The team reportedly arrived at practice yesterday with a lot of energy with the idea of immediately leaving the Vanderbilt loss in the past. The players know they still have a great opportunity in front of them, as they still control their own destiny in the SEC.
Chris Smelley took the majority of the first team snaps at quarterback with Blake Mitchell and Tommy Beecher also rotating in at times. I hear Mitchell will likely get the most reps at today’s practice. When the protection is there, Mitchell is the best QB, but he struggles when the protection breaks down and tends to make poor decisions. It remains to be seen whether Spurrier will announce his starter publicly this week or not.
On the offensive line, the first team group was the same one that started against Vandy. Gurminder Thind saw some time at left guard and left tackle and Jamon Meredith has been told he must perform much better than he has been as of late. Terrence Campbell, while not quite ready from a mental standpoint, has grabbed the attention of the coaches with his tenacity and effort. They think he’ll be a good one once he has a complete understanding of his assignments. Overall, it was another up and down practice from a protection standpoint, as it has been for the last few weeks.
Moe Brown has been more consistent in practice as of late, and his snaps in games have increased as a result. It would give them a boost if he could become the dependable receiver they expected him to be coming into the season. Dion Lecorn is also getting more and more confidence as he gets more game experience under his belt. They really need both of these guys to step it up down the stretch.
Defensively, the team knows Tennessee will show them a balanced attack on offense, and they have to be well prepared to stop the run and the pass. Their offense utilizes a lot of play action, so quick recognition will be a huge key on Saturday night. The safeties, in particular, have to avoid getting sucked in on those fakes to prevent Tennessee’s receivers from getting behind them.
This team will likely go one of two directions following the loss to Vandy. It will either be the best thing that happened to them and they’ll come back with a vengeance, or it will be the precursor to a disastrous finish. In terms of effort and attitude, signs are pointing to them coming back strong, but only time will tell. The offense has been challenged in meetings and in practice, and it’s up to them to respond accordingly.
This post was edited on 10/24 9:29 AM by Brian Shoemaker
Chris Smelley took the majority of the first team snaps at quarterback with Blake Mitchell and Tommy Beecher also rotating in at times. I hear Mitchell will likely get the most reps at today’s practice. When the protection is there, Mitchell is the best QB, but he struggles when the protection breaks down and tends to make poor decisions. It remains to be seen whether Spurrier will announce his starter publicly this week or not.
On the offensive line, the first team group was the same one that started against Vandy. Gurminder Thind saw some time at left guard and left tackle and Jamon Meredith has been told he must perform much better than he has been as of late. Terrence Campbell, while not quite ready from a mental standpoint, has grabbed the attention of the coaches with his tenacity and effort. They think he’ll be a good one once he has a complete understanding of his assignments. Overall, it was another up and down practice from a protection standpoint, as it has been for the last few weeks.
Moe Brown has been more consistent in practice as of late, and his snaps in games have increased as a result. It would give them a boost if he could become the dependable receiver they expected him to be coming into the season. Dion Lecorn is also getting more and more confidence as he gets more game experience under his belt. They really need both of these guys to step it up down the stretch.
Defensively, the team knows Tennessee will show them a balanced attack on offense, and they have to be well prepared to stop the run and the pass. Their offense utilizes a lot of play action, so quick recognition will be a huge key on Saturday night. The safeties, in particular, have to avoid getting sucked in on those fakes to prevent Tennessee’s receivers from getting behind them.
This team will likely go one of two directions following the loss to Vandy. It will either be the best thing that happened to them and they’ll come back with a vengeance, or it will be the precursor to a disastrous finish. In terms of effort and attitude, signs are pointing to them coming back strong, but only time will tell. The offense has been challenged in meetings and in practice, and it’s up to them to respond accordingly.
This post was edited on 10/24 9:29 AM by Brian Shoemaker
