Where are the Spring Game recaps?

[Jason Svoboda]

Tom, I figured you'd be all over this giving us a recap, telling us who looked good, etc. I read the Star's recap, but I'd like to hear from others that were at the Spring game.

EDIT: specifically, offensive/defensive line play.

 

[new sycamore fan]

OK, here's my two cents:

The offense looked better than I expected coming in, especially after hearing that the defense was WAY ahead throughot the spring. That being said, the defense played vanilla and the first unit typically was 3 and out. Both lines are still woefully thin in numbers--a couple of linemen had to pretty much play the entire time because of some injuries. I think Pat Burke and Brandon Pence may be out for next season with shoulder injuries, although I don't know this for sure. Neither was suited up yesterday. The D-Line looks pretty good--Millington pretty much played the entire time, Hardy looks good, and Jordan Bright's length looks good. The JUCO DE looked pretty good too. Aaron Archie and CJ Cook look pretty solid, and some new linebackers also did well. The 1st unit DBs look solid, but I'd like to see more press coverages.

Offensively, the run blocking with the first unit wasn't bad. Gates and Brown had some room at times, and both are solid RBs. Pass blocking looks like it will still be an issue. Travis Johnson looked pretty comfortable at QB and played pretty well, although some of the completions, including the long TD to Gray, were bad decision throws disguised as completions (they would have been picks in "real" games). Matt Seliger had a splint on his non-throwing hand and took a few series starting with the ball in his hands in the shotgun--not a real accurate barometer. The move of Roberts to WR, assuming we find a serviceable QB that stays healthy, will help the offense. He looks good, and would have had better numbers without a couple of overthrows. The other WRs are FAST (but also small). That being said, they are not really smaller than Troy Walters, and if they could produce half of what he produced, would be a great thing. The punting and kicking looked pretty good, but they need real work with the long snapping--not very crisp snaps, hopefully that doesn't pose a problem.

My long and short? The defense will be competetive, and hopefully can significantly increase the number of takeaways next season. The offense should be better, but staying healthy is paramount. We cannot afford to have Gates or any of the linemen go down.

 

[bent20]

Don't forget we'll get more depth from the freshman. Sounds like a pretty positive spring game, all things considered.

 

[TJames]

ok...here is my analysis.....

sorry...svoobda and i were having a pretty good discussion earlier today...lol...and i forgot to leave my impressions of the spring game....lol....

i thought that travis johnson did a nice job while he was in there....he is still just a redshirt freshman, but i thought he hung in there and didn't do a bad job...one thing i like about travis is that [to steal a line from a clint eastwood movie] he knows his limitations....

he's not gonna beat you with his feet scrambling and he's not gonna beat you with a gun for an arm....but what he can do is play smart and keep away from turnovers....yes, he had a couple of passes that could have been picked off and weren't....but he also had some passes dropped by his own receivers too....

his game is the short pass...the dump off....it's not exciting...but can be very effective....short passes...screens....get the ball into the hands of the playmakers and let them do their jobs....

i really like gates....he is a different kind of running back than we've seen at isu...he's a skater....he bides his time behind the line until he sees an opening and then goes....and once he gets out into the open field, he can make something happen with the ball in his hands...

i thought the offensive line was better....same with the defensive line play....ryan roberts at receiver could turn out to be the biggest position change of the spring...to have a 6-4 receiver go up and after the ball is something that isu hasn't had for awhile....i think having someone like troy walters teaching him literally the ins-and-outs of the position will help....

numbers-wise, yes some guys were out saturday...but the numbers overall are still better than what they were at this time last spring....and when the freshman class comes in this summer, isu should be pretty close to having a full roster for the first time in nearly two seasons....

they were some very good hits out there saturday too...no holding back....some guys got popped pretty well....and that was good to see....

in talking to some of the coaches, one name to keep an eye on is the freshman linebacker from trinity christian academy in deltona, florida....jacolby washington....

the kid calls the isu coaches out of the blue and says i would like to come play for you....i was a four-time all-state running back and linebacker....but i didn't play last fall because schools recruiting me dropped off due to grades....

the coaches tell him we don't have any scholarships available...he says no problem...i'll pay my own way....all i want is a chance....they said come on up.....he reported this winter at the semester break....and has been opening eyes all spring.....

the feeling is that he could be very, very, very good if he continues to improve.....he could be a major surprise in the fall....and he can play running back too.....had over 4,000 career rushing yards....

as ong said in another thread...the general feeling is that the quarterback from wyoming enjoyed his visit....and that its down to isu and ut-commerce....the fact that he has friends playing down there at ut-commerce makes it a little nervous about what he will eventually decide to do....so we'll just have to wait and see what happens....

