More Idaho Vandal Camp News

Harry · August 9, 2013

Other thoughts from Petrino and a few players:

Petrino's initial thoughts: “I thought there was some real good things, and like anything, some things we’ve got to get better at it. There was a couple things execution-wise that made me mad. We shouldn’t have had a couple mistakes that we had with all of spring ball and all of them working on their own all summer. But overall, I thought the effort was good. I thought guys were flying around. It was exciting to see some of the new guys. You look around the field and there’s a whole bunch more speed here. But the execution’s got to improve a lot.”
Petrino said four of the five starting offensive line spots are locked up at this point — Mike Marboe at center, Jesse Davis and Cody Elenz at tackle and Dallas Sandberg at guard. The other guard spot was occupated by Niklaus Von Rotz for some of Monday's practice. Marboe and defensive end Maxx Forde had good things to say about Davis, who switched to the OL in the middle of spring. Said Marboe, “Yeah, he’s doing great. Jesse’s just a big man. So it’s nice to have him over there. He’s a football player, so he’s adjusting. He’s still got a little bit to learn. He’s my roommate at home, so he’ll still ask me questions every once in a while. But he’s (coming) along great. He’s going to be a great asset for us. Like I said, he’s a football mind; he’ll get it. He’s come so far. He got thrown into the fire in the middle of spring, so he’s doing great.”
Asked what he watches for in practices like this one, Petrino said, “You just look at stuff one play at a time. And then you go in and watch tape. Looking at assignment, alignment and get-off every play. And then whether they’re executing the technique they’re supposed to do. That’s one of the big things that we’re trying to make a big deal of is that we’re going to be great, technically sound football players and understand our fundamentals. And that allows you to play the game fast.”
Petrino on which players have most clearly gotten bigger or stronger, “Cody (Elenz has) gotten bigger. Roman Runner looks like he’s leaner and quicker and faster. I thought Maxx (Forde) looked like had a little more burst to him today. Quinton (Bradley) looks like he’s a little bit bigger. And then there’s some new guys here that are fast, real fast. So that’s good to see.”
Petrino said a Vandals' leadership council met once a week for the summer, and different players are starting to emerge. “But when that will really show up is about five days from now, like next Monday when we got two-a-days after a long scrimmage. It’s easy to be a good leader today.” As far as leaders for each position group, he mentioned Marboe and Davis on the offensive line; Kris Olugbode at running back; Roman Runner and Najee Lovett at receiver; Forde and Quinton Bradley on the D-line; Marc Mllan and Broc Westlake at linebacker; and Solomon Dixon in the secondary.
Regarding the QB competition, Petrino said Chalich, Taylor Davis and McCain all did good things. “I think the No. 1 thing in the quarterback (race) is just whoever can get you in the end zone the most. That’s really what it comes down to. We’ll have long scrimmages and whoever can get us in the end zone the most, that’s who will be our quarterback.”
Petrino said Lovett, Dixon, Richard Montgomery and Rueben Mwehla are the likely candidates to serve as kick and punt returners.
Chalich on ranking the practice speed on a scale of 1-10: “I’d say about probably an 8. It’s the first day; there’s going to be some kinks and getting back to where we were in the spring. We worked really hard during the summer, just everyday in the film room and getting out and working.”
More Chalich on tempo: “It’s something else. It’s not like anything I’ve ever done before. But it’s that college level. It’s bigger. It’s pretty much a full-time job for us. It’s something that we pretty much get paid to do, but, you know, it’s our scholarship and we’re going to come out here and keep getting better everyday. And we’re going to win some games this year.

read more: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2013/aug/05/vandals-first-day-books/

FirefightnRick · August 12, 2013

According to Vandal fans, after their first week of practices and their scrimmage it looks as if their red-shirt freshman Chalich is getting the nod as their #1 so far.

