Bear Down Wildcats

azcat49 wrote:So they are going to dome the baseball field? That would be cool

azcat49 wrote:Just reading into the multi use theme and that the baseball team would be using it which I find odd, given they are doing the hitting facility outside of Hi Corbett.

In any event it appears it will be built for our next coach to use.

ANGCatFan wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:

#17 Andrew Tovar? That throwing motion.

wyo-cat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:So they are going to dome the baseball field? That would be cool

The project is in the Request For Qualifications phase for a design team. Heeke has decided to make it multi-use, so if I were to guess, the site would be Jimenez Field, at the corner of Campbell and 6th, south of Sand VB and east of the Martin alignment. I can't see FB giving up the use of the turfgrass at Sancet for an inside facility. The Rich Rod Memorial Therapy Pools are adjacent to the field as part of the new CATS building.

UAEebs86 wrote:

Thiyo Lukusa has quit Michigan State’s football team after his freshman season, a major loss for the Spartans' young, developing offensive line.

The Traverse City native confirmed to the Free Press today that he signed the paperwork to relinquish his scholarship.

“I really haven’t been in love with football since I was in high school,” Lukusa said via phone. “It’s been awhile, probably since I was a sophomore or junior. I went home for Christmas and had a great time with my family Up North -- just being away from football and doing other things and working out and playing basketball and running.

“I had been thinking about not playing for a long time. I finally just decided that I’m gonna go through with it and kind of weather the storm, whatever it brings.”

Michigan State officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Lukusa played eight games in his debut season -- a rarity for a true freshman offensive lineman -- and was projected as the starting right tackle this fall. He arrived at MSU after playing his senior year of high school football at DePaul Catholic in New Jersey after three years at Traverse City West.

Safety Isaiah Hayes and tight end Jamie Nunley were out because of undisclosed injuries.

* First-team offensive line (left to right): Layth Friekh, Christian Boettcher, Nathan Eldridge, Jacob Alsadek, Gerhard de Beer. Second team (L-R): Bryson Cain, Michael Eletise, Levi Walton, Alex Kosinski, Cody Creason. De Beer later played with the backups. He and Creason remain neck and neck for the right tackle job.

* Tailbacks J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson played only a handful of snaps at most.

* First-team defensive front: Justin Belknap, Parker Zellers, Luca Bruno, Lee Anderson III. First-team linebackers: Brandon Rutt, Tony Fields II (although Jacob Colacion and Carrington Vaughn rotated in during the first series). First-team secondary: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dane Cruikshank, Jace Whittaker, Scottie Young Jr., Sammy Morrison (who rotated with Lorenzo Burns).

* Second-team defensive front: Kylan Wilborn, Kurtis Brown, Finton Connolly, Jack Banda. Second-team linebackers: Colin Schooler, Gavin Robertson Jr. Second-team secondary: Antonio Parks, Tristan Cooper, Troy Young, Jarrius Wallace, Malcolm Holland.

* Later, DT Dereck Boles, Banda and Wilborn played with the ones. Lots of rotating on defense.

* Defensive tackle Marcus Griffin played a lot and had a sack.

* Jake Glatting took the first punt reps and kicked the ball well. He also appears to be the primary holder.

* Josh Pollack and Lucas Havrisik made all of their field goals during warmpus. During the scrimmage, Havrisik made a 46-yarder while Pollack missed from 41.

ANGCatFan wrote: made all of their field goals during warmpus.

ANGCatFan wrote:From Feb in the Lansing State Journal:

Thiyo Lukusa has quit Michigan State’s football team after his freshman season, a major loss for the Spartans' young, developing offensive line.

The Traverse City native confirmed to the Free Press today that he signed the paperwork to relinquish his scholarship.

“I really haven’t been in love with football since I was in high school,” Lukusa said via phone. “It’s been awhile, probably since I was a sophomore or junior. I went home for Christmas and had a great time with my family Up North -- just being away from football and doing other things and working out and playing basketball and running.

“I had been thinking about not playing for a long time. I finally just decided that I’m gonna go through with it and kind of weather the storm, whatever it brings.”

Michigan State officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Lukusa played eight games in his debut season -- a rarity for a true freshman offensive lineman -- and was projected as the starting right tackle this fall. He arrived at MSU after playing his senior year of high school football at DePaul Catholic in New Jersey after three years at Traverse City West.

Hopefully, he's learned to like football.

Merkin wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote: made all of their field goals during warmpus.

Warm pus?

RazorsEdgeAZ wrote: Exactly. He actually wanted to play basketball instead at Arizona Western. Which was his plan. Didn't like football anymore. Basketball?

azgreg wrote:

Merkin wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote: made all of their field goals during warmpus.

Warm pus?

better than a cold one.

