Here are some observations from this morning's open scrimmage, which was followed by the annual Open House. There was a pretty solid crowd on hand, maybe 500 or so. (Due to construction at Stanford Stadium, the Open House was held on the practice fields.) Stanford scrimmaged for nearly the entirety of the two-hour practice, save for a few special teams periods (and position-specific work at the beginning).
Feel free to start a new thread/chime in below if you were able to make it.
Will have the notebook from Shaw + an interview with Duane Akina posted in the next day or two.
Personnel
-Kodi Whitfield, Brandon Simmons, Brendon Austin, Devon Cajuste, Noor Davis, Frank Buncom and Kevin Anderson were held out of practice due to injury. All but Davis (and perhaps Buncom) should return within the next week or so.
Depth Chart
First team OL: Kyle Murphy (LT), Josh Garnett (LG), Graham Shuler (C), Johnny Caspers (RG), Casey Tucker (RT)
Second team OL: Austin Hall (LT), Brandon Fanaika (LG), Jesse Burkett (C), Dave Bright (RG), Nick Davidson (RT)
Third team OL: Lucas Hinds (LT), Nick Wilson (LG), Brian Chaffin (C), Austin Maihen (RG), Jack Dreyer (RT)
*Stanford rotated its linemen a fair amount. Caspers got some run at center (which kicked Burkett out to guard at times), Nick Wilson got one series with the second-team OL. Bright and Davidson rotated in on the right side of the line with multiple teams as well.
-Schultz, Hooper, Owusu, Rector, McCaffrey, Sanders, Greg Taboada, Remound Wright, Rollins Stallworth and I believe Dontonio Jordan were among the skill position players who worked the most with the first team. Bryce Love, Cam Scarlett, Conner Crane, Eric Cotton, Trent Irwin, Jay Tyler and JJ Arcega-Whiteside were among those who worked primarily with the second and third teams.
First team DL: Scarlett, Aziz Shittu, Harrison Phillips
First team LB: Peter Kalambayi, Joey Alfieri, Kevin Palma, Blake Martinez, Craig Jones
First team DB: Ronnie Harris, Dallas Lloyd, Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy Ben Edwards, Terrence Alexander,
Second team DL: Watkins, Lohn, Solomon Thomas
Second team LB: Luke Kaumatule, Mike Tyler, Jordan Perez, Bobby Okereke
Second team DB: Justin Reid, Ben Edwards, Terrence Alexander, Quenton Meeks,
Third team DL: Torsten Rotto, Wes Annan, Dylan Jackson
Third team LB: Sean Barton, Mustafa Branch, Sam Shober, Lane Veach, Casey Toohill
Third team DB: Denzel Franklin, Calvin Chandler, Quenton Meeks, Ryan Gaertner, Ra'Chard Pippens
*Once again, Stanford substituted liberally along the defensive side of the ball. For instance, Craig Jones and Kevin Palma were the first-team ILB's on the second series. Jones and Jordan Perez worked with the first team later in the scrimmage. Alameen Murphy, Alijah Holder and Terrence Alexander worked with the first team. Quenton Meeks even received a few reps with the starters as a nickel. (Duane Akina told me after the practice that Quenton is in the mix for that position.) Several of the top-line DB's also worked with the second units. Solomon Thomas is essentially one of four defensive line starters, he just happened to start out with the second-team defense... In other words, there was a ton of rotating, so please take the above depth charts with a grain of salt, especially in the secondary.
Observations
-Bryce Love was the talk of the practice after carrying the ball five times for 77 yards and a touchdown. And I'm not sure the stats do his performance justice. He had a pair of terrific runs, one where he seemed to emerge from a group of three or four defenders to gain maybe 15+ yards, and another 65-yard touchdown run where he exploded past two oncoming defensive backs and completely ran away from the defense. Shaw was asked after practice if Love "has a shot" at breaking into Stanford's running back rotation this year. Shaw immediately responded that yes, Love does. Stanford hasn't made any final decisions on freshmen (Shaw said there were maybe 8 or 9 who had potentially positioned themselves to play this year), but it might be tough for the Cardinal to keep Love off the field in 2015. Cameron Scarlett doesn't have near the same burst/explosiveness as Love (and he is coming off ACL surgery last December), but he was certainly more productive today than last week. Stanford used him on several screen passes as well as a variety of runs.
