8-16-25 Scrimmage

[confucius say]

Who knows how it went?

[Goldendawg]

Two free articles on genespage, 24/7 MS State. One a review (little detail at all) and a Q & A with Coach Lebby, (Mostly Coachspeak with little info and no stats).

[bigbub50]

Based on lebs interview: Defense playing hard, got stops, good on short yardage, has the bodies to sub on d line. Offense: o line needs to gel, backs were productive, fewer turnovers today, Qb’s were solid.

Supposedly a group of boosters were allowed to watch, so I’m hoping for details to emerge soon, nothing on any of the boards thus far.

[HoopsDawg]

I?m worried about the Oline. Hopefully we pick our best 5 tomorrow in the coaches meeting and rep the hell out of them until they become a cohesive unit

[TrapGame]

I?m worried about the Oline. Hopefully we pick our best 5 tomorrow in the coaches meeting and rep the hell out of them until they become a cohesive unit

I trust Loadholt. He may be the best OL coach we've had since Hevesy.

[HoopsDawg]

I trust Loadholt. He may be the best OL coach we've had since Hevesy.

I don?t know much about him other than Sanders was the most sacked QB in the country last year.

[confucius say]

I don?t know much about him other than Sanders was the most sacked QB in the country last year.

Not exactly. That was 2023. Loadholt was at OK in 2023, not Colorado.
Colorado's sacks allowed numbers actually improved a large amount in 2024. Still were not good, but much better.
2023, 4.67 sacks allowed per game.
2024, 3.31 sacks allowed per game.

https://cfbstats.com/2023/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category20/sort01.html

No idea of loadholt will be good or suck.

[R2Dawg]

I?m worried about the Oline. Hopefully we pick our best 5 tomorrow in the coaches meeting and rep the hell out of them until they become a cohesive unit

Not worried at this point; we have some talent. OL takes the longest to get chemistry and they been mixing them up. Also, we got a stud filled backfield to help them too.

[bigbub50]

From what I can gather, defense was dominant. Manning at safety looked really good. Fluff on offense also looked good. O line struggled at times, several penalties. D line got good push most of the day. I was not there.

[maroonmania]

Not exactly. That was 2023. Loadholt was at OK in 2023, not Colorado.
Colorado's sacks allowed numbers actually improved a large amount in 2024. Still were not good, but much better.
2023, 4.67 sacks allowed per game.
2024, 3.31 sacks allowed per game.

https://cfbstats.com/2023/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category20/sort01.html

No idea of loadholt will be good or suck.

That's actually a significant improvement given how much Colorado was passing the ball with Shadeur as their QB.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Not exactly. That was 2023. Loadholt was at OK in 2023, not Colorado.
Colorado's sacks allowed numbers actually improved a large amount in 2024. Still were not good, but much better.
2023, 4.67 sacks allowed per game.
2024, 3.31 sacks allowed per game.

https://cfbstats.com/2023/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category20/sort01.html

No idea of loadholt will be good or suck.

Actually HoopsDawg was correct. While Colorado did not allow the most sacks in the country in 2024 as a team, his actual claim was that Sanders was the most sacked QB in the country in 2024, which is true. There were some teams that gave up more sacks than Colorado, but they didn't have an individual QB that was sacked more than Sanders. This indicates the other teams probably played multiple quarterbacks.

[Coach34]

That's actually a significant improvement given how much Colorado was passing the ball with Shadeur as their QB.

and to add one of the big knocks on Sanders was that he holds on to the ball too long

[confucius say]

Actually HoopsDawg was correct. While Colorado did not allow the most sacks in the country in 2024 as a team, his actual claim was that Sanders was the most sacked QB in the country in 2024, which is true. There were some teams that gave up more sacks than Colorado, but they didn't have an individual QB that was sacked more than Sanders. This indicates the other teams probably played multiple quarterbacks.

Good point.
But broader point as it applies to loadholt remains that CO wasn't most sacked team and their numbers improved a good bit under loadholt.
And sanders actually went from 4.72 sacks per game in 2023 (played 11 games) to 3.23 in 2024.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Good point.
But broader point as it applies to loadholt remains that CO wasn't most sacked team and their numbers improved a good bit under loadholt.
And sanders actually went from 4.72 sacks per game in 2023 (played 11 games) to 3.23 in 2024.

