Saturday Scrimmage: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The following assessments come from several reports and my own impressions of the Saturday scrimmage, but I alone take responsibility for the analysis below:


The Good

1. As many fans have already written on social media, QB Brett Nottingham's passing abilities seem better than ever after Saturday.

But let me get specific.

Most importantly, he's very comfortable and effective in quick-strike passing plays especially out of the shotgun.

In the Red Zone, Nottingham looked even better. (more on Nottingham later).

2. Connor Nelligan is still the best receiver and he looked good. There was a scary moment when he was hurt in the scrimmage, but it turns out he did not suffer another concussion which could have shelved him for good.

3. Isaiah Gross is indeed back on the team and the roster, although he is wearing a different number, (80). It might take awhile before he's really ready to seriously contribute, but the sooner the better.

4. Travis Reim is a serious HITTER and moving him to safety makes even more sense after what he showed on the field Saturday. This is a player who really deserves to play on a winning team at least one season of his college career.

5. The best looking RB right is freshman Chris Schroer. All the other runners looked like they reacted to situations rather than making things happen on their own. I can only hope the coaches noticed, because it looks like they need to adjust the depth chart. If Schroer really is the best rusher we have, he needs to get into the mix right now. Unlike O-line positions, good RB's are usually good to go as freshmen and shouldn't wait.

6. Freshman kicker Noah Zgrablich has a very strong leg and good/should push for the starting job.


The Bad

1. Nottingham is just not mobile at all. Not only can't he scramble very well, but his ability to throw on the run is non-existent. On many other teams, this wouldn't be a serious concern, but with the Lions O-line it's a big problem. As I said above, Nottingham is looking great on quick-hitters and slants. The question is: what will CU do when the defenses adjust to those plays? What else we got?

2. RB's Cameron Molina and Augie Braddock just don't look like they'll be able to carry the load this season. And with a pocket passer like Nottingham to protect, that's not an acceptable outcome. The running game and the personnel need to be tweaked and tweaked fast. There are just 12 days until kickoff.

3. Most of last season, I sat stunned as our linebackers routinely lined up way too far away from the line of scrimmage. Well, that was the case most of Saturday too. I don't get it, because any decent offense good make a good living on the steady gains you can make going up against a defensive alignment like that. Someone stop the madness.

4. I know some observers thought the D-line, infused with some good young talent, looked good overall. But I don't think so. Something needs to be done to make sure Niko Padilla isn't double and triple-teamed all season and neutralized.

5. Overall, the DB's look way too small. I realize size doesn't matter as much, but the lack of height and muscle on most of our secondary really, really stands out to the naked eye.


The Ugly

1. The offensive line just isn't there yet by a big stretch. The technique on pass protection is still not good and it stands out badly.

Simply putting one's hands up and not driving people is no way to play on the O-line, and yet we keep seeing it over and over. Nottingham's blind side is not secure.

There's a reason the offensive play package is so peppered with quick short pass plays. But again, defenses can and will adjust to that and that's a big concern. I wish I could feel more confident about Nottingham's safety this fall.

2. Here's a hint to the coaches: screaming all the time reduces the effectiveness of screaming.  

A good number of the assistants really laced into the players constantly Saturday. Believe me, I'm not in favor of taking it easy on players who aren't performing right in practice or on gameday. BUT the screaming has to stop for at least a few seconds so the teaching can begin. If all a coach does is scream, after a while the players will tune everything out and not even focus on the priorities.

3. Size matters. We still look so small overall. It just feels like we're still sending out a team that's not fully equipped to compete.