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Spring game notes

I thought Ramos played well. Played very physical and aggressive. Even a bit chippy with the OL. I think he could really take the next step and we need someone too there.
I thought Ramos played well too. Samuel Akem and I talked about that on Nuanez Now Friday before the game. The conversation centered upon how Alex Gubner was such a huge part of the Griz defensive success from 2019-2023. Last year, a huge part of the narrative for the defensive fall off was Guber's graduation.

Who's the next guy at that spot? Well maybe Ramos is that next guy. He's got huge talent. If that came fruition, that would be big-time for Montana
 
I thought Ramos played well too. Samuel Akem and I talked about that on Nuanez Now Friday before the game. The conversation centered upon how Alex Gubner was such a huge part of the Griz defensive success from 2019-2023. Last year, a huge part of the narrative for the defensive fall off was Guber's graduation.

Who's the next guy at that spot? Well maybe Ramos is that next guy. He's got huge talent. If that came fruition, that would be big-time for Montana
Well it’s about time with Ramos…I really thought he’d shine much earlier in his career.

Really hoping this is Detrick’s year to blow some people up too….

Oh, and watching clips (I know, trying not to get too enamored with guys from a few small clips), I think Griz fans are going to absolutely fall in love with Brook Davis…holy shit.
 
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I thought Ramos played well too. Samuel Akem and I talked about that on Nuanez Now Friday before the game. The conversation centered upon how Alex Gubner was such a huge part of the Griz defensive success from 2019-2023. Last year, a huge part of the narrative for the defensive fall off was Guber's graduation.

Who's the next guy at that spot? Well maybe Ramos is that next guy. He's got huge talent. If that came fruition, that would be big-time for Montana
I didn't see any of the game nor have I been following much but there is no doubt that Gubner was a huge reason the griz had a solid D for those years. Great 0 tech play is a must if you're going to have success with the 3-3-5 defense. I think that USC DL transfer that is coming could be a critical piece if the griz are going to have a championship run in the upcoming season.
 
Some expanded thoughts:

QB - has been discussed a lot, Jensen is the leader in the clubhouse right now. Ah Yat was in front of him up until a hammy pull. Lots to watch this portal season / summer to see how Jensen further fits in with these WRs, if Ah Yat snaps back into his role now that he's on the mend, if another transfer comes in, and if Flowers can find more of those insane highs and wash out the lows.

RB - My goodness an embarrassment of riches here. Fonoti has seemed to pick up some of Rocker's patience and both have a great blend of power and finesse. Eli should probably be named the pre-season MVP on offense. His game is so well rounded and his ongoing addition of strength while keeping his burst is something else. Loved how the crowd really got behind the young dudes in Reynolds and Running Rabbit too.

WR - We all know Bridges is fast, but last year he had a hard time completing catches once open in the few opportunities he had. He had a few tough contested catches last night. Brooks Davis is going to really jump onto the scene. Wortham as the secret weapon of the offense was generally kept under wraps - just you guys wait to see how Pease is going to snap him in. Deck is a solid / experienced slot WR and returner, he had a great juke to turn a 10 yard catch into 10 more YAC. Hendrix didn't play but I saw him a bit in practice, he's fast AF. The kid that's really stepped up this season that seems to be "getting it" to me, is Cameron Gurnsey. He had 2 or 3 catches in the game and was solid all spring camp. The biggest "mover" up the roster from last year. Don't be surprised if #11 starts in our home opener.

OL - It's... getting better? I just don't know who is going to snap in an play where. The OL blocked pretty well, the sacks came later in the night. Botner's snaps, if he truly will stay at center, need to get better. I have a theory that they know center is a need and will address it in the portal and slide Botner back to his natural position at tackle. Hard to read if the OL was really pass protecting so well or if there was a bit of a call for the D-line to back off.

TE - Our transfers I don't think played much if at all, nice TD pass and catch to Olson. Schaeffer doing what he does best, run blocking and reliable short yardage catches. I think the coaches believe they've got 3-4 guys they can rely on in this role.

