Not too much you can take from that opponent, but there were no real injuries and we scored 70. Wanted to focus on some small individual things that jumped out:
- Waynmon Steed made a huge play on the opening drive. The QB scrambled and the HBack made an adjustment upfield into the end zone. Steed stuck with him the whole way and broke it up at the catch point. A TD there would have taken the air out of the stadium and changed the mood of the game.
- Keyshawn Smith had a monster day on KR, with longtime NFL coordinator Marwan Maalouf's impact being felt right away. Watch Xavier Restrepo on the first long return. He shot out like a rocket as lead blocker and leveled some dude. He's one of the best pure football players on the team.
- Jalen Rivers buried defenders on the first two TDs. He also looked pretty nimble pulling. His return from injury will be a major factor in revamping last year's run game.
- On the CanesInSight podcast, we talked about how it was only a matter of time before Kam Kinchens started racking up INTs like in high school. That process has begun. Kinchens is one of the smartest players on the team and you will see him get more aggressive in trusting his instincts. He did get burned on a long Bethune reception he tried to jump, but those calculated risks will pay off more as the season goes on. His tackling remains textbook.
- Overall, the defensive backfield was a bit of a letdown after a strong camp. Too many missed tackles (DJ Ivey and Avantae Williams) and mental mistakes. We need more from them to be a great defense.
- Mitchell Agude gets consistent pressure but still struggles to finish with sacks. That was his story at UCLA. His pressure numbers were huge and his sack production didn't follow. Some of it seems to be natural coordination issues, but hopefully he can start getting the quarterback to the ground as the season goes on.
- Akheem Mesidor was the most impactful defensive player on the team. I expect a huge year from him.
- Huge sigh of relief that Leonard Taylor only suffered a stinger. He was flashing big-time early in the game. Any worries about his development were very premature.
- Dominic Mammarelli had a big block on Henry Parrish's first TD and is carving out a niche in short yardage. He has great size and can help us in that role. Good teams have big, versatile players like Mammarelli.
- Gilbert Frierson made the two biggest plays on defense with his 3rd and 1 stop off the edge and his pick six. His ability to time the snap off the edge will lead to more big plays as the year goes on.
- Nice to see Michael Redding get the start and score a TD. I'm a broken record with this, but WR is a work ethic position. Redding has always been a grinder and is being rewarded for his efforts.
- I already made a thread about Anez Cooper, but can't stress enough how impressive he's been. He has held up in pass protection against our better defensive ends in practice despite his raw technique, and his run blocking dominated the fourth quarter yesterday. He also showed some nice finish and nastiness. He will only get better as Coach Feld improves his body and Coach Mirabal improves his technique.
Overall, a good and healthy start.
- Waynmon Steed made a huge play on the opening drive. The QB scrambled and the HBack made an adjustment upfield into the end zone. Steed stuck with him the whole way and broke it up at the catch point. A TD there would have taken the air out of the stadium and changed the mood of the game.
- Keyshawn Smith had a monster day on KR, with longtime NFL coordinator Marwan Maalouf's impact being felt right away. Watch Xavier Restrepo on the first long return. He shot out like a rocket as lead blocker and leveled some dude. He's one of the best pure football players on the team.
- Jalen Rivers buried defenders on the first two TDs. He also looked pretty nimble pulling. His return from injury will be a major factor in revamping last year's run game.
- On the CanesInSight podcast, we talked about how it was only a matter of time before Kam Kinchens started racking up INTs like in high school. That process has begun. Kinchens is one of the smartest players on the team and you will see him get more aggressive in trusting his instincts. He did get burned on a long Bethune reception he tried to jump, but those calculated risks will pay off more as the season goes on. His tackling remains textbook.
- Overall, the defensive backfield was a bit of a letdown after a strong camp. Too many missed tackles (DJ Ivey and Avantae Williams) and mental mistakes. We need more from them to be a great defense.
- Mitchell Agude gets consistent pressure but still struggles to finish with sacks. That was his story at UCLA. His pressure numbers were huge and his sack production didn't follow. Some of it seems to be natural coordination issues, but hopefully he can start getting the quarterback to the ground as the season goes on.
- Akheem Mesidor was the most impactful defensive player on the team. I expect a huge year from him.
- Huge sigh of relief that Leonard Taylor only suffered a stinger. He was flashing big-time early in the game. Any worries about his development were very premature.
- Dominic Mammarelli had a big block on Henry Parrish's first TD and is carving out a niche in short yardage. He has great size and can help us in that role. Good teams have big, versatile players like Mammarelli.
- Gilbert Frierson made the two biggest plays on defense with his 3rd and 1 stop off the edge and his pick six. His ability to time the snap off the edge will lead to more big plays as the year goes on.
- Nice to see Michael Redding get the start and score a TD. I'm a broken record with this, but WR is a work ethic position. Redding has always been a grinder and is being rewarded for his efforts.
- I already made a thread about Anez Cooper, but can't stress enough how impressive he's been. He has held up in pass protection against our better defensive ends in practice despite his raw technique, and his run blocking dominated the fourth quarter yesterday. He also showed some nice finish and nastiness. He will only get better as Coach Feld improves his body and Coach Mirabal improves his technique.
Overall, a good and healthy start.
. Defensive backs need to step up overall but nothing too alarming for now. Want to see Romello get more involved and hopefully Horton gets some chances in his season debut. Pretty solid first impression made.
