It may have been the last day of training camp, and many minds were probably already shifting to Thursday's scrimmage. Not Joe Walton, and he made sure his offense heard about it. With focus and execution a little bit of an issue during a passing drill, Walton got on his players quickly. First it was the receivers, who weren't running routes as crisp as he wanted them to be. So a very vocal Walton coached them through the route turn by turn. He stayed that way throughout the rest of the drill, even turning his admonishment back to the quarterbacks once the receivers were straightened out. After all, it doesn't matter what route a receiver runs if the quarterback doesn't give him something to work with.
It was classic Walton, and it served as a reminder that Walton's not taking a victory lap in his final season. He's not just playing out the string. He wants to win. He always has, and it's why he's especially proud of the six NEC titles. He wants a seventh, and he wants players who want the same thing. If they don't, he and the staff will find those who do.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
QB - Marcus Prather / Luke Brumbaugh / Joe Carroll
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 - 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 or Phil Peckich / Logan Kelleher
CB - Antwan Eddie / Brian Jones
Wednesday Practice Notes:
QB Brian Johnson, WR Chad Dawgiello, WR Chaq Nettles, OL Vince Mongelluzzo, 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, TE D.J Pearson all missed the afternoon practice
WR Chaq Nettles and OL Riley Feenan each returned to practice. It was Feenan's first practice in almost two weeks.No, there wasn't a coup at quarterback. But if you needed any indication that the decision comes down to Paul Jones or Derik Abbott, Wednesday's final practice was a pretty clear indicator. Jones and Abbott were dressed, but they were basically around for moral support and mental reps. I wouldn't be surprised to see both take the majority of the reps tomorrow, with Prather possibly getting the rest.Maybe, just maybe Robert Morris will have two offensive lines to rotate during Thursday's scrimmage with Riley Feenan back. Vince Mongelluzzo was out today, but if he's good to go tomorrow, RMU would have finally 10 healthy linemen dressed. Maybe it's possible one of the other guys participates, but I'm not counting on it.Robert Morris went only half speed or so during most of the drills Wednesday afternoon, so a lot of it was more of a walkthrough situation. Thus, there aren't many actual practice notes. But one thing we're keeping an eye on is who gets placed in certain special teams situations. After all, that's one way to see who is going to contribute. Robert Morris practiced kickoff coverage on Wednesday afternoon, and along with the usual reserves (Clay Ilkin, Malik Johnson, Matthew Fox) and starters (D.J. Myers, Mike Stojkovic), there was another interesting name on the first unit: T.J. Waters. The linebacker was the only true freshman on the first team, but Nic Lamica and Jimmy Masson took reps on the second team. All three could end up contributing in various special teams roles.Finally, with the scrimmage looming tomorrow, here are some things that we will be keeping an eye on:
The easy one: Who is the quarterback? Unless it's obvious, hopefully Walton will reveal after the scrimmage and not say that he wants to review tape. I think he'll reveal it...he sounded like he was pretty close to a decision after Saturday's scrimmage.Who emerges as the third running back? I wouldn't be surprised to see RMU take six backs, and they seem set at fullback with Ryan Thermil, Corey Garry and Marty Thomas. Deontae Howard and Kenny Davis are locks as the top two tailbacks, and everything seems to be leaning towards Caleb Stennis as the third back. But the freshman tends to freelance at times, so will they go with him or go elsewhere?Who will be the kicker? Robert Morris didn't do placekicking drills this afternoon, so Thursday's session might be the last chance to impress. It's a hard choice. I think Connor Shennan might have been ahead at one point because of his leg strength, but Hunter Khaleghi has looked good lately and has decent power himself. Accuracy is the primary concern, so we'll see what they do tomorrow.Which young guys step up? I think the depth chart is close to being set, and now it's about rhythm and making the travel squad. The staff will be looking at how the different units work together, but they'll also be very conscious of who impresses under the lights. Some of those guys won't be starters, but some of the back-ups could win roles on the travel team tomorrow night.Will Robert Morris go full 11-on-11? If so, how does the pass rush look? Robert Morris didn't establish much of one on Saturday, but sometimes that takes rhythm and RMU ran more 7-on-7 plays than it did 11-on-11. From my perspective, I think the run defense should be strong, but I'm curious to see who emerges as a consistent threat to get to the quarterback.Can anyone establish a running game? Or will the team struggle to find a consistent threat, much like it did during a dismal 2-9 season in 2011? If the offense finds any sort of balance, it could be interesting to watch. But without that balance, a lot of pressure will be put on the passing game and the line to keep the QB clean.
Stay healthy.