DL - As just posted it was great to see Ramos wrecking some plays, we're going to need more of that from him this year. Bailey (99) was out there, but wasn't an impact, seemed to run out of gas fast. With the upcoming additions from USC and the kid from Carroll I think our D-line is again going to look very different come fall. In practices I saw some good stuff from RB Wilson, also Mata'afa had a TFL yesterday and keeps showing up and making plays. #57 Jake Mason has such a motor, he's only going to get better.

LB - A bit of a blind spot for me yesterday as I was really focused on offense more than anything. Tolbert had some good breakups and stops. Did Leonard play? He's my pick for 37. Otlewski injury has me concerned. #55 Dawson Johnson impressed me all spring and had a pick today, google says he was at Garden City Community College before? I think he makes the team, could be a solid ST guy right away.

CB/DB - Again, I'm a little fuzzy here and will have to revisit. Lawler had some good breakups. Was it Speer who had the game ending pick? Lots of new guys back there, Boyd had a good spring, Cutler I think did too. Didn't hear Rausch's name yesterday, did he play? Some of the new guys showing up on the field, Wolfe and Wilkinson.

K - We're in great shape, Morrison smashing kicks and then Silver comes in and does the same.

------------

Does this feel like a Big Sky champion roster yet? No, to me it doesn't, but I also recognized that yesterday a lot of the game was pretty generic and a lot of the design the coaches have been working on wasn't put out there. The OL needs to get locked in. QB needs 1 guy to land the job. The defensive secondary can't get chopped up as much as they were yesterday. I think this team probably still has 2-3 portal needs and of course we need to see if we lose anyone else in the spring portal and what that'll do to the roster.

I like where the Griz are at, this is a younger team with A LOT of new faces. The expectations placed on the 2024 team will not be placed on the 2025 team and that could help these guys play with a little less pressure on them and sync together quickly.
 
These spring scrimmage are so vanilla, it's difficult to evaluate from them. The defense keeps things simple, understandably so.

With that said, overall I like the potential at qb. As a group, they played well. All 3 made a few really nice plays, and moved the ball efficiently. Most of their incompletions were throw aways, with 2 bad drops by wrs.

As a group, I applaud them. They all 3 showed enough to make the starting qb decision a difficult one.

Jensen proved some naysaying egrizzers wrong. The kid looked much better than I expected. He made all the throws a qb needs to make, with good decisions.

AhYat actually has improved on giving his options time,before deciding to run. He made a few passes he wouldn't have last season. His snaps were limited though.

In turn, we got our 1st true glimpse of Flowers. I'll say this. If and when he learns to not force things, his upside is HIGH! He throws an absolutely beautiful ball at all levels. His passes are TIGHT spirals and he has confidence in his receivers. Advice to him, use that confidence in 1 on 1 match ups not with multiple defenders in an area your throwing to. Both his picks were from that.

As for WRs, Bridges and Davis both have big playmaker written all over them. How long will it take for them to piece it all together? Guernsey is going to be that possession move the chains WR. He really surprised me. As for TEs, is there a bigger group in all of FCS? I hope we utilize their size properly.

RBs, were loaded there.
Reynolds and Running Rabbit appear to be solid depth guys too.

Wortham is a combination of JLM and Bergen. I can't wait to see all the ways he's going to be used.

Defensively, the structure of spring scrimmage puts them at a disadvantage. Ramos appears ready to play up to his high ceiling. Tolbert also stood out to me. However, I'm a little concerned with our pass defense. Our offense picked apart the coverages much too easily. Then again, how much of that is from lack of scheming and qb pressure?

Overall, I'm really excited at the upside potential the offense has. I like the depth and talent in all the offensive groups. The key will be, how well and quickly the OL gels?

Defensively, there's a lot of individual talents. Unfortunately, it's mostly young inexperienced talent. As a unit, it might take 1/2 the season for them to become consistent, especially in coverage schemes.
 
Some expanded thoughts:

QB - has been discussed a lot, Jensen is the leader in the clubhouse right now. Ah Yat was in front of him up until a hammy pull. Lots to watch this portal season / summer to see how Jensen further fits in with these WRs, if Ah Yat snaps back into his role now that he's on the mend, if another transfer comes in, and if Flowers can find more of those insane highs and wash out the lows.

RB - My goodness an embarrassment of riches here. Fonoti has seemed to pick up some of Rocker's patience and both have a great blend of power and finesse. Eli should probably be named the pre-season MVP on offense. His game is so well rounded and his ongoing addition of strength while keeping his burst is something else. Loved how the crowd really got behind the young dudes in Reynolds and Running Rabbit too.

WR - We all know Bridges is fast, but last year he had a hard time completing catches once open in the few opportunities he had. He had a few tough contested catches last night. Brooks Davis is going to really jump onto the scene. Wortham as the secret weapon of the offense was generally kept under wraps - just you guys wait to see how Pease is going to snap him in. Deck is a solid / experienced slot WR and returner, he had a great juke to turn a 10 yard catch into 10 more YAC. Hendrix didn't play but I saw him a bit in practice, he's fast AF. The kid that's really stepped up this season that seems to be "getting it" to me, is Cameron Gurnsey. He had 2 or 3 catches in the game and was solid all spring camp. The biggest "mover" up the roster from last year. Don't be surprised if #11 starts in our home opener.

OL - It's... getting better? I just don't know who is going to snap in an play where. The OL blocked pretty well, the sacks came later in the night. Botner's snaps, if he truly will stay at center, need to get better. I have a theory that they know center is a need and will address it in the portal and slide Botner back to his natural position at tackle. Hard to read if the OL was really pass protecting so well or if there was a bit of a call for the D-line to back off.

TE - Our transfers I don't think played much if at all, nice TD pass and catch to Olson. Schaeffer doing what he does best, run blocking and reliable short yardage catches. I think the coaches believe they've got 3-4 guys they can rely on in this role.

DL - As just posted it was great to see Ramos wrecking some plays, we're going to need more of that from him this year. Bailey (99) was out there, but wasn't an impact, seemed to run out of gas fast. With the upcoming additions from USC and the kid from Carroll I think our D-line is again going to look very different come fall. In practices I saw some good stuff from RB Wilson, also Mata'afa had a TFL yesterday and keeps showing up and making plays. #57 Jake Mason has such a motor, he's only going to get better.

LB - A bit of a blind spot for me yesterday as I was really focused on offense more than anything. Tolbert had some good breakups and stops. Did Leonard play? He's my pick for 37. Otlewski injury has me concerned. #55 Dawson Johnson impressed me all spring and had a pick today, google says he was at Garden City Community College before? I think he makes the team, could be a solid ST guy right away.

CB/DB - Again, I'm a little fuzzy here and will have to revisit. Lawler had some good breakups. Was it Speer who had the game ending pick? Lots of new guys back there, Boyd had a good spring, Cutler I think did too. Didn't hear Rausch's name yesterday, did he play? Some of the new guys showing up on the field, Wolfe and Wilkinson.

K - We're in great shape, Morrison smashing kicks and then Silver comes in and does the same.

------------

Does this feel like a Big Sky champion roster yet? No, to me it doesn't, but I also recognized that yesterday a lot of the game was pretty generic and a lot of the design the coaches have been working on wasn't put out there. The OL needs to get locked in. QB needs 1 guy to land the job. The defensive secondary can't get chopped up as much as they were yesterday. I think this team probably still has 2-3 portal needs and of course we need to see if we lose anyone else in the spring portal and what that'll do to the roster.

I like where the Griz are at, this is a younger team with A LOT of new faces. The expectations placed on the 2024 team will not be placed on the 2025 team and that could help these guys play with a little less pressure on them and sync together quickly.
Apparently, you and I were posting at the same time. We pretty much saw the same things. I completely agree with your summary.

Is Flowers upside enough for Hauck to throw him into the mix exiting spring camp? Meaning, entering fall camp, can the GRIZ realistically let 3 qbs battle it out the 1st week?

