MGR: Practice Report 8/11

[TheReal_jayD]

Practice Report from Friday 8/11/2023

Two quotes that stood out from my post practice interview with Coach Eric Morris were ‘Iron Sharpens
Iron” and “Right now, our first level of guys is pretty damn competitive even going into the new
conference.”
 

Offensive Line
Coach Morris spoke very highly of the UNT offensive line. “Our #1 offensive line is so far ahead of our
#2.” The unit returns 80% of the starters from last year. The first team unit on O-line was LT 77 Kaci
Moreka LG 65 Gabe Blair C 78 Daizon Carroll RG 64 Jett Duncan and RT Febechi Nwaiwu. It is clearly a
strength of the team, but they are trying to develop depth at the position as the camp unfolds.
 

Quarterback Race
In my opinion the QB position is wide open now. I have always thought it would be Rogers. But now I
really don’t know now. It is not that Rogers is playing badly. I just think Earle and Ruder have both
improved so much and have addressed a couple of issues that held them back in the past. It will be
interesting to see how this battle plays out. Coach Morris had originally stated a starter would be named
after the first scrimmage. That doesn’t sound likely now. All three QBs took equal reps with the 1st team.
 

Freshman Defensive Backs
North Texas signed 5 HS Defensive backs for this class. Evan Jackson, Taylor Starling, Kollin Lewis, Jayven
Anderson, and Brian Nelson. It looks like all 5 are going to be players. Each one has impressed the
coaching staff so far in camp. With John Davis and Ridge Texada locked in as starting Cornerbacks it
looks like there will be a dogfight for the backup spots. I am not sure any of the 5 will start right away. If
they stay healthy, I can guarantee they will all see the field this year and contribute, even if that is on
special teams.

[El Paso Eagle]

@TheReal_jayD." Coach mentions something happening in "the young guys scrimmage". Is this something that is ongoing or that occurred in the flow? I ask in reference to something Mike Price did when he was at UTEP. For his young players and squad members, he would have weekly simulated games so they could maintain the "live" contact atmosphere. 

[MeanGreen22]

If it’s close, Rogers going to get the nod. But I’ve also been a Ruder truther and Earle is intriguing so I’m genuinely okay with whatever plays out. 

[NT80]

3 minutes ago, MeanGreen22 said:

If it’s close, Rogers going to get the nod. But I’ve also been a Ruder truther and Earle is intriguing so I’m genuinely okay with whatever plays out. 

Morris seems like an RPO guy, so I’ll go with the RPO QB option.

[Cerebus]

Great update @TheReal_jayD.

[NT80]

1 hour ago, TheReal_jayD said:

Practice Report from Friday 8/11/2023

Two quotes that stood out from my post practice interview with Coach Eric Morris were ‘Iron Sharpens
Iron” and “Right now, our first level of guys is pretty damn competitive even going into the new
conference.”
 

Offensive Line
Coach Morris spoke very highly of the UNT offensive line. “Our #1 offensive line is so far ahead of our
#2.” The unit returns 80% of the starters from last year. The first team unit on O-line was LT 77 Kaci
Moreka LG 65 Gabe Blair C 78 Daizon Carroll RG 64 Jett Duncan and RT Febechi Nwaiwu. It is clearly a
strength of the team, but they are trying to develop depth at the position as the camp unfolds.
 

Quarterback Race
In my opinion the QB position is wide open now. I have always thought it would be Rogers. But now I
really don’t know now. It is not that Rogers is playing badly. I just think Earle and Ruder have both
improved so much and have addressed a couple of issues that held them back in the past. It will be
interesting to see how this battle plays out. Coach Morris had originally stated a starter would be named
after the first scrimmage. That doesn’t sound likely now. All three QBs took equal reps with the 1st team.
 

Freshman Defensive Backs
North Texas signed 5 HS Defensive backs for this class. Evan Jackson, Taylor Starling, Kollin Lewis, Jayven
Anderson, and Brian Nelson. It looks like all 5 are going to be players. Each one has impressed the
coaching staff so far in camp. With John Davis and Ridge Texada locked in as starting Cornerbacks it
looks like there will be a dogfight for the backup spots. I am not sure any of the 5 will start right away. If
they stay healthy, I can guarantee they will all see the field this year and contribute, even if that is on
special teams.

Great report, thanks!

Did you notice any kickers or punters in action?  Do we have concerns in those areas this year?

[GMG_Dallas]

48 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Great report, thanks!

Did you notice any kickers or punters in action?  Do we have concerns in those areas this year?

He posted the following a previous report:

"Special Teams

Noah Rauschenberg - Kicker

North Texas has had a great run of kickers the last several years with the likes of Ethan Mooney, Cole Hedlund and Trevor Moore. There were question marks around the position headed into this fall. Rauschenberg a transfer from Baylor had been used as a kickoff specialist. But it looks like he is going to take the kicking job and run with it with confidence. That was one of my biggest concerns headed into the Cal game. But it looks like the kicking portion of the special team’s unit is in good hands (or feet)."

[meanrob]

Yes I’m being glass half empty on this but I don’t ever remember a three way battle where no one pulls away being a good thing. We’ve had plenty of no starter named til late in camp over the years and it’s never ideal. And two of them have FBS game experience. 

[Mean Green 93-98]

10 minutes ago, meanrob said:

Yes I’m being glass half empty on this but I don’t ever remember a three way battle where no one pulls away being a good thing. We’ve had plenty of no starter named til late in camp over the years and it’s never ideal. And two of them have FBS game experience. 

