Spring Game

What I saw
QB - Jones is super quick and shifty - high upside. Johnson can really throw it but reminds me too much of Vad Lee. Marshall was ok but passing was bad and didn't run option smoothly. Jordan's injury doesn't look good but I'm no doctor.
OL - got beat by DE's particularly Lee. Didn't look good but I still believe some talent there. Left tackle is available if someone can step up. Cooper got beat some too.
Backs - played a lot of people - Gantt and Cottrell could help. Mills if stays healthy will be a stud. Green, Searcy and Lynch plus Cottrell and Gantt means we are deep at Aback. Gantt can play.
WR - Camp will play this year if he blocks.

DL - probably the most impressive thing of the game, Saint, Simmons, Branch, Adams were all disruptive. We could be better at DL this year which would be exciting. These guys showed some quickness in getting to the QB. May need a little more depth though at DT.
LB - still worried. Mitchell has made himself thicker and made some nice plays. Lewis and Alexander will compete for other spot and both play.
DB - we are fine here. AJ Gray has the potential to be All-ACC. JJGreen just pulled away from #20 after catching a pass so his speed concerns me but all in all these guys should be ok.

Finally, if Jones could be harnessed, he may be the man. Coach made a comment after the game that in practice he did not put the ball on the ground like he did last night. I'm sure he is going to get a look this Fall but he has to stay under control and know when to throw it away and also not put the ball on the ground. A freshman LB (Swilling) and dlineman plus another dback stepping up would be nice. Need some depth at oline but I think we will be ok there.
 
We ran a couple of RPOs that looked great. Very excited to see those plays in a game this year.
 
We looked big and fast out there to me on defense. Hard hitting.

I bet a Gagger last week that Mills would have more yards and more yards per carry than Michel or Chubb. I stand by that statement. He flattened a dB in the open field early on. He is better than any back we face this season. He also looks bigger than 217.
 
gt6828d said:
I wouldn't be all that concerned one way or the other. The fact of the matter is the team never looks all that polished in the Spring Game, and that's the same in both good and bad seasons.

On offense, I thought Lucas Johnson was probably the standout. The 70 yard run showed he has pretty outstanding acceleration. Looked smooth as silk kicking it into top gear. He doesn't have all the physical gifts that Jones does. He's less likely to break tackles and his arm isn't as strong as Jones', but he's got adequate size and arm strength and he looked more poised, had a little more ball security, and was more accurate with his throws with some nice touch. And he's faster than Jones.

I came into the game expecting Jay Jones to really show out. I think he put a lot of pressure on himself to do that, too, and he probably was too amped up for the game. From warm ups all the way to the Fourth Quarter, he was overthrowing guys, and he was also caught trying to manufacture plays from nothing a la Thomas and got got a little loose with the ball because of it. He probably has the highest ceiling of the four guys, though, because he can break tackles, he's probably a little more elusive than Johnson, and he really does have good arm strength. He's got a lot to clean up by the Fall though, from what I saw.

Marshall to me is a clear downgrade for the offense. He's built like Thomas was, but he doesn't have the top gear Thomas did and his arm is really subpar. He threw some ducks in this game. I think he's the worst of the four options because he doesn't give you any midline element and he lacks the arm and the game breaking speed, so it's a significant net negative.

Jordan was on the sideline with a cast on his right foot with a scooter thing he was pushing around along with crutches.

Besides the QB's, I thought Benson and Wiemerskirch both had moments. Benson doesn't have Marcus Marshall speed, but he can scoot a little in the open field if you give him an opening. A- back play was meh. Wide receiver play was a mixed bag, and I don't want to be too critical because these generally weren't our top guys out there, but on deep balls I would've liked to have seen more effort. Yes, Jay Jones was overthrowing guys a bit, but the receivers also weren't finishing their routes hard to try to get under those either.

Biggest concern is probably the interior of the offensive line. Way too many unblocked DT's and blitzing LB's throughout the game.
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The QB situation really is pretty exciting.

I was impressed by Lucas athleticism and arm. He's a lot faster and quicker than I expected, though not as elusive as Jay, who is a ridiculous athlete. Both have homerun top end speed. Jay has JT level elusiveness, with size to break tackles...hes a very good runner. Lucas was surprisingly good at running the TO; he doesn't appear to be just another Vad.