I don't know about you, but that kid's passing ability has me salivating at his upside. I'm thinking, he's a year away, due to not recognizing things yet. I just hope, he stays here long enough to get his time. I'd hate to lose him to any competition.
 
Some expanded thoughts:

QB - has been discussed a lot, Jensen is the leader in the clubhouse right now. Ah Yat was in front of him up until a hammy pull. Lots to watch this portal season / summer to see how Jensen further fits in with these WRs, if Ah Yat snaps back into his role now that he's on the mend, if another transfer comes in, and if Flowers can find more of those insane highs and wash out the lows.

RB - My goodness an embarrassment of riches here. Fonoti has seemed to pick up some of Rocker's patience and both have a great blend of power and finesse. Eli should probably be named the pre-season MVP on offense. His game is so well rounded and his ongoing addition of strength while keeping his burst is something else. Loved how the crowd really got behind the young dudes in Reynolds and Running Rabbit too.

WR - We all know Bridges is fast, but last year he had a hard time completing catches once open in the few opportunities he had. He had a few tough contested catches last night. Brooks Davis is going to really jump onto the scene. Wortham as the secret weapon of the offense was generally kept under wraps - just you guys wait to see how Pease is going to snap him in. Deck is a solid / experienced slot WR and returner, he had a great juke to turn a 10 yard catch into 10 more YAC. Hendrix didn't play but I saw him a bit in practice, he's fast AF. The kid that's really stepped up this season that seems to be "getting it" to me, is Cameron Gurnsey. He had 2 or 3 catches in the game and was solid all spring camp. The biggest "mover" up the roster from last year. Don't be surprised if #11 starts in our home opener.

OL - It's... getting better? I just don't know who is going to snap in an play where. The OL blocked pretty well, the sacks came later in the night. Botner's snaps, if he truly will stay at center, need to get better. I have a theory that they know center is a need and will address it in the portal and slide Botner back to his natural position at tackle. Hard to read if the OL was really pass protecting so well or if there was a bit of a call for the D-line to back off.

TE - Our transfers I don't think played much if at all, nice TD pass and catch to Olson. Schaeffer doing what he does best, run blocking and reliable short yardage catches. I think the coaches believe they've got 3-4 guys they can rely on in this role.

DL - As just posted it was great to see Ramos wrecking some plays, we're going to need more of that from him this year. Bailey (99) was out there, but wasn't an impact, seemed to run out of gas fast. With the upcoming additions from USC and the kid from Carroll I think our D-line is again going to look very different come fall. In practices I saw some good stuff from RB Wilson, also Mata'afa had a TFL yesterday and keeps showing up and making plays. #57 Jake Mason has such a motor, he's only going to get better.

LB - A bit of a blind spot for me yesterday as I was really focused on offense more than anything. Tolbert had some good breakups and stops. Did Leonard play? He's my pick for 37. Otlewski injury has me concerned. #55 Dawson Johnson impressed me all spring and had a pick today, google says he was at Garden City Community College before? I think he makes the team, could be a solid ST guy right away.

CB/DB - Again, I'm a little fuzzy here and will have to revisit. Lawler had some good breakups. Was it Speer who had the game ending pick? Lots of new guys back there, Boyd had a good spring, Cutler I think did too. Didn't hear Rausch's name yesterday, did he play? Some of the new guys showing up on the field, Wolfe and Wilkinson.

K - We're in great shape, Morrison smashing kicks and then Silver comes in and does the same.

------------

Does this feel like a Big Sky champion roster yet? No, to me it doesn't, but I also recognized that yesterday a lot of the game was pretty generic and a lot of the design the coaches have been working on wasn't put out there. The OL needs to get locked in. QB needs 1 guy to land the job. The defensive secondary can't get chopped up as much as they were yesterday. I think this team probably still has 2-3 portal needs and of course we need to see if we lose anyone else in the spring portal and what that'll do to the roster.

I like where the Griz are at, this is a younger team with A LOT of new faces. The expectations placed on the 2024 team will not be placed on the 2025 team and that could help these guys play with a little less pressure on them and sync together quickly.
How bad is Otlewski hurt?
 

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