Agreed. And as coach34 stated, Sanders had a bad habit of holding the ball too long, which was well documented.

[HoopsDawg]

First OL left to right: Lewis, Work, Boone, Owens, Steen.

So that?s 2 starters from last year running 2nd unit: Jackson and Reese.

[vv83]

First OL left to right: Lewis, Work, Boone, Owens, Steen.

So that?s 2 starters from last year running 2nd unit: Jackson and Reese.

We will need to see how they perform in the season but on paper seems like this staff did a great job hitting the portal for OL

[confucius say]

First OL left to right: Lewis, Work, Boone, Owens, Steen.

So that?s 2 starters from last year running 2nd unit: Jackson and Reese.

That can be a solid 7. Prob need one more.

[confucius say]

Based on lebs interview: Defense playing hard, got stops, good on short yardage, has the bodies to sub on d line. Offense: o line needs to gel, backs were productive, fewer turnovers today, Qb’s were solid.

Supposedly a group of boosters were allowed to watch, so I’m hoping for details to emerge soon, nothing on any of the boards thus far.

I think the Crystal Society members were allowed at the scrimmage. Nice perk.

[HoopsDawg]

That can be a solid 7. Prob need one more.

Brennan Smith has played a lot of ball but only 1 start at center. He seems to be ahead of Keenum.

Not sure who the 3rd tackle is. Work would probably kick out there with Reese at guard.

[bigbub50]

Did anyone have Owens running with the 1’s on their bingo card? They must have a lot of faith in jimothy. It is a good sign that 2 starters from last year are 1b as of now. Gotta think Reese will play a lot somewhere.

[BankerDog]

To give you how an idea of how weak our defensive side was last year?Ty Cooper and John Lewis were both starters, got cut at their new schools in the spring (Lewis was with Arnett at UNLV) and aren?t starting at Tulsa and WVU heading into week 1.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Not as much info on this scrimmage, I also am on vacation and haven’t spoken to more than two people about it. But from what I was told:

Shapen looked good and zip is there unlike it has been before. He had some really good moments in the scrimmage and had a nice TD pass. The main worry on Shapen is that he is holding the ball a bit too long. Not Shadeur like, but he is throwing it when our receiver breaks and not before he breaks and the ball being there when the break is made. Not a big issue and one Lebby should be able to work out of him. The backup battle is over. Kromenhoek has taken a firm grasp and our coaches would be comfortable if he had to start. Kamario will play, but it remains to be seen how much. Also had it confirmed by a staffer that we have packages in the playbook for Kromenhoek and it is not the Chris Parson packages where the entire stadium knew he was running off tackle left or right. It is more Florida with Tebow where he will throw it if they give him the look to do it. Kamario can run that package as well.

RBs had a better day in regards to fumbles. Almost completely eliminated them. Booth will be the starter but Bothwell is making it tougher and tougher to keep him off the field. He may lead us in TDs this year due to his prowess for getting in the end zone in the red zone. Seth Davis has been the shock of camp. He may end up being RB3 over both Daniels and Gayten.

The WR group is starting to come into focus. It looks like, for Week 1 at least, the starting group will be Thompson and Moseley on the outside with Evans in the slot. The second group will be Williams and Glover/Allen/Sanfrisco on the outside with Rickey Johnson in the slot. Evans had a really nice TD in the back corner that was put out on socials. I do think Ayden overtakes Moseley in short order but for week 1 Jordan will probably draw the start.

The OL is going to be night and day. Phil Loadholt rebuilt that room in such short order and NO ONE is talking about that. That room will be the reason we have success if we do. He has built that room for us to successfully run the ball. The starting group is all but determined in that room and has changed a tad since the last scrimmage. It looks like it will be, from right to left: Steen, Owens, Boone, Work, Lewis. It will be a lot for Jimothy to be the left tackle but Loadholt is very confident in him. I still think there is a chance we see Steen kick to left tackle but the staff seems to want him at right. Boone and Work have both worked their asses off in camp to get their jobs and that should be commended. Owens is the name no one knows and is going to be huge for us at Right guard. Our right side is where we are going to run it a ton.

The DL is pretty much unchanged from the last scrimmage, except I do expect Trevion to get the nod at DE and do not be surprised if Malick Sylla, the A&M transfer, leads us in sacks. He is becoming a menace on the edge.

The LB room is going to be the best room. Jalen Smith has all SEC potential and the rest of the league is about to learn just how good Zakari Tillman is.

The CB room is starting to get a clearer picture and I am really liking the things I am hearing. Jett Jefferson has been the surprise of camp. Transferred from ECCC and has worked his ass off with Rhoads and is going to win the starting CB job opposite of Kelley Jones. Had a really good pick in the scrimmage.

The S room is the safety room. Issac is incredible and Jahron Manning is probably our best transfer pickup on either side of the ball. Tony Mitchell is also what we needed him to be.


Overall there was a lot more ebb and flow in this scrimmage and both sides won at certain times is what I was told.

[Hot Rock]

Not as much info on this scrimmage, I also am on vacation and haven’t spoken to more than two people about it. But from what I was told:

Shapen looked good and zip is there unlike it has been before. He had some really good moments in the scrimmage and had a nice TD pass. The main worry on Shapen is that he is holding the ball a bit too long. Not Shadeur like, but he is throwing it when our receiver breaks and not before he breaks and the ball being there when the break is made. Not a big issue and one Lebby should be able to work out of him. The backup battle is over. Kromenhoek has taken a firm grasp and our coaches would be comfortable if he had to start. Kamario will play, but it remains to be seen how much. Also had it confirmed by a staffer that we have packages in the playbook for Kromenhoek and it is not the Chris Parson packages where the entire stadium knew he was running off tackle left or right. It is more Florida with Tebow where he will throw it if they give him the look to do it. Kamario can run that package as well.

RBs had a better day in regards to fumbles. Almost completely eliminated them. Booth will be the starter but Bothwell is making it tougher and tougher to keep him off the field. He may lead us in TDs this year due to his prowess for getting in the end zone in the red zone. Seth Davis has been the shock of camp. He may end up being RB3 over both Daniels and Gayten.

The WR group is starting to come into focus. It looks like, for Week 1 at least, the starting group will be Thompson and Moseley on the outside with Evans in the slot. The second group will be Williams and Glover/Allen/Sanfrisco on the outside with Rickey Johnson in the slot. Evans had a really nice TD in the back corner that was put out on socials. I do think Ayden overtakes Moseley in short order but for week 1 Jordan will probably draw the start.

The OL is going to be night and day. Phil Loadholt rebuilt that room in such short order and NO ONE is talking about that. That room will be the reason we have success if we do. He has built that room for us to successfully run the ball. The starting group is all but determined in that room and has changed a tad since the last scrimmage. It looks like it will be, from right to left: Steen, Owens, Boone, Work, Lewis. It will be a lot for Jimothy to be the left tackle but Loadholt is very confident in him. I still think there is a chance we see Steen kick to left tackle but the staff seems to want him at right. Boone and Work have both worked their asses off in camp to get their jobs and that should be commended. Owens is the name no one knows and is going to be huge for us at Right guard. Our right side is where we are going to run it a ton.

The DL is pretty much unchanged from the last scrimmage, except I do expect Trevion to get the nod at DE and do not be surprised if Malick Sylla, the A&M transfer, leads us in sacks. He is becoming a menace on the edge.

The LB room is going to be the best room. Jalen Smith has all SEC potential and the rest of the league is about to learn just how good Zakari Tillman is.

The CB room is starting to get a clearer picture and I am really liking the things I am hearing. Jett Jefferson has been the surprise of camp. Transferred from ECCC and has worked his ass off with Rhoads and is going to win the starting CB job opposite of Kelley Jones. Had a really good pick in the scrimmage.

The S room is the safety room. Issac is incredible and Jahron Manning is probably our best transfer pickup on either side of the ball. Tony Mitchell is also what we needed him to be.


Overall there was a lot more ebb and flow in this scrimmage and both sides won at certain times is what I was told.

Sounds to me like we are a completely different team from what was on the field last year. If all of what you say is true and these guys do jell properly, a bowl game is not unreasonable.

