The Bobcats practiced Friday morning for the fifth time during fall camp. It was conducted in periods outside at Peden Stadium, with a total of 27 periods over two hours and 54 minutes. It was the first day with full pads. Here are The Post’s observations:
Attendance:
Not Present: Elijah Ball (season-ending leg injury), Tyler Tupa (leg), Griffin Hites (leg), Hagen Meservy (shoulder), Austin Conrad (foot), Mason Bernhardt (undisclosed), De’Vante Mitchell (undisclosed).
Injured: Zach Burks (undisclosed).
Limited: Tariq Drake, Ilyas Motley.
Attendance notes:
- Drake and Motley were not wearing helmets for the second day in a row and participated in practice at a minimum. There is no update on either's status.
- Meservy sat out the last half of practice yesterday and continued to sit out Friday. He was not wearing any practice equipment Friday, though he could be seen helping freshmen learn techniques.
- Burks exited practice during a full-contact team drill.
Observations:
Sights and Sounds
- Friday felt like the first day in which things were getting pretty competitive. The Bobcats were going as close to full speed as we’ll see them go throughout camp.
- For the first time of camp, there was a quick scuffle — between the offensive and defensive lines — toward the end of drills. Director of operations Chris Rodgers was quick to split it up. It’s just a part of camp when people get annoyed with others, often exacerbated by the late summer heat.
- For the second straight day, there were no turnovers committed by the offense, which means no turnover belt for the defense.
- Sook Center update: Dirt was being moved to make way for a few trees and bushes. The roof was being worked on to close up the central air units. Looking forward to see where they put the statue of the Bobcat.
- Quotable: “You heard me but you weren’t listening,” wide receiver coach Dwayne Dixon said to a young receiver. Lots of pressure for the young wideouts to grow up fast. Just a bit of Dixon’s own terminology.
Offense
- The Bobcats had four competitive periods among first and second teamers Friday — 7-on-7, two team sessions and a team session in the red zone. Quarterbacks Nathan Rourke and Quinton Maxwell shared most of the snaps.
- Rourke was 15 of 20 in the four periods with four rushes and one touchdown. Friday was the first day that he was at his best — when a pocket collapses and he throws on the run or scrambles his way out of it.
- Rourke completed passes to Cam Odom (five); A.J. Ouellette, Ryan Luehrman, DL Knock and Andrew Meyer (two each); and O’Shaan Allison and Papi White (one each).
- Maxwell also saw plenty of time. As camp progresses, it's become more apparent that he’s had almost the same number of snaps as Rourke. He was 15 of 19 with a touchdown throughout four periods.
- Maxwell completed passes to Isiah Cox, K.J. Minter, Willie Cherry and Keevon Harris (two each); and Shane Hooks, Adam Luehrman, Bryan Long Jr., Papi White and David Burroughs (one each). His touchdown pass came in the red-zone period when he tossed up a ball — that hung up in the air too long — and Long jumped over a cornerback. He fell into the end zone for the touchdown.
- Drew Keszei saw more snaps Friday than in recent days. He should have the third-string job sealed, but the arm strength of Joe Mischler will make it a competition throughout the entire camp.
- Ouellette has seen plenty of snaps throughout camp, along with Julian Ross. It seems like the coaching staff is keeping an eye on the amount of snaps Maleek Irons takes — he only ran the ball once Friday.
- After practice Friday, safety Kylan Nelson complimented freshman wideout Jerome Buckner, saying he has the speed of an athlete but needs to work on route-running. He said his best comparison would be a younger White.
Defense
- Of the nine incomplete passes between Rourke and Maxwell, none were deflections. They were all either overthrown or put in the wrong place.
- Turnovers remain a key for the Bobcats’ defense. They opened camp Friday by doing their circuit of tip drills. Anything that can ingrain causing turnovers into their heads will be done this fall camp.
- With full pads on for the first time, there was much more pop in team drills. A couple times, pressure was put on the quarterback for what would’ve normally been a sack if not for the non-contact jerseys.
- Multiple times in practice, the offensive and defensive lines went head-to-head in drills. It’s showing how two coaches with the defensive line — Pete Germano and Tremayne Scott — is making an impact.
Special Teams
- For the first time in 2018, the Bobcats practiced live field goal drills Friday. Louie Zervos hit at least six field goals from between 20 and 36 yards.
- Punter Michael Farkas was the holder for Zervos and also attempted a few kicks himself.
Up Next:
The Bobcats return to practice Saturday morning at 8:40 a.m. Practice is open to the public and will be likely be held in Walter Fieldhouse due to probable thunderstorms. Ohio will put on full pads for the second time in camp.
