Final Football Scrimmage Notes

[Original_RMC]

I was able to swing by campus and check out the final scrimmage before Dayton.
Please note that I could be wrong with some numbers but this is what I was able to take in:

1st Team Offense to start the scrimmage:
LT - #61 Trevor Hicks
LG - #59 John Sheldon
C - #50 Eric McAllister
RG - #74 Dylan Young
RT - #77 Matt Fennell
TE - #88 Steve Petrick

WRs:
#4 Warren Robinson
#12 Tim Vecchio
#86 Tavin Allison

RB - #1 Terence Stephens

QB - #5 Jimmy Walker
------------------------------------------------------------
1st Team Defense to start the scrimmage:
DE - #46 Ben Walter?? (could be a number switch but tough to tell. I'm banking on this being wrong on my part. Maybe it was #56 Brayden Thimons?)
DL - #98 Izon Pulley
DL - #99 Amir Fenwick
DE - #55 Frank Antuono

LB - #28 Tyler Lamica
LB - #33 Adam Wollet
LB - #32 TJ Neal

CB - #24 Tevaul Brown
CB - #25 Heavon Price

S - #13 Myles Canton
S - #19 Barry Amos

Some Notes throughout the scrimmage

• Quick warmup for the team with some brief individual work then right into the scrimmage.
  
• Each QB (Walker, Lewis and Martin) got time with the 1st team.
  
• The 2nd time they yelled for the 1s on offense, #72 Conner Mundy went in at LG, #23 Kendall Rodgers Jr at RB and #9 Caleb Lewis at QB.
  
• I think the staff is running a 4-3 defense but had Neal all over the field, almost like a 4-2-5 Nickel look.
  
• Offense is 95% shotgun, 1 RB, 3 WRs with some packages with 2 TEs.
  
• Defense did a lot of blitzing and stunts which did damage to the offense today.
  
• Offense was very slow to start. I'm sure the staff had a larger playbook for today and some heads were swimming out there.
  
• Delano Madison was dress but didn't play, probably holding him out till Dayton.
  
• When #23 Rodgers got the ball, he makes plays. I would expect to see a one-two punch with Stephens and Rodgers.
• #22 Jonathan Wanat got some carries and is a bull to bring down. Could be a late game RB to really hammer a game home and short yardage.
  
• #29 Darrell Mason made some plays out there today and turned my head to look him up. He is fast and physical. He will for sure make the travel squad and play special teams.
  
• My biggest question is what are the coaches going to do with Barr? He was wearing a red QB jersey. Played special teams and even went in at WR towards the end of the scrimmage. Barr stayed after the scrimmage and worked on more WR drills. He is a big body out there. I would make the switch now to WR for him. Work him, get him ready because he will be a weapon especially in the red zone with his height.
  
• The OL has good size but need to work on being more consistent and finishing their blocks. One or two little mistakes and the offense went no where. If they can iron things out by Dayton then they will have a chance. I think Sheldon and Mundy will continue to battle it out for LG prior to Dayton.

QB Talk:
I think Walker will be named your Week 1 starter. When given time, he can pick apart the defense. Lewis is a very athletic lefty and made some plays with his legs. But if things go slow this season, you might (and again I don't know this staff) see them tap Martin to get reps and finish out the season. I think Barr will be listed as an emergency QB but will get more time with special teams and at WR.

 

[ColonialInsider]

Thanks for your report. This is the most info we've had all camp, so this is awesome.

No Chris Stanford on the line? Interesting. As for #46, Thimons would make more sense at defensive end than Walter. Thimons was pretty big for a linebacker. The other possibility would be Matt Holmes, who was a good defensive lineman for West Allegheny.

A 4-2-5 probably makes sense these days. You can also throw in a bigger guy in certain situations. But with the lack of depth up front and with how diverse offenses are, an extra DB probably gives you more flexibility.

 

[LetsGoRomo2]

Great info, interesting point regarding Stanford.

Also, per roster and the breakdown on the other thread, lots of WRs.

Hope Martin gets reps at some point. But as mentioned, and we have talked about, qb needs some time to cut loose.

 

[ColonialInsider]

Something I just thought of - Players can now play up to four games and still get a redshirt. With so few seniors and a new coaching staff, I bet a lot of guys get some snaps to see what they can do.

 

[ColonialInsider]

So I checked out the team's social media to see if they have anything from the scrimmage. And I noticed on Instagram that they have photos of each position.

Since the roster's out, I was able to see a few players definitely switched positions. I didn't catch everyone, some of the numbers are hard to see, but I noticed some significant ones.

First, Chris Stanford was in the defensive line photo, so maybe he's just not with the 1s or didn't participate today. Also, Matt Barr took a photo with the QBs, so I think Original_RMC is right. He's an emergency QB and will get time elsewhere unless he's needed under center. I bet he graduates after this year and just wants to play.

