My Day at Practice Round 2 - Defense

After my review of the offense last night, I couldn't wait to get to the defense because they really showed well from coverage to pressure. There was multiple times that Cody or the other QB's had to hold onto the ball for a long time. I was also amazed at how much they brought the linebackers on blitzes. We all know the offense is behind the defense at this point in any camp so I temper my feelings about the offense now showing well and the defense coming out and playing extremely well.

The injury to DL George Hypolite's knee was very concerning as he was down for a couple of minutes. He was able to get back and practice pretty quick but he is a guy that we cannot lose. I was relatively surprised at how hard they were letting the hitting go on. There were some pads popping out there. No big injuries as a result of it but there was a good amount of aggression. LB B.J. Beatty leveled Cody Hawkins on a backside sack. He was quickly yelled at and removed for the series by the coaching staff. I hope after yesterday they get red on the QB's.

I was really impressed with the linebackers. The first 11 -11 drill, the starting front 4 was DE Marcus Herrod, DL George Hypolite, DL Brandon Nicolas and DE Maurice Lucas. The linebackers consisted of B.J. Beatty, Jeff Smart and Brad Jones. Marcus Burton was also right in the thick of things, subbing in frequently. The front four didn't make a lot of noise. The defensive ends didn't beat Miller or Solder from my vantage point. Hypolite got some good push here and there and stuffed a lot of runs up the middle with the help of Nicolas.

The linebackers showed well and is the strength of the defense. Yes, Dizon might be gone but this group was active and made plays left and right. Other than the cheap sack, B.J. Beatty looks like a wild man out there and very aggressive. I thought it was going to be Mohler's OLB job but Beatty did everything necessary to hold onto that spot. Jeff Smart is a potential stud at the middle linebacker position. A few people I was with commented on how is a true football player. He made a lot of plays in the middle and on the edge. He had his hand in everything Brad Jones made the least noise of the starters but all three had good size and definitely were the most active group on the field. Mohler replaced Beatty a few times so he was playing with the other two starters. He looked very athletic but you can tell he is still trying to learn the defense. He had a few tackles in the middle for limited gains and definitely stuck his nose in there. Marcus Burton also subbed in and out with Brad Jones. Freshman Jon Major played mostly with the second and third team at linebacker and showed well. Doug Rippy was flexing between DL and LB. He surely does pass the eye test and 15 more pounds on him and he will be an animal. Once again, the freshman look great and fit in extremely well. They don't slow down practice and they look skilled.

The starting cornerbacks were Garder McKay and Cha'pelle Brown. Jimmy Smith also rotated in with the starting group. All I have to say is that it is extremely important that Jimmy Smith steps up and takes the position. When you look on the defensive side of the ball, Jimmy Smith looks like he should control his side of the field. He has great size. I thought the starting cornerbacks did pretty well. With the offense running a lot of base vanilla offense, the corners where not vertically tested and the tight end was used more prevalently. McKay and Brown never awed but never disappointed. It looks like these three are going to be all the Buffs have for the entire season as the depth seems to be non-existent. S Daniel Dykes had a few good hits and took on a very vocal role in today's practice. He returned Scott's fumble for a TD as well. Ryan Walters didn't have to make a lot of plays as the front 7 contained a lot up front.

Hit of the day went to red shirt freshman S Travis Sandersfeld on RB Corey Nabors. Nabors had about of seven yard run before Sandersfeld filled the hole and jarred the ball from Nabors. It received some good cheers from the older defensive players. DL Conrad Obi also got a sack for the second teams. He looked pretty active all day.

That sums up my Saturday at practice. Let me know if you want to know anything else about the practice.