Robert Morris is hopeful some of the bodies who have been out lately will be back, and some of the ones out on Wednesday were precautionary. But they can't lose anyone else with a week to go before Eastern Kentucky.
That's all for today. Tomorrow is the last day of practice before we hit Thursday's final scrimmage.
It was classic Walton, and it served as a reminder that Walton's not taking a victory lap in his final season. He's not just playing out the string. He wants to win. He always has, and it's why he's especially proud of the six NEC titles. He wants a seventh, and he wants players who want the same thing. If they don't, he and the staff will find those who do.
TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART
QB - Marcus Prather / Luke Brumbaugh / Joe Carroll
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 - 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 or Phil Peckich / Logan Kelleher
CB - Antwan Eddie / Brian Jones
Wednesday Practice Notes:
QB Brian Johnson, WR Chad Dawgiello, WR Chaq Nettles, OL Vince Mongelluzzo, 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, TE D.J Pearson all missed the afternoon practice
WR Chaq Nettles and OL Riley Feenan each returned to practice. It was Feenan's first practice in almost two weeks.No, there wasn't a coup at quarterback. But if you needed any indication that the decision comes down to Paul Jones or Derik Abbott, Wednesday's final practice was a pretty clear indicator. Jones and Abbott were dressed, but they were basically around for moral support and mental reps. I wouldn't be surprised to see both take the majority of the reps tomorrow, with Prather possibly getting the rest.Maybe, just maybe Robert Morris will have two offensive lines to rotate during Thursday's scrimmage with Riley Feenan back. Vince Mongelluzzo was out today, but if he's good to go tomorrow, RMU would have finally 10 healthy linemen dressed. Maybe it's possible one of the other guys participates, but I'm not counting on it.Robert Morris went only half speed or so during most of the drills Wednesday afternoon, so a lot of it was more of a walkthrough situation. Thus, there aren't many actual practice notes. But one thing we're keeping an eye on is who gets placed in certain special teams situations. After all, that's one way to see who is going to contribute. Robert Morris practiced kickoff coverage on Wednesday afternoon, and along with the usual reserves (Clay Ilkin, Malik Johnson, Matthew Fox) and starters (D.J. Myers, Mike Stojkovic), there was another interesting name on the first unit: T.J. Waters. The linebacker was the only true freshman on the first team, but Nic Lamica and Jimmy Masson took reps on the second team. All three could end up contributing in various special teams roles.Finally, with the scrimmage looming tomorrow, here are some things that we will be keeping an eye on:
The easy one: Who is the quarterback? Unless it's obvious, hopefully Walton will reveal after the scrimmage and not say that he wants to review tape. I think he'll reveal it...he sounded like he was pretty close to a decision after Saturday's scrimmage.Who emerges as the third running back? I wouldn't be surprised to see RMU take six backs, and they seem set at fullback with Ryan Thermil, Corey Garry and Marty Thomas. Deontae Howard and Kenny Davis are locks as the top two tailbacks, and everything seems to be leaning towards Caleb Stennis as the third back. But the freshman tends to freelance at times, so will they go with him or go elsewhere?Who will be the kicker? Robert Morris didn't do placekicking drills this afternoon, so Thursday's session might be the last chance to impress. It's a hard choice. I think Connor Shennan might have been ahead at one point because of his leg strength, but Hunter Khaleghi has looked good lately and has decent power himself. Accuracy is the primary concern, so we'll see what they do tomorrow.Which young guys step up? I think the depth chart is close to being set, and now it's about rhythm and making the travel squad. The staff will be looking at how the different units work together, but they'll also be very conscious of who impresses under the lights. Some of those guys won't be starters, but some of the back-ups could win roles on the travel team tomorrow night.Will Robert Morris go full 11-on-11? If so, how does the pass rush look? Robert Morris didn't establish much of one on Saturday, but sometimes that takes rhythm and RMU ran more 7-on-7 plays than it did 11-on-11. From my perspective, I think the run defense should be strong, but I'm curious to see who emerges as a consistent threat to get to the quarterback.Can anyone establish a running game? Or will the team struggle to find a consistent threat, much like it did during a dismal 2-9 season in 2011? If the offense finds any sort of balance, it could be interesting to watch. But without that balance, a lot of pressure will be put on the passing game and the line to keep the QB clean.
Stay healthy.
Robert Morris is hopeful some of the bodies who have been out lately will be back, and some of the ones out on Wednesday were precautionary. But they can't lose anyone else with a week to go before Eastern Kentucky.
That's all for today. Tomorrow is the last day of practice before we hit Thursday's final scrimmage.