Both have very strong arms. Lucas slings it around effortlessly and is the more polished looking passer...the best looking we have had in a long time. Jay has the potential to be a very good passer too, but he seemed to get a little panicked in the pocket. Both had terrible blocking all night so they were mostly scrambling.

Marshall showed some flashes running the ball, and looked more experienced with the TO, but his passing was not good. He is very athletic and runs well, but he is smallish and won't be able to pound it like Jordan.

My overall take is that Jordan, if he gets healthy, is still our day 1 starter. The others all looked very Inexperienced, but I could see Lucas or Jay getting some good playing time and should be battling for the starting spot next season. I think Taquan will only hold the 2 spot until the other guys get more practice. I think ultimately he needs to play aback or wr to best contribute.

I think the Lucas will eventually be our guy. He has size (though needs to fill out with 10-15 more lbs), speed, composure, and is already a great passer. I think he's a guy that could really be a Dashaun Watson type (but faster) in a more traditional offense. He has all of the tools.

I could also easily see Jay taking the top spot. He's an outstanding athlete that just needs to be reigned in to play smarter and run the offense efficiently.

CPJ really wasn't bs-ing us; we really are deep at QB and should be set for the next few years at that position.
 
Cottrell also appeared to be injured in that big hit he took on the sideline in the 2nd quarter. I think he finished out the half, but coming back from halftime it looked like he was telling the trainers that he was having tunnel vision or seeing spots and they pulled him. Possible concussion if I had to guess.

Will Bryan' s injury was a little concerning. He took a hit to the top of the head and appeared to injury his neck. He was able to walk off ok, but appeared to be in a lot of pain. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Curry's leg injury looked like it could be serious, but hopefully it's just a sprain.

Stewart looked like he tweaked his leg or lower back. It didn't appear to be serious but he was out after the first few plays.
 
At Bback, Mills looked bigger and better. He's a beast.

Kirvonte is a Marcus Marshall type, but smaller. He has good quickness and vision and runs hard for his size. He had some good runs.

Quaide is big and pounded it pretty well. He's got a little shiftiness to him as well. Aside from the 1 glaring commonality between them, I think he could be a Laskey type backup to help keep Mills fresh, with the added bonus of being athletic enough to actually stay on his feet after he gains 5 yards.

We need more depth at Bback for sure. Behind Mills, I'd say Kirvonte and Quaide would have to split carries because I don't think either are ready to start.
 
With Marshall and Mills, we would have one of the best RB tandems in the country, so it really hurts that we lost him. However, I think Mills plus Benson is a great combo. Kirvonte is short but he's thick, drives with power, and has some nice wiggle to him when getting past the line. If his top end speed is anywhere close to fast, he'll be wonderful backup to Mills.

Our QB race is exciting. For the first time I can remember, all of these guys are athletic and can really run. They all have tons of things they need to work on but you can obviously see the talent is there. I do think that Marshall needs to move positions again though. He's got shiftiness and can break tackles, but his arm strength just isn't there.
 
BainbridgeJacket said:
Are you asking about sisk. I didn't see the guy you're talking about, but he fits the bill.
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No he's older than this guy and was standing further away. This guy was really involved and shouting to the team and (looked like) coaching. Looked about 30 but very muscular.
 
Watching Ugag game and they may have a QB controversy as their female QB looks awful.
 
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coit said:
He will not be their QB past this year, if he even makes it that far.
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Did you assume their gender?
 
Tennessee is giving away Points in their spring game. Hell they don't even have to score.
 
theDude47 said:
With Marshall and Mills, we would have one of the best RB tandems in the country, so it really hurts that we lost him. However, I think Mills plus Benson is a great combo. Kirvonte is short but he's thick, drives with power, and has some nice wiggle to him when getting past the line. If his top end speed is anywhere close to fast, he'll be wonderful backup to Mills.

Our QB race is exciting. For the first time I can remember, all of these guys are athletic and can really run. They all have tons of things they need to work on but you can obviously see the talent is there. I do think that Marshall needs to move positions again though. He's got shiftiness and can break tackles, but his arm strength just isn't there.
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I just watched MM highlights on youtube. Man he was such a pure runner. He was one of my favorite players and I was so bummed when he left. I guess that was a big testament to how good Mills is. If MM didnt think he could beat him out, we have a great one.
 
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