Time hasn't been kind to me but here are my notes from last night's practice with shoulder pads.
For a shells only practice, it was as physical and competitive as it gets during some moments. Typical Rocky style. Players aren't allowed to tackle guys to the ground but when the offensive players knowingly take advantage of that, the defense gets ticked off and it leads to some not so cushy collisions. I can't imagine how physical things will get once the full pads start.
Oh yeah, before I forget, yesterday was the first Aztec drill of camp. The offense won.
My standout of the day was definitely Juwan Washington. He's been very effective with space on the outside but he's performed like a natural between-the-tackles running back too. During the team periods to end practice, he broke off three legitimate 15+yard runs in just a handful of carries. His vision is definitely better than I thought, since I honestly considered him to be a simple straight line runner when he first arrived as a freshman.
The only red flag I've seen on him so far is his pass blocking (which shouldn't be a big deal in his case). I caught a glimpse of a LB/RB rushing drill between him and Jay Henderson. Washington didn't even keep his footing. On their second rep, Henderson hit Juwan with a spin move and he had no chance.
That said, Washington's the clear cut No. 2 back and SDSU will probably need to start a freshman to take over his role as the motion man, which will either be Chance Bell or Kaegun Williams.
That's going to be a tough call but it will depend on the coaches' preferences. Bell definitely looks like he's more elusive so far (I'm REALLY liking his cutting ability) but Williams agility and toughness shouldn't be overlooked either.
It's worth mentioning that Williams looks like a pretty strong pass blocker too. He might be the second best RB behind Penny in that category.
The staff also did some RB/LB pass catching drills. I thought the inside linebackers like Tezino, Lakalaka, Cassidy and Himphill did a much better job covering than the OLBs, Ricks and Henderson, did. As seniors I expected them to be a little stronger in that area at this point but they've been getting beat pretty consistently in one-on-ones too.
Rashaad Penny, Washington and Bell looked like the best in these drills. Penny's so damn explosive coming out of the backfield but you already knew that.
One of the best reps of the period was when Nick Bawden didn't even make a cut and just instead ran over Kaelin Himphill. Himphill made a heads up play by dragging Bawden down with him. And once they got up quickly, he responded back by breaking up the pass headed their way.
On to the QBs....
Chris Laviano definitely looked more comfortable on Day 3. His completion rate seemed much higher and he wasn't missing his targets as blatantly as he did during the previous practices. There's obviously a lot to like about his arm strength and if he continues to get the timing down with the offense and his receivers, he should be a big help. Whatever happens with the No. 2 job, I feel like I should just remind you guys that SDSU is in a MUCH better spot at QB than they have been during the past couple of seasons.
Ryan Agnew's arm talent has improved during his stay at SDSU but he continues to make some pretty bad decisions once or twice every practice. He basically made a no-look throw yesterday where he was hoping that if he threw it deep enough, Tim Wilson would come down with it. Instead, Ron Smith picked him up off with an athletic leap in the air. The ball placement was also way off.
Smith actually made another interception during 7v7s when one of Laviano's throws was deflected into the air. Just like during the LV bowl, the ball seems to find its way to him.
I think mistakes like that really get into his head because he settles on opportunities downfield a lot too. There was a play where he had Isiah Macklin open downfield on a post route but instead of throwing a strike, he lofted one up over the middle, giving the corner covering him a chance to recover and bring him down as he made the catch. If Macklin didn't have to pull up and wait for the pass, it would have been a gimme TD.
Cam Roane could quicken up his throwing motion quite a bit. There's a good amount of time between him stepping in to his throw and him actually letting the ball leave his hand. The DBs were breaking up a lot of passes as far as I could tell.
Christian Chapman showed no signs of slowing down and continues to be the most consistent passer. He did have another interception yesterday but he's still the guy.
Isaiah Richardson and Ethan Dedeaux continued to impress for the third straight practice. If they keep playing at this pace they'll continue to get reps with the travel squad in my opinion. They're playing like they belong. One of the pieces SDSU has been missing in its passing game has been a speedster WR that is willing to make catches over the middle. Both seem capable of doing so.
I feel like I keep repeating myself but Dwayne Parchment continues to look like someone who could sneak his way into the starting warrior spot. He's made a great first week impression so far in terms of improvement. He's always around the ball.
Kam Kelly had another great practice and continues to prove his legitimacy. I knew he would be a good player but he was just OK at corner in the spring. I certainly didn't expect this. He's almost reaching the point of dominance during practices at the level that Damontae Kazee performed at prior to his big junior year. That's a very good sign.
My favorite play from him was actually during 7v7s. He was playing off coverage on Brandon Fitzpatrick who ran an in route. Chris Laviano threw a strike to him over the middle but Kelly was quick enough to get in front of him and bat the ball down. It takes a certain level of athlete to make that play when they're giving the receiver a cushion.
The only real flaw with Kelly is that he can take bad angles at times against the run. His recognition probably needs a little work this season.
Jeff Clay unfortunately has matched up against Tim Wilson a lot during practices and he has been getting burned. Wilson's just to tall and fast. He got Moss'd by him during the first play of 7v7s when Ryan Agnew had him deep down the sideline but under threw it just a tad. I got a good clip of that coming up later.
The hit of the day goes to Will Stricklin. Stricklin is one of the more physical but smaller scholarship players on the team and Alex Wilson is one of the bigger walk on wide receivers on the team. Wilson made a catch and was sprinting down the sideline until he was met by Stricklin. This is not hyperbole when I say Wilson got sent flying. Even better, this all happened on the defense's sideline so the entire unit got hyped up. Definitely helped keep the energy high during practice.
He also had another big hit later in the practice when he stopped a walkon running back right in his tracks as he was trying to make a catch in the flat. Think of a lite, non-full padded version of this:
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