[HoopsDawg]

We should be better in short yardage situations with Krom and Fluff package. I wish Lebby would put in an under center package so we could QB sneak on 4th and short.

[Hot Rock]

I always want an under center package. I have never understood teams that don't have it.

Do they need all the practice time to get these other more complicated run/pass systems in place and can't afford the time it takes to teach under center techniques or is it so many coaches don't know under center techniques well enough to make them more viable.

I won't ever understand it but it's for certain, we never had a better short yardage play than DAK, not under center with choices.

[TrapGame]

Not as much info on this scrimmage, I also am on vacation and haven’t spoken to more than two people about it. But from what I was told:

Shapen looked good and zip is there unlike it has been before. He had some really good moments in the scrimmage and had a nice TD pass. The main worry on Shapen is that he is holding the ball a bit too long. Not Shadeur like, but he is throwing it when our receiver breaks and not before he breaks and the ball being there when the break is made. Not a big issue and one Lebby should be able to work out of him. The backup battle is over. Kromenhoek has taken a firm grasp and our coaches would be comfortable if he had to start. Kamario will play, but it remains to be seen how much. Also had it confirmed by a staffer that we have packages in the playbook for Kromenhoek and it is not the Chris Parson packages where the entire stadium knew he was running off tackle left or right. It is more Florida with Tebow where he will throw it if they give him the look to do it. Kamario can run that package as well.

RBs had a better day in regards to fumbles. Almost completely eliminated them. Booth will be the starter but Bothwell is making it tougher and tougher to keep him off the field. He may lead us in TDs this year due to his prowess for getting in the end zone in the red zone. Seth Davis has been the shock of camp. He may end up being RB3 over both Daniels and Gayten.

The WR group is starting to come into focus. It looks like, for Week 1 at least, the starting group will be Thompson and Moseley on the outside with Evans in the slot. The second group will be Williams and Glover/Allen/Sanfrisco on the outside with Rickey Johnson in the slot. Evans had a really nice TD in the back corner that was put out on socials. I do think Ayden overtakes Moseley in short order but for week 1 Jordan will probably draw the start.

The OL is going to be night and day. Phil Loadholt rebuilt that room in such short order and NO ONE is talking about that. That room will be the reason we have success if we do. He has built that room for us to successfully run the ball. The starting group is all but determined in that room and has changed a tad since the last scrimmage. It looks like it will be, from right to left: Steen, Owens, Boone, Work, Lewis. It will be a lot for Jimothy to be the left tackle but Loadholt is very confident in him. I still think there is a chance we see Steen kick to left tackle but the staff seems to want him at right. Boone and Work have both worked their asses off in camp to get their jobs and that should be commended. Owens is the name no one knows and is going to be huge for us at Right guard. Our right side is where we are going to run it a ton.

The DL is pretty much unchanged from the last scrimmage, except I do expect Trevion to get the nod at DE and do not be surprised if Malick Sylla, the A&M transfer, leads us in sacks. He is becoming a menace on the edge.

The LB room is going to be the best room. Jalen Smith has all SEC potential and the rest of the league is about to learn just how good Zakari Tillman is.

The CB room is starting to get a clearer picture and I am really liking the things I am hearing. Jett Jefferson has been the surprise of camp. Transferred from ECCC and has worked his ass off with Rhoads and is going to win the starting CB job opposite of Kelley Jones. Had a really good pick in the scrimmage.

The S room is the safety room. Issac is incredible and Jahron Manning is probably our best transfer pickup on either side of the ball. Tony Mitchell is also what we needed him to be.


Overall there was a lot more ebb and flow in this scrimmage and both sides won at certain times is what I was told.

We are going to be miles better than last year. How much better remains to be seen but going bowling is in the cards.

[bigbub50]

Did Reese just get beat out or is he still recovering from injury? Also, who is the backup if a starting tackle goes down? Im assuming reese at tackle or work out to tackle and reese to guard.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Did Reese just get beat out or is he still recovering from injury? Also, who is the backup if a starting tackle goes down? Im assuming reese at tackle or work out to tackle and reese to guard.

