Bulldog logo'd chair backs were being installed, the Bulldog Stadium grass was working its way from not green to almost green and the Fresno State football team got in its first "live" workout of fall camp on Wednesday.
For the first hour, practice was held as usual. A little stretching, a little 7-on-7, a little special teams and even a little 11-on-11 tag-off. But at the end of the day, the 'Dogs finally went live, meaning the defense could let loose and finally bring somebody to the ground.
No real big waves were made during the practice session, so we'll skip ahead to some thoughts on the live portion of practice:
- Until today, it's been tough to see how good the defense is going to be. A no tackling rule will create that kind of indecisiveness.
- Quarterback Ryan Colburn was intercepted twice on the day, once in 11-on-11s and once live, courtesy of Mario Moore and Damion Owens, respectively.
- I can't emphasize just how athletic and burstful/speedy Ebahn Feathers is. The fact that opposing schools will have to prepare for him should make a difference for the Bulldog offense. He made one run today that had people looking at friends next to them to confirm they indeed were witnesses to it.
- The defense controlled the offense for the most part in the live session, especially when it came to preventing big plays and stopping the run. End Kenny Borg will be forgotten no more after sitting out last year with a knee injury. Chris Lewis, Anthony Williams and a host of others had at least one impact play for the defense.
- Robbie Rouse is a jump out of your seat type of guy, because you get the feeling he can score on any given touch.
- Crowd noise was pumped into the stadium via speakers for the duration of the live portion of practice.
- The receivers continue to show their improvement, and their versatility as a group is remarkable. Deep threats, possession guys, jump balls, reverses ... the list goes on and on. And there is no plan currently known to man to stop the 2009 version of Devon Wylie.
- Kevin Goessling has looked phenomenal all camp, and was drilling everything from 35-51 yards with room on Wednesday. His inconsistency at the beginning of last year was a tough developmental period for everyone, but the real concern should have been his depth on kickoffs. That part remains to be seen.
I (DC3) made an appearance on 1430 ESPN with Guy Haberman to discuss Wednesday's live practice, then had to go make money, which is why the tardiness on the blog. The Bulldogs will return to two-a-days on Thursday, and I will once again be on 1430 ESPN to talk Fresno State football, most likely during the 5 o'clock hour.
