Spring practice schedule and more

[russ1945]

[h=1]2016 Spring Football Game Schedule[/h]

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The 2016 Spring Game football schedule is listed in order by date. The schedule will be updated as dates, times, and TV (if any) are announced.
[h=2]Friday, Mar. 25, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Vanderbilt	7:00pm	SEC Network

[h=2]Saturday, Mar. 26, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
BYU	4:00pm	N/A

[h=2]Friday, Apr. 1, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Michigan	6:00pm	Big Ten Network
TCU	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Saturday, Apr. 2, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Bowling Green	11:00am	TBA
Syracuse	11:00am	TBA
Tulsa	Noon	TBA
Baylor (practice)	1:00pm	N/A
Cincinnati	1:00pm	TBA
South Alabama	1:00pm	TBA
Eastern Michigan	3:00pm	TBA
Fresno State	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Friday, Apr. 8, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Florida	7:00pm	SEC Network
Rice	9:00pm	TBA

[h=2]Saturday, Apr. 9, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Duke	10:00am	ESPN3
Navy	10:00am	TBA
Northwestern	11:00am	Big Ten Network
Air Force	Noon	TBA
South Carolina	Noon	SEC Network
NC State	1:00pm	TBA
Texas State	1:00pm	TBA
Toledo	1:00pm	TBA
Minnesota	2:00pm	Big Ten Network
Colorado	2:00pm	TBA
Kansas	2:00pm	ESPN3
Ohio	2:10pm	TBA
Clemson	2:30pm	ESPN3
FSU (at Orlando)	3:00pm	ESPN3
Oklahoma	3:00pm	FSOK
UNLV	3:00pm	TBA
Wake Forest	3:00pm	ESPN3
Auburn	4:00pm	SEC Network
Nevada (open practice)	4:00pm	N/A
Stanford	4:00pm	Pac-12 Network
Utah State	4:00pm	TBA
Texas A&M	6:00pm	SEC Network
Boise State	7:00pm	N/A

[h=2]Friday, Apr. 15, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Arkansas State	5:00pm	TBA
FIU	7:00pm	TBA
Indiana	7:00pm	BTN Plus
UTEP	9:00pm	TBA
UMass	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Saturday, Apr. 16, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Western Michigan	11:00am	TBA
Georgia Southern	Noon	TBA
Kentucky	Noon	SEC Network
Mississippi State	Noon	ESPNU
Maryland	12:30pm	BTN2Go
Notre Dame	12:30pm	TBA
Akron	1:00pm	TBA
Arizona State	1:00pm	Pac-12 Arizona
Central Michigan	1:00pm	TBA
Florida Atlantic	1:00pm	TBA
Georgia State	1:00pm	TBA
Louisiana Tech	1:00pm	TBA
Louisville	1:00pm	TBA
Pittsburgh	1:00pm	TBA
Purdue	1:00pm	BTN2Go
Temple	1:00pm	TBA
Texas Tech	1:00pm	FSSW
Tulane	1:00pm	TBA
Ohio State	1:30pm	Big Ten Network
California	2:00pm	Pac-12 Network
East Carolina	2:00pm	TBA
Illinois (open practice)	2:00pm	BTN2Go
Iowa State	2:00pm	TBA
Miami	2:00pm	ESPN3
Middle Tennessee	2:00pm	TBA
Nebraska	2:00pm	BTN2Go
Oklahoma State	2:00pm	TBA
Penn State	2:00pm	BTN2Go
SMU	2:00pm	TBA
Tennessee	2:00pm	SEC Network
Texas	2:00pm	LHN
Alabama	3:00pm	ESPN
Houston	3:00pm	CSLive ($)
North Carolina	3:00pm	TBA
Old Dominion	3:00pm	TBA
UConn	3:00pm	TBA
UL Lafayette	3:00pm	TBA
Georgia	4:00pm	ESPNU
LSU	4:00pm	SEC Network
New Mexico State	4:00pm	TBA
Oregon State	4:00pm	Pac-12 Network
ULM	4:00pm	TBA
USF	4:00pm	N/A
Missouri	6:00pm	SEC Network
San Jose State	6:00pm	TBA
USC	6:00pm	TBA
UCF	7:00pm	TBA
Boston College	TBA	TBA
New Mexico	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Friday, Apr. 22, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Memphis	8:00pm	TBA
Idaho	9:00pm	TBA

