Fall Practice Recap: Day #5
Day five of Fall practice marked the first day of camp with full pads. This led to a spirited, at times chippy practice on a sunny afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The first real day of pads allowed for some real hitting and the first look at how the offense and defense could conceivably look.
First with some post practice notes:
- Two absences today were Demetris Robertson and David Davis. Davis still hasn't heard back from the NCAA on his waiver, and Robertson had some dental work done today
- Daniel Juarez is going to greyshirt this season while dealing with a lingering back injury from high school. He'll be back at Cal in the spring
- There were a few previously injured players who returned for this practice, those being Hamilton Anoa'i, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Kanawai Noa. All three saw action during various parts of practice. Hawkins had a couple deflection in 1 on 1's and Noa made a couple of grabs. Anoa'i saw time with the twos during 7 on 7.
- Sonny Dykes praised Evan Weaver again, for his motor and for chasing down Patrick Laird on a 41 yard run. Weaver also hurried the passer a couple times, and could see time on the kickoff coverage team.
- Garrett Chachere was also at the post-practice press conference, where he was happy to have three guys to take reps at running back. He said that he'd be honest if he had only one guy who he wanted to get reps, but he feels they have three proven options. Dykes did say Billy McCrary could be that fourth option, stressing that depth will be needed at the position.
What did Billy McCrary do to earn the praise of Dykes? He took a swing route 56 yards to the endzone during the team period, evading two tacklers and outrunning the rest of the defense for a touchdown. He has followed up his excellent spring game performance well, displaying his speed in practice to the point where he'll need to get some touches on Saturdays. The wealth of offensive weapons, some of them unproven in game situations albeit, is unprecedented, even following last year's receiving core.
As for some of those weapons, there appeared to be a rotation for the top 8 receivers to play with the first team. Chad Hansen, Melquise Stovall, Ray Hudson, and Patrick Worstell made up the first wave, while Carlos Strickland, Bug Rivera, Jordan Veasy, and Brandon Singleton made up the second group (editor's note: Duncan announced his transfer the next day, about which you can find here). This doesn't include other guys who have impressed, like Vic Wharton, Jordan Duncan, Robertson, and Noa, who should all see playing time somewhere.
To add on to the receiver group, 2018 4-star ATH Braden Lenzy visited Cal, where he was offered a scholarship as a wide receiver. Cal is Lenzy's fifth offer, joining the Oregon schools, Washington State, and Purdue.
As for the defensive backs, Luke Rubenzer had the standout day, piling up a couple interceptions, the second after the ball bounced off of every part of his hands, Logan Gamble's hands, and Rubenzer's helmet. De'Zhon Gracealso had an interception after putting himself in a good position. Evan Rambo may have had the play of the day, closing quick as Jordan Veasy got free after the corners bit on some short routes. Veasy was open on a wheel, but Rambo went up to just get his fingertips on the ball to knock it out of bounds. He describes it below.
The lines went back and forth today, with the offense getting solid pushes, then the defense stiffening, with James Looney leading that charge for the first team with some solid stops. Evan Weaver provided more rush for the second team. Patrick Mekari stood out again in 1 on 1 drills, and he should provide a utility role on the offensive line in the same way that Jeremiah Stuckey will at the guard spots.
I have also learned that Malik McMorris will no longer be in Piesman consideration, due to being listed solely as a fullback. He was listed as a FB/DT last year, preserving his eligibility.
The last takeaway from practice is from conversations I had with newcomers Jordan Kunaszyk and Jake Curhan, on how some of the older players have taken them under their wing. Kunaszyk, which I finally found is pronounced Kuh-nah-shick, said that Hamilton Anoa'i has been a big part in helping him adjust quickly, and he made a huge hit during team period. Curhan, who was here during the spring but was injured, talked about Aaron Cochran and Steven Moore helping him along, Cochran especially, with their similarities as large human beings that need more molding.
Saturday's practice at 3:30 will be another day of full pads, with quite a few more spectators, and will be a day for the team to go all out before their day off on Sunday.