RazorsEdgeAZ wrote:Thiyo Lukusa addresses the hating football

Merkin wrote:

RazorsEdgeAZ wrote: Exactly. He actually wanted to play basketball instead at Arizona Western. Which was his plan. Didn't like football anymore. Basketball?

Be an walk on enforcer on Sean Miller's team!

azgreg wrote:

Merkin wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote: made all of their field goals during warmpus.

Warm pus?

better than a cold one.

Very true, if you mean puss...

By now you’ve heard that Brandon Dawkins threw two interceptions.

Dawkins will likely start the season.

He’s the most experienced and has wins on his record.

He got better after a shaky start that saw him picked by Antonio Parks, and by Jarrius Wallace on a ball that was deflected by Troy Young.

To Dawkins credit he threw a terrific touchdown late to Tyrell Johnson on a ball that zipped by the hands of Young.

But overall it was an uneven performance and certainly not one that separated him from the pack.

I came away from the first open session a few weeks ago impressed with Donavan Tate.

That did not change on Saturday. I like his decision-making.

He’s poised “in the pocket”. And I parentheses that because it’s one of my issues with Dawkins. He’s often fleeing the pocket.

I’m still not comfortable with Brandon’s ability to see the middle of the field.

There was one play where under duress, Donavan (for the sake of the fact there are two quarterbacks named Tate) calmly found a check down and got the ball in the hands of a playmaker (Johnson) for positive yards.

Then he zipped a beautiful potential touchdown ball to Zach Benjamin from 25 yards out, but Benjamin failed to get a foot in bounds.

Donavan is not ready though.

Although I like what I’ve seen in the two sessions, he failed to make some throws on Saturday.

His accuracy still needs work.

And then there’s Rhett Rodriguez.

He’s clearly not the best runner or the best thrower of this quarterback group, but he certainly gets it the most.

He understands where the ball is supposed to go. He grasps the center of the field.

I watch Rhett and the statement I continue to make to myself over and over is, “I’d love to see him with the 1s (first team)”.

What might he be able to do if he had the top weapons around him?

If Rodriguez can make the intermediate throws, with this running game, he might be able to be an effective quarterback option because I don’t think Rhett is going to kill the offense with mistakes.

What he couldn’t do is much of anything when he had to face the first-team defense. Rodriguez's squad went three and out.

I think we can expect that he’ll redshirt.

Khari Lane’s best moment was a crisp slant throw to Tucson High’s Donovan Moore. The throw was on-point and then Moore did the rest for an impressive 25-yard gain.

So that’s it. Saturday will likely be the last time we (the media) get to see this team in a practice session.

Which brings us back to Khalil.

He didn’t stand out (to me) in the first open session two weeks ago and he didn’t scrimmage on Saturday.

But there’s this. I spoke with a UA Football parent during the event and this parent said to me, “Khalil Tate has been the best quarterback in Fall Camp. He can make all the throws and he’s more accurate than Dawkins.”

I can’t say that because I haven’t seen it but it seemed crystal clear to this particular parent, that Khalil has taken huge strides forward.

ZZ: You are able to attend practice, not as media, but as an analyst, who is impressing you at this point in training camp?

LL: On defense Scottie Young, is really good. Fast and smart. The Linebackers [all freshmen] have been good: Schooler [Colin], Pandy [Anthony/Ant], Jalen Harris. Harris is undersized, but he still finds ways to get to the QB. He’s such a good pass rusher they may not be able to keep him off the field.

Jalen Harris and Kylan Wilborn, the two freshmen DE’s have looked like the best pass-rushers on the team at times. They are still developing, so I don’t think they are every down players yet, but I think you will see them in pass rush situations because they have made an impact in an area of need.

Kylan Wilborn is going to play. He’s a good pass rusher. Derek Boles (RS junior) is what you would call an anchor, and He plugs holes well. The defense is sooo much faster than last season.

Shawn Poindexter [senior] is going to surprise a lot of people. He’s much improved from last season. He presents match-up issues with his combination of size and speed. He can really run. Brian Casteel is the model of consistency. He’s strong and can block, catch, and runs good routes. Solid player. RB’s have looked great all camp.

Tight End’s have looked good as well. Trevor Wood will have an impact this season if fall camp has been an indication. He has made play after play in camp.

In camp, true freshmen linebackers Tony Fields, Colin Schooler, JB Brown and Anthony Pandy all have made good impressions, working with the first- or second-team units with redshirt freshmen Jacob Calacion and Gavin Robertson, a converted safety.

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER:

QB Brandon Dawkins

BREAKOUT STAR:

RB J.J. Taylor

NEWCOMER TO WATCH:

LB Tony Fields -- The all-state linebacker from Desert Pines High in Las Vegas enrolled early, which helped him catch the coaches' eyes and get a jump on his classmates at the position. He carried his strong spring practice into fall camp and is likely to start at weak-side linebacker. "I think Tony has a chance to be really good," linebackers coach Scott Boone said. "Tony's biggest strength is how hard he plays, and his biggest weakness is how he tries to make every play. He has to learn that his plays will come to him."

azgreg wrote:I'm starting to get a bit of optimism brewing.

Sid wrote:

azgreg wrote:I'm starting to get a bit of optimism brewing.

Try a few healthy splashes of Kettle One in that Koolaid and welcome to the club.

azgreg wrote:I'm starting to get a bit of optimism brewing.

Merkin wrote:

azgreg wrote:I'm starting to get a bit of optimism brewing.

Yes, you are the only one!

azgreg wrote:

Merkin wrote:

azgreg wrote:I'm starting to get a bit of optimism brewing.

Yes, you are the only one!

#badfans

ANGCatFan wrote:Not the only one.



I'm drinking doubles and ready for JJ to juke himself onto the SC10 each week. I'm more optimistic about the D-line and the DBs then I was at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm just waiting to see if we can put together a passing game and the young linebackers to prove they're ready. Oh, and I know we have a quality tight end, I'm just not sure it the coach wants the ball thrown his way.

It also helps that I've stopped listening to the naysayers and I'm focused on the positives.

ANGCatFan wrote:Not the only one.



I'm drinking doubles and ready for JJ to juke himself onto the SC10 each week. I'm more optimistic about the D-line and the DBs then I was at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm just waiting to see if we can put together a passing game and the young linebackers to prove they're ready. Oh, and I know we have a quality tight end, I'm just not sure it the coach wants the ball thrown his way.

It also helps that I've stopped listening to the naysayers and I'm focused on the positives.

threenumberones wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:Not the only one.



I'm drinking doubles and ready for JJ to juke himself onto the SC10 each week. I'm more optimistic about the D-line and the DBs then I was at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm just waiting to see if we can put together a passing game and the young linebackers to prove they're ready. Oh, and I know we have a quality tight end, I'm just not sure it the coach wants the ball thrown his way.

It also helps that I've stopped listening to the naysayers and I'm focused on the positives.

I keep coming back to 2014. We weren't supposed to be shit, picked fourth in the South. Holes all over the team. No one gave us a chance. Yet we won the division on a gimp and a prayer. That team had a swagger and this one is developing one. I do like the inertia and it feels a lot like it did in '14..

And the best part of '14 is that Chief disappeared for a whole year.

chiefzona wrote:

threenumberones wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:Not the only one.



I'm drinking doubles and ready for JJ to juke himself onto the SC10 each week. I'm more optimistic about the D-line and the DBs then I was at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm just waiting to see if we can put together a passing game and the young linebackers to prove they're ready. Oh, and I know we have a quality tight end, I'm just not sure it the coach wants the ball thrown his way.

It also helps that I've stopped listening to the naysayers and I'm focused on the positives.

I keep coming back to 2014. We weren't supposed to be shit, picked fourth in the South. Holes all over the team. No one gave us a chance. Yet we won the division on a gimp and a prayer. That team had a swagger and this one is developing one. I do like the inertia and it feels a lot like it did in '14..

And the best part of '14 is that Chief disappeared for a whole year.

I never disappeared. I was on here and Scout and Twitter. Cats still had Stoops O-line in 2014 and the rest of the South was a train wreck. I never disappear....it's funny that you think that.

threenumberones wrote:

chiefzona wrote:

threenumberones wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:Not the only one.



I'm drinking doubles and ready for JJ to juke himself onto the SC10 each week. I'm more optimistic about the D-line and the DBs then I was at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm just waiting to see if we can put together a passing game and the young linebackers to prove they're ready. Oh, and I know we have a quality tight end, I'm just not sure it the coach wants the ball thrown his way.

It also helps that I've stopped listening to the naysayers and I'm focused on the positives.

I keep coming back to 2014. We weren't supposed to be shit, picked fourth in the South. Holes all over the team. No one gave us a chance. Yet we won the division on a gimp and a prayer. That team had a swagger and this one is developing one. I do like the inertia and it feels a lot like it did in '14..

And the best part of '14 is that Chief disappeared for a whole year.

I never disappeared. I was on here and Scout and Twitter. Cats still had Stoops O-line in 2014 and the rest of the South was a train wreck. I never disappear....it's funny that you think that.

Bull. Shit. You spewed the same doom and gloom you always do in August and as soon as we beat Oregon, your posts faded almost entirely. We didn't hear hardly anything from you until the next year when we were back in the shitstorm. Just like Trump I'm sure you would like to rewrite history..