caught my eye today. He looked like the best center out of the bunch. He just moves his feet so well and can hold his own against linemen much bigger than him. Much better pass protector than I remember him as too.
It’s a shame Ryan Pope can’t play this season because he’s progressed much faster than I thought and he looked like a top-five player. Physically, he looks the best out of the group. (I’d say he and Jordan Watson are the toughest looking players on the team.)
UAB transfer Ryan Krum has moved over to take reps at left tackle and while he’s a big, round guy, his skill set doesn’t translate well at left tackle. Gets pushed back pretty frequently - not as much strength as you’d like to see - especially against the bull rush and not a great kick slide guy either. Just goes to show how SDSU will need to get creative if Miller/Slater go down.
Antonio Rosales had a good day at left guard. I will say both he and Tuihalamaka hold quite a bit though.
For a second today, I caught myself looking down at my roster wondering which walk-on No. 53 was because he was impressive against pretty much every defensive tackle he went up against. Then I realized it was Robert Craighead. He really does look like a lineman now.
(Oh, also, Will Tui showed some of his mean streak today. During a run play that led to a standstill between a crowd of players, Tui ended up locking onto Pierre Romain and pushing him 10 yards down field after the whistle was blown. It turned into a shoving/wrestling match with Tui eventually able to get Romain on the ground. The rest of the players helped break it up quickly before it became serious, and everyone went on their merry way - as Rocky had him asked them to do yesterday.)
On the d-line, Rochelin has quietly been very consistent as an edge rusher. Still has to develop his strength and add some creative moves, but his feet don’t look as sloppy anymore and he consistently gets around tackles. I do think guys are still ahead of him in terms of making the two deep, though. Micah Seau especially has looked comfortable with his hand on the ground and his quickness off the snap and strength should make him a solid option to spell Jon Sanchez. He actually pushed Krum onto his back during one-on-ones.
You’d be crazy to look at the first team defense and not think they are the best defensive unit in the conference. Other than standup end/linebacker, every position has a proven player with lots of experience and none of them have taken a step back in terms of effort and ability.
It should also be worth noting that you guys should feel confident about Jake Fely. He has looked more and more comfortable each practice and I expect him to be back to his old self by the first or second game of the season. He’s ridiculously good against the run and reads plays so fast that those aspects alone make him an above average player. Then when you factor in how aggressive and relentless of a tackler/striker he is is, it’s no surprise that he’s one of Rocky’s favorite players ever. Obviously, SDSU isn’t in full pads yet so what I’m saying may sound like hyperbole but I will say that Fely’s non-tackling collisions with running backs on Saturday had some “pop” to them.
Going back to the stand up end spot, Jay Henderson is still taking reps with the first team. He’s a good athlete and pass rusher, but part of the reason why he’s running with the first team is that he’s been in the system longer than all the other guys. Fred Melifonwu has a year on Henderson but he’s suspended for the first six games. Kyavah Tezino, Randy Ricks and Austin Wyatt-Thayer just arrived on campus but expect them to all challenge for that third starting linebacker spot.
Also, don’t be surprised if Reggie Murphy sneaks into some playing time. He’s a lot more mobile than I remember him being.
Like I said, the entire first team defense looks very strong. But I want to point out how well Damontae Kazee is doing. He has always been physically impressive, but now he just sees things develop much faster and his instincts have really stood out. It’s really telling when you watch him dissect plays in zone coverage; he recognizes the likely receiver and his agility and tackling ability just takes over from there. He honestly has a shot of being an early entrant after this season.
Since there is no practice on Sunday, I'll be posting three practice clips videos on one post later today on the front page.
There were much fewer quarterback interceptions today but still a couple of picks caused by receivers or running backs bobbling and tipping up would be completed passes.
Na’Im McGee had a forward diving interception over the middle when a pass was deflected into the air. Damontae Kazee also hauled in a tipped pass that ended up right in his chest and Austin Wyatt-Thayer stole one from Juwan Washington (who was playing hot potato with the ball on a short throw) during the freshman period.
I thought Maxwell Smith was a little better today but he didn’t do anything to make me think “he’s the definite starter at this point.” Both Rodrigues and Chapman had some very nice moments but still lacked consistency. I’d give Rodrigues and Smith the nod for better performances on Saturday. We should start to see at least some clear separation during the first full speed scrimmage.
At wide receiver, Holder, Judge, Mills and Clewis all impressed again. Clewis actually had the deepest catch of the day during the live period with a sideline catch about 30+ yards down field. He also made the toughest catch of day during the freshman period on a post route, catching the ball at it’s highest point right after his cut then colliding with the safety and corner back. It was no more than a 15 yard gain but the fact that he ran a crisp route, kept his composure and held on to it was impressive.
