Takeaways from Day Two of Spring Practice
On a cold, wet day in March, even Kalen DeBoer seemed to struggle with the conditions around him, and those struggles seemed to rub off on the offense. Receivers and tight ends had trouble in drills with the wet ball, and even Michael Penix took a while to adjust to the weather.
Penix threw a pick on the very first play of 11-on-11 reps that was tipped up into the air before it was secured by safety Dominique Hampton. While that was the only interception on the day, cornerback Elijah Jackson was also the benefactor of a botched pitch that turned into a fumble, and Hampton dropped another interception toward the end of practice.
The pass rush also did an excellent job getting to the quarterback on Wednesday, with the first sack of the day going to Husky defender Tristan Dunn. He got to Penix basically untouched after blitzing off the edge. Washington's coaching staff tried a lot of different personnel packages on the defensive side, with one of the most interesting being Lance Holtzclaw and Bralen Trice on the edge, paired with Armon and Jayvon Parker at defensive tackle.
Speaking of Holtzclaw, he flashed numerous times at practice on Wednesday, most notably when he blew by second-string offensive tackle Samuel Peacock to pressure quarterback Dylan Morris. Elijah Jackson also had a good day on the defensive side, recording a pass breakup as well as a fumble recovery.
Other notes (and quotes):
When asked who stood out to him on the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Michael Penix was quick to highlight running backs Daniyel Ngata and Tybo Rogers, as well as offensive linemen Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo.
During the 7-on-7 portion of practice, Penix connected with Michigan State transfer Germie Bernard over the top for a big gain.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called the team in front of him the "most physically talented group" he's ever worked with.
Center Parker Brailsford has been progressing nicely, and took snaps with the second-team offensive line at center on Wednesday.
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