For yet another practice, the defense played as a collective unit and rattled the offense throughout the night. From the team tempo segment to situational 11-on-11 drills, they made plays left and right that kept the offense out of the endzone for a large majority of practice.
“The defense just kicked their butt tonight,” Dillingham said. “It was 10-7 in favor of the offense in the entire scrimmage with one pick-six and one field goal for the offense. The touchdown was a short field where we should have scored, but the defense just absolutely dominated tonight. We continue to do a good job under pressure, and that’s one of our strengths. What I didn’t like was the penalties. We haven’t had penalties all camp, and we had too many penalties on offense tonight.”
Tonight was the second practice where the team attempted to substitute offensive and defensive players throughout the scrimmage to familiarize players with those segments. While it went smoothly at some points, the offense struggled with this, and it was one of the main reasons for the large number of penalties.
“Our substitution patterns weren’t fast enough today,” Dillingham noted. “The defense did a good job subbing today, which caused the offense to have two delays of games in 40 plays. It was a good learning experience for us, and we got to get the call in faster, sub in quicker, and if we’re getting subbed out we need to get off the field faster and have a sense of urgency about ourselves.”
With the regular season quickly approaching, the quarterback battle is nearing a resolve with each practice. Last Saturday’s scrimmage up at Camp Tontozona provided an up-close look at the gap between the first and second string, and this upcoming Saturday’s scrimmage should provide even more clarity. The fall semester, starting next Thursday, August 22nd, also plays a factor in the amount of time the coaches have to evaluate the signal callers before starting game prep for the season opener.
“I think after Saturday’s scrimmage, we’ll be in a really good spot for what the plan is,” Dillingham explained. “After Saturday’s scrimmage, we have three more practices until school starts, and we have Wyoming prep. So, after Saturday, hopefully, there’s some clarity, and if not, hopefully before Wyoming prep.”
The lone offensive touchdown of tonight’s practice was senior Malik McLain, who caught a ball placed on his back shoulder near the sideline. The Penn State wide receiver’s red zone presence is felt with his 6 '4 frame as he has been bouncing between the first and second teams. His experience has aided him in his footwork and leadership.
“He’s done a nice job in fall camp,” Dillingham noted. “He’s a guy I’ve coached since he was a freshman (at Florida State), and he makes plays. He’s big, long, fast, physical, and he knows the playbook from not being here in the spring to showing up here. That’s a testament to him and how he puts in the work.”
The running back room showcased its depth as they do every practice, and every player in the depth chart received their fair share of reps. Each ball carrier received carries and receptions, something that will come in handy when the coaches are drawing up formations. A dynamic room also allows them to play matchups based on the team they’re facing, a luxury that was hard to come by last year.
“I think our running back room is good,” Dillingham expressed. “I think we have a good room as a whole, and I think those guys are proving that they can play football for a lot of teams. We’re deep, and that’s a benefit to us.”
The narrative of fall camp up to this point has been the depth at every position, and the newcomers are a large part of that. Not only does that lift a weight off the returning players, but many of those additions have already proved through fall camp that they are more than likely to play key roles at various position rooms.
“I feel good about the athleticism of the newcomers,” Dillingham remarked. “I think we have a good class. (freshman cornerback) Plas Johnson is a guy who hasn’t been here very long, but he flashes his athleticism. He’s got length, quickness, toughness, and he’s always learning. (freshman wide receiver) Zechariah Sample is another twitchy guy, and I think he was a good get for us. The list goes on, but those two guys have the chance to be speedy guys for us, and you need that on a team.”
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