Practice Report: 08/09/18
Thursday was another bright sunny day as the Herd took the field for practice #6 of fall camp. The official temperature in the Huntington area was just below 90, but the on-the-field temperature was around triple-digits.
*** QB Alex Thomson warmed up on 10-yard throws with the other QB’s but didn’t throw another pass after that. RS JR C Levi Brown, RS FR DE Darius Hodge and RS FR DB Kenard King didn’t practice.
*** Today most of the 11-on-11 sessions involved just two teams, not three. RS FR Isaiah Green quarterbacked the 1’s and RS SO Garet Morrell ran the #2 offense. RS SO Jackson White led the #3 offense against a #3 defense in the final session of the day.
*** A few players, like Ryan Bee and Marcel William were out of 11-on-11 action. There wasn’t anything wrong with them; it was more a case of ‘we know what you can do, let’s see someone else in your spot to see what they can do’. JR WR Artie Henry III and RD JR DL Ty Tyler were two of the beneficiaries of these opportunities.
*** Henry caught several passes as the slot receiver and looked good running after his catches. Two throws from Green went for TD’s in short yardage 11-on-11 drills. Henry also was part of the group catching punts and showed why he’s likely to be one of those guys that will find his way onto the field and contribute to the offense or special teams in multiple ways.
*** Head Coach Doc Holliday said at this opening press conference that he was looking for a defensive end to step up so they could move RS JR Ty Tyler inside to tackle. With Bee out, RS FR Koby Cumberlander joined RS JR Marquis Couch at end, while Tyler moved inside next to RS SR Malik Thompson.
*** JR Omari Cobb got several snaps in place of SR Artis Johnson at one of the linebacker spots. On Media Day, RS SR LB Donyae Moody told me that Cobb is learning all three linebacker positions. This will only increase the versatility of the position for Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller and LB Coach Byron Thweatt.
*** Green had a good day throwing to wide receivers. In addition to the TD throws to Henry, Green hit Obi Obialo and Willie Johnson for large gains. He looks more and more confident in his throws and his running ability gives him the highest floor of the returning quarterbacks.
*** Morrell suffered the only interception of the day when RS SO DB Jestin Morrow picked off his throw. Morrell did complete TD throws to FR Talik Keaton and RS SO Simino Walden and ran for a nice gain.
*** RS SR running backs Keion Davis and Anthony Anderson continued to look good. JR DB Chris Jackson has a good day in pass coverage, especially against RS SR Tyre Brady in several red-zone series that began at or inside the 10-yard line. Jackson’s fellow DB Jaylon McClain-Sapp also had some good moments, but Green and Johnson combined to beat the junior defensive back for a touchdown on a throw into the left corner. RS SR LB Frankie Hernandez made a nice play to break up a pass intended for Tyler King out of the backfield.
*** The placekicking part of practice had a slightly different cast today. RS JR Justin Rohrwasser appeared to be perfect on an extra point and field goals of differing angles from 30, 34, 38 and 42 yards. RS FR Shane McDonough was the second placekicker instead of Robert Lefevre. McDonough hit the extra point and 30 and 34-yard field goals, but the kicking period ended before he could attempt any more.
*** There was practice on kickoff and punt catching and returning. Keion Davis will likely retain his role as the primary kickoff return man. He was joined by Williams, Willie Johnson and Tyler King. Those practicing punt catches and returns were Williams, Willie Johnson, Nick Mathews and Henry.
*** There were two changes in the roster today – one player left and a new one (actually an old one) was added to the roster. FR TE Ryan Burke from Aurora IL left the team. He was replaced by RS FR TE Jacob Kirkendall from Lincoln County High School. Kirkendall joined the football program last season as a walkon and was going to rejoin the team when classes begin on August 20. Kirkendall wore #86 last season, but that number now belongs (on offense) to FR WR Talik Keaton. Kirkendall will wear the #87 that Burke was wearing.
*** Friday’s practice will again be at 3:50 PM. It will be followed by the Big Green and Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Cookout at 6:30 PM. The cookout filled up, so if you didn’t get your RSVP in last week you’re out of luck.