True freshmen make a move
The first major scrimmage of the season is in the books for TCU after more than 100 plays Saturday morning at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Unlike Thursday's scrimmage, which served to acclimate players to tackling and being hit for the first time since spring drills, spots on the two-deep depth chart were at stake.
Coach Gary Patterson said last week that two true freshmen, wide receiver Jeremy Kerley and defensive tackle Kelly Griffin, already had cracked the second team.
So has Tejay Johnson, a true freshman from South Garland. He has been working with the second-team defense at free safety.
More changes could be revealed Monday, when the Horned Frogs return to the Morris Practice Fields after a day off today. Don't expect anything significant, though, as the first-team units have played well through the first 11 practices of fall camp.
Other observations:
Kerley has been the star of fall camp. He always seems to be open and almost always catches the ball. Patterson said wideout Jimmy Young is also having a nice start to camp, and fellow redshirt freshman Bart Johnson looks to be as sure-handed as any other member of the receiving corps.
Patterson noted that his senior defensive ends, Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz, are practicing well and causing problems for the first-team offense. Ortiz, though, did not attend Saturday's scrimmage after being felled by a stomach ailment, Patterson said.
The most exciting play for the offense Saturday was delivered by sophomore quarterback Marcus Jackson. After the red-jersey-clad quarterbacks had been declared "live" for contact, Marcus Jackson scrambled for a 20-yard gain and shook off a big blow he took at the end of the run. Perhaps the most excited man on the field was Patterson, who bolted onto the field to give Marcus Jackson a fist-bump.
Jackson and Andy Dalton, competing to replace Jeff Ballard as the starting quarterback, found more success for the second consecutive day after each spent an entire practice Friday working with the first team. Offensive coordinator Mike Schultz said that move was Patterson's idea, and the early results have been positive.
Depth in the secondary was a concern of Patterson's entering fall camp. While the first-team defense was solid Saturday, the second- and third-team units at times offered easy pickings for their counterparts on offense.
True freshmen running back Joseph Banyard and receiver Jonathan Jones supplied a few big plays while working on the third-team offense against the defense's third-teamers. Jones also had a long catch in Thursday's scrimmage.
Braylon Broughton, one of the key members from the recruiting class of 2007, has attended consecutive practices after being cleared by the NCAA. Patterson said the defensive end from Dallas Hillcrest will join the defense on the field Monday.
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