Thoughts and Observations from TCU's Spring Game

• The right side of the offensive line looked really strong on the first team. It led to a big opening play, sparked by washdown blocks from new offensive lineman Noah McKinney and returning tackle Witten Van Hoy. The battle for the right tackle position will certainly be worth monitoring as they enter fall camp, with three viable players able to contribute there.
• The defensive line was also to get some penetration. Paul Oyewale looks like a force off the end. He forced quarterback Jaden Craig to throw one away in his pursuit. Ansel Din-Mbuh broke through the offensive line and forced a loss of yards on a designed run play.
• Terry Shelton had a release off the line of scrimmage that put the cornerback on skates. Beautiful release, and he was wide open. Unfortunately, Craig never saw him to connect with him for a big gain.
• Cooper Powers and Wes Harris also got reps on the right side of the line. Powers will be another name to keep an eye on, as he will be battling for the center position with Jaheim Buchanon for that role.
• The running back room looked really strong in their performance. Landon Walker had multiple big runs, fueled by great ball-carrier vision that let him find the hole and run through it. Joe Pitchford also had a good performance, ripping off a few explosive carries.
• Craig threw two interceptions on the night. He had a strong scrimmage last Saturday but struggled during tonight's scrimmage.
• Hudson Hooper had a big stop in the backfield. He could play a big role this season and will be a name to keep an eye on.
• Jack Daulton got some run with the twos and made the most of it, leading the only scoring drive of the night. He looked comfortable in game speed and made a few big throws. Impressed me, considering he is a true freshman.
• Freshman Braden Bach had a nice route over the middle of the field and caught a perfectly thrown pass by Adam Schobel for a big gain. While the TE room is deep this season, he's been able to make his time on the field count this spring.
• Jacob Fields had a huge hit on Dane Jacobs. They met on a slant route over the middle. He's a big-time hitter and will be a key piece of the secondary this upcoming season.
• Nate McCashland handled the kicking duties for the offense tonight (Kyle Lemmerman was unavailable), and he was very consistent.
• Jacobe Hayes had a wide-open vertical route that probably would have been a touchdown, but defensive DPI prevented it.

Main Takeaways

There was a lot to like about what was seen during the practice, but a few things stood out in particular. This team is going to run the ball, and they look like they can do it effectively as well. They have the running back room, the offensive line is showing they can create the holes that lead to explosive runs, and the physicality and grit that have been missing are there.

The offense is fun to watch. There are so many moving parts, so many roll-outs, outside runs, motions. There is a lot going on, but it plays to the style of the players on the roster, which should make it work seamlessly.

The defense has the pieces to be great again in the secondary. Gil Jackson is otherworldly. His reps against Terry Shelton are fun to watch, and you can see the talent pouring out of both of them. The linebackers, their biggest question mark, were making plays, but they also got swept in on run plays.

It's hard during a team scrimmage to tell which side is playing well and which side is playing badly. Just because the WR has a good day, does that mean the secondary is bad? Differentiating between those two is tough, but there was a lot to like regarding what was shown on the field.

The Frogs will have one more spring practice on Tuesday morning, and then it will be curtains until fall camp begins, and things start to get real. For now, there will be plenty more notes regarding the football team, but as things wrap up, the Frogs look to be in a good spot.