The team scrimmaged yesterday. Obviously, the story was yet again Bryce Sherman, who Spurrier called the best offensive player of the scrimmage. Sherman rushed for around 100 yards on 10 carries while Brian Maddox sat out with a minor shoulder injury. Spurrier said he plans to get Sherman a scholarship, which suggests that Sherman will see the field often this year. How much is uncertain; backs coach Jay Graham said he's not sure if Sherman will play against N.C. State, and interestingly pointed out that Sherman still has a lot of work to do in terms of learning to block in pass protection. Still, with Sherman putting up these sorts of numbers running the ball, you have to think this guy will play a major role in the offense this year.
Here are my other thoughts on what went down:
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Stephen Garcia had a "so-so" scrimmage in Spurrier's words. He went 10-23 for 100 yards, not exactly a performance that inspires confidence. However, he also didn't throw an interception, which suggests that he's protecting the ball better. If I'm not mistaken, he's only thrown one in all of the preseason scrimmages. As Joe Person says, Garcia doesn't need to be great for this team to win. He just needs to be solid, and one of the keys to that will be to avoid throwing all the interceptions that have plagued this team so much over the past few years. I can deal with Garcia not throwing for 300 yards a game as long as he doesn't throw many interceptions, as our running game and defense will give us chances to win any game in which we don't lose the turnover battle.
- The offensive line didn't pass protect well yesterday, which is especially worrying considering that Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews sat out. Hopefully they'll be ready for N.C. State.
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Alshon Jeffery played well again, giving yet another indication that he'll be a contributor this year.