Holder and Mills caught everything today and I mentioned Judge because he was consistent and he also showed off his speed on a couple reps, including a crossing route against zone coverage where he found himself with a lot of space to work with down the sideline for a good 30 yards after the catch. I’d like to see him and Mills in a footrace.
By the way, expect to see a lot of variety when DJ Pumphrey is motioned out as a receiver. There’s been times where he actually lines up directly in the slot with Chase Price at running back, and there have also been times where he motions out with Dakota Gordon being the other back. They really are going to use him more in the passing game. It’s not just talk.
Juwan Washington is being tested early and getting more reps than Stamps and Penny it seems like (that will likely change once the coaches decide if they will use Washington this season). I don’t think Washington will see snaps at running back if he does play as a freshman. He doesn’t have the ability to gain yards between the tackles at this point, and is still more of an outside runner whether that’s the play call or not. Just my early guess on him.
On the OL, Sergio Phillips really caught my eye today. He looked like the best center out of the bunch. He just moves his feet so well and can hold his own against linemen much bigger than him. Much better pass protector than I remember him as too.
It’s a shame Ryan Pope can’t play this season because he’s progressed much faster than I thought and he looked like a top-five player. Physically, he looks the best out of the group. (I’d say he and Jordan Watson are the toughest looking players on the team.)
UAB transfer Ryan Krum has moved over to take reps at left tackle and while he’s a big, round guy, his skill set doesn’t translate well at left tackle. Gets pushed back pretty frequently - not as much strength as you’d like to see - especially against the bull rush and not a great kick slide guy either. Just goes to show how SDSU will need to get creative if Miller/Slater go down.
Antonio Rosales had a good day at left guard. I will say both he and Tuihalamaka hold quite a bit though.
For a second today, I caught myself looking down at my roster wondering which walk-on No. 53 was because he was impressive against pretty much every defensive tackle he went up against. Then I realized it was Robert Craighead. He really does look like a lineman now.
(Oh, also, Will Tui showed some of his mean streak today. During a run play that led to a standstill between a crowd of players, Tui ended up locking onto Pierre Romain and pushing him 10 yards down field after the whistle was blown. It turned into a shoving/wrestling match with Tui eventually able to get Romain on the ground. The rest of the players helped break it up quickly before it became serious, and everyone went on their merry way - as Rocky had him asked them to do yesterday.)
On the d-line, Rochelin has quietly been very consistent as an edge rusher. Still has to develop his strength and add some creative moves, but his feet don’t look as sloppy anymore and he consistently gets around tackles. I do think guys are still ahead of him in terms of making the two deep, though. Micah Seau especially has looked comfortable with his hand on the ground and his quickness off the snap and strength should make him a solid option to spell Jon Sanchez. He actually pushed Krum onto his back during one-on-ones.
You’d be crazy to look at the first team defense and not think they are the best defensive unit in the conference. Other than standup end/linebacker, every position has a proven player with lots of experience and none of them have taken a step back in terms of effort and ability.
It should also be worth noting that you guys should feel confident about Jake Fely. He has looked more and more comfortable each practice and I expect him to be back to his old self by the first or second game of the season. He’s ridiculously good against the run and reads plays so fast that those aspects alone make him an above average player. Then when you factor in how aggressive and relentless of a tackler/striker he is is, it’s no surprise that he’s one of Rocky’s favorite players ever. Obviously, SDSU isn’t in full pads yet so what I’m saying may sound like hyperbole but I will say that Fely’s non-tackling collisions with running backs on Saturday had some “pop” to them.
Going back to the stand up end spot, Jay Henderson is still taking reps with the first team. He’s a good athlete and pass rusher, but part of the reason why he’s running with the first team is that he’s been in the system longer than all the other guys. Fred Melifonwu has a year on Henderson but he’s suspended for the first six games. Kyavah Tezino, Randy Ricks and Austin Wyatt-Thayer just arrived on campus but expect them to all challenge for that third starting linebacker spot.
Also, don’t be surprised if Reggie Murphy sneaks into some playing time. He’s a lot more mobile than I remember him being.
Like I said, the entire first team defense looks very strong. But I want to point out how well Damontae Kazee is doing. He has always been physically impressive, but now he just sees things develop much faster and his instincts have really stood out. It’s really telling when you watch him dissect plays in zone coverage; he recognizes the likely receiver and his agility and tackling ability just takes over from there. He honestly has a shot of being an early entrant after this season.
Since there is no practice on Sunday, I'll be posting three practice clips videos on one post later today on the front page.
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