 

[TJames]

here is a list of those former players who attended this weekend's activities....

the golf fundraiser and the blue-white spring game.....

Here is a partial list of those who were in town this past weekend (and if I leave someone out I do apologize): John Sahm, Jeff Campbell, Kurt Bell, Chris Barrett, John Barrett, Greg Barrett, Cory Potter, Jim Coveliers, Pete Endre, Mark Marshall, Doug Dutton, Chris Crowder, Richard Moss, Kyle Bibbs, Dre' Knox, Brian Bridgewater (who traveled all the way from Ireland to be there for the golf outing), Bob Poss, John Wozniak, John Gegner, Chuck Standiford, Robert Egidi, Eric Christensen, Kirk Christsensen, Eric Robinson (who flew up from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., late Friday afternoon with his son for the weekend), David Allen, Rich Dawson, Darren Tucker, Milton Seaton, Walter Brandon, John Story, Steve Englehart, Robert High, Mike Nichols, Tim Swanson, Fred Freitag, Sam Murphy (former running backs coach), Bob Warren (former defensive backs coach under Tom Harp), Paul Mang (former student manager) and John Montgomery (former student manager).

 

[ISUCC]

TJ, how did this kid even find out about ISU, that is some story about how he wound up in Terre Haute, hopefully school is going well for him too.

sorry...svoobda and i were having a pretty good discussion earlier today...lol...and i forgot to leave my impressions of the spring game....lol....

i thought that travis johnson did a nice job while he was in there....he is still just a redshirt freshman, but i thought he hung in there and didn't do a bad job...one thing i like about travis is that [to steal a line from a clint eastwood movie] he knows his limitations....

he's not gonna beat you with his feet scrambling and he's not gonna beat you with a gun for an arm....but what he can do is play smart and keep away from turnovers....yes, he had a couple of passes that could have been picked off and weren't....but he also had some passes dropped by his own receivers too....

his game is the short pass...the dump off....it's not exciting...but can be very effective....short passes...screens....get the ball into the hands of the playmakers and let them do their jobs....

i really like gates....he is a different kind of running back than we've seen at isu...he's a skater....he bides his time behind the line until he sees an opening and then goes....and once he gets out into the open field, he can make something happen with the ball in his hands...

i thought the offensive line was better....same with the defensive line play....ryan roberts at receiver could turn out to be the biggest position change of the spring...to have a 6-4 receiver go up and after the ball is something that isu hasn't had for awhile....i think having someone like troy walters teaching him literally the ins-and-outs of the position will help....

numbers-wise, yes some guys were out saturday...but the numbers overall are still better than what they were at this time last spring....and when the freshman class comes in this summer, isu should be pretty close to having a full roster for the first time in nearly two seasons....

they were some very good hits out there saturday too...no holding back....some guys got popped pretty well....and that was good to see....

in talking to some of the coaches, one name to keep an eye on is the freshman linebacker from trinity christian academy in deltona, florida....jacolby washington....

the kid calls the isu coaches out of the blue and says i would like to come play for you....i was a four-time all-state running back and linebacker....but i didn't play last fall because schools recruiting me dropped off due to grades....

the coaches tell him we don't have any scholarships available...he says no problem...i'll pay my own way....all i want is a chance....they said come on up.....he reported this winter at the semester break....and has been opening eyes all spring.....

the feeling is that he could be very, very, very good if he continues to improve.....he could be a major surprise in the fall....and he can play running back too.....had over 4,000 career rushing yards....

as ong said in another thread...the general feeling is that the quarterback from wyoming enjoyed his visit....and that its down to isu and ut-commerce....the fact that he has friends playing down there at ut-commerce makes it a little nervous about what he will eventually decide to do....so we'll just have to wait and see what happens....

 

[TJames]

cc...from what i gathered....he was just going down a list of schools.....

trying to find somebody to give him a chance...when he didn't make the grade requirements after his senior year in high school, the options kind of dried up....so he just started looking on his own....

 

[bent20]

trying to find somebody to give him a chance...when he didn't make the grade requirements after his senior year in high school, the options kind of dried up....so he just started looking on his own....

If I were in his situation I think the team with the longest losing streak in Div. 1 football would be at the top of my list as well. It's a place where you can come in under a new, well-liked coach, make a difference and get playing time early.

 

[IndyTreeFan]

That kind of perseverance and drive would be a welcome addition to any football team. Now, if he just keeps his grades up, both sides win BIG TIME!!!

:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores: