The 3rd week of spring practice got underway today at Oregon St., and the most news-worthy notes are injury updates, as practice is settling into a lot of reps mode.
The good news is OLB Michael Doctor is back after suffering an ankle issue a week ago, showing no ill effects.
However, CB Larry Scott is still sidelined, resting a hamstring strain. That's getting Dashon Hunt a lot of reps, and the 7" taller Richard Mullaney took full advantage of that on a few pass routes today.
TE Connor Hamlett was also out of action today, with his left knee wrapped.
JC transfer Bobby Keenan, who got rolled up on during Friday's practice, was back in full pads, but was watching instead of working with the 1s. If he's back up to speed on Wednesday, it will be "no problem" event.
The good news is so far, there have been no major injuries suffered, the kind that end the fall before spring is even over. Part of that is evident limited contact, despite Coach Mike Riley's previously stated intention to increase contact this spring. It's a balancing act.
It also makes evaluating some things speculative based on watching drills. For example clearly Storm Woods is almost untouchable in the open field; far less clear is how successful Oregon St. will be able to be at getting him there. So is it better to go with Terron Ward, whose' better in heavy traffic? And how does Riley and new OC John Garrett go about using both without type-casting either, and getting a defense stacked against the play as a result?
Adding some deception to the mostly vanilla sets on both sides of the ball will be something to watch for as practices continue, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this month, beginning at 10 AM, and all are open to the public.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com