EagleInsider Practice Report: Updated 8/15

With the start of the regular season right around the corner, EagleInsider.com has the latest on BC summer practices and scrimmages inside.

Scrimmage Notes from Wednesday - 8/15

* The team had their second scrimmage tonight, under the lights in Alumni.

* Steve Aponavicius kicked a few field goals before the scrimmage started. He made kicks from the 45 and 50 yards before missing from 55.

* The scrimmage started out at a fast pace. Matt Ryan opened with a 20 yard pass to Kevin Challenger, and his second pass was a 15 yard completion to Brandon Robinson.

* Matt Ryan looked very smooth tonight. He got the defense to jump a number of times by altering the snap count.

* Chris Crane got a significant number of reps at QB. The offense ran a lot of single back formation while Crane was in. Crane, who is quicker and more mobile than Ryan, had some great passes on the run. He was also the punter on one fourth down situation from the offense’s 46 yard line. He bobbled the long snap, but they gave him another shot. On the second try, he punted it to the 18 yard line.

* Freshmen Dominique Davis and Chris Johnson both got a few plays towards the end of the scrimmage. Both showed signs of inexperience. Davis bobbled a couple of snaps, and Johnson tried to throw a ball away while being tackled that was nearly picked. They both had a few nice passes too. Davis made a beautiful 50 yard touchdown pass to Ifeanyi Momah, and Johnson also threw a nice 35 yard pass to Momah.

* AJ Brooks had trouble beating the linebackers to the outside on some runs. He was also taken down on many occasions behind the line of scrimmage.

* Jeff Smith didn’t get too many reps at HB. When he was on the field, he showed tremendous bursts of speed and had some nice runs, both up the middle and to the outside.

* Jon Loyte made some very nice catches in traffic. He was thrown to frequently throughout the scrimmage. He looks quicker than last year and also a little more powerful.

* Aponavicius kicked three field goals during the scrimmage. He missed wide from the 17, was blocked by DeLeon Gause and Thomas Claiborne from the 29, and made from the 15.

* Billy Bennett kicked one field goal, which he missed wide right from the 20.

* Robert Francois was able to get in the quarterbacks’ faces a lot. He consistently put solid pressure on all of BC’s passers.

* Jolonn Dunbar, in addition to looking a lot stronger, is extremely vocal. There is no question that he is going to be the leader of this defense.

* Kevin Akins did a great job of tacking. He was very effective at wrapping up and taking down ball carriers, especially in the open field.

* The offense did a very good job of throwing past the first down marker on third downs. Matt Ryan looked great, as did Chris Crane. The offensive line also did a decent job of protecting the quarterbacks.

* For the most part, the defense dominated this scrimmage. As a whole, they looked a lot quicker than they were last year.

Tuesday - 8/14

* The new coaching staff is very engaged during practice. They are constantly coaching guys, patting them on the back, and disciplining them for mistakes, something that was lacking during the O'Brien era.

* Matt Ryan is moving around very well and doing a great job of throwing on the run. Look for him to be a lot more mobile this year playing on two healthy ankles.

* Chris Crane is getting a lot of reps. He has shown great speed; on numerous occasions was able to run with the ball and beat the linebackers to the outside corner.

* Ifeanyi Momah has great height. He dropped a few passes today, but if he can work on holding on to the ball, he could become a great asset at WR.

* Andre Callendar seems to be getting most of the reps at HB. He looks very sharp this year hitting holes and cutting back.

* Jolonn Dunbar looks like he’s gotten bigger and stronger than he was last year. He had a crushing hit on Callendar today.

* DeJuan Tribble picked off Ryan and Crane a few times today. He looks poised to have another great season at CB.

* Jordan McMichael looks huge and could become a serious weapon at TE. He has done very well at running routes, and has shown sure hands.