(More on Fall Practice Day 1 here.)
Another gray Berkeley morning is punctuated by watching zero period restart from the North Gate of Cal Memorial Stadium, the siren song of 11-on-11 football; so close, but so far. The full range of onlookers that punctuated the excitement of day one is gone; only polos and players remain. Once again, JKS, Adam Mohammed, and Ricky Fletcher are leading the stretches.
Young Thug floating over warm-ups does not flip to classic rock when the squad breaks away from warm-ups, entering a period emphasizing special teams, ground ball, and loose ball drills. Cooper Perry handles some high-arching punt receptions facing directly into the emerging sun.
The tight ends group continues to look sharp. Freshman Taimane Purcell could be an exciting player to watch for getting rotational work. At 6’4”, 225, the standout’s size is palpable from the sideline. Mason Mini was having a clean run of the TE drills as well.
If you have been a little lost with the slogans this new coaching staff has brought in and hammered home, it’s easier to see in their drilling. For the second day in a row, you see intensive drills, revolving around swarming the ball, smothering the runner. The whistle cries out again, and offense is on to drill the “ball security gauntlet”. It is exactly what it sounds like.
Coach Lupoi, for the periods we were present, concentrated his intense focus on pass rush drills. He sported a “The Bear Will Not Quit, The Bear Will Not Die” shirt that features a silhouette of storied equipment manager Trevor Skogerboe. I noticed the shirt as he’s coaching up a player on how to adjust the angle of their rush.
The horn sounds again to mark the end of the period, and press exits the field. Fall camp continues unabated whether we’re watching or not.
The equipment manager T shirt is brilliant!
Thank you and I look forward to hearing about day 3. Plus now I want one of those long sleeve shirts just like coach.