Some Questions Answered

Back on August 1st, I previewed Fall Camp with a series of questions I thought would get answered over the ensuing three weeks. That same day, one of my readers ("Bronco4Prez"--he of the many correct "Countdown Trivia" answers) suggested I do a post-camp evaluation of those questions.

With camp having concluded, I figured the time is right to re-visit those questions, and see what we discovered.

So, what follows are the questions as I posed them in this space on August 1st, with the "answers" in parentheses:

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-how much will Manase Tonga's "three-tool" skills be missed? (Clearly, the battle to find dependable options at fullback was one of the main storylines of camp, and the search for depth at that position revealed TE "hybrid" Kaneakua Friel. Between Fui Vakapuna, Friel and Issac Taylor, the Cougars have three guys who can combine to do what Tonga did so well, but in terms of "replacing" Tonga with one player, that's hard to do. Perhaps the more positive development is the progression of Harvey Unga into a back who is better at running, catching and blocking than he was last season)

-how significant will J.J. DiLuigi's role be? (DiLuigi was praised by Bronco Mendenhall as a "complete package" kind of guy, and when Harvey gets a breather, it looks like J.J. will be the first guy in at tailback. He showed during camp that he will not shy away from "between the tackles" contact, and is excellent at shifting gears and changing direction while continuing to move straight ahead--he doesn't "stop and start" as many backs are prone to do. J.J. has a great feel for traffic, and uses his hands and arms to "feel his way" through and around bodies--most of which are much, much bigger than his)

-can Fui play as good as everyone says he looks? (Fui strained a hamstring in June that caught up to him early in camp, and there were fears we were in "here we go again" mode. However, the last week or so of camp showed Vakapuna looking healthy and as lively as we've seen him in the last couple of seasons. He can play both fullback and tailback, and if he can play in games the way he played over his last few practices, we could see some highlight reel runs from #1)

-with Matt Allen gone, who will step up and secure the #3 wide receiver role (after Collie and Reed)? (Return missionary Luke Ashworth should be considered the #3 wideout right now, but true freshman O'Neill Chambers is not that far behind, and will definitely be a contributor. With Bryce Mahuika a non-factor for most of camp, Ashworth, Chambers and Spencer Hafoka all showed they are capable of earning snaps this season. Tyler Kozlowski adds depth, while the "H" receivers [White, Marshall] are seldom-used in the current Anae playbook)

-if Max Hall goes down, are any of the backups ready to steady the ship, and keep it sailing? (This is a dicey question, since neither Brenden Gaskins nor Kurt McEuen proved particularly proficient at moving the offense during camp. Gaskins did impress the coaches early in camp and won the backup job by holding off McEuen, but Stephen Covey has to be considered a "wild card," after his effective performances in the last two scrimmages)

-are Travis Bright and Garrett Reden fully recovered from leg breaks? And who on the O-Line is ready to go from backup to starter right now, if needed? (Both guys are clearly ready to go with no injury-related setbacks in camp. Meantime, we found out early [via the Tom Sorenson injury] that Matt Reynolds was ready to from backup to starter, and the same can be said for R.J. Willing, who is the first guy in off the bench at center, guard and tackle)

-who will be left out of the two-deep in one of the deepest defensive line units in recent memory? (There are at least 3 solid options at all three defensive line positions, and while Bronco loves to rotate up front, some talented players will be on the outside looking in this season. At left end, Ian Dulan's recent injury problems have opened the door to Brett Denney and Bernard Afutiti. At nose guard, Russell Tialavea's primary backup is Mo Foketi, but Rick Wolfley (an emergency replacement last season) is right there. At right end, the spot belongs to Jan Jorgensen, but Matt Putnam and Brock Richardson are both solid options. That leaves out players like Tevita Hola, Solomone Kafu and Kyle Luekenga, so yes, it's a very, very deep group)

-with two good linebackers lost in Hