Well, that's a wrap. Training camp is over at Robert Morris and the school's 20th football season begins in one week at Eastern Kentucky. You can read the major news here - Joe Walton named Paul Jones the[/URL] starting quarterback[/URL] - and see some other thoughts from the head coach.
Even though the scrimmage ended early because of a lightning storm, Robert Morris got a handful of drives in the books. They also did enough extra work to get a glimpse at some things like special teams. So we still have plenty to get to.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
QB - Paul Jones / Derik Abbott
RB - Deontae Howard / Kenny Davis
FB - Ryan Thermil / Corey Garry
TE - Andrew Smith / Tyler Digby
WR - Donte Jeter / D.J. Hayes
WR - Duane Mitchell / Sean Gavin
LT - A.J. Dalton / Jonah Tyus
LG - Max Robertson / Carlton Watson
C - Nick Faraci / Dylan Knight
RG - Vince Mongelluzzo / Blake Chambliss
RT - Jon Hill / Riley Feenan
DE - Forrest Mason / T.J. Matrascia
DT - Farren Mason / R.J. Cook
DE - Chris Thompkins / A.J. Holderman
OLB - Mike Stojkovic / Jake Skinner
MLB - Kyle Cooper / Luke Mueller
MLB - Mike Cook / Matthew Fox
OLB - Kimani Smith / Jake Tkach
CB - Marcelis Branch / David Taylor
S - D.J. Myers / Andy Smigiera
S - Sam Collins / Logan Kelleher
CB - Antwan Eddie / Brian Jones
General Scrimmage Notes:
QB Brian Johnson, WR Chad Dawgiello, OL Drew Garbenis, OL Anthony Lucian, OL Chris O'Connor, OL Mike Randolph, OL Josh Thiel, DE Ryan Budny, DT Max Onyenwe, LB Mark Centofanti, S Eric Lowry, all sat out the scrimmage.
OL Vince Mongelluzzo and TE D.J. Pearson both participated and looked healthy.
Of the absentees, I think Thiel and Lucian might have a shot to make it back in time for Week 1, but both O'Connor and Garbenis were observing, which they haven't done before because of concerns over concussions. Randolph, from my understanding, is fighting an eligibility issue.
There really wasn't any drama to the quarterback battle. Maybe the script had it playing out different if not for the lightning, but Jones took the first reps in 7-on-7 and other drills, and he was the only quarterback to work with the first team. Of course, only he and Abbott worked at all during the 11-on-11 drills, but even after a special teams break, Abbott went out with the second team offensive line.Once again, Alex Caratelli was the only receiver outside of the two-deep depth chart to get some action with the first team. Beyond his bump up, there were no other changes to the depth chart from the end of camp. But Robert Morris will release its official depth chart as part of the game notes, likely out on Tuesday, and there's always the chance for a surprise or two.As far as any injuries, wide receiver Luke Centofanti was the only one who appeared to go down. He tried to go up to get a Derik Abbott pass but instead of getting the ball he got a hit from Jimmy Masson right in the small of his back. Centofanti gingerly walked off the field after being tended to by trainers. The only other major revelation was seeing Andy Smigiera take most of the reps as the punt returner. Antwan Eddie took one rep - and looked quite good doing it, slipping and juking his way ahead for about 20 yards - and Smigiera took the rest, both as the scout team punt returner while RMU focused on punt coverage and as the normal return guy when RMU worked on returns.