QB's

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=2664&t=11754535

....Watched a little bit of practice yesterday, didn't come away super impressed with McCain. He runs well and seems to make ok decisions but not overly accurate. He also has a slow delivery. He seems to really wind up on his throws. He brings the ball back behind his head before the throw and release (think Kerry Collins). Chalich looked good at times but also seemed to make some bad decisions and tried to force a couple to covered recievers. Petrino seems to be especially hard on Challich which makes me believe he expects more from him because he is the front runner. Davis made some good throws and didn't seem to force it, but he is really slow in his progression! Unfortunenatly I didn't get a chance to see Linehan but those I talked to said he had a live arm and is a good athlete. Sounds as if we will have another good competition next year no matter what happens this season! A good problem to have! As an added note the o-line looked very good in pass protection, giving the QB's time to do what they need to. As said many times on this board our offense will only go as far as the OL will take them. The last part of this equation, the WR, for the most part looked good. They got open and dropped very few balls. Epps is going to be a great addition and Lovett looked good. Also thought Watson is playing himself into the mix, made some nice grabs and moved well after. All in all it was just one partial practice that I saw so take it with a grain of salt, we will find out more Saturday morning. Go Vandals!!!

One thread of opinions from scrimmage Saturday, August 10th

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=2664&t=11764751

The quarterbacks where in and out of there with no discernible rhyme or reason to us spectators in the beginning, but as the scrimmage went on it seemed more consistent. To me chillich looked the best and was more intrested in throwing the ball then running it but it did cost him a few sacks, he still stares down the receivers and should have been picked off a couple of times. McCain would give up on plays pretty early and tuck the ball without pulling back up if someone opened up, that being said he sure is a squirrelly guy behind the line and didn't get cought for a loss very often. Linehan throws a beautiful deep ball, lets his receivers run right underneath it, but also forces passes that should never been thrown. McCain also forced quite a few.

For a Remington watch list guy I sure didn't think there would be that many bad snaps beeal also committed quite a few bad snaps. This absolutely needs cleaned up.

Wow is are kicking game wild Rekoaw has just as good of a chance kicking a pat as a 67 yard field goal..... Not in a good way I have never seen so many chip shots missed why did you have to leave lord Farquar. Also was called for a false start the first one attempted (after looking at the vandal nation twitter feed I see it was the second attempt) and looked like he should have been flagged am most of his attempts.

Defense smothered the run in the beginning and for most of the day. Montgomery did break a long one for a TD 30+ yards, I'm not sure if the ones where in on D that play. About the 4th to 6th series the D reminded me of when I play Ncaa 2014 sac

I stopped by for most of it and here are my impressions:

- The defensive line stood out. (This may be an indicator of the O-line, where there was a lot of shuffling during the scrimmage) I liked how the DTs held their ground and didn't let an OL get to the second level. Linebackers were running free in the gaps and making plays because of it.

- Nothing blew me away about any QB, but it was clear that all of them were still doing a lot of thinking in the backfield. The thing that worried me a bit about Chalich was that when the pocket closed around him, there was no way he could see over the linemen and he just unloaded the ball a couple times - twice, potential pick-6's went through DB's hands. McCain definitely looked shifty. I didn't see much from him as a passer, mostly because he never really had time. Very key point here is that QBs were under a TON of pressure the instant the ball was snapped all day, so I wouldn't take today as a big indicator of their abilities.

- Our DBs are small, but I thought they did a good job of attacking the ball.

- If you've been watching Idaho for any length of time, you also know that open-field tackling has been suspect for quite a while. I was happy with the way the defense hit, wrapped and held on just about every time (except for one pretty sweet spin move in the open field by Montgomery).

- You couldn't really tell until later on on the scrimmage, but our receivers moved pretty well and seemed to run some pretty crisp routes. Once the QBs started getting some time in the pocket later on, there were definitely some open looks.

- It's important to remember that this team has only been practicing for like five days, so it's not surprising that the defense had the upper hand most of the day.

Vandal Nation Covering the Scrimmage.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=2664&t=11766178

Good First Look

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=2664&t=11768956

.....Davis: I thought he made some great plays during this scrimmage and would think, " How is he not #1?" Then he would make a play and I would think, " that's why!". Kid is good in stretches but makes some bad choices in other stretches.

Chad C: Best QB overall... Seems to know the offense better then the other 2 kids. Very tough kid not afraid to put his head down to get the extra yard. Arm is strong and showed some nice touch. He did have his struggles and tried to fit the ball in tight spots, held the ball to long, missed some wide open WR, but looked good overall.

Josh M: I hope this kid has thick skin. For the first 50 minutes of the scrimmage he couldn't do anything right in the eyes of coach and got his assed chewed loudly every time. Towards the end of practice coach patted him on the back after making some nice plays. Biggest issue with Josh is time in the program. Just doesn't know the offense well enough and it showed Saturday. He is very quick to pull the ball down and run with it. When he runs he is hard to tackle. He is not a big person but is very elusive. He needs to use his speed around the end and turn it up the sidelines more. He has the habit of turning back into the middle of the field where the big guys are. Nice arm needs better accuracy. Given time he could be a starter.

Matt L: This kid is a beast. It will be hard to keep him off the starting job next year if these kids struggle in 2013. He made hay against 2nd and 3rd string defense but was damn good. He will stud out in Moscow.

Running Back:

The true freshman is a beast. He is not big which makes it hard to get a direct hit on him. He has all the moves and speed to burn. He gets around the end watch out not many will catch him.

The other 3 running backs didn't show much mainly because 2 didn't play. Baker didn't warm-up and was in street cloths the entire day. Both JC kids were warming up and both were limping around. All in all we will be just fine at RB. Even the kid that played banged up showed good north south running. The RB out of Moscow looked decent in limited carries.

O-Line: Had a rough day on Saturday. Couple of the boys were hurt and either didn't play or played limited snaps. I thing I noticed is not one of these lineman are FAT. Yes they have lineman weight to them but if you saw the group the last 2 years they were a little on the heavy side. At the end of practice these boys were dragging *** but still working hard.

D-Line: Good, Better, Best. This position will be fun to watch all year long. The German kid made some nice plays along with young Cable.

LB: To early to tell. I will need to see some games before I say they are a strength. Some good size, some good speed, some good hitters, but what was even better they tackled well. They had some missed assignments and a few got owed by TE during running plays.

Secondary: SMALL. I would say our CB average is 5'9 170. Safety from Texas has some size and showed decent. The true freshman safety from Florida made a nice pick and has good speed. He needs to hit the weight room. A little worried about this group. Coach M was on their butts pointing out what needs to be done better. I like the fact we pressed at the line more then years past. Maybe the 10 yard hook pattern will get picked this year instead of being a 10-13 yard gain.

WR: Not a strength but not a below average group either. If we need to rely on the WR to win games it may not turn out great for us but some of the kids showed well Saturday. JC kid Epps(?) is scary quick and fast could be our best WR this year. Cowan made a few nice catches. We also saw a few drops.

TE: Good. no worries there.

And their kicking game hasn't seemed to impress anyone so far. Here is one opinion about that.

Punts and Kickoffs were on Thursday. Let's just say it was the 4th practice..... After watching the practices and scrimmages my gut feeling is telling me it is going to be a long tough year as a kicker.

Sounds familiar.

Rick

Edited August 12, 2013 by FirefightnRick

North Texas Shep · August 12, 2013

I like the idea of getting to smack around a (RS) Freshman QB the first game. Welcome him to D1 football the right way.

FirefightnRick · August 12, 2013

Both Vandal kickers are freshmen. But I've read a couple of Ops about their kicking game in which one Vandal fan mentioned that all they had to do was get to the 50 for a field goal attempt. That's because they got that kid, Austin Rehkow from Veradale Washington that hit the 67 yarder last year. Kid has a monster leg. It will be interesting to see if he can make the transition to the college game, although in the video below he does kick off the ground, NO TEE. But for those of you who are like me and have interest in the special teams game, it will be worth the price of admission to see him attempt to set an Apogee record.....which I have no idea what that is at the moment.