-Not that this is a new thought, but "Can Brennan Scarlett can stay healthy" might be up there with "Is Josh Rosen the next John Elway or the next Aaron Rodgers" among the most important questions facing Stanford in 2015. Scarlett looked fantastic today. He smoked Nick Davidson for a sack, made a tackle for loss on a little swing pass to one of the backs and sliced through the line for another TFL. The younger players and backups received plenty of snaps, but Scarlett looked really good when he was in there. Aziz Shittu also had a strong day, decisively beating Brandon Fanaika for a sack and later bursting through the offensive line for a tackle for loss. Based on what we've seen during training camp (and the pedigree of the players), I really do think Stanford will have an above average defensive front -- if their top four players (Scarlett, Shittu, Solomon Thomas, Harrison Phillips) stay healthy.
-With both Kodi Whitfield and Brandon Simmons out due to injury, Ben Edwards received first-team reps alongside Dallas Lloyd. Duane Akina told me after practice that Edwards, Justin Reid and Simmons are really the three guys competing for that No. 3 safety job behind Whitfield and Lloyd. Edwards made his presence known on several plays during the scrimmage, coming up to stone a running back on a third and short, and then colliding with Daniel Marx on a play later on. He also got some run with the first team punt unit as a gunner. Will be interesting to see which of the true frosh play in the secondary this year. Would guess Quenton Meeks and at least one of the safeties at this point.
-As far as I know, Stanford hasn't 100 percent settled on Graham Shuler as the starting center of the 2015 team. As we've discussed, that position was certainly the subject of competition heading into camp. However, fumbled exchanges were an issue for Johnny Caspers. I'm not sure they were all his fault, but there were three fumbled QB/center exchanges during today's practice - all with Caspers working at center.
-Dalton Schultz and Austin Hooper are Stanford's top two tight ends - I think that much is clear at this point. It's been a little bit interesting to see how little run Eric Cotton has gotten with the first-team offense, however. Seems like he's currently running fourth on the depth chart behind Taboada.
-Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns both took snaps with the second team today. Chryst completed 7-11 passes for 96 yards, Burns 4-7 for 51 yards. Two were probably two feet over the head of his intended receiver - one was intended for a tight end over the middle of the field, the other a quick swing pass to Isaiah Brandt-Sims along the sideline. Keller had one similarly inaccurate throw - he scrambled around in the pocket a little but airmailed his tight end. I didn't think there was necessarily a ton of separation between the two during today's scrimmage, but just as far as overall accuracy, moving the offense, ball placement, etc... I did think Keller was a little bit better today. I'm also not sure when Stanford will name a backup - or if they will actually name a backup - but I continue to think that Chryst would probably be the next guy up if one was needed for an extended stretch.
-Mike Tyler, Jordan Perez, Peter Kalambayi and Aziz Shittu all recorded sacks. Lane Veach had the scrimmage's lone interception when he hauled in a pass that went through the hands of JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a slant near the goalline. It actually wasn't a bad throw from Ryan Burns - maybe a little bit high, but a catch Arcega-Whiteside could have made. Taijuan Thomas also intercepted a pass, but it was called back due to a defensive holding infraction.
-Trent Irwin made I believe his first catch of the open practices, and then made a few defenders miss to gain another 10 or so yards down field.
-Kevin Hogan had a strong day. His opening drive touchdown to Francis Owusu was a perfectly placed deep ball; he nearly hit Owusu a drive or two later on another deep pass. He also found Michael Rector deep down the right side, but the play was called back. Basically, I thought this was another steady, largely successful performance from Hogan, who has looked pretty darn solid all spring and summer.
-There weren't a ton of short yardage situations, but I think we got a preview of how Stanford might approach some on one third down play. The Cardinal lined up both Brandon Fanaika and Daniel Marx as lead blockers behind the offensive line and tight ends and plowed forward with a handoff.
-Both Jake Bailey and Alex Robinson were a bit up and down during the special teams period - I'd estimate both took maybe five punts - but it did appear that Bailey showed the bigger leg, as far as average distance and height. (Though Robinson did boom one maybe 60 or so yards.)