All three.  Although Earle never started at this level.

Edited August 12, 2023 by Mean Green 93-98

[UNTLifer]

2 hours ago, MeanGreen22 said:

If it’s close, Rogers going to get the nod. But I’ve also been a Ruder truther and Earle is intriguing so I’m genuinely okay with whatever plays out. 

Why?

[MeanGreen22]

49 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Why?

There are so many different things this can be referencing. 

[UNTLifer]

26 minutes ago, MeanGreen22 said:

There are so many different things this can be referencing. 

Why do you think Rogers gets the nod if the competition is close?

[greenminer]

7 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Why do you think Rogers gets the nod if the competition is close?

There are implications.

When a staff brings in a xfer QB, especially first year coaches, it means he's "their guy".  It means they don't like what is currently on the roster and this is the one who will address the situation ASAP.

When you do that - and you could apply this logic to most/all positions - and then the guy doesn't beat his competition out, people will say this is a staff failure.

And yes, this implication isn't there for HS recruits.  They have the luxury of redshirting/developing.

Edited August 12, 2023 by greenminer

[Mean Green 93-98]

8 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Why do you think Rogers gets the nod if the competition is close?

I agree that this is probably the case, but not for the reasons @greenminer mentions.  If I'm Coach Morris and I can't make a decision based on practice and scrimmage performance, then I look back at what they have done on gameday.  Rogers has proven that he can do it on gameday as the starting QB and under adverse circumstances.  If I compare game film and game stats between Ruder and Rogers, there really is no comparison.  Earle is a little different story, but I still think Rogers gets the edge.

[MeanGreen22]

15 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Why do you think Rogers gets the nod if the competition is close?

For me, it’s because we have tangible evidence that Rogers can produce on gameday. Add in that he’s a “Morris guy”. I still expect whoever gets the job, we’ll still see some of Earle regardless. 

[greenminer]

@Mean Green 93-98 totally valid points.  That's a much better reason than mine for making that call.

Reports are that Ruder has shown something different (better different) this camp compared to his previous years.  Maybe he has figured something out that is giving Rodgers a run for his money.

[cousin oliver]

I think we have to be honest with ourselves.  The only proven QB on this roster is Chandler Rogers and possibly Head.  Rogers played against Texas and many other teams and had success.  In the end that will win the day in my opinion.  That said, I would almost not want to be the very first guy.  Alex Morris was and we all know how that turned out for him.

[GMG_Dallas]

We can't dismiss Ruder because of what happened with the previous staff. That staff isn't here for multiple reasons. We can't hold past performance in a different system with different coaches against these guys. Ruder is clearly very talented. If he wins the job, we're going to have a very dangerous offense. Not that we won't with Rodgers but I think the downfield threat is better with Ruder and with our receivers, I'm looking forward to some deep throws. 

[cousin oliver]

3 hours ago, GMG_Dallas said:

We can't dismiss Ruder because of what happened with the previous staff.

He should be given every opportunity and I would like to have Head as well.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

52 minutes ago, cousin oliver said:

He should be given every opportunity and I would like to have Head as well.

[RBP79]

I'm thinking Chandler Rogers didn't come here to sit on the bench. As stated above he has experience as a starter at this level and is Morris's guy.

Guess will find out soon enough.

[bstnsportsfan3]

2 hours ago, cousin oliver said:

He should be given every opportunity and I would like to have Head as well.

[greenminer]

3 hours ago, cousin oliver said:

He should be given every opportunity and I would like to have Head as well.

[Cr1028]

15 hours ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

Rogers has proven that he can do it on gameday as the starting QB and under adverse circumstances.  If I compare game film and game stats between Ruder and Rogers, there really is no comparison.  Earle is a little different story, but I still think Rogers gets the edge.

Do what? Lead his team to a 4-8 record? Throw for 200 yards and 1 touchdown? Where is the “hand him the job” stat? We aren’t talking about Cam Ward leading UIW to a 10-3 record averaging over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns per game. Rogers led the cellar dweller Warhawks and wasn’t spectacular doing so. I hope the kid does well for us but don’t act like anything he did at ULM entitles him to the job over anyone else on our roster.

14 hours ago, cousin oliver said:

I think we have to be honest with ourselves.  The only proven QB on this roster is Chandler Rogers and possibly Head.  Rogers played against Texas and many other teams and had success.  In the end that will win the day in my opinion.  That said, I would almost not want to be the very first guy.  Alex Morris was and we all know how that turned out for him.

I think we have different definitions of success.

[Mean Green 93-98]

18 minutes ago, Cr1028 said:

Do what? Lead his team to a 4-8 record? Throw for 200 yards and 1 touchdown? Where is the “hand him the job” stat? We aren’t talking about Cam Ward leading UIW to a 10-3 record averaging over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns per game. Rogers led the cellar dweller Warhawks and wasn’t spectacular doing so. I hope the kid does well for us but don’t act like anything he did at ULM entitles him to the job over anyone else on our roster.

Dude, relax--I never said "hand him the job" off of that alone.  I'm just saying if he is at least practicing and scrimmaging equal to the others, looking at gameday performance is a decent tiebreaker.  There are plenty of QBs who practice great then stink it up on gameday and vice versa.  And if you want to try to attack Rogers' record as a starter, I invite you to compare how he did with how Ruder did.  2,403 yards and 15 TDs isn't bad at all for a running QB.