The Tide held it's first scrimmage of the spring yesterday at BDS. It was closed to the media and most of the public (player's families, high school coaches and high school prospects watched from the stands), but here are some numbers released by the staff:
Offense:
JP, McElroy, and Barnes
John Parker Wilson (QB) - 12-of-27 for 233 yards and one touchdown pass.
Greg McElroy (QB) - 13-of-24 for 149 yards
Glen Coffee (RB) - 15 rushes for 81 yards (5.4 ypc) and one touchdown.
Terry Grant (RB) - 12 rushes for 53 yards (4.42 ypc) and two catches for 41 yards.
Matt Caddell (WR) - led all receivers with four catches for 80 yards.
DJ Hall (WR) - 2 catches for 17 yards.
Jonathan Lowe (RB) - 2 catches for 46 yards
Am I the only one who's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas on seeing running backs Terry Grant and Lowe catching passes out of the backfield, and the new possibilities this brings to our offense?
Defense:
Rashad Johnson (safety) - 8 tackles and 1 QB hurry.
Brian Motley (a former reserve center now on the defensive line) - 11 tackles (3 for a loss).
Bobby Greenwood (DE) - Two sacks (finally, sacks from the d-line!)
Wallace Gilberry (DE) - Four tackles with one sack (!).
Simeon Castille (CB) - Fumble recovery returned 32 yards for a TD.
Coach Saban called the scrimmage "a good starting point," but was also critical of the teams self inflicted wounds, namely dropped balls, several fumbles, and a "litany of pre-snap penalties" as he continues to call for better discipline and consistency from his team. Cecil Hurt chimes in on the scrimmage and stats, and what they mean (or don't).
Red Zone Efficiency:
Good news on the red zone front:
"We scored when we got down there," he said.
Running backs Terry Grant (2-yard run), Glen Coffee (4-yard run) and Jamar Taylor (2-yard run) each scored, and quarterback John Parker Wilson found Grant from three yards out
A few side notes:
DJ Hall will have surgery on his shoulder at the end of spring practice. It was injured midway through last season, but he played with pain and decided to put off the surgery until after spring practice so he wouldn't be behind the rest of the team because of rehab.
Glenn Coffee was the lead running back during yesterday's scrimmage over Jimmy Johns because Johns was held out for "academic reasons"
"If he (did) what he's supposed to Thursday, and he does what he's supposed to do (Friday), and he does what he's supposed to do Monday," Saban said, "maybe we'll let him back on the field Tuesday."
"Dependability is part of it," Saban said. "If a guy can't even do what he's supposed to do to get to practice, that's not saying much in terms of where he is at."
Also sitting out were WR Keith Brown (bruised ribs), WR Will Oakley (shoulder), and TE Travis McCall (calf). None of the injuries are consider serious, but the staff decided to keep them out of contact drills as a precaution.