-Conrad Ukropina was also on point (from what I saw) in a few field goal reps. On a related note, Pete Alamar told Jon Wilner of the SJ Merc that Ukropina has taken control of the kicking competition.
Feel free to start a new thread/chime in below if you were able to make it.
Will have the notebook from Shaw + an interview with Duane Akina posted in the next day or two.
Personnel
-Kodi Whitfield, Brandon Simmons, Brendon Austin, Devon Cajuste, Noor Davis, Frank Buncom and Kevin Anderson were held out of practice due to injury. All but Davis (and perhaps Buncom) should return within the next week or so.
Depth Chart
First team OL: Kyle Murphy (LT), Josh Garnett (LG), Graham Shuler (C), Johnny Caspers (RG), Casey Tucker (RT)
Second team OL: Austin Hall (LT), Brandon Fanaika (LG), Jesse Burkett (C), Dave Bright (RG), Nick Davidson (RT)
Third team OL: Lucas Hinds (LT), Nick Wilson (LG), Brian Chaffin (C), Austin Maihen (RG), Jack Dreyer (RT)
*Stanford rotated its linemen a fair amount. Caspers got some run at center (which kicked Burkett out to guard at times), Nick Wilson got one series with the second-team OL. Bright and Davidson rotated in on the right side of the line with multiple teams as well.
-Schultz, Hooper, Owusu, Rector, McCaffrey, Sanders, Greg Taboada, Remound Wright, Rollins Stallworth and I believe Dontonio Jordan were among the skill position players who worked the most with the first team. Bryce Love, Cam Scarlett, Conner Crane, Eric Cotton, Trent Irwin, Jay Tyler and JJ Arcega-Whiteside were among those who worked primarily with the second and third teams.
First team DL: Scarlett, Aziz Shittu, Harrison Phillips
First team LB: Peter Kalambayi, Joey Alfieri, Kevin Palma, Blake Martinez, Craig Jones
First team DB: Ronnie Harris, Dallas Lloyd, Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy Ben Edwards, Terrence Alexander,
Second team DL: Watkins, Lohn, Solomon Thomas
Second team LB: Luke Kaumatule, Mike Tyler, Jordan Perez, Bobby Okereke
Second team DB: Justin Reid, Ben Edwards, Terrence Alexander, Quenton Meeks,
Third team DL: Torsten Rotto, Wes Annan, Dylan Jackson
Third team LB: Sean Barton, Mustafa Branch, Sam Shober, Lane Veach, Casey Toohill
Third team DB: Denzel Franklin, Calvin Chandler, Quenton Meeks, Ryan Gaertner, Ra'Chard Pippens
*Once again, Stanford substituted liberally along the defensive side of the ball. For instance, Craig Jones and Kevin Palma were the first-team ILB's on the second series. Jones and Jordan Perez worked with the first team later in the scrimmage. Alameen Murphy, Alijah Holder and Terrence Alexander worked with the first team. Quenton Meeks even received a few reps with the starters as a nickel. (Duane Akina told me after the practice that Quenton is in the mix for that position.) Several of the top-line DB's also worked with the second units. Solomon Thomas is essentially one of four defensive line starters, he just happened to start out with the second-team defense... In other words, there was a ton of rotating, so please take the above depth charts with a grain of salt, especially in the secondary.
Observations
-Bryce Love was the talk of the practice after carrying the ball five times for 77 yards and a touchdown. And I'm not sure the stats do his performance justice. He had a pair of terrific runs, one where he seemed to emerge from a group of three or four defenders to gain maybe 15+ yards, and another 65-yard touchdown run where he exploded past two oncoming defensive backs and completely ran away from the defense. Shaw was asked after practice if Love "has a shot" at breaking into Stanford's running back rotation this year. Shaw immediately responded that yes, Love does. Stanford hasn't made any final decisions on freshmen (Shaw said there were maybe 8 or 9 who had potentially positioned themselves to play this year), but it might be tough for the Cardinal to keep Love off the field in 2015. Cameron Scarlett doesn't have near the same burst/explosiveness as Love (and he is coming off ACL surgery last December), but he was certainly more productive today than last week. Stanford used him on several screen passes as well as a variety of runs.