Here's how the scrimmage went down:
Paul Jones led the first series, which pitted the first team offense against the first team defense. Jones went to work right away, hitting Donte Jeter to set up 3rd-and-short. On that play, Jones hit a wide open D.J. Hayes for a 30-yard gain to get Robert Morris in field goal range. After Ryan Thermil was stopped on third down a couple plays later, Hunter Khaleghi booted a 37-yard field goal to give the offense an early lead.Jones and the first team offense took over again, this time against a mix of first and second team players. After Jones kept it himself for 7 yards and then hit Andrew Smith for a 10-yard gain, linebacker Kimani Smith led a swarm of defenders to take down Deontae Howard in the backfield. But Jones got the first down again, hitting a sliding Alex Caratelli for 13 yards and then Duane Mitchell for 16-yards. One play later, the series came to a scripted end and Connor Shennan came on for a 36-yard field. His attempt went just wide.After special teams work, Derik Abbott led the second team offense against the second team defense. It started off well, as he completed a pass to Justin Kempka and Caleb Stennis used two runs to pick up a first down. But after an incomplete pass and another Stennis run, Abbott's third down pass was batted down at the line by Ryan Lewis to end the drive.The final drive of the day featured four straight runs from Travis Gregg to start off the series. Abbott then found Caratelli for a 12-yard gain and a first down. The final play was a completed pass, but it was whistled dead because of a penalty, and once again the drive came to a scripted end.No one had more than four carries. All told, Robert Morris had 12 carries for 48 yards. Not a bad clip, but not great. Only one receiver had more than one catch. Alex Caratelli had two for 25 yards. D.J. Hayes, Donte Jeter, Andrew Smith, Duane Mitchell and Justin Kempka each had receptionsOf Jones' 12 plays, 6 were runs. He finished 5-for-6 for 77 yards. Of Abbott's 12 plays, 7 were runs, one was a penalty. He finished 2-for-4 for 17 yards. Finally, to borrow a column staple of Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King, Ten Things I Think I Think about Robert Morris heading into Week 1:
I think the decision to name Jones the quarterback was very much anticipated. I like that Joe Walton gave Abbott a long look, though. Abbott has something to him that's hard to explain. He refuses to believe he can't do something, and by extension he refuses to believe his team can't do something. I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting at some point as a Colonial. He has the "it factor". But that's down the road. Jones is deservedly the guy. The physical talent is obvious, and Walton said he's picked up the offense well. I don't think anyone knows Walton's playbook inside and out, except the coach himself. It's about making good decisions and making positive plays on a weekly basis. The rest can be addressed as needed. Jones can certainly do that, and his arm will give him the chance to make some plays that will raise some eyebrows.I think I was surprised when Walton told me after the scrimmage that he liked his running game. Four yards a pop isn't bad, especially when it's a mix, but I just haven't been wild about the run game all of August. There was an obvious pop to Evan Taylor's runs in camp last year. He stood out. The only doing that, to me, this year is Ryan Thermil and occasionally Kenny Davis. But I don't think the staff wants to subject Thermil to a ton of carries per game because of his physical style. And Davis has yet to prove he can take a pounding in camp, let alone week-in and week-out. That leaves Deontae Howard, who the staff trusts but just isn't a splash player. Maybe this is a year where they're okay with a run-game by committee and just lean on the passing game.I think it's not just Jones that has Robert Morris people excited about the passing game this year. The pass protection has now looked really good in two scrimmages. The quarterbacks have time against pretty decent coverage, and with the speed RMU has at receiver, that's a good thing. I'm really curious to see if that cohesion stands up over the course of the season against different opponents. Two reasons why it might be good? A more experienced Jon Hill at right tackle (he was really green during his last go-round at the position in 2011), and the improvement of center Nick Faraci in his second year as a starter. "Nick really came in last year and did well, and in camp he's worked on technique and gotten a lot better," A.J. Dalton said. I think Joe Walton would normally like having a dominant tight end, a la Shadrae King, but he really likes his depth. So much so that he doesn't mind having a committee approach this year. Walton said