Without having graded the film, I was pretty pleased after the scrimmage. I’m excited to watch the film because a lot of our guys got 20 plus reps and now we have an opportunity to evaluate them in real situations.

Casey Mathews and Spencer Paysinger didn’t play as much today because I already know what they can do, I wanted to see if Kiko Alonso, Dewitt Stuckey, Bryson Littlejohn, Brandon Hanna, Blake Thompson, and Jennings Stewart are going to be the type of players we need to win games. Overall, we lacked some of the polish I’d like to see, but we’re on schedule to be where we need to be going into the fall.

This spring, Casey and Spence are light years ahead of where they were a year ago. Spencer’s knowledge and understanding of the defense are allowing him to become a complete player and not rely on his athleticism as much as he did last year. Casey has also improved his knowledge and his playing speed, so I’m excited thinking about those two going into the rest of the spring and next fall.

The other guys at inside backer are pushing hard, and I want to see them all find a way to contribute. We constantly talk about the opportunity to dominate all three phases of the game. At the college level, very few guys get to play offense, defense and special teams. Our goal is to have an entire punt team of linebackers, and we compete and push each other for those starting positions. It’s a point of pride among our guys, and they’ve shown it so far this spring.

For now, I’m going to finish grading this film, then I’m heading home. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m heading out to my deck, I’m gonna crank the tunes, and relax in the sun for a little while. Tomorrow, it’s a Pellum BBQ, so if you smell something delicious in the air… You know where it’s comin from!

Go Ducks!
Don Pellum