[h=2]Saturday, Apr. 23, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Georgia Tech	Noon	ESPN3
West Virginia (at White Sulphur Springs)	Noon	TBA
Arkansas	1:00pm	SEC Network
Miami (OH)	1:00pm	TBA
Southern Miss	1:00pm	TBA
Wisconsin	1:00pm	Big Ten Network
Troy	1:30pm	TBA
UCLA	2:30pm	Pac-12 Los Angeles
Buffalo	2:00pm	TBA
Utah	2:00pm	Pac-12 Network
UTSA	2:00pm	TBA
Virginia Tech	2:00pm	TBA
Western Kentucky	2:00pm	TBA
Kansas State	2:10pm	TBA
Ball State	3:00pm	TBA
Colorado State	3:00pm	TBA
Michigan State	3:00pm	Big Ten Network
Northern Illinois	3:00pm	TBA
North Texas	3:00pm	CSLive
Washington	3:30pm	Pac-12 Washington
Washington State	4:00pm	Pac-12 Network
Charlotte	7:00pm	TBA
Rutgers	7:00pm	Big Ten Network
Iowa	TBA	TBA
Virginia	TBA	TBA
Wyoming	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Friday, Apr. 29, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Hawaii	TBA	TBA

[h=2]Saturday, Apr. 30, 2016[/h]

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Army	1:00pm	TBA
Oregon	2:00pm	Pac-12 Network
Marshall	3:30pm	TBA

 

[russ1945]

[h=1]Vanderbilt’s offense outduels defense in spring game[/h]

NICK COLE | MAR 26, 2016

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Nashville, Tenn. — In what should be considered an upset by anyone who watched the two units play in 2015, the Vanderbilt offense defeated the Commodores defense 42-31 in a modified Vanderbilt spring game on Friday night.
It’d be hard to argue against it being an upset, considering the Commodores offense ranked among the worst in the FBS last season while the defense drew praise as being among the SEC’s stingiest.
Did Friday night’s outcome get under the skin of Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, who also doubles as the team’s defensive coordinator, or was he pleased to see that there may be some strides from his offense?
“Here’s what I’ll say– Vanderbilt won tonight,” Mason said, smiling. “I liked what I saw from our offense. I thought our quarterbacks managed the game, they threw the ball well and hit their targets. And we were able to sustain a running game. It was just good football. I liked what I saw.”
Mason admitted that he had just four calls on the defensive play sheet in an effort to keep things simple and better evaluate players.
“I just wanted to see guys play, and we saw guys play,” Mason said. “You just want to come out of this thing seeing guys line up, communicate and play fast.”
After announcing that his quarterback job was open for competition to begin the spring, Mason said that rising sophomore Kyle Shurmur, who completed 7 of 9 passes for 96 yards, has the upper hand over Wade Freebeck and Shawn Stankavage going into the summer.
“Shurmur is leading this deal,” Mason said. “But I believe we’ve got guys that can line up and play for us in the fall.”
Shurmur, who critiqued his own accuracy on short throws on the evening, would not concede that his lead for the starting role meant much at this point.
“There’s always competition,” Shurmur warned. “This is not the end. We’ve got a long time before the first game of the season, and I’m competing with the other guys and most importantly myself. We’re going to be competing for the long haul before the season.”
The Vanderbilt quarterbacks did not throw an interception in 25 pass attempts, which has to be considered a positive no matter what alignment the defense showed them.
A look at Vanderbilt’s unconventional approach to its spring game, pitting the offense against the defense in a modified scoring system:

Offense		Defense
Points	Play	Points	Play
6	Touchdown	12	Defensive TD (TD + Turnover)
3	Field Goal	6	Defensive Turnover (Fumble Recovery or INT)
2	2-Point Conversion	3	Missed Field Goal
1	Extra Point	2	Unsuccessful 2-Point Conversion
1	Play of 15 Yards or More	2	Sack
		1	Three-and-Out

[h=3]10 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BLACK AND GOLD GAME[/h]

• Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb, who rushed for 1,152 yards last season, was in shorts and a hoodie on the sidelines for this one. He’s an extremely important cog to the 2016 offense, and the Commodores likely took the opportunity to further evaluate their options beyond Webb on the depth chart.
• Other players on the sidelines but not dressed included WR Caleb Scott, S Arnold Tarpley, WR Trey Ellis, OLB Landon Stokes, FB Kyle Anderton and DT Jay Woods.
• For those that weren’t paying attention, former LB Khari Blasingame changed positions this spring. He’s now a running back, and he factors into the Webb-less backfield frequently on Friday, offering a powerful rushing style with to go with a 230-pound frame.
• QB Wade Freebeck has drawn a good amount of praise during spring practice, but Kyle Shurmur leaves the practice period with a decided edge in the competition.
• Oren Burks, who started at safety for the Commodores last season, has moved into the hybrid STAR position that Stephen Weatherly occupied last season. He’s expected to put on some weight through the summer to accommodate playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
• True freshman Joejuan Williams enrolled in January as the Commodores’ lone four-star commitment. He showed his potential to be an immediate impact player in the defensive backfield, recording a team-best six tackles.
• The Commodores have to feel good about their depth at ILB, because while Zach Cunningham recorded a sack and Nigel Bowden exhibited his health for all to see, Ja’Karri Thomas showed out with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
• Eddie George’s son, Jaire, led the Commodores with 27 rushing yards on five carries. However, it is worth noting the redshirt freshman was not running against the top tier defensive options.
• QB Shawn Stankavage, who has battled injuries ever since arriving on campus, was able to play in this contest. He led the offense onto the field for the second and third drive of the game, and finished the game 4-of-7 for 58 yards.
• Vanderbilt stayed healthy. There were not any significant injuries during the contest. And for a spring game, that’s often the top priority.

[h=3]5 STANDOUT PERFORMERS[/h]

• WR C.J. Duncan: Led the Commodores with 50 yards receiving in his return to the field after missing the 2015 season with a leg injury. He recorded the longest play from scrimmage on a 32-yard reception.
• QB Kyle Shurmur: An efficient 7 of 9 passing for 96 yards put Shurmur atop the quarterback stat sheet, and drew postgame comment from Mason confirming that he has a leg up in the quarterback competition.
• OLB Charles Wright: Vying for time at outside linebacker as a sophomore, Wright made a convincing case by making his way into the backfield multiple times on the night, recording two sacks.
• ILB Ja’Karri Thomas: Five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble made Thomas one of the defensive stars of the night.
• CB Joejuan Williams: Fans didn’t know what to expect from the four-star early enrollee, but he delivered with a team-high six solo tackles.

[h=3]BEST PLAY OF THE GAME[/h]The best play of the game was one that didn’t actually count.
Vanderbilt LB Ja’Karri Thomas forced a fumble by Darrius Sims on the 11-yard-line. It was picked up by S Emmanuel Smith and returned 89 yards for a touchdown, drawing the loudest cheer of the night on the most exciting play. It was the final play of the first half of the scrimmage, so many folks may not have noticed that the officials actually deducted that from the scoreboard, ruling that Smith’s knee was down when he made the recovery and rendering the return as just a neat highlight:

 

[russ1945]

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Chris Samuels/Deseret News

[h=1]BYU fans pack stadium for Sitake's first spring game[/h][h=4]By Sean Walker | Posted Mar 26th, 2016 @ 7:26pm[/h]

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10PM: BYU opens first scrimmage of Kalani Sitake era


PROVO — There was a long line outside each entrance into LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon — nearly 40 minutes before gates opened an hour before kickoff.
That’s not so rare on a college football afternoon in the fall. But Saturday’s lines were for the annual spring scrimmage.
Nearly 19,000 fans flooded the stadium Saturday, filling close to capacity the east and west bleachers that run parallel to the Wasatch Front, as the White team ran past the Blue team, 30-12.
Players were mostly interchangeable on offense, and offensive linemen (as well as tight end Tanner Balderree) wore neutral black jerseys in a game more similar to a round of “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” Where points don’t matter.
But the crowd took notice of a few of BYU’s playmakers, even with starting running back Jamaal Williams on the sideline and quarterback Taysom Hill called away for a last-minute family emergency.

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“There’s been a big excitement you can feel in the area with the new coaches, new system and new team coming in,” said quarterback Tanner Mangum, who completed 6-of-8 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in scrimmage play. “I’m not surprised, and Cougar fans are awesome. I’m glad we could have a sunny day for the fans; it was fun.”
http://img.ksl.com/slc/2586/258683/25868361.jpgBYU quarterback Beau Hoge (7) scrambles for a run during a spring football scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Saturday, March 26, 2016. (Photo: Chris Samuels, Deseret News)New coach Kalani Sitake wanted to blend a game-like scrimmage into the spring practice that opened the final week of fall camp, even if he admittedly didn’t open up much of the new playbook on offense or defense.
But the most impressive thing to him was the crowd.
“The environment was exciting for the guys,” Sitake said. “There were quite a few fans here, and it was exciting. Maybe a little bit of nerves, but I thought overall it was a good performance for our team.”
Moroni Laulu-Pututau made four catches for 73 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown grab on the first series following the 7-on-Y skeleton portion to pull the White team ahead, 13-12.
“Moroni made a great catch, and we threw a couple of touchdowns in skelly as well,” Mangum said. “Regardless of what you are doing, you always want to score touchdowns. It’s always fun to score in LaVell Edwards Stadium.”
With points coming during skelly work counting toward the final result, Beau Hoge completed 6-of-7 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns — one for the Blue team, and one for the White.
[h=1]Related Story[/h] [h=2]6 things to watch in BYU football's spring game[/h]The BYU football team will hold its annual spring scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m. MT at LaVell Edwards Stadium. It will be the team’s first under new head coach Kalani Sitake.

