Following the Tailgate Tour event Monday evening, those attending the event as well as the media were allowed to watch the second half of the evening football practice, the longest glimpse anyone outside of the athletic department has gotten at the team. It was the second of two practices for the day. The earlier practice had focused, offensively, on the run game was full contact whereas the evening practice was passing-oriented and featured no tackling and only partial pads. Some observations from the session:
- Head coach Kevin Wilson said at the Tailgate Tour that the quarterback competition had been pared down somewhat and what I saw of the practice reflected that. Sophomores Dusty Kiel and Edward Wright-Baker and freshman Tre Roberson took all snaps with junior Adam Follett and senior Teddy Schell apparently relegated to the sidelines. Of the remain three contenders for the starting job, Wright-Baker took the most snaps and played the best on the day. His accuracy appeared improved and he demonstrated his running ability on several crafty escapes from the pocket. Kiel, long rumored to be the frontrunner, had several passes fall short of their intended target and threw an interception, while Roberson made several impressive throws but also showed his youth at times.
- Whoever the quarterback ultimately is, they will have a bevy of skilled receivers to throw to. Not surprisingly, senior Damarlo Belcher looked strong once again, as did sophomore Kofi Hughes. In somewhat of a surprise, sophomore Duwyce Wilson played primarily with the second team. True freshmen Cody Latimer and Sahne Wynn each played very well whenever they were on the field. Veterans such as redshirt freshman Tim O'Connor and senior Dre Muhammad each had their moments in the practice as well, but may have a difficult time holding off the talented true freshmen.
- Notable players missing from the practice were junior defensive tackle Mick Mentzer, sophomore tight end Ted Bolser and running back Darius Willis. Wilson said the former two are nursing minor injuries, but Willis' condition may be more serious. He has reportedly been very limited at practice thus far. In his place, sophomore Nick Turner took the majority of the snaps and played fairly well. Bloomington North product and true freshman D'Angelo Roberts also received snaps and displayed impressive power for a true freshman, bouncing back from contact on several runs.
- In the secondary, senior safe Jarell Drane was all over the field at times and looks to be the favorite to start at safety alongside sophomore Greg Heban. Senior Donnell Jones was often on the field as a third safety. True freshman Michael Hunter also impressed and broke up several plays for the defense Monday.
- Senior Justin Pagan played at right guard after previously playing at right tackle this preseason. Wilson said that the move could potentially allow for him to play his five best linemen all at once.
- Redshirt freshmen Chase Hoobler and senior Brandon McGhee have emmerged from the pack in the race to fill the third linebacker spot alongside seniors Jeff Thomas and Leon Beckum. Wilson said he will likely substitute linebackers based on the game situation often during the season.
- Wilson revealed a pair of position switches on Monday. True freshman Bernard Taylor moved from defensive tackle to guard while fellow true freshman Jake Reed switched from defensive end to tight end as a result of Bolser's injury.Wilson said Taylor will not redshirt this season.
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