Some other things I noticed:
- Andrew Romanchak is now at linebacker. He's played QB and WR, but he was good on defense in high school.
- Jon Muehlbauer moved to wide receiver. He was a safety last year. He played both in high school at Thomas Jefferson. He's got good size for a receiver
- As Original_RMC spotted, TJ Neal is now at linebacker. I could see Neal, Romanchak, and Darrell Mason all as that more versatile linebacker/defensive back hybrid.
- Matt Holmes and Ben Walter have moved to defensive line after playing on offense last year. Holmes is #42, Walter is #46.
- Brayden Thimons has also moved to the defensive line after playing linebacker last year. He's #56
- Aidan Howard, the Gateway kid who transferred from Virginia after a hazing incident and then had some injury issues, is now at tight end. Maybe he'll finally be able to get on the field, which would be a great story.

 

[LetsGoRomo2]

Thanks for all the insight!

 

[GoRMU]

I believe Romanchak started his career at RMU as a DB, and was moved to QB in the year that we lost three or four QBs to injury. He seems to have the size for LB, and we need depth at that position so that seems to be a good move.

The defense could be very good again, but we need the experienced guys on the DL and LB to stay healthy.

I have more optimism for the offense than I have had in years.

Along with the "new culture", I think this coaching staff brings enthusiasm and excitement for us fans also.

Go Colonials!

 

[LetsGoRomo2]

Hopefully the O can get it going, seems to be think at RB but deep at TE and WR.

Hopefully Stephens is the real deal at RB.

Running shotgun makes a lot of sense, and Jimmy can get the ball out pretty quick.

6 wins is probably a high bar, but that is what I am hoping for.

Agreed with the excitement going into the year.

 

[jnbxu]

I was able to swing by campus and check out the final scrimmage before Dayton.
Please note that I could be wrong with some numbers but this is what I was able to take in:

1st Team Offense to start the scrimmage:
LT - #61 Trevor Hicks
LG - #59 John Sheldon
C - #50 Eric McAllister
RG - #74 Dylan Young
RT - #77 Matt Fennell
TE - #88 Steve Petrick

WRs:
#4 Warren Robinson
#12 Tim Vecchio
#86 Tavin Allison

RB - #1 Terence Stephens

QB - #5 Jimmy Walker
------------------------------------------------------------
1st Team Defense to start the scrimmage:
DE - #46 Ben Walter?? (could be a number switch but tough to tell. I'm banking on this being wrong on my part. Maybe it was #56 Brayden Thimons?)
DL - #98 Izon Pulley
DL - #99 Amir Fenwick
DE - #55 Frank Antuono

LB - #28 Tyler Lamica
LB - #33 Adam Wollet
LB - #32 TJ Neal

CB - #24 Tevaul Brown
CB - #25 Heavon Price

S - #13 Myles Canton
S - #19 Barry Amos

Some Notes throughout the scrimmage

• Quick warmup for the team with some brief individual work then right into the scrimmage.
  
• Each QB (Walker, Lewis and Martin) got time with the 1st team.
  
• The 2nd time they yelled for the 1s on offense, #72 Conner Mundy went in at LG, #23 Kendall Rodgers Jr at RB and #9 Caleb Lewis at QB.
  
• I think the staff is running a 4-3 defense but had Neal all over the field, almost like a 4-2-5 Nickel look.
  
• Offense is 95% shotgun, 1 RB, 3 WRs with some packages with 2 TEs.
  
• Defense did a lot of blitzing and stunts which did damage to the offense today.
  
• Offense was very slow to start. I'm sure the staff had a larger playbook for today and some heads were swimming out there.
  
• Delano Madison was dress but didn't play, probably holding him out till Dayton.
  
• When #23 Rodgers got the ball, he makes plays. I would expect to see a one-two punch with Stephens and Rodgers.
• #22 Jonathan Wanat got some carries and is a bull to bring down. Could be a late game RB to really hammer a game home and short yardage.
  
• #29 Darrell Mason made some plays out there today and turned my head to look him up. He is fast and physical. He will for sure make the travel squad and play special teams.
  
• My biggest question is what are the coaches going to do with Barr? He was wearing a red QB jersey. Played special teams and even went in at WR towards the end of the scrimmage. Barr stayed after the scrimmage and worked on more WR drills. He is a big body out there. I would make the switch now to WR for him. Work him, get him ready because he will be a weapon especially in the red zone with his height.
  
• The OL has good size but need to work on being more consistent and finishing their blocks. One or two little mistakes and the offense went no where. If they can iron things out by Dayton then they will have a chance. I think Sheldon and Mundy will continue to battle it out for LG prior to Dayton.

QB Talk:
I think Walker will be named your Week 1 starter. When given time, he can pick apart the defense. Lewis is a very athletic lefty and made some plays with his legs. But if things go slow this season, you might (and again I don't know this staff) see them tap Martin to get reps and finish out the season. I think Barr will be listed as an emergency QB but will get more time with special teams and at WR.

Great Report! Thanks.