8/24 Notes

By all accounts, this was the last open practice for the media, so getting a good look at these guys before Michigan was important.

There were plenty of eyes on the Huskies today as West Haven football coach Dennis McCarthy, former Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen, broadcaster Sean McDonough as well as a few scouts, including one from the Indianapolis Colts, were on hand.

I'll get into the rundown and we'll go from there.

9:10 Special teams drills followed by stretching. Leon Kinnard was out of the usual red jersey for QBs and in a blue one today. he started out with the WRs, but finished off with the QBs.

9:31 Position drills. Freshman LB Andrew Opoku practiced with the tight ends.

10:00 The offense ran plays without an opposing defense. It was basically a day off for Zach Frazer so Scott McCummings and Blaise Driscoll saw most of the snaps in this drill.

10:02 The second-string O began a 7-on-7 drill.

Mike Box was 6-for-12 and an INT. He had one ball which he threw behind his WR and another that was deflected. On another long pass, which should have been a TD, John Delahunt didn't get to the spot for the catch.

Johnny McEntee wasn't as sharp as Box, but completed more passes. Mcentee was 9 of 10.

Kinnard was 3-for-3, including a diving, one-handed catch by Tebucky Jones.

10:21 Offense and defense split up and work from the playbook with their coordinators.

10:30 11-on-11 two-minute drill starting at the offense's five-yard line.

1031 Box overthrows Mike Smith along the left sideline. It would have been a sure-fire TD had the throw been more accurate. Box rebounds with a short pass to Jordan Todman, who picked up at least 20 yards. The offense sets up Dave Teggart for what was roughly a 40-yard FG. He misses wide right.

1034 McEntee takes over and is promptly yelled at by Randy Edsall because he took a sack deep in his zone rather than throwing the ball away. The McEntee-led offense goes 3-and-out.

Kinnard follows, completes two passes to get the Huskies to around their own 30. But he, like McEntee, took a sack forcing the Huskies to use a timeout. Again, Edsall was none too pleased.

Kinnard threw an incomplete pass and was then picked off by Byron Jones.

Not much else came out of the drill except:
* a bad snap by Moe Petrus deep in the offensive zone. It went over Kinnard's head and would have been a safety or touchdown.
* Some nice runs from Robbie Frey, Jordan Todman and D.J. Shoemate.
*Kashif Moore made a terrific leaping catch in traffic on a Box pass.
*Edsall threw A.J. Portee out of practice, for what appeared to be alack of hustle.

10:54 No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense vs. No. 2 offense and No. 1 defense
Neither Zach Frazer nor Scott Lutrus practiced this morning. They were more like additional assistant coaches.

The only real highlights were a big run by Frey to get inside the five, and two plays later, Todman ran it in from three out.