“Beau’s been great,” said offensive coordinator Ty Detmer of Hoge, who also ran for 16 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. “He’s really picked up the offense really well under center, and he’s got enough athleticism to make some plays with his legs, too. He’s done really well.”
Hoge opened the first score of the day with an 8-yard strike to tight end Nate Sampson, who finished with 50 yards on four receptions. Mangum then hit back-to-back touchdown passes to Brayden El-Bakri and Nick Kurtz to cap the skelly session.
Garrett Juergens hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from Hoge on the final play of the spring game to add to the White team’s tally.

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[cloverleaf]

Alabama

Several players have been impressive after the first full week of spring training. Alabama will
hold 10 practices in the next 18 days, including two scrimmages at Bryant-Denny Stadium the
next two Saturdays in the build up to the A-Day spring game at 2 p.m. April 16.

Here are a few of the players drawing praise so far during spring drills:

Ross Pierschbacher, Sophomore, Center
Pierschbacher started at guard last season but has been moved to center to replace
three year starter Ryan Kelly. So far, he's been impressive.

Ryan Anderson, Senior, Linebacker
Anderson has taken over as a leader among the outside linebackers. He is one of several
veterans who opted to forgo the NFL and return for his senior season.

Blake Barnett, RS Freshman, Quarterback
A talented 5-star prospect from California who ran the scout team last year has looked sharp
and has shown a lot of progress entering his second year.

Others: David Cornwell, Soph, QB......Jonah Williams, Fr, OT........Kendall Sheffield, RS Fr, CB
have drawn positive comments from the coaching staff.

Call me a "Homer" but Alabama is going to be good this year, especially on defense. The D may
turn out to be better than last year...which was pretty damn good.

 

[cloverleaf]

Florida

Coach Jim McElwain is leading the Gators through spring drills knowing he is the highest paid coach in the
SEC East after receiving a $750,000 raise last Friday. Now, other than trying to find a quarterback he can
feel a little bit more secure as head gator in Gainesville. Florida needs a quarterback and has four players
competing for the starters job. The Gators just completed their first scrimmage with Oregon State transfer
Luke Del Rio slightly ahead of Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby. Two freshman, Feleipe Franks and
Kyle Trask are also in the mix. Although Del Rio has been considered the early leader, McElwain said the
pecking order will become more clear in the scrimmages leading up to the spring game.

Just one of the many QB battles going on in the SEC this spring.

 

[russ1945]

Here are this weekends spring practice games. I am going to the Sooners spring game on 4/9.

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Michigan	6:00pm	Big Ten Network
TCU	TBA	TBA

Saturday, Apr. 2, 2016

School	Time (ET)	TV / Online
Bowling Green	11:00am	TBA
Syracuse	11:00am	TBA
Tulsa	Noon	TBA
Baylor (practice)	1:00pm	N/A
Cincinnati	1:00pm	TBA
South Alabama	1:00pm	TBA
Eastern Michigan	3:00pm	TBA
Fresno State	TBA	TBA

 

[cloverleaf]

LSU

Les Miles said there would be changes on offense this season after the offense ranked
39th (2015), 80th (2014) and 35th (2013) the past three years. One phase of the
offensive attack unlikely to change is handing the ball off to Leonard Fournett early and
often. Miles would like to get the quarterback, tight ends and backs more involved in
the passing game. The talent at wide receiver is there but the offense has to find a way
to pick up third and four or five more consistently. Fournett is the best running back in
the SEC but he needs some help. Maybe a passing game that completes more than 53
percent of its passes would help. Spring practice has shown maybe there will be some
improvement in the passing game....we shall see come September.

 

[CoachCB]

Curious to see how Fournette plays this year. Will he try to avoid injury?

 

[CoachCB]

Gators QB competition heating up. I won't be surprised if Purdue transfer Appleby wins the job.