After a long week of practicing, interviewing and tailgating, the actual game came upon us. I predicted a North win, as they had a much better defense throughout the week of practices, with the South’s QBs proving ineffective. So with a whole lotta southern sunshine and down south cooking, two planes flew over Ladd-Peebles Stadium and we finally had kickoff.

GAMEDAY SCRATCHES

Stephean Paea, DL, Oregon State – Knee injury Edmund Gates, WR, Abilene Christian – Hamstring injury Gabe Carimi, OL, Wisconsin – Ankle injury Ahmad Black, DB, Florida – Illness Quinton Carter, DB, Oklahoma – Undisclosed injury

BIGGEST WINNERS

*Leonard Hankerson showed his versatility everywhere; offensive MVP with 5 catches for 100 yards and 1 TD and also covered punts and kickoffs. *Von Miller may be the best pure athlete here and should not stay long on the board. *Danny Watkins was very effective and looked Keep Reading…

College football’s Friday practices are entirely “walked-through”, in shorts and tees. As there was nothing to do but sit in this ‘Bama sun, here’s my list of Surprises and Disappointments from both teams.

Surprises

Honorable Mention

Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Hankerson made a believer out of all by week’s end. His reliable hands and precise routes made him a favorite target of the QBs. And just when you thought that all he could do was go deep, he impressively beat double teams and found open spaces in zone today. Add in great focus and you have a real winner.

5.Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M What an athlete. A perfect mix of speed and strength; very effective pass rushing moves too. Excellent, quick feet gave linemen a lot of trouble on the line. Looked very good in space as well. Very active Keep Reading…

Today’s practices were in helmets and shorts, so not a lot of work being done; so minimal scouting was done, as well.

NORTH

QB Ricky Stanzi continues to underimpress. His ball is still floating on the intermediate routes, causing his receivers to wait for it.

QB Colin Kaepernick is still having accuracy issues in the 2 minute offense drill. Big wind up had DBs breaking on him quickly and making plays.

FB Owen Marecic is able to use his quick feet to get into 5 and 6 holes on dives…very impressive.

RBs – Da’Rel Scott doesn’t look too comfortable in pass routes and catching the ball. May be his stiff footwork being highlighted in another area. Needs to be more aggressive on the draw.

Roy Helu Jr. had an awesome day. He showcased what you need to in helmets and shorts – Keep Reading…

NORTH

Outstanding Performances

WRs – It was the Titus Young show. Excellent practice; showcased his sharp cuts and acceleration out of them as well as his precise patterns. He never dropped a ball and was badly beating DBs on short, medium and deep routes all practice

Austin Pettis performed very well. He ran great routes and really utilized his quick feet and moves.

Dwayne Harris’ athleticism had him catching balls behind him or way above him, in and out of traffic. Great toolbox, here.

RBs – Roy Helu Jr. had the best Comeback Practice. He was surprisingly tough in blocking and blitz pick-up drills and displayed how fluid and smooth a runner he is. Also showed a great nose for holes and green.

Kendall Hunter put in an excellent effort at the pass blocking and blitz pick-up drills, as well as showcasing his great Keep Reading…

NORTH

DE Cameron Jordan was absolutely dominating. His hand speed and quickness was way too much for the linemen he came up against. In close he’s unstoppable; out in space, he has issues. Still not totally sold on him. I look forward to seeing him progress through the week.

TE Big Mike McNeil was a star today – great speed, toughness and hands.

Lawrence Wilson looked very stiff in the hips and awkward when he had to open up.

OL Nate Solder put on a clinic this morning. He showed good speed and technique as he pulled and blocked on sweeps and tosses. Very strong and mean in 1-on-1s.

Not so positive, was how LB Greg Jones looked in space; pretty lost.

WR Vincent Brown put on a performance that will have him flying up draft boards. Great hands, crisp Keep Reading…