Andrew Smith and Tyler Digby have had real good camps, but he also likes what a healthy D.J. Pearson can do and what Justin Kempka has shown in his second camp. "Justin I think will be ready when these three guys aren't around anymore," Walton said. "I feel good about any of them playing." Walton indicated that the top three guys will definitely have roles. We'll see about Kempka this year.I think anyone that thinks the end of camp means other than that the season is about to start should listen to A.J. Dalton. The left tackle enters his final season as one of the leaders of the team, and he said wrapping up his last college training camp is only something he'll think about at the end of the season. "We still have 13-plus weeks in my mind, 11 games, playoffs, hopefully a championship," Dalton said. "I'd imagine when that's done, that's probably when I'll start feeling it."I think Sean Gavin and D.J. Hayes might be listed as the immediate back-ups on the depth chart at receiver when the official list comes out next week, but no one should be sleeping on freshman receiver Alex Caratelli. I'll let Dalton explain it best: "He's going up and Moss'ing people. He's doing really well," Dalton said. "He has great hands and a great work ethic. He's seen, not heard, and that's really good for a freshman."I think Dalton was about the 50th person in the last two weeks to tell me linebacker Mike Cook is poised for a huge season, and not just on the field. Dalton cited Cook as one the emerging leaders on the team. He could also be the leading tackler, much like he was last year when he had 88 tackles. The one area Cook might have more of a presence: In the backfield. He had just three tackles for a loss last year, but with some stability next to him in the form of a healthy Kyle Cooper, he might have more freedom to slice through and make some big stops.I think this is the deepest defense I've ever seen at Robert Morris, especially in the secondary and on the line. Robert Morris goes four deep across the board on the defensive line, and can go three deep in the secondary. Brian Jones and David Taylor would likely start at most places, but they're behind Marcelis Branch and Antwan Eddie. And Malik Johnson and Clay Ilkin aren't slouches at corner, either.I think Hunter Khaleghi is your kicker to start the season, but if he struggles with accuracy, Connor Shennan will be right behind him. Khaleghi didn't have a strong start to camp, but he's been very solid at the end and he made his only field goal attempt Thursday night.I think there's more optimism around this team than there has been the last two years, and this is a staff and group of players that's traditionally pretty positive. The last two years, though, it was, "We'll be young, but if some things go our way early, we can contend." Walton even told me two years ago, "I don't know how good we'll be this year, but we'll be damn good next year." Injuries and other circumstances might have delayed that projection a year or two, but this is a very optimistic and hungry bunch. We'll see if it comes to fruition.
Thank you all for reading during camp. I hope you don't go anywhere as we'll have in-depth coverage all season long.
Even though the scrimmage ended early because of a lightning storm, Robert Morris got a handful of drives in the books. They also did enough extra work to get a glimpse at some things like special teams. So we still have plenty to get to.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
QB - Paul Jones / Derik Abbott
RB - Deontae Howard / Kenny Davis
FB - Ryan Thermil / Corey Garry
TE - Andrew Smith / Tyler Digby
WR - Donte Jeter / D.J. Hayes
WR - Duane Mitchell / Sean Gavin
LT - A.J. Dalton / Jonah Tyus
LG - Max Robertson / Carlton Watson
C - Nick Faraci / Dylan Knight
RG - Vince Mongelluzzo / Blake Chambliss
RT - Jon Hill / Riley Feenan
DE - Forrest Mason / T.J. Matrascia
DT - Farren Mason / R.J. Cook
DE - Chris Thompkins / A.J. Holderman
OLB - Mike Stojkovic / Jake Skinner
MLB - Kyle Cooper / Luke Mueller
MLB - Mike Cook / Matthew Fox
OLB - Kimani Smith / Jake Tkach
CB - Marcelis Branch / David Taylor
S - D.J. Myers / Andy Smigiera
S - Sam Collins / Logan Kelleher
CB - Antwan Eddie / Brian Jones
General Scrimmage Notes:
QB Brian Johnson, WR Chad Dawgiello, OL Drew Garbenis, OL Anthony Lucian, OL Chris O'Connor, OL Mike Randolph, OL Josh Thiel, DE Ryan Budny, DT Max Onyenwe, LB Mark Centofanti, S Eric Lowry, all sat out the scrimmage.
OL Vince Mongelluzzo and TE D.J. Pearson both participated and looked healthy.
Of the absentees, I think Thiel and Lucian might have a shot to make it back in time for Week 1, but both O'Connor and Garbenis were observing, which they haven't done before because of concerns over concussions. Randolph, from my understanding, is fighting an eligibility issue.