It is a combo. He had an injury but he also got beat out, which is not a bad thing. He is still going to play a lot and I would probably count on him starting at some point in the season. Backup would be either Reese or Jacoby Jackson. We also could flip Boone to a G and put Keenum at C if we need to. Both have been very good at C this camp.

[Todd4State]

I always want an under center package. I have never understood teams that don't have it.

Do they need all the practice time to get these other more complicated run/pass systems in place and can't afford the time it takes to teach under center techniques or is it so many coaches don't know under center techniques well enough to make them more viable.

I won't ever understand it but it's for certain, we never had a better short yardage play than DAK, not under center with choices.

It's because teams that are in the shotgun every play aren't used to snapping it under center so there is concern about mishandling the snap. It's one less thing for those teams to practice when there is a time crunch. Plus a QB in the gun is relatively about the same distance from the LOS as a tailback in the I-formation so really it isn't much different than a hand off to a tailback in 4th and short.

[confucius say]

Did Reese just get beat out or is he still recovering from injury? Also, who is the backup if a starting tackle goes down? Im assuming reese at tackle or work out to tackle and reese to guard.

If either Tackle went down, I think we would bump Work out to tackle and Reese or Jackson would go to Work's guard spot.

[Hot Rock]

If either Tackle went down, I think we would bump Work out to tackle and Reese or Jackson would go to Work's guard spot.

About what I thought, takes valuable practice time away and introduces another turnover possibility as players don't come to college with these skills but:

I have seen way too many TFL on short yardage plays for me not to scream at the coaches every time it happens. I mean, NFL teams can't stop the tush push.

[Bubb Rubb]

meanwhile, straight from someone on the staff:

Shapen has not looked good all camp and we really need Luke to step up and challenge him. And the offensive line is a hot mess in pass protection.

[confucius say]

I've been silently wondering if Luke could win the job. Shapen is a game manager, but he's not overly talented.

I suspect we will try to run the ball and play much more tempo this year now that we have more depth.

[confucius say]

meanwhile, straight from someone on the staff:

Shapen has not looked good all camp and we really need Luke to step up and challenge him. And the offensive line is a hot mess in pass protection.

On the positive side, that means we have DL/LB that are getting pressure

[Bubb Rubb]

On the positive side, that means we have DL/LB that are getting pressure

Well, we hope it's positive. Either that or our offensive line is a big problem.

[maroonmania]

I've been silently wondering if Luke could win the job. Shapen is a game manager, but he's not overly talented.

I suspect we will try to run the ball and play much more tempo this year now that we have more depth.

Yea, I'm afraid Baylor got the better end of the Blake Shapen/Sawyer Robertson trade. :(

[bigbub50]

meanwhile, straight from someone on the staff:

Shapen has not looked good all camp and we really need Luke to step up and challenge him. And the offensive line is a hot mess in pass protection.

I could see this being the case, but to shapen's defense, very few qb's look good when they are are pressured. Our pass pro was hot garbage all year last year and was worse in the Spring game. Maybe getting really challenged in practice will help the O line develop. Our run blocking really came on last year.

[bigbub50]

Also, if we can establish the run and stay ahead of the chains, that slows the pass rush down more than ppl realize. Teams are not going to be able to stack the box either because of the speed of evans and our OK transfer wr. That helped the run game last year. Teams respecting our wr's going vertical keeps dudes out of the box. Its gonna take time for this Oline to gel. We just need them to do it by week 2 to have a shot at the upset.

[Bubb Rubb]

I could see this being the case, but to shapen's defense, very few qb's look good when they are are pressured. Our pass pro was hot garbage all year last year and was worse in the Spring game. Maybe getting really challenged in practice will help the O line develop. Our run blocking really came on last year.

I'd be inclined to agree with you if I thought our defense was going to get a lot of pressure on QBs this year. If Shapen is running for his life in camp, that's a bad, bad sign.

[TrapGame]

I'd be inclined to agree with you if I thought our defense was going to get a lot of pressure on QBs this year. If Shapen is running for his life in camp, that's a bad, bad sign.

Lebby said in the GP article from last week that he puts more pressure on the OL/QB in practice b/c he wants them used to it. Shapen isn't running for his life.