HANOVER – Sammy McCorkle came into the ninth practice of the spring with one clear objective and added a second along the way.
Mission accomplished.
Make that missions – plural – accomplished.
The first objective? What you’d expect. A solid practice.
McCorkle called the practice “very good,” and “one of the better ones” before taking it up a notch.
“It was our best practice of the spring, which it should be,” he finally said. “That was practice nine. That's where you need to be getting to. You're prepping for the last week, getting ready for that spring game.
“I really thought the guys came out here ready to compete. They played and practiced with confidence today, every single one, from first-years to seniors. . . . The biggest difference was practicing with confidence and with great energy, and competing against each other. It was fun. It was fun to be around.”
And McCorkle told the team as much in his post-practice remarks.
“We set the bar high, and you matched it,” he said. “Mistakes didn’t set you back. You just kept playing. You stayed engaged.
“Guys competed and you know why? You let your hair down and just played and you played with confidence.”
Originally planned for Memorial Field, the 10 a.m. practice was moved inside with the forecast – correctly it would turn out – calling for rain.
“During the spring I just want to make sure we get a good solid practice in,” McCorkle explained. “I don't want to deal with wet balls and all that. I want to get a good one.”
And so they adjusted and improvised as McCorkle’s mentor Buddy Teevens would say.
“A&I,” McCorkle said. “We made a decision at 7 a.m. this morning. We made it early enough and came in here.”
Which allowed for completion of the second mission.
With a good group of prospective recruits in town, moving inside gave McCorkle and his staff a chance to show off the Indoor Practice Facility.
It was “an opportunity for the recruits and their families to come in here and see how we practice in this facility,” McCorkle said. “I think this is a huge benefit for us.”
STATUS REPORT
With only two more practices before the Green-White Game next Saturday, is Dartmouth where McCorkle hoped it would be at this point?
“Some spots, yes,” he said. “Maybe a little bit further (along) than you thought and other spots right where you want to be. But I think overall we’re moving forward. I don’t think there’s a situation where it’s, ‘Oh man, we went backwards.’ Not at all.
“You’re about where you thought you'd be . . . practice nine. You want to have guys flying around feeling good. You're usually not adding too much on nine. You'll add a couple of little things next week but yeah, I'm really happy where we are as a program.”
ANYONE CATCH YOUR EYE, COACH?
McCorkle: Cam (Bates) with the touchdown catch in red zone over in the corner. (Chris) Roper and Myles (Craddock) running the football. And Manny (Johnson), especially in short yardage and in red zone, making those big yards.
“I think defensively you’ve got No’Koi (Maddox) making some plays out there. Johnny Riley with an interception. Once again Cam Lee coming off the edge was harassing people. And Chris Chol and Matisse (Brosseau), two first-years, were creating some problems and creating some negative yards.”
NAMES
Plays, players, and notable goings-on that earned a notation in one onlooker's notebook Saturday included Thai Brown with a pass breakup during pass skeleton … Ky’Dric Fisher skying for a touchdown reception in the back of the end zone in red zone … Charlie Peters finding Andrew Smart on a crossing pattern and the offense as the offense cheered … Cameron Best-Alston with a nifty pass breakup … Peters hitting Ian Scott for a TD in the back corner of the end zone … Cameron Bates sliding and angling backward to pull in a pass behind him.
During the first team period, Noah Roper taking a big enough hit to jar off his Guardian helmet cap and on another carry keeping his legs churning even while fully wrapped up … Best-Alston rushing the passer, timing his jump perfectly and spiking a pass just out of the QB’s hand … Riley flat-out standing up a running back in the middle of the line.
In another team period, Woods Ray with a strike to Bates in the back corner of the end zone … Craddock bouncing a red zone run outside for a score … Riley not being fooled by a shovel pass and greeting the ballcarrier head-on … Noah Trigueros hitting Taysire Williams on a deep post for a TD and McCorkle windmilling his arms in celebration … Jaden Cummings with a nicely thrown ball to Aiden Abercrombie down the right sidelines, a nifty completion that led McCorkle to blow the whistle and end the practice.
ON TAP
The Big Green will be back at it Tuesday and Thursday before practice No. 12 – the Green-White Game – closes out the spring.
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Be sure to check out the next story on the retirement of defensive coordinator Don Dobes. (LINK)