Very spirited but loose practice by the team yesterday. This team hasn’t played a full four quarters all year, and that fact is something that has been stressed this week in practice. Last year, their first complete game of the year came against Vanderbilt, and they’re aiming for a repeat performance this year.
Vanderbilt’s offense puts a lot of pressure on the outside linebackers to play disciplined football. They have make the right reads, stay in their lanes and take good angles. That means Cliff Matthews and Rodney Paulk need to play well tomorrow. I also don’t expect Carolina’s defense to just sit back. I think Tyrone Nix will pick his spots to come after them with a lot of pressure from different angles.
On the offensive line, it’s still a roller coaster ride. Lemuel Jeanpierre looks great one play and lost the next. Kevin Young didn’t win the starting spot, but he’s still expected to get his first playing time on Saturday. I’m just speculating here, but I think he has some confidence issues he needs to overcome, and getting his first action could take care of any worries he may have.
Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley both threw the ball yesterday. Mitchell will likely get the nod on the first possession of the second quarter, but that’s not set in stone. One source said this week is the closest Mitchell has looked to the way he performed at the end of last season, so it will be interesting to see how it carries over to the game. The positive thing is the team is responding to Smelley and Mitchell. There’s no “controversy.” It’s just being looked at as a scenario where they have two capable QB’s.
Another source was amazed at the difference between watching special teams in practice now versus where they were at the start of the season. It’s a night and day situation. The attitude of the players towards special teams has completely shifted and there’s an excitement in the air when they practice them.
There’s no sign this team is taking Vanderbilt lightly, and that’s huge, because this is a game they have to be very careful of.
This post was edited on 10/19 12:54 PM by Brian Shoemaker
Vanderbilt’s offense puts a lot of pressure on the outside linebackers to play disciplined football. They have make the right reads, stay in their lanes and take good angles. That means Cliff Matthews and Rodney Paulk need to play well tomorrow. I also don’t expect Carolina’s defense to just sit back. I think Tyrone Nix will pick his spots to come after them with a lot of pressure from different angles.
On the offensive line, it’s still a roller coaster ride. Lemuel Jeanpierre looks great one play and lost the next. Kevin Young didn’t win the starting spot, but he’s still expected to get his first playing time on Saturday. I’m just speculating here, but I think he has some confidence issues he needs to overcome, and getting his first action could take care of any worries he may have.
Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley both threw the ball yesterday. Mitchell will likely get the nod on the first possession of the second quarter, but that’s not set in stone. One source said this week is the closest Mitchell has looked to the way he performed at the end of last season, so it will be interesting to see how it carries over to the game. The positive thing is the team is responding to Smelley and Mitchell. There’s no “controversy.” It’s just being looked at as a scenario where they have two capable QB’s.
Another source was amazed at the difference between watching special teams in practice now versus where they were at the start of the season. It’s a night and day situation. The attitude of the players towards special teams has completely shifted and there’s an excitement in the air when they practice them.
There’s no sign this team is taking Vanderbilt lightly, and that’s huge, because this is a game they have to be very careful of.
This post was edited on 10/19 12:54 PM by Brian Shoemaker
