It was a chilly Saturday morning at the Nutter practice facility. The Cats practiced for about two hours and scrimmaged for most of that time. I'll post some transcripts and notes of what the players had to say but first my thoughts:
-Offense definitely got the best of the defense today. Kemp, Horton and Boom Williams all had big runs on the day. Some big runs were on the first team but most were on the second team defense.
-Both quarterbacks played pretty well today. Stoops said that both Barker and Towles were as calm in the pocket as he's ever seen them. Towles went with the first team today and did some good things. Just my opinion, but it will be surprising if Towles isn't the starting QB this season. In that regard, Stoops said that there's no timetable on actually naming a starter at quarterback. Probably won't happen until the fall if I had to guess.
-On offense, Kemp had a pretty good day. He's healthy and appears to have gotten a little faster in the offseason. He scored on a long run and went and gave nearly every fan that was standing by the end zone a high five. Said he had to make their time worthwhile for coming out and braving the cold weather. Thaddeus Snodgrass did some good things when he got the ball in his hands.
-C.J. Conrad and Blake Bone both had touchdown grabs. You're going to see a lot of Conrad this fall. Big body that can catch the ball well and also moves really well. Stoops has had good things to say about him the last three practices. Jeff Badet didn't sit out any reps and looks to be back at full strength after missing last season with a leg injury. Might be the fastest wide receiver on the team. Garrett Johnson caught the ball well and is a steady playmaker. Even with Dorian Baker and Ryan Timmons out for the spring, you can still see a lot of talent in the receiving core. Really a strong group of receivers even though they're pretty young.
-C.J. Johnson had two or three tackles for loss in the scrimmage and disrupted a lot of plays. Denzil Ware made a few stops behind the line as well.
-As far as injuries go, Nico Firios and Alex Montgomery were out today. Montgomery had an issue with his surgically repaired knee but it's not too serious. Firios should be back Monday according to Stoops.
-Kendall Randolph was with the first team defense at cornerback today. Played a lot last season but he's really going to push Fred Tiller for playing time.
I'll do my best to answer any questions that you all may have.
-Offense definitely got the best of the defense today. Kemp, Horton and Boom Williams all had big runs on the day. Some big runs were on the first team but most were on the second team defense.
-Both quarterbacks played pretty well today. Stoops said that both Barker and Towles were as calm in the pocket as he's ever seen them. Towles went with the first team today and did some good things. Just my opinion, but it will be surprising if Towles isn't the starting QB this season. In that regard, Stoops said that there's no timetable on actually naming a starter at quarterback. Probably won't happen until the fall if I had to guess.
-On offense, Kemp had a pretty good day. He's healthy and appears to have gotten a little faster in the offseason. He scored on a long run and went and gave nearly every fan that was standing by the end zone a high five. Said he had to make their time worthwhile for coming out and braving the cold weather. Thaddeus Snodgrass did some good things when he got the ball in his hands.
-C.J. Conrad and Blake Bone both had touchdown grabs. You're going to see a lot of Conrad this fall. Big body that can catch the ball well and also moves really well. Stoops has had good things to say about him the last three practices. Jeff Badet didn't sit out any reps and looks to be back at full strength after missing last season with a leg injury. Might be the fastest wide receiver on the team. Garrett Johnson caught the ball well and is a steady playmaker. Even with Dorian Baker and Ryan Timmons out for the spring, you can still see a lot of talent in the receiving core. Really a strong group of receivers even though they're pretty young.
-C.J. Johnson had two or three tackles for loss in the scrimmage and disrupted a lot of plays. Denzil Ware made a few stops behind the line as well.
-As far as injuries go, Nico Firios and Alex Montgomery were out today. Montgomery had an issue with his surgically repaired knee but it's not too serious. Firios should be back Monday according to Stoops.
-Kendall Randolph was with the first team defense at cornerback today. Played a lot last season but he's really going to push Fred Tiller for playing time.
I'll do my best to answer any questions that you all may have.
