Here a few belated impressions of Scrimmage #1 that was held last Saturday:

Thunder Lake Lodge
  • Overall, the defense outplayed the offense.  This is usually the case when it comes to spring ball and it is no different this year.
  • The #1 defense looked pretty good.  They had a handful of 3 and Outs and didn’t give up much in their time out there (6-7 series).
  • The #2 – #3 defense gave up the long run to Jake Miller and overall were decent.  That is to be expected with so many freshman on the field for the first time.
  • Ross Brenneman was a force on the inside.  He had 3 sacks on the day.
  • The defense appeared to do pretty well on 3rd down.  They got a stop more than 50% of the time.
  • Chris Hall had a nice INT on 3rd and long.  That is down/distance that has really hurt the Sioux the past few years.
  • Redshirt Freshman Ben Peters did a nice job, noticed him a few times.
  • Redshirt Freshman S Baylee Carr had a nice TFL.
  • The defensive line is going to need redshirt freshman Spencer Cummings and Ekenna Anya-Gafu to step up between now and the end of Fall Camp.  They are going to be vital for depth on the D-line.
  • The OLB position did not disappoint.  Led by athletic sophomores Dominique Bennett and Damon Andrews, they are going to make some plays in 2011 and beyond.  They biggest hurdle has to be learning the system since they are all so young.
  • ILB Dan Hendrickson made an outstanding Superman type stop on 3rd and 1.  He dove over the top of the center and hit the RB as he got the ball, stopping him long enough til the help got there.  Very cool play.
  • We noticed redshirt freshman Caleb Nelson was playing on the defensive line for the scrimmage.  That must be a spring ball position change.
  • Dominique Hawkins will be fun to watch at safety.  He is the best athlete on the team so having him at the Free Safety position will allow him to be much more active in the run game.
  • Chavon Mackey appears to be the off-the-edge field goal block guy (how is that for a position name).  He blocked Tanner Naastad’s FG attempt.
  • Jay Nelson did not participate in the scrimmage, we are thinking injury or precautionary measure.
  • Jake Miller has been showing significant improvement this spring with his speed and quickness on the edges.  He has been impressive and definitely will get a lot of touches in 2011.
  • Joey Bradley and Chris Comes both made marked improvement in week #2 at the QB spot.  We feel it is down to those two as to who will be the #1 QB heading into Fall Camp. 
  • Bradley made some nice throws and seems to have the feel for the game.  Comes also throws a nice ball but will need experience to catch up to Bradley, who has a year of Juco ball underneath him. 
  • We like the athleticism at the WR position.  This position will be greatly improved in 2011. 
  • Shea Walker has moved from guard to center and has been taking the reps at #2.  Walker has been steadily improving with more reps and will provide good depth.  His size relates well to the center position.
  • Brandon Quesenberry has also moved out to tackle to take some reps there.  I think this is a measure for the offense to not only gain some flexibilty and depth on the o-line, but to also get the best 5 guys on the field.
  • After being demoted to #2, Joe Kleason seems to have bounced back and has been practicing well at guard.
  • Emmett Lynch has elevated himself to one of the top OL this spring with his solid play.
  • Seth Nichols continues to impress at TE running routes and catching passes.  Blocking will be an issue but he could be a nice receiving threat.
  • Breon Butler left the field with an apparent shoulder injury last week.  We do not know the extent or seriousness of the injury to the freshman RB.