There really wasn't any drama to the quarterback battle. Maybe the script had it playing out different if not for the lightning, but Jones took the first reps in 7-on-7 and other drills, and he was the only quarterback to work with the first team. Of course, only he and Abbott worked at all during the 11-on-11 drills, but even after a special teams break, Abbott went out with the second team offensive line.Once again, Alex Caratelli was the only receiver outside of the two-deep depth chart to get some action with the first team. Beyond his bump up, there were no other changes to the depth chart from the end of camp. But Robert Morris will release its official depth chart as part of the game notes, likely out on Tuesday, and there's always the chance for a surprise or two.As far as any injuries, wide receiver Luke Centofanti was the only one who appeared to go down. He tried to go up to get a Derik Abbott pass but instead of getting the ball he got a hit from Jimmy Masson right in the small of his back. Centofanti gingerly walked off the field after being tended to by trainers. The only other major revelation was seeing Andy Smigiera take most of the reps as the punt returner. Antwan Eddie took one rep - and looked quite good doing it, slipping and juking his way ahead for about 20 yards - and Smigiera took the rest, both as the scout team punt returner while RMU focused on punt coverage and as the normal return guy when RMU worked on returns.
Here's how the scrimmage went down:
Paul Jones led the first series, which pitted the first team offense against the first team defense. Jones went to work right away, hitting Donte Jeter to set up 3rd-and-short. On that play, Jones hit a wide open D.J. Hayes for a 30-yard gain to get Robert Morris in field goal range. After Ryan Thermil was stopped on third down a couple plays later, Hunter Khaleghi booted a 37-yard field goal to give the offense an early lead.Jones and the first team offense took over again, this time against a mix of first and second team players. After Jones kept it himself for 7 yards and then hit Andrew Smith for a 10-yard gain, linebacker Kimani Smith led a swarm of defenders to take down Deontae Howard in the backfield. But Jones got the first down again, hitting a sliding Alex Caratelli for 13 yards and then Duane Mitchell for 16-yards. One play later, the series came to a scripted end and Connor Shennan came on for a 36-yard field. His attempt went just wide.After special teams work, Derik Abbott led the second team offense against the second team defense. It started off well, as he completed a pass to Justin Kempka and Caleb Stennis used two runs to pick up a first down. But after an incomplete pass and another Stennis run, Abbott's third down pass was batted down at the line by Ryan Lewis to end the drive.The final drive of the day featured four straight runs from Travis Gregg to start off the series. Abbott then found Caratelli for a 12-yard gain and a first down. The final play was a completed pass, but it was whistled dead because of a penalty, and once again the drive came to a scripted end.No one had more than four carries. All told, Robert Morris had 12 carries for 48 yards. Not a bad clip, but not great. Only one receiver had more than one catch. Alex Caratelli had two for 25 yards. D.J. Hayes, Donte Jeter, Andrew Smith, Duane Mitchell and Justin Kempka each had receptionsOf Jones' 12 plays, 6 were runs. He finished 5-for-6 for 77 yards. Of Abbott's 12 plays, 7 were runs, one was a penalty. He finished 2-for-4 for 17 yards. Finally, to borrow a column staple of Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King, Ten Things I Think I Think about Robert Morris heading into Week 1:
I think the decision to name Jones the quarterback was very much anticipated. I like that Joe Walton gave Abbott a long look, though. Abbott has something to him that's hard to explain. He refuses to believe he can't do something, and by extension he refuses to believe his team can't do something. I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting at some point as a Colonial. He has the "it factor". But that's down the road. Jones is deservedly the guy. The physical talent is obvious, and Walton said he's picked up the offense well. I don't think anyone knows Walton's playbook inside and out, except the coach himself. It's about making good decisions and making positive plays on a weekly basis. The rest can be addressed as needed. Jones can certainly do that, and his arm will give him the chance to make some plays that will raise some eyebrows.I think I was surprised when Walton told me after the scrimmage that he liked his running game. Four yards a pop isn't bad, especially when it's a mix, but I just haven't