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jhodges
Commentary
Posted
8/22/10
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Commentary: Kenosha Scrimmage
by Jonathan Hodges
On
a balmy summer day at Indian Trail Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the
Wildcats took to the field in the most significant organized team
activity since the Spring Game. Well, for the underclassmen, at
least.
Virtually no first-teamers saw action last Saturday, leaving the second
team and reserves to spend most of the 1.25 hour practice battling it
out on the FieldTurf. Of particular interest, though, was the
performance of true freshman kick returner and wide receiver who will
likely see playing time this season at least as a punt returner.
He made a nice breakaway TD catch from true freshman QB Trevor Siemian
as well as a nice 50+ yard kickoff return.
A good Northwestern crowd in attendance also got to have a look at
backup QB Evan Watkins and the two reserves, true freshmen Siemian and
Kain Colter. Although none of them looked as polished as starter
Dan Persa, they managed to hit their targets the majority of the time
and limited significant mistakes. A couple of WR drops and a
well-defended ball by CB Demetrius Dugar didn't help their
numbers. All-in-all, the three reserve QBs don't look that far
apart, although it is important to note the others on the field with
those QBs on both sides of the ball.
The ground game, with Arby Fields and Jacob Schmidt held out, was led
by junior Scott Concannon, although significant carries went to
converted LB sophomore Tyris Jones, who had the best rushing numbers on
the day with 52 yards on 7 carries. True freshman Adonis Smith
had the most carries, 8, and had the lone rushing TD of the day.
True freshman Tim Hanrahan also got in the mix with some carries.
On defense, LB Ben Johnson and DE Chance Carter tallied sacks, and true
freshman CB Ibraheim Campbell notched the only interception of the
day. Overall, the defense did a solid job holding back the tide,
especially after multiple reports from previous practices noted that
the offense was having its way for most of camp.
At the very least, the scrimmage was a great opportunity for the
underclassmen and freshmen, in particular, to get some live action
under their belts, even if it was in a controlled environment.
No, the scrimmage didn't really answer any burning questions before the
Vanderbilt game, but it allowed youngsters to see playing time and,
most importantly, the Wildcats avoid any significant injury.
Now the 'Cats will transition back to Evanston after a visit to the
Great Lakes Naval Base for a practice on Monday, with preparations for
Vanderbilt to begin in just one week, when we'll hopefully have a
better idea as to who will be starting come September 4.
Go 'Cats!!!
e-mail: j-hodges@alumni.northwestern.edu
Previous jhodges commentary
jhodges
is the primary content provider of HailToPurple.com. His commentary
and game analyses appear regularly during the season and occasionally
in the offseason.
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