Holy $heeeeeeeeze!!!!!

Rick

Edited August 12, 2013 by FirefightnRick

LongJim · August 12, 2013

That is a hell of a kick. Wow!

UNTLifer · August 12, 2013

Wow.

FirefightnRick · August 12, 2013

Also, Rekhow hit 89 percent of his field goals his Junior year, and avereged 48 yards per punt his senior year.

Rick

Harry · August 12, 2013

Impressive leg

joeyvee · August 12, 2013

We are going to be young in some position areas, that is for sure. Kicking game --- we have had a good run of punters, KO and FG kickers. But this 67 yard "famous" frosh is a nice pick up. He is a bit nervous right now. Needs to adjust, and I am sure he will. Your sweltering humidity is a concern. Moscow can get in the 90's, but the humidity is no factor. I guess a body wrap of the Dome and crank up the heat might give us a bit of an idea what to expect. WSU, only 8 miles west, is down the road (25 miles) at sea level, in Lewiston, Idaho doing their fall camp. Their renovation on the facilities on campus prompted this move. Now, Lewiston can get real toasty and has some humidity (the Clearwater and Snake converge there). I look forward to meeting you fans. It will be a unveiling of new Vandal program, so we are anxious. Petrino has got them focused and the fundamentals improved.

FirefightnRick · August 12, 2013

Y'all may possibly have a freshman running back startin as well, correct?

Rick

BigVandalFan · August 12, 2013

Y'all may possibly have a freshman running back startin as well, correct?
Rick

Doubtful, but he will certainly get some run. Little and fast.

http://youtu.be/ABKoRI66aoQ

joeyvee · August 14, 2013

What I have been able to pick up on fall camp in Moscow, going into this Sat's scrim, is we hope to see progress in the OL , the corner and safety play (one athletic WR may do a "both ways" at times at corner) and more accuracy in the PAT and FG kicking. There may be some moving guys around as week #2 is at its mid-point. QB so far has a RSF with the ones. Still time for the senior or the JC guy to challenge.

I hope to post some links from newspapers as they usually do daily summaries.

Edited August 14, 2013 by joeyvee

Christopher Walker · August 14, 2013

We are going to be young in some position areas, that is for sure. Kicking game --- we have had a good run of punters, KO and FG kickers. But this 67 yard "famous" frosh is a nice pick up. He is a bit nervous right now. Needs to adjust, and I am sure he will. Your sweltering humidity is a concern. Moscow can get in the 90's, but the humidity is no factor. I guess a body wrap of the Dome and crank up the heat might give us a bit of an idea what to expect. WSU, only 8 miles west, is down the road (25 miles) at sea level, in Lewiston, Idaho doing their fall camp. Their renovation on the facilities on campus prompted this move. Now, Lewiston can get real toasty and has some humidity (the Clearwater and Snake converge there). I look forward to meeting you fans. It will be a unveiling of new Vandal program, so we are anxious. Petrino has got them focused and the fundamentals improved.

He should be more worried about the erratic wind gusts.

BillySee58 · August 14, 2013

What I have been able to pick up on fall camp in Moscow, going into this Sat's scrim, is we hope to see progress in the OL , the corner and safety play (one athletic WR may do a "both ways" at times at corner) and more accuracy in the PAT and FG kicking. There may be some moving guys around as week #2 is at its mid-point. QB so far has a RSF with the ones. Still time for the senior or the JC guy to challenge.

I hope to post some links from newspapers as they usually do daily summaries.

Level, or Lovett both ways?

bstnsportsfan3 · August 14, 2013

Thanks to our guys and the vandel guys on the updates. this should be a fun game. you idaho fans have been very classy and ill be rooting for you after we beat you at apogee.

joeyvee · August 15, 2013

Level, or Lovett both ways?

