News and Notes From Spartan Football 04/26/10 Edition

Here are some quick hits and thoughts from the spring game. Â Reading my notes and watching the film of the game, you could make a case that Steve

Here are some quick hits and thoughts from the spring game.

 

Reading my notes and watching the film of the game, you could make a case that Steve Gardiner’s role was undervalued. He played great and we said so, but he may have played better than that. Now healthy he showed side-to-side and forward and back motion with his feet and played heads up. Greg Jones, Max Bullough and Steve Gardiner (in no particular order) may be the best MLB tandem around.

 

There were two plays from White’s first possession that stood out to me.

1. On a second and ten, Micajah Reynolds who is new to the D made a great read, moved down the OL laterally, and stopped Edwin Baker for no gain. Reynolds has to learn the nuances of the DT spot after moving from OG, but he sure is athletic and if they keep him on D, could be an impact player.
2. On the third and ten play that followed Reynolds, Keith Nichol caught an 8-yard slant pass. Mitchell White was all over him, it was clearly interference, but Nichol’s strength allowed him to still catch the ball.

 

During the White team’s second possession of the second quarter on a first and ten Dan France got amazing pressure on Andrew Maxwell. It forced Maxwell to make a poor pass. Marcus Hyde stepped in front of the receiver and the interception went off of his hands. Hyde is a fifth year senior and there is no excuse for that. He has to make that play. I know it is spring, but a fifth year guy has to step up. Turnovers are critical for this team in 2010 and that can’t happen.

 

On another White possession in the second quarter, Maxwell completed a pass to Bennie Fowler. Max Bullough made a superior read, adjusted and made a tackle for no gain. Not only on this 2 and 27 play did Bullough show off his athleticism, he showed his ability to adjust on the fly and make reads.

 

In the second quarter and the Green team having Joe Boisture (a true freshman) at the QB spot, this youngster showed us something. It was a first and ten at his own 24. He was under immense pressure and he stayed in the pocket without wavering. He never dropped his head to look at the pressure and he delivered a 21-yard strike for the first down to Spencer. He is so big and not the least bit intimidated. That pocket confidence helped him out.

 

In the second quarter the Green had a first and ten at the White 41. LeVeon Bell scrambled for a five-yard gain that could have and probably should have been a loss or a no gainer. He was able to move and avoid because of his great vision. I love how he runs with his head and eyes up. That run wasn’t sexy, but it was great football technique and execution and a harbinger of things to come.

 

Jesse Johnson is a great kid and we have profiled him at Spartan Nation. He is in a battle for playing time and he missed a big chance to create some separation on Saturday. In the third quarter his DL got pressure on Andrew Maxwell and he had a shot at an easy interception. He dropped it. This defense was plagued by missed chances in 2009. As a walk on and a senior he has to make those plays or the staff will go young and let kids develop. Mistakes like that in the fall will see him demoted fast.

 

Still in the third quarter on a White team second and seven Dana Dixon (red-shirt freshman) got out of his technique and missed a great shot at a tackle on Keshawn “KMART” Martin. That allowed them to pick up the first down. Dixon is young and is a student of the game. That one play will be shown by Harlon “DA BANG STICK” Barnett to him a lot to show him how critical technique is. KMART is too fast to go for the hit. You make the textbook and boring tackle.

 

In the third quarter Cousins showed off some of his new maturity. On a second and goal at the White two-yard line the coaches called a fade to the corner of the end zone. It was incomplete and a lot of people would say why is that play significant at all. Here is why. It was one of the biggest plays of the game. Cousins put that ball where it could have and probably should have been caught. The defender had no choice. Confidence in Cousins’ ability to make those throws and reads will allow Coach Treadwell to be more aggressive in the red zone without fear of losing points. That one play showed a lot to me about how far Cousins has come this off-season.

 

In the fourth quarter, the White team was driving. Corey Freeman on a third and two made an incredibly athletic play with the White team in the shotgun to break up what could have been a touchdown. It was a great call nullified by a superb defensive play. The athleticism of the DL this year is going to surprise a lot of people.

 

With Cousins driving his Green team in the fourth quarter, they had a first and ten at the White 31. Cousins made a 27-yard completion to Dell that was an NFL throw. Right on the money and he whipped it in like a Nolan Ryan fastball. It showed great accuracy, zip and touch. Frankly, it was a throw he wouldn’t have made in 2009. Not because he didn’t have the talent, he simply hadn’t developed to the point he is today.

 

Want more hope for the future? In the fourth quarter with his White team down, Andrew Maxwell faced a fourth and five at the Green team’s 17-yard line. He made three reads until he finally checked down to hit Edwin Baker for a TD pass. That vision and patience to go through his progressions and reads is not normal in a freshman QB, but who is saying this future star is normal?

 

Long time readers know that one of the things that Brian Hoyer was exceptional at was the play action pass. In case you aren’t aware of what I am talking about, that is when the QB fakes the handoff to the running back. He is trying to draw linebacker and safeties up thinking it is a running play to make a tackle, to buy a split second for his receivers to get a jump down the field. It is rarely done well in football at the college level. Most QBs are lazy and don’t sell the fake. Hoyer if not the best, was one of the best ever at selling it. A fact NE Patriot Coach Bill Belichick has concurred with. Nichol and Cousins struggled with it last year, but Cousins has worked on it and he rivaled Hoyer on Saturday when he faked a hand off and held the ball hidden behind his leg. It allowed him to make a great pass, but more importantly it caused delay on the linebacker and safeties on that possession that allowed his team to score a TD. It is those little things that make great seasons and take teams from good to great.