Houston wrapped up spring workouts with their annual red and white game on Saturday. Marcus and I were both on hand Saturday to take in the days action. The offense (Red) won the game which featured a modified scoring format and four quarters of action which featured a running clock.
Here are our takeaways and observations following Saturday's red & white game.
Jefferson D. Powell - CougarsDen.com Publisher
Kyle Allen - Allen was very underwhelming in my opinion in what was our best chance to see and evaluate him this spring. He completed 12-of-18 passing attempts for 62 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Allen didn't quite display the high level of command I would have liked to have seen. The offense utilized a lot of quick passing plays which seems to the MO of the revamped Houston spread.
When they did take some shots at the defense Allen made some questionable decisions. He threw a pick on the games first play but I'll cred Jeremy Winchester on that one with an outstanding defensive play. When they tried to take shots down the field Allen made some questionable decisions on one play he forced a ball deep down the field into double coverage overthrowing his receiver and hitting defensive back Javian Smith in stride who came down with the pick.
Late in the second half of the game he again tried to force a play when he threw a deep ball to Keith Corbin who was in a favorable position pre-snap with one-on-one coverage from Javian Smith, after the snap safety Colin Wilder drifted to the opposing side of the field leaving Corbin one-on-one, but Smith had him covered step for step all the way to the end. Allen tried to give Corbin a chance to make a play but in my opinion he forced it when his receiver was well covered.
I would like to think that in a real game situation he may not take those chances, but in this situation he did when there was nothing there. I suppose you also have to factor in that he was without some key weapons on offense, I just would have liked to see a little bit more command out there than what we saw.
Quick Passes - The offense definitely featured a lot of quick passes and short screens, which appears to be the new MO of the Major Applewhite and Brian Johnson offense. Following the game I asked defender Austin Robinson who tallied six tackles and one sack how similar the offense we saw today was to the one they saw all spring and he said that was it, exactly the same. Granted it's spring and they are a little banged up with injuries, but fortunately for Major Applewhite and Houston they still have a ways to go to get this team where they want and with a full camp ahead this summer there's plenty of time to get guys healed and get things more fluid offensively.
Patrick Carr - I was impressed with former Colorado transfer Patrick Car who was the standout running back of the day. Carr displayed some good vision out there on the field and made some good cuts taking the best angle of attack against the opposing defense. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound running back finished the day with 122 yards and one touchdown on just 15 rushing attempts. He had a long 52-yard run where I thought for sure he was going to score, but Jeremy Winchester made a nice play running him down keep him out of the endzone and limiting it to just a 52-yard gain.
Josh Burrell - It will be interesting to see how Applewhite and Johnson continue to utilize Burrell moving forward. Today he finished with 38 yards and one touchdown on seven rushing attempts. He looks like he could develop into a nice short yardage/goal line back if the coaching staff felt so inclined to use him there. He's got the size and strength at 5-foot-10, 247-pounds.
Cornerbacks - The corners were impressive to me today. Javian Smith had himself a nice afternoon and looks like he could be a future star as he gets more face time in the defense. I was really impressed with what I saw from him today coverage wise. Even when he was tasked with difficult one-on-one coverage he did more than hold his own. Based on what I saw today I expect to see quite a bit from him this season.
Jeremy Winchester made a nice play to open things up for the defense as well, and his play running down Patrick Carr was a very solid effort play where he bailed out his defense. The offense went on to score, but those are the kinds of plays that could save ballgames when the season rolls around.
Isaiah Johnson impressed me as well. He really seems to be adjusting well to the new position. Two weeks in to the switch I would have expected him to look a lot more "Unnatural" at the position than he looked and he even came away with a nice pick on a Mason McClendon pass in the first half. As he continues to get reps and grow his defensive knowledge he could really turn into a force at DB with his size and athleticism.
Clean Game (Penalty Wise) - If memory serves me correct I think we made it into the fourth quarter before the game's first penalty was called on an offensive holding play. Which is surprising considering a lot of the younger and inexperienced players we saw on the field competing for depth.
Marcus Gutierrez - CougarsDen.com Analyst
Kyle Allen - The Texas A&M transfer didn't get off to a good start by throwing an interception to start the spring game. Allen threw two interceptions and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Keith Corbin for his only score of the game. Allen's threw into double coverage on his second interception. Allen finished the day going 12-for-18 for 62 yards with one touchdown. Allen could make all the small throws, but struggled when trying to throw the ball deep. I'm sure with more practice that he will develop more chemistry with the wide receivers.
Patrick Carr - The Woodlands native stole the show at the spring game. The transfer from Colorado rushed for 122 yards on 15 carries and scored one touchdown. Carr was running downhill and wasn't afraid of taking any shots from his teammates. Several defenders had trouble bringing down Carr. On Carr's rushing touchdown drive he had rushes for 11, 5, and 11 yards before rushing into the end zone. The Cougars rushed for 230 yards and scored three touchdowns. Carr and Duke Catalon could be an impressive one two punch for the Houston running game.
The 3rd Ward defense - The Cougars defense made several plays during the spring game. When the quarterbacks tested the defense they answered the call. Jeremy Winchester started the game with an interception. Javian Smith and Isaiah Johnson also had Interceptions. The Cougar defense also had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and one force fumble.
Keith Corbin - The Beaumont West Brook product has been having a great spring and scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Allen for the first score of the game. Corbin caught three receptions for 21 yards and one touchdown. Corbin looked great in running his routs and found a way to get open several times. With the wide receiver core dealing with injures Corbin could find himself contributing early in the fall.
Javan Smith - The sophomore cornerback stood out from the defensive backs. The Bush product had two tackles and the interception. Smith looked confident on the field and had no trouble keeping up with the wide receivers. With the secondary having questions Smith could provide some much needed depth at the position for the Cougars.
The crowd - This one is a little homer in me, but the crowd here was great today. Usually at spring games one side is full, but the home side was full along with other part of the stadium. It seems that the Cougar nation isn't going anywhere and is here to support.
Other notes
Other Notes: Marquez Stevenson has suffered an ACL injury and will miss the 2017 season. The announcement was made before the spring game. The Shreveport native was looking to be a key part of the offense this season.
Here are our takeaways and observations following Saturday's red & white game.
Jefferson D. Powell - CougarsDen.com Publisher
Kyle Allen - Allen was very underwhelming in my opinion in what was our best chance to see and evaluate him this spring. He completed 12-of-18 passing attempts for 62 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Allen didn't quite display the high level of command I would have liked to have seen. The offense utilized a lot of quick passing plays which seems to the MO of the revamped Houston spread.
When they did take some shots at the defense Allen made some questionable decisions. He threw a pick on the games first play but I'll cred Jeremy Winchester on that one with an outstanding defensive play. When they tried to take shots down the field Allen made some questionable decisions on one play he forced a ball deep down the field into double coverage overthrowing his receiver and hitting defensive back Javian Smith in stride who came down with the pick.
Late in the second half of the game he again tried to force a play when he threw a deep ball to Keith Corbin who was in a favorable position pre-snap with one-on-one coverage from Javian Smith, after the snap safety Colin Wilder drifted to the opposing side of the field leaving Corbin one-on-one, but Smith had him covered step for step all the way to the end. Allen tried to give Corbin a chance to make a play but in my opinion he forced it when his receiver was well covered.
I would like to think that in a real game situation he may not take those chances, but in this situation he did when there was nothing there. I suppose you also have to factor in that he was without some key weapons on offense, I just would have liked to see a little bit more command out there than what we saw.
Quick Passes - The offense definitely featured a lot of quick passes and short screens, which appears to be the new MO of the Major Applewhite and Brian Johnson offense. Following the game I asked defender Austin Robinson who tallied six tackles and one sack how similar the offense we saw today was to the one they saw all spring and he said that was it, exactly the same. Granted it's spring and they are a little banged up with injuries, but fortunately for Major Applewhite and Houston they still have a ways to go to get this team where they want and with a full camp ahead this summer there's plenty of time to get guys healed and get things more fluid offensively.
Patrick Carr - I was impressed with former Colorado transfer Patrick Car who was the standout running back of the day. Carr displayed some good vision out there on the field and made some good cuts taking the best angle of attack against the opposing defense. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound running back finished the day with 122 yards and one touchdown on just 15 rushing attempts. He had a long 52-yard run where I thought for sure he was going to score, but Jeremy Winchester made a nice play running him down keep him out of the endzone and limiting it to just a 52-yard gain.
Josh Burrell - It will be interesting to see how Applewhite and Johnson continue to utilize Burrell moving forward. Today he finished with 38 yards and one touchdown on seven rushing attempts. He looks like he could develop into a nice short yardage/goal line back if the coaching staff felt so inclined to use him there. He's got the size and strength at 5-foot-10, 247-pounds.
Cornerbacks - The corners were impressive to me today. Javian Smith had himself a nice afternoon and looks like he could be a future star as he gets more face time in the defense. I was really impressed with what I saw from him today coverage wise. Even when he was tasked with difficult one-on-one coverage he did more than hold his own. Based on what I saw today I expect to see quite a bit from him this season.
Jeremy Winchester made a nice play to open things up for the defense as well, and his play running down Patrick Carr was a very solid effort play where he bailed out his defense. The offense went on to score, but those are the kinds of plays that could save ballgames when the season rolls around.
Isaiah Johnson impressed me as well. He really seems to be adjusting well to the new position. Two weeks in to the switch I would have expected him to look a lot more "Unnatural" at the position than he looked and he even came away with a nice pick on a Mason McClendon pass in the first half. As he continues to get reps and grow his defensive knowledge he could really turn into a force at DB with his size and athleticism.
Clean Game (Penalty Wise) - If memory serves me correct I think we made it into the fourth quarter before the game's first penalty was called on an offensive holding play. Which is surprising considering a lot of the younger and inexperienced players we saw on the field competing for depth.
Marcus Gutierrez - CougarsDen.com Analyst
Kyle Allen - The Texas A&M transfer didn't get off to a good start by throwing an interception to start the spring game. Allen threw two interceptions and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Keith Corbin for his only score of the game. Allen's threw into double coverage on his second interception. Allen finished the day going 12-for-18 for 62 yards with one touchdown. Allen could make all the small throws, but struggled when trying to throw the ball deep. I'm sure with more practice that he will develop more chemistry with the wide receivers.
Patrick Carr - The Woodlands native stole the show at the spring game. The transfer from Colorado rushed for 122 yards on 15 carries and scored one touchdown. Carr was running downhill and wasn't afraid of taking any shots from his teammates. Several defenders had trouble bringing down Carr. On Carr's rushing touchdown drive he had rushes for 11, 5, and 11 yards before rushing into the end zone. The Cougars rushed for 230 yards and scored three touchdowns. Carr and Duke Catalon could be an impressive one two punch for the Houston running game.
The 3rd Ward defense - The Cougars defense made several plays during the spring game. When the quarterbacks tested the defense they answered the call. Jeremy Winchester started the game with an interception. Javian Smith and Isaiah Johnson also had Interceptions. The Cougar defense also had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and one force fumble.
Keith Corbin - The Beaumont West Brook product has been having a great spring and scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Allen for the first score of the game. Corbin caught three receptions for 21 yards and one touchdown. Corbin looked great in running his routs and found a way to get open several times. With the wide receiver core dealing with injures Corbin could find himself contributing early in the fall.
Javan Smith - The sophomore cornerback stood out from the defensive backs. The Bush product had two tackles and the interception. Smith looked confident on the field and had no trouble keeping up with the wide receivers. With the secondary having questions Smith could provide some much needed depth at the position for the Cougars.
The crowd - This one is a little homer in me, but the crowd here was great today. Usually at spring games one side is full, but the home side was full along with other part of the stadium. It seems that the Cougar nation isn't going anywhere and is here to support.
Other notes
Other Notes: Marquez Stevenson has suffered an ACL injury and will miss the 2017 season. The announcement was made before the spring game. The Shreveport native was looking to be a key part of the offense this season.
