2015 Kids Day Scrimmage Offense Thoughts

   
Saturday afternoon was the last chance Hawk Fans had to see the Iowa Football team before they open the season at home vs Illinois State. There were some things to be concerned about and a lot of positives also. The first thing I noticed was people were excited, there were a lot of fans in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.

 Offensively I wasn't sure what to expect, after the Spring game they didn't look very good. The offense did some good things on Saturday, but they also had some struggles against the number 1 defense. Lets start on the inside and work our way to the skilled positions. The offensive line is the key to whether this offense can take a step forward this season. The interior of the offensive line is experienced with a number of guys who have played. The key to this line is the center Austin Blythe he is the leader of this group then Jordan Walsh is one of the guards with a lot of experience. At the other guard spot there is a lot of competition Eric Simmons and Sean Welsh rotated in with the number ones. Another surprising addition to the competition was 4 Star True Freshman James Daniels who was rotating in a little. James looked like he belonged out there and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him this season. Moving to the tackle position we have two inexperienced players in Boone Myers at Left Tackle and Ike Boettger at Right Tackle. On Saturday those 2 tackles struggled, Drew Ott and Nate Meier were able to get a very good pass rush especially early on in the scrimmage. Ott beat Myers to the outside a number of times putting a ton of pressure on CJ Beathard. I don't think the problem is physical its more mental and technique work. They allowed 8 sacks which was concerning but as the practice went on the line play was better. The run blocking was getting a push which helped both Derrick Mitchell and Akrum Wadley get through the line a lot.

Looking at the receiver position the top 3 are Tevaun Smith, Matt Vandeberg, and Jake Hillyer. Hillyer is still probably the best run blocking receiver on the team but still needs to make some plays to really step up this year. Vandeberg was able to get open and make some plays. Tevaun Smith is clearly the top target on the team he ran some very good crossing patterns. The second team wide outs were Riley Mccarron, Andre Harris, Johnathon Parker and Jay Scheel with Freshman Jerminic Smith rotating in. Scheel also rotated in with the number one unit. Here are some of the stats from the scrimmage. Jacob Hillyer had 1 catch for 3 yards, Tevaun Smith caught 2 passes for 17 yards, George Kittle had 3 catches for 69 yards, Matt Vandeberg 2 catches for 33 yards, Derrick Mitchell 3 catches for 17 yards, Jay Scheel 2 Catches for 15 yards, Riley Mccaron 2 catches for 23 yards, Jameer Outsey 1 Catch for 14 yards, Drake Kulick 2 fro 54 yards and a TD, Jerminic Smith 4 for 25 yards,

Looking at the stats the biggest thing that stood out was Jerminic Smith who looks like he has a very good chance to play this season. Jay Scheel was one of the receivers I was excited to see, he did run a nice inside curl on 3rd and 3 made the safety miss and picked up 10 yards. He showed glimpses of a guy who could become a big play maker. The tight ends also will be a big part of the offense George Kittle had a good day especially in the middle of the field which was nice to see. Kreiger Coble also ran some good routes and made a nice catch down the field. The offense wasn't as perimeter oriented on Saturday, they were utilizing the middle of the field off play action passes. The 3rd team unit showed all the young WR for the Hawks including Adrian Falconer, Joshua Jackson and Emmanual Ogwo. All of these WR's did some good things although the 3rd team unit struggled completing passes. Ogwo is probably the fastest of the bunch he ran a straight go route running right by Michael Ojemudia but Cook under threw him and the pass was intercepted. They all showed very good quickness whether they play or not will come down to how quickly they can get the playbook down.

At Running back on Saturday the top 2 backs Leshun Daniels and Jordan Canzeri were held out of the contact portion of the practice. That didn't stop me from being impressed with the running backs who were getting carries. Derrick Mitchell Jr. ran the ball 13 times for 51 yards with 9 of those carries coming with the first team. Akrum Wadley carried the ball 13 times for 34 yards and a TD. Both Wadley and Mitchell showed a very good burst and moves to make the defenders miss. Wadley played a little last season but had a problem with fumbles on Saturday he didn't put the ball on the ground once. Mitchell Jr. a converted WR reminded me a lot of Damon Bullock but faster. He caught some balls out of the back field and looked good running the football. The last 2 running backs were Marcel Jolly and Eric Graham. Jolly had 4 carries for 12 yards and Graham had 4 carries for 10 yards. For Freshman both backs definitely look physically ready although neither one should be needed this season they both look like they could play if needed.

Finally we get to the quarterback position which of course is now controlled by CJ Beathard. CJ had a tough day on Saturday mostly because he didn't have a lot of time to throw the ball. When he did get time he made great throws, CJ has the ability to throw a receiver open, he can fit the ball into tight windows. The defensive backs were all over the receivers and CJ was still fitting the ball in on crossing patterns. He overshot Tevaun Smith which would have been a touchdown and he also through a great ball to the sideline hitting Matt Vandeberg for a big gain. I'm really excited to see what he can do, if the line can protect him Beathard will make plays with his arm and legs. He didn't run a lot on Saturday but he definitely has that in his game. The second Quarterback was Tyler Wiegers who looked much improved from the Spring. Wiegers was 13 for 22 for 184 yards a TD and an Interception. I wouldn't say he is ready to play right now so keeping Beathard healthy is a must for success this season. Tyler has made a lot of strides since the spring and he showed some that ability on Saturday. The next Quarterbacks to come in were the 2 Freshman Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook. Both guys looked a little nervous Ryan fumbled the first snap then turned the wrong way on the second play. Drew Cook threw a couple of interceptions in the game one where he underthrew his receiver and the other where he pumped and threw the ball late which would have been a pick 6. Both of these guys are definitely not ready to play and will likely red shirt this season.

In Closing on the the offense the positives are we have guys who can make some plays on the outside. We definitely have a quarterback who can make plays the question will be can the offensive line protect him? The running game looks to have a number of guys who can play and play well. The biggest thing I saw was the use of the middle of the field which we rarely threw to last season. I'm very interested to see what the offense looks like vs Illinois State. I'll have my thoughts on the defense in another Blog which I hope to have out in the next day or so.

Thanks for Reading
Go Hawks