Neither one of these guys. It is this guy, with the tremendous broadcast name for an athlete:

Roman Runner --- starts under "other notes". Level is no longer on the team. Dang it. Awesome. But when Coach Akey was fired, he went to Stoneybrook. Tremendous receiver.

Wednesday morning practice report — 8/14/13

It’s time for two-a-days, and Idaho coach Paul Petrino is continuing to push his team to work and up their tempo. Following special teams drills Petrino had his first team do eleven-on-elevens with the no-huddle and up-tempo along with live tackling testing to see how capable the players were of going and going without break. As soon as a touchdown was scored the offense would line right back up and go the other way.

The defense left a lot to be desired, Petrino said.

“I’m really pushing them hard, we did a long team period, went fast, live tackle, get after it. And really just trying to make them mentally tough with a whole lot of plays in a row. Offense had a great day, defense needs to get a lot tougher. When they kept doing a lot of plays in a row they weren’t mentally tough enough,” Petrino said.

Consistency is what Petrino said he is looking for.

“There’s different groups that are improving here and there. We just have to get consistent, where we come out here everyday and get better, so we’re not going up and down,” he said. We worked the tar out of them this morning so it was a good hard practice and now we’ll see who has the mental toughness to come out and work this afternoon.”

Other notes

- Roman Runner will be getting reps at cornerback during the afternoon practices. The change was implemented on Monday. Petrino said Runner will be a two-way player, three-way if you include special teams.

“We’re going to do it, it might just be a nickel package, it might just be during certain things. When you go punt and punt return with the gunners and the guys holding them up Roman is the best press guy we got, so we gotta get him over there and have him play some corner for us,” Petrino said of the change.

- Petrino hopes to get strong tackle Jesse Davis back for the scrimmage on Saturday. Left guard Dallas Sandberg is expected to be back next week for contact drills.

- Petrino said Marc Millan has been the best linebacker for Idaho during the spring. Four guys are competing for the two spots after him, those four are likely Juan Martinez, Broc Westlake, Eric Tuipulotu and Matt Willis.

“Our front seven has to be the strength of our defense, I think they’re improving,” Petrino said.

Secondary picture coming together

- I also talked to Petrino about the secondary and the freshmen breaking through with that group. Solomon Dixon is the leader of the group at corner, with Jayshawn Jordan and Delency Parham going back and forth there, Petrino said. As for safety? “I’d say at safety, one of our freshmen Jordan (Grabski) is probably playing the best.” Grabski is competing with Bradley Njoku and Tom Hennessey in the defensive backfield with Trey Williams sitting out with an injury.

I also caught up with cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens at practice this morning about his group:

On what he’s trying to accomplish with such a young group of corners: “Discipline. We got a lot of young guys in our unit in the defensive backfield but we wanted to come in and first thing you got to do to be a great DB is be disciplined. That’s what we’re trying to develop right now, just getting our stance good, peddle good, every play. That’s what our main focus is on.”

On what Solomon Dixon is doing so well: “He has great athletic ability, he’s hungry, he works hard, so we just have to keep on making him grow.”

On the biggest challenge for freshmen corners Desmond Banks and Armond Hawkins: “The speed of the game, it’s fast, so they’re still trying to adjust to it. The way we practice is tough, so they just have to keep learning and learning. They’ll be good players, we got two good gets, they’ll be real good down the line and maybe this year too.”

On his NFL experience helping his coaching style: “Oh yeah, I always give them tidbits, they can work on those things away from the field and on the field, so, always trying to teach.”

That’s all for Wednesday.

Edited August 15, 2013 by joeyvee

THOR · August 15, 2013

Neither one of these guys. It is this guy, with the tremendous broadcast name for an athlete:

Roman Runner

We had a roman once on defense...his nickname was 'toast'...

joeyvee · August 15, 2013

That's funny. I think the team will be much more competitive this season. Last year was just painful. We need to have a decent product on the field. Good thing about football and other sports, there is always a reset, then show us what you have. Last year we had one win, lost in OT to Wyo, gave Tex SA a game down to the end, played decently for parts of games. We lost our focus-compass in 2011. It was looking good thru 2009 and the 2010 was close to bowl eligible, and could have easily been a 7 win season. But close don't pack it.

