Couldn’t pull off a trip to Pittsburgh. Ended up some 200+ miles further east at my parent’s house in Lebanon. Next year — maybe. So I’ll be keeping this light and quick (not that there is a lot of news).
The scrimmage won’t be the traditional game. In case you have forgotten.
Today’s scrimmage will be the final time for the vets to impress the coaches before the arrival of Pitt’s heralded freshman class.
“Hopefully, we’ll make some plays,” Wannstedt said. “If it’s (Darrelle) Revis intercepting a ball, Clint Session making a tackle behind the line, or Oderick Turner making a big catch — I don’t care who makes the plays. But, somebody has to make some plays.”
The scrimmage should last from 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It will start with some kicking and individual position workouts, then the offense and defense will go head-to-head.
“We’re not breaking the team up or going first team vs. second team, just to make it look pretty for the fans,” Wannstedt said. “We’re not going to keep score. We’re going to line up good versus good and let ’em go.”
The scrimmages start around 1.
Although the Blue-Gold game won’t be an actual game, there are still plenty of things to watch.
There is an intense competition at all four of the defensive line positions, and several players have had an outstanding spring. One such player is Doug Fulmer, a redshirt freshman defensive end who has forged his way into contention for a starting job.
He is quick off the ball, tall, has great football instincts. The coaches are excited about his future. He is still a little light — he weighs about 220 pounds — but he has a good frame to add weight to, and coaches believe he has the potential to become a dominant player.
Session, who has had his best month of football since he arrived, is ultra-athletic and has always been a fan favorite because of his flair for the big hit. But he has been plagued by inconsistency and often missed almost as many tackles as he has made. This spring, however, he has played consistently at a very high level.
True freshman cornerback Jovanni Chapel enrolled in January so he could get a head start on learning the defense. He is a physical corner, who seems to have grasped most of his assignments and will clearly be in the mix to replace Josh Lay.
The offense has struggled this spring, but that has a lot to do with the fact that the defensive line has gotten the better of the offensive line most days.
I can’t help but worry about the size on the line.
