HANOVER – The goal for Dartmouth’s final week of spring football is to reach a crescendo in Saturday’s Green-White Game.
Unfortunately, getting to that point might be a little easier than expected after the week kicked off Tuesday with practice coach Sammy McCorkle finding the offensive performance flat.
“It was just sloppy,” he said. “I think there was a little complacency. A lack of focus on the offensive side of the ball. Too many mistakes. Too many balls on the ground. And we were forcing the ball. I think maybe we got a little bit too comfortable completing passes last week.
"Well, the defense is going to learn and make sure they aren’t burnt again, and they weren’t today. We had some miscommunications up front and missed blocks. We just can’t make the mistakes like that.”
While McCorkle credited the defense he didn’t let the offense off the hook.
“I thought the defense came out here and got after us a little bit,” he said. “But we have got to do a better job of responding. We have to learn to forget about the last play if it was a bad play. We have to learn from it and move on.
“You can't let a bad one dwell and beat you the next couple plays.”
The same, he might have said, goes for practices.
MORE ON THE FINAL WEEK OF SPRING
Asked what the primary goal was for the last two practices of the spring and the Green-White Game, McCorkle was succinct.
“We need to finish strong,” he said. “We need to see some of these guys that we’re going to be leaning on to help us next year really step up and take the opportunity to be the guy. We just need guys to continue to get better and step up.”
BACK INDOORS
It’s been a regular thing this spring. There haven’t been all that many rainy days in the Upper Valley, but they seem to have coincided with football practice. In fact, the Big Green has had almost as many days on the turf of the indoor practice facility as on Memorial Field.
“New Hampshire weather, I guess,” said McCorkle, throwing up his shoulders as he looked around the facility.
“This place has made a huge difference. It really does help us, and other sports as well. It allows us not to miss a beat. We can get things done that we need to get accomplished. We don't have to shortchange ourselves at all ever.”
McCorkle, who well remembers the days when they would have had no alternative but to practice in the rain, is appreciative of everyone who made the still-new building possible.
“It’s one of the best things that has happened since I’ve been here,” he said. “It goes all the way back to Coach Teevens and all the hard work he did to get individuals to commit to doing this, and help them realize how important this is.”
NOTICE ANYONE COACH?
McCorkle: “(Defensive back) No’Koi Maddox had a good day out there, running around being physical. He made some plays, and had a nice pick. Linebacker-wise I really thought (Matthew) Boydell and Johnny Riley showed up. Riley is always in the right area. And Boydell? You can see he’s coming downhill. He’s starting to really know what to do, and playing full speed. Sean Chester looked good as well.
“I thought our running backs ran hard. We just put the ball on the ground too many times. We have got to be able to balance that. Run the ball hard, but protect the ball at the same time. But I will say our defense did a really good job today of stripping the ball. They were trying to get it out and it worked. That’s a great lesson for our running backs. Run hard but protect the ball.”
SPEAKING OF WHICH
At least twice Tuesday running backs hit came through a hole and then hit a defensive back hard enough to launch the defender backward and onto his rear end. It was a reminder that no-tackling does not mean no-contact.
That’s something defensive back KJ Edwards learned the hard way when Myles Craddock hit him full speed and sent him flying. When Edwards got up, Craddock made sure there were no hard feelings, but he wasn’t going to back down and that's the way his coach wants it.
“We don’t throw people to the ground, but we try to make it no different than the game, otherwise,” McCorkle explained. “We tell our running backs (running through contact) is the only way they are going to learn to take a hit since we don’t take them to the ground, so there are going to be collisions.
“Our DB’s have got to be ready and have to protect themselves because our backs are running hard, running downhill, and out to prove a point.”
NAMING NAMES
Plays, players, and notable goings-on that earned a notation in one onlooker's notebook Tuesday included Jaden Cummings showing off his arm with a throw from the right hash to Ian Scott on the left sideline during skeleton … tailback Christopher Roper with a sweet shoestring catch of a short pass … John Bancone maintaining his block of a would-be tackler to help a ballcarrier gain extra yards.
During the first team period, Joshua Johnson blowing up a shovel pass by bear-hugging the ballcarrier at the line … in 11-on-11 red zone, Cameron Best-Alston with a pick-six … Johnson with another tackle for loss … Woods Ray firing a TD throw to James Elliott on a post pattern … Keoni Perkins with a clothesline tackle.
Ray finding a tightly covered Elliott in the back, right corner of the end zone for a touchdown that might have been the play of the practice … tailback Immanuel Johnson with a nice cut that allowed him to run in from six yards out … Uche Odimegwu with pressure on the quarterback facing a bad throw.
In another skeleton session, Ray hitting Cameron Bates near the left sideline and the receiver making a nice grab on what was probably an unintentional back-shoulder throw … KJ Edwards absolutely jumping a pattern but not quite bringing in what had “pick six” written all over it … Andrew Smart breaking free for a 20-yard TD reception from Noah Trigueros on the kind of pass that is so open the QB often aims the ball and the receiver often drops it, but not this time.
And in the final team period, Maddox with an interception … Matthew Boydell corralling a running back … Jorden Barnes slicing through the front to post a tackle for loss.
OFF THE FIELD
Prior to McCorkle addressing the team at the end of practice, the players were reminded that they will have the chance to join the bone marrow registry Wednesday and thereby perhaps save a stranger’s life in the future.
Asked if anyone had that opportunity in the past, offensive lineman Roland Waguespack raised his arm and briefly shared with the team how fulfilling that was.
“Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of guys volunteer,” said an appreciative McCorkle afterward. “Our team has done a phenomenal job with that in the past.
“I think in the last 10 years, we've probably had four or five football players who were matches. We had two last year. It's a great thing that they do, and I’m really proud of the way our players have responded.”
AND ONE MORE THING
Last week, a good number of Dartmouth players and all of the coaches went to listen to former Big Green lineman Jeff Immelt’s presentation as the inaugural Teevens Center Leadership Fellow. The lessons imparted by the CEO of General Electric from 2001-17 were not lost on the players or coaches.
“It was awesome,” McCorkle said of Immelt’s talk. “It stressed the importance of all the small things and about being resilient in difficult times and situations.
“It's a lot of the stuff that we preach and talk about with our players. It's about accountability. It’s about max effort. It's about battling. Accountability is our core value for the week, and Immelt just kind of happened to match that. He was saying exactly what we talk about all the time.”
McCorkle has been around long enough that he’s heard Immelt touch on some of the same themes before. But it was the first time for the handful or so new coaches on staff, and he could tell they walked away impressed.
“I listened to them talk to our players in their position and unit and special teams meetings, and every single coach took something from Immelt’s talk and presented that to our team,” McCorkle said. “Every single one of them. They all took notes. Every one of our coaches took something from that opportunity and utilized it in our meetings.”
ON TAP
The final full practice of the spring is Thursday, with McCorkle hoping it will be back outdoors. That sets the stage for the Green-White Game Saturday morning. More about that Thursday.