BillySee58 · August 15, 2013

Interesting. Yeah, Level was a steal for you guys. Good player from a really good high school program. That helps us IMO, especially in game 1 when other guys are less experienced.

But yeah, Runner is supposed to be a key player on offense from what I've read.

Also, how's Deon Watson doing? Good size and from same school as Chalich.

UNTexas · August 15, 2013

So, if they start a freshman and we start a freshman QB, it will be interesting...

joeyvee · August 15, 2013

From a local newspaper this a.m. (Thurs. 8-15)

VANDAL CAMP: Idaho giving Runner a taste of defense duty

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Posted: Thursday, August 15, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 12:47 am, Thu Aug 15, 2013.

By Troy Warzocha of the Tribune | 0 comments

MOSCOW - As wide receiver Roman Runner lined up near the line of scrimmage, he could hear someone shouting instructions behind him.

"Move up. A little more. Loosen up. There ya go."

The whistle blew and Runner quickly backpedaled before being picked up and blocked on a short pass completed just to his left.

It was a different perspective for the senior wideout - and one that he may have to get used to this season.

Plugged in at cornerback with the second and third defensive units, Runner, who compiled 218 yards on 18 catches in 2012, got a good look at what could very well become a second position - making him Idaho's first two-way player in quite some time.

"When we've had two-a-days, in the afternoon he's been working with the defensive backs and it's just something that - when we do special teams and it's gunners against the guys holding them up, he was one of the best press guys we had," Idaho coach Paul Petrino said after the Vandals' second practice of the day on Wednesday afternoon. "We better get him over (to the defensive side of the ball) and have him work. He might have to play both sides of the ball a little bit."

A happier camper - Five days after putting the Vandals on blast for their lack of effort, Petrino said that he was pleased with the direction and attitude of the team, especially during two-a-days.

"I thought we got really good (work in) this morning," Petrino said. "We had great work, we flew around - especially offensively. The defense at times (has) got to play a little bit harder when they get tired, but this afternoon was good too. It was our best back-to-back practices of camp.

"I was happy with today. I thought we got a lot better today."

Infirmary report - Offensive linemen Jesse Davis and Dallas Sandberg returned to the field, but were limited to drills on Wednesday.

Davis sustained a concussion last Thursday while Sandberg was injured just before halftime of the team's first scrimmage on Saturday.

"They're not live yet, but at least they're back out there getting drill work," Petrino said. "I think Jesse will be able to go Saturday and Dallas will be able to go next week."

Both lineman are expected to be starters on the strong side.

In 11-on-11 drills, LHS grad Spencer Beale and Larry Dugan worked at Sandberg's guard spot while redshirt freshman Calvin White practiced at tackle.

Running backs Kris Olugbode and James Baker were absent from practice. Neither participated in Saturday's scrimmage and, at the time, Petrino said that both are "dinged up."

Defensive lineman QuayShawne Buckley was on the field, but was not wearing pads.

Coming up - The Vandals will hold their second scrimmage of fall camp at 10 a.m. Saturday.

joeyvee · August 15, 2013

So, if they start a freshman and we start a freshman QB, it will be interesting...

I think if the RSF does well in this Sat's practice, he will start. I did see some good things last year with our now senior, Taylor Davis, who has gameday experience. He is just a tad slower afoot, is what I think. But is a good one to have at #2. The JC kid? He looks great on those JC videos --- can scramble and is fast, but I believe not being on campus for spring ball has him at the #3. It will be interesting. The coming up Sat scrim ought to be the "tipping point". Who knows. Petrino holds his cards close to his vest.

