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Day 5: Commodores Move Into Full Pads Sunday 8/10/2003
Day 5: Commodores Move Into Full Pads Sunday 8-10-03 On campus in Nashville, Tenn. – The Commodores got their first taste of live contact Sunday morning with a brief, yet spirited situational scrimmage. The 11-on-11 scrimmage featured an array of superb individual plays by the Commodore defensive unit and a 13-play touchdown drive that closed the session. Afterward, Head Coach Bobby Johnson cared little about which unit won or lost. He was talking about the team’s overall effort and pace. “Don’t make too much of whether the offense or defense played better. It was just the first day. What was important was that our guys had a chance to really get after it,” Johnson said. “I liked what I saw when we put them in live action. I thought they played hard and got after it pretty good. As a team, we were pretty aggressive. For the first day in full pads, I was pretty pleased,” Johnson added. The 32-play scrimmage came near the end of the 2-hour 45-minute practice. It was held under ideal weather conditions at John Rich Practice Facility, also the site of the athletic department’s Dore Jam II fan celebration. Johnson, his staff and the entire squad joined athletes and coaches from other Commodore programs and several thousand Vanderbilt followers at the Fan Day event. The Commodores start two-a-days Monday, with practices scheduled at 9:00 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. Several defensive linemen came up with outstanding individual plays that ended drives early in practice. Sophomore DE Chris Booker (Brandon, Miss.) opened the full contact session with a 9-yard tackle for loss. A pair of sophomores, DE Jovan Haye (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and DT Trey Holloway (Edmond, Okla.) also added quarterback sacks early in the session. The offense gained momentum behind the play of sophomore QB Jay Cutler (Santa Claus, Ind.), who threw to junior TB Norval McKenzie (Powder Springs, Ga.) for eight yards and earned 27 yards on three keepers. The drive ended after the second sack by Haye. Senior QB Benji Walker (Brentwood, Tenn.) directed a 13-play, 70-yard scoring drive to conclude the scrimmage. The longest gains were a 17-yard reception by junior TE Curtis Brancheau (Greenville, Texas) and a 12-yard carry by redshirt freshman TB Ron Bullock (New Orleans, La.). Walker capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to freshman WR George Smith (Hollywood, Fla.). Earlier in the practice, the Commodore kicking and punting corps had their most impressive session of the preseason. The team’s three punting prospects and four kicking candidates all were effective during special team drills. Upcoming Practice Schedule |
Day 5: Commodores Move Into Full Pads Sunday