been wild about the run game all of August. There was an obvious pop to Evan Taylor's runs in camp last year. He stood out. The only doing that, to me, this year is Ryan Thermil and occasionally Kenny Davis. But I don't think the staff wants to subject Thermil to a ton of carries per game because of his physical style. And Davis has yet to prove he can take a pounding in camp, let alone week-in and week-out. That leaves Deontae Howard, who the staff trusts but just isn't a splash player. Maybe this is a year where they're okay with a run-game by committee and just lean on the passing game.I think it's not just Jones that has Robert Morris people excited about the passing game this year. The pass protection has now looked really good in two scrimmages. The quarterbacks have time against pretty decent coverage, and with the speed RMU has at receiver, that's a good thing. I'm really curious to see if that cohesion stands up over the course of the season against different opponents. Two reasons why it might be good? A more experienced Jon Hill at right tackle (he was really green during his last go-round at the position in 2011), and the improvement of center Nick Faraci in his second year as a starter. "Nick really came in last year and did well, and in camp he's worked on technique and gotten a lot better," A.J. Dalton said. I think Joe Walton would normally like having a dominant tight end, a la Shadrae King, but he really likes his depth. So much so that he doesn't mind having a committee approach this year. Walton said Andrew Smith and Tyler Digby have had real good camps, but he also likes what a healthy D.J. Pearson can do and what Justin Kempka has shown in his second camp. "Justin I think will be ready when these three guys aren't around anymore," Walton said. "I feel good about any of them playing." Walton indicated that the top three guys will definitely have roles. We'll see about Kempka this year.I think anyone that thinks the end of camp means other than that the season is about to start should listen to A.J. Dalton. The left tackle enters his final season as one of the leaders of the team, and he said wrapping up his last college training camp is only something he'll think about at the end of the season. "We still have 13-plus weeks in my mind, 11 games, playoffs, hopefully a championship," Dalton said. "I'd imagine when that's done, that's probably when I'll start feeling it."I think Sean Gavin and D.J. Hayes might be listed as the immediate back-ups on the depth chart at receiver when the official list comes out next week, but no one should be sleeping on freshman receiver Alex Caratelli. I'll let Dalton explain it best: "He's going up and Moss'ing people. He's doing really well," Dalton said. "He has great hands and a great work ethic. He's seen, not heard, and that's really good for a freshman."I think Dalton was about the 50th person in the last two weeks to tell me linebacker Mike Cook is poised for a huge season, and not just on the field. Dalton cited Cook as one the emerging leaders on the team. He could also be the leading tackler, much like he was last year when he had 88 tackles. The one area Cook might have more of a presence: In the backfield. He had just three tackles for a loss last year, but with some stability next to him in the form of a healthy Kyle Cooper, he might have more freedom to slice through and make some big stops.I think this is the deepest defense I've ever seen at Robert Morris, especially in the secondary and on the line. Robert Morris goes four deep across the board on the defensive line, and can go three deep in the secondary. Brian Jones and David Taylor would likely start at most places, but they're behind Marcelis Branch and Antwan Eddie. And Malik Johnson and Clay Ilkin aren't slouches at corner, either.I think Hunter Khaleghi is your kicker to start the season, but if he struggles with accuracy, Connor Shennan will be right behind him. Khaleghi didn't have a strong start to camp, but he's been very solid at the end and he made his only field goal attempt Thursday night.I think there's more optimism around this team than there has been the last two years, and this is a staff and group of players that's traditionally pretty positive. The last two years, though, it was, "We'll be young, but if some things go our way early, we can contend." Walton even told me two years ago, "I don't know how good we'll be this year, but we'll be damn good next year." Injuries and other circumstances might have delayed that projection a year or two, but this is a very optimistic and hungry bunch. We'll see if it comes to fruition.
Thank you all for reading during camp. I hope you don't go anywhere as we'll have in-depth coverage all season long.