BillySee58 · August 15, 2013

I think if the RSF does well in this Sat's practice, he will start. I did see some good things last year with our now senior, Taylor Davis, who has gameday experience. He is just a tad slower afoot, is what I think. But is a good one to have at #2. The JC kid? He looks great on those JC videos --- can scramble and is fast, but I believe not being on campus for spring ball has him at the #3. It will be interesting. The coming up Sat scrim ought to be the "tipping point". Who knows. Petrino holds his cards close to his vest.

Plus it's a new regime, and going with a RSF in year one gives you a chance to mold him so he'll be experienced come years 3 and 4, the make or break years.

joeyvee · August 15, 2013

Linebackers article in a northern newspaper 8-15

new linebackers have aggressive mentality

millan eager to sack opposing qbs

Dean Hare/Daily News

Idaho linebacker Broc Westlake (10) and defensive end Quinton Bradley, right, eye running back Richard Montgomery, center, after Montgomery took a pitchout from quarterback Chad Chalich, left, Saturday during a scrimmage in Moscow.

The Idaho Vandals had a trio of senior linebackers graduate following the 2012 campaign, leaving new football coach Paul Petrino with a gaping hole on his depth chart.

But much as he had done with the running back position, Petrino used some keen recruiting to acquire a handful of junior college transfers and turned what looked to be a weakness on his team into one of the stronger units.

Newcomers Marc Millan, Eric Tuipulotu, Juan Martinez and Broc Westlake immediately bolstered the defense, and their strong play in spring ball vaulted them to the top of the depth chart, along with senior Matt Willis and sophomore James Randall.

The Vandals play a 4-3 defense, utilizing four defensive linemen and three linebackers. The middle linebacker in this scheme is usually referred to as the "Mike" backer. Whichever linebacker lines up on the strong side of the offense (the side with the tight end) is called the "Sam" backer, while the "Will" backer plays on the weak side.

Millan's stellar play has earned him the starting spot at the "Will" position. However, the other two spots are still up for grabs.

"It's a great competition," linebackers coach Eric Brown said. "I think right now Eric and Juan are working a little bit more with the ones, but it's going to be great having six linebackers we can rotate and stay fresh. I'm excited about the depth we have right now."

At the "Mike" spot, Martinez and Westlake been getting the most playing time. Tuipulotu and Randall have been working at the "Sam" position, and Willis has played both the strong and weak sides.

Millan impressed his coaches with his knowledge of the game, as well as his tireless and tenacious effort.

"Getting here and watching him on film, I can tell he's a great blitzer," Brown said. "He needed to clean up some of his technique, but he's done that and has become a great all-around linebacker. He's a great leader, flies to the ball, very physical."

At Santa Ana College in California, Millan recorded 70 tackles - 17.5 for a loss - and five sacks. When asked if he prefers to stuff a running back up the middle or to sack a quarterback, Millan laughed.

"I like to sack quarterbacks, it's my bread an butter," he said, grinning. "But our No. 1 goal is to hunt. We sprint to the ball at full speed, we play through the whistle and we like to set the tone of the defense."

Millan's hunter mentality is shared by the rest of the linebackers and their coaches as they have tried to instill a culture of toughness into the defense.

"We call it our 'personality,' it's a hunter's mentality and we need to make it happen every play," Brown said. "Personality is not sometimes. Personality is every single play.

"We're continuing to grow in our physicality. We're going to continue to take pride in our physicality and hunting ball carriers. We are ... going to fly to the ball, and we're going to take pride in that."

Redshirt freshman Russell Siavii, younger brother of last year's defensive leader Robert Siavii, has been moved from linebacker to safety. Brown said he likes the effort and intensity the young Siavii displays and hopes to see him making plays on special teams. Former quarterback-turned safety Austin DeCoud bulked up during the summer and is playing with the linebackers now.

The Vandals will have their second scrimmage of the fall at 10 a.m. Saturday

loud and proud alla y'all...loud and proud