• Coach Darrell Hazell said starting center Kirk Barron is probably "90 percent" and doesn't expect him to miss Saturday's game. Good news.
Barron practiced some today after missing Tuesday's practice while nursing an ankle injury. Barron had the left ankle heavily taped, and most of his work came against the scout team defense, while Mike Mendez got the snaps in team periods.
• Defensive end Austin Larkin missed practice again and spent his time in the pit with other injured players. Hazell said Larkin still is day-to-day. From our perspective, Larkin's going to have to make huge strides over the next few days to be ready. The same could be said for cornerback Da'Wan Hunte. Hunte is out of the red penney and did work in individual and perimeter periods Wednesday, but, like Tuesday, he still is struggling to push off that injured ankle. Hunte's back pedal looks OK but as soon as he sticks the foot in the ground to plant and change direction, he's just not quite smooth yet. One of his best attributes is his ability to anticipate and get in-and-out of breaks, and he just isn't that guy right now. Again, he could make tons of progress the next couple days, but my guess, based off watching him the last two, is he won't play Saturday. That'd mean Tim Cason likely gets the start. Cason was working with the 1s when Hunte wasn't out there Wednesday.
• Hazell said starters Martesse Patterson and Jason King had "winning performances" among the offensive linemen from Saturday. Each coach grades his position group differently to tabulate the grades.
• At the end of Wednesday's practice, the first- and second-team offenses won a two-minute situation. The setup: Ball on the 28-yard line with 33 seconds to play, offense down six.
With the 1s, David Blough's first pass sailed out of bounds, intended for Domonique Young. On second down with 28.7 seconds left, Blough sat in a pretty pocket and waited for Young to break open — and it may not have been his first read, his eyes appeared to be scanning the field — and he delivered an on-point pass into the end zone for a TD. Safety Leroy Clark was the closest in coverage. J.D. Dellinger made the extra point to give the offense the lead.
Elijah Sindelar connected with Bilal Marshall on a four-yard touchdown for the second-team group. The score was set up when Anthony Mahoungou leaped to make a catch near the sideline and tapped his foot in bounds. Some of the defensive players questioned whether Mahoungou was in — so he promptly went and pointed to the divot his cleat made in the grass. In bounds.
• The defense fared better in a third-down team period. The No. 1 defense allowed only a 1-for-6 conversion rate. The No. 2 defense got an interception (Josh Hayes) and a sack on its first third-down series.
Barron practiced some today after missing Tuesday's practice while nursing an ankle injury. Barron had the left ankle heavily taped, and most of his work came against the scout team defense, while Mike Mendez got the snaps in team periods.
• Defensive end Austin Larkin missed practice again and spent his time in the pit with other injured players. Hazell said Larkin still is day-to-day. From our perspective, Larkin's going to have to make huge strides over the next few days to be ready. The same could be said for cornerback Da'Wan Hunte. Hunte is out of the red penney and did work in individual and perimeter periods Wednesday, but, like Tuesday, he still is struggling to push off that injured ankle. Hunte's back pedal looks OK but as soon as he sticks the foot in the ground to plant and change direction, he's just not quite smooth yet. One of his best attributes is his ability to anticipate and get in-and-out of breaks, and he just isn't that guy right now. Again, he could make tons of progress the next couple days, but my guess, based off watching him the last two, is he won't play Saturday. That'd mean Tim Cason likely gets the start. Cason was working with the 1s when Hunte wasn't out there Wednesday.
• Hazell said starters Martesse Patterson and Jason King had "winning performances" among the offensive linemen from Saturday. Each coach grades his position group differently to tabulate the grades.
• At the end of Wednesday's practice, the first- and second-team offenses won a two-minute situation. The setup: Ball on the 28-yard line with 33 seconds to play, offense down six.
With the 1s, David Blough's first pass sailed out of bounds, intended for Domonique Young. On second down with 28.7 seconds left, Blough sat in a pretty pocket and waited for Young to break open — and it may not have been his first read, his eyes appeared to be scanning the field — and he delivered an on-point pass into the end zone for a TD. Safety Leroy Clark was the closest in coverage. J.D. Dellinger made the extra point to give the offense the lead.
Elijah Sindelar connected with Bilal Marshall on a four-yard touchdown for the second-team group. The score was set up when Anthony Mahoungou leaped to make a catch near the sideline and tapped his foot in bounds. Some of the defensive players questioned whether Mahoungou was in — so he promptly went and pointed to the divot his cleat made in the grass. In bounds.
• The defense fared better in a third-down team period. The No. 1 defense allowed only a 1-for-6 conversion rate. The No. 2 defense got an interception (Josh Hayes) and a sack on its first third-down series.
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