-Not that this is a new thought, but "Can Brennan Scarlett can stay healthy" might be up there with "Is Josh Rosen the next John Elway or the next Aaron Rodgers" among the most important questions facing Stanford in 2015. Scarlett looked fantastic today. He smoked Nick Davidson for a sack, made a tackle for loss on a little swing pass to one of the backs and sliced through the line for another TFL. The younger players and backups received plenty of snaps, but Scarlett looked really good when he was in there. Aziz Shittu also had a strong day, decisively beating Brandon Fanaika for a sack and later bursting through the offensive line for a tackle for loss. Based on what we've seen during training camp (and the pedigree of the players), I really do think Stanford will have an above average defensive front -- if their top four players (Scarlett, Shittu, Solomon Thomas, Harrison Phillips) stay healthy.
-With both Kodi Whitfield and Brandon Simmons out due to injury, Ben Edwards received first-team reps alongside Dallas Lloyd. Duane Akina told me after practice that Edwards, Justin Reid and Simmons are really the three guys competing for that No. 3 safety job behind Whitfield and Lloyd. Edwards made his presence known on several plays during the scrimmage, coming up to stone a running back on a third and short, and then colliding with Daniel Marx on a play later on. He also got some run with the first team punt unit as a gunner. Will be interesting to see which of the true frosh play in the secondary this year. Would guess Quenton Meeks and at least one of the safeties at this point.
-As far as I know, Stanford hasn't 100 percent settled on Graham Shuler as the starting center of the 2015 team. As we've discussed, that position was certainly the subject of competition heading into camp. However, fumbled exchanges were an issue for Johnny Caspers. I'm not sure they were all his fault, but there were three fumbled QB/center exchanges during today's practice - all with Caspers working at center.
-Dalton Schultz and Austin Hooper are Stanford's top two tight ends - I think that much is clear at this point. It's been a little bit interesting to see how little run Eric Cotton has gotten with the first-team offense, however. Seems like he's currently running fourth on the depth chart behind Taboada.
-Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns both took snaps with the second team today. Chryst completed 7-11 passes for 96 yards, Burns 4-7 for 51 yards. Two were probably two feet over the head of his intended receiver - one was intended for a tight end over the middle of the field, the other a quick swing pass to Isaiah Brandt-Sims along the sideline. Keller had one similarly inaccurate throw - he scrambled around in the pocket a little but airmailed his tight end. I didn't think there was necessarily a ton of separation between the two during today's scrimmage, but just as far as overall accuracy, moving the offense, ball placement, etc... I did think Keller was a little bit better today. I'm also not sure when Stanford will name a backup - or if they will actually name a backup - but I continue to think that Chryst would probably be the next guy up if one was needed for an extended stretch.
-Mike Tyler, Jordan Perez, Peter Kalambayi and Aziz Shittu all recorded sacks. Lane Veach had the scrimmage's lone interception when he hauled in a pass that went through the hands of JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a slant near the goalline. It actually wasn't a bad throw from Ryan Burns - maybe a little bit high, but a catch Arcega-Whiteside could have made. Taijuan Thomas also intercepted a pass, but it was called back due to a defensive holding infraction.
-Trent Irwin made I believe his first catch of the open practices, and then made a few defenders miss to gain another 10 or so yards down field.
-Kevin Hogan had a strong day. His opening drive touchdown to Francis Owusu was a perfectly placed deep ball; he nearly hit Owusu a drive or two later on another deep pass. He also found Michael Rector deep down the right side, but the play was called back. Basically, I thought this was another steady, largely successful performance from Hogan, who has looked pretty darn solid all spring and summer.
-There weren't a ton of short yardage situations, but I think we got a preview of how Stanford might approach some on one third down play. The Cardinal lined up both Brandon Fanaika and Daniel Marx as lead blockers behind the offensive line and tight ends and plowed forward with a handoff.
-Both Jake Bailey and Alex Robinson were a bit up and down during the special teams period - I'd estimate both took maybe five punts - but it did appear that Bailey showed the bigger leg, as far as average distance and height. (Though Robinson did boom one maybe 60 or so yards.)
-Conrad Ukropina was also on point (from what I saw) in a few field goal reps. On a related note, Pete Alamar told Jon Wilner of the SJ Merc that Ukropina has taken control of the kicking competition.
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