Posted by bambi2godzilla on 3/23/2008, 10:26 am
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Pack football: Ault pleased with hard-hitting scrimmage
Dan Hinxman
Reno Gazette Journal
March 23, 2008
The 1,000 or so fans who showed up to watch the Nevada football team's annual Silver & Blue scrimmage at sunny Mackay Stadium on Saturday must have thought they were watching a replay of the Wolf Pack's game at Boise State last season.
Much like the Bronco defenders on that Oct. 14 night, Pack defenders saw the bottom of quarterback Colin Kaepernick's shoes quite a bit.
Kaepernick, who will be a sophomore in the fall, was somewhat inconsistent throwing the ball, but he had touchdown runs of 65 and 52 yards and had another 26-yard touchdown run halted when coach Chris Ault whistled him down after a 9-yard gain in the 18-possession, 74-play scrimmage. Each possession began at the offense's 35-yard line.
Kaepernick had five carries for 146 yards, and it probably would have been more like 170 yards had Ault not gone to the quick whistle on a couple of Kaepernick's runs. In the 69-67 four-overtime loss at Boise State last fall, Kaepernick had 14 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
The offense also got rushing touchdowns from Lampford Mark (4 yards) and Brandon Fragger (15 yards). Mark set up his score with a 59-yard run four plays prior. Fragger's touchdown run, in which he put a nice move on linebacker Joe Easter, came on the same possession in which Kaepernick was whistled down on his way to the end zone.
The defense had its moments, too. A strong pass rush, a hallmark of this 15-session spring practice, was evident again (three sacks and a number of quarterback hurries), and the defense picked off three passes. Safety Jonathon Amaya intercepted a Kaepernick throw in the end zone. Easter and safety Kevin Grimes each picked off a pass from fourth-string QB Pete Murdaca. Easter returned his pick 43 yards for a score.
Including the sacks -- one each by sophomore defensive end Dontay Moch, redshirt freshman tackle Zack Madonick and redshirt freshman linebacker James-Michael Johnson -- the defense had 11 tackles for loss.
"It was a good-hitting scrimmage," Ault said. "I was pleased with that aspect of it. The offense did well, and I thought the defense found a way to get back in there, making some nice plays in the secondary, getting some picks. I know it was Pete, but they still made them."
Pass defense was a trouble spot last season. The Pack had just six interceptions all season, three of which were by linebacker Ezra Butler.
"The thing I liked about the entire scrimmage was whether the offense was moving the ball or the defense was stuffing the offense, both sides continued to keep their poise and show a sense of urgency," Ault said. "It wasn't a letdown on either side. To me, that was really important."
As was the case with the other three spring scrimmages, Kaepernick and most of the projected first-string teams played about half the scrimmage. Luke Collis, who is playing the role of backup quarterback until Nick Graziano (foot) returns in the summer to battle Kaepernick for the starting job, was in for six possessions and Murdaca led three.
Kaepernick finished 5-for-15 for 74 yards. Collis was 6-for-10 for 14 yards. And Murdaca was 0-for-4.
The rushing attack, led by Kaepernick, combined for 41 carries and 343 yards. Mark, a redshirt freshman, had four carries for 65 yards, sophomore Vai Taua had 10 carries for 57 yards, and sophomore Brandon Fragger had eight carries for 40 yards. Ault said he felt the running backs, as a unit, had the best spring.
Redshirt freshman Chris Wellington led the receiving corps with three catches for 41 yards.
"We started a little slow. We need to cut that out," Kaepernick said. "But we came back. On offense and defense, you could see what we can do. On defense, I think there is a lot to be excited about. But we both still have a lot of work to do over the summer."
The Wolf Pack, coming off a 6-7 season that ended with a 23-0 loss to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl, will open the 2009 season at home against Grambling State on Aug. 30. Summer practice begins the first week of August.
Luke Lippincott, the 2007 team MVP, had just three carries for 12 yards. He said he welcomed seeing the defense come up with so many turnovers.
"All together I thought we looked good," the senior said. "The offense made some big plays. I was hoping the defense would get some big plays and they got those turnovers."
The players have next week off for spring break then return for five weeks of supervised conditioning and skill work.
"That's why we went so early," said Ault, whose team started spring practice on Feb. 29, the earliest of any Western Athletic Conference team. "We'll come back and have five weeks of conditioning -- strength and running and some skill work. I'm really excited about that because this is the first time we've moved spring football up this far and gambled. But we were blessed with some nice weather. And I think our coaches, especially our new coaches (defensive coordinator Nigel Burton and cornerbacks coach James Ward) will be able to take advantage of the next five weeks.
"This has been a great spring. When the kids come back from vacation they'll be refreshed. ... We can take what we saw and build on it. Most schools aren't that fortunate to have that time period (between spring and summer camps). I think it will be really important, especially for our young guys."
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