So there’s a lot of stuff floating around about the the scrimmage on Saturday, as we hunger for some football news ‘n stuff. We weren’t able to get anyone out to see it ourselves, but there are some good write-ups around the net and oh yeah, some decent video too. Check it out:
Highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U1HYLrAyTA&w=450&h=283]
Jeff Tuel speaks:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVMZBnnv8dA&w=450&h=285]
Rickey Galvin:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIBdXXcvwiU&w=450&h=283]
Coach Wulff:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPpcf7SKpnY&w=450&h=283]
And here’s a bunch of stories to check out:
Grippi: Galvin shines in WSU’s scrimmage – It might just be April, but you can start to see that the running game we see this fall will be a three-headed attack with Mitz, Galvin and Winston.
Grippi’s follow-up: They came out of the scrimmage healthy too, among some additional thoughts from Saturday.
Cougfan: Full recap of Saturday, highlighted by the impressive play of Galvin.
So, what can we really glean from a scrimmage in the spring? It’s hard to really say. The running game sounds good, and the QB’s played pretty well overall. But is that because of a big step forward improvement-wise, or because the defense isn’t up to snuff right now? Who really knows for sure. That’s the nature of scrimmages after all, as I guess you really don’t want one side of the ball to be THAT much better than the other at this point in time!
One thing you can see that is a continuation from last year though, just in a couple of minutes of highlights from Saturday’s scrimmage? Get used to that shotgun offense and quick hitting passes, because it sure looks like it’s here to stay, doesn’t it? I know in the past Wulff has said repeatedly that we aren’t truly a “spread” offense, but more of a multiple offense capable of doing a lot of different things. In the first couple of years, we saw some shotgun, but we definitely saw more tight ends on the field and QB’s taking the snap from directly under center. But over most of 2010 and still into spring this year, we see more shotgun than we ever have since Wulff has been here.
And you know what? That’s great if you ask me. The spread look, or at least several variations that are in existence right now, are successful in college football. You spread the field and get the ball to your playmakers, good things can happen. And you sit back in the shotgun with everyone spread out, and you give your QB a better chance to read the defense and make those quick decisions prior to the snap. After all, with so many wide receivers to account for on both sides of the ball, it makes it more difficult for the defense to disguise what it is that they want to do. Contrast that to a more traditional, NFL-style attack where you have a couple of backs and a tight end on the field, and the defense can “bunch” itself closer to the line of scrimmage and hide their intentions a little bit easier.
And some might slam the spread and say that it isn’t a great thing for producing NFL QB’s, well, that’s not entirely true. Look at Sam Bradford last year, or the hype around Blaine Gabbert of Mizzou this year. Both guys lived in the spread offense and took the vast majority of their collegiate snaps out of the shotgun. If you’ve got the arm, the body and the mind, you can play in a spread in college and still make it big at the next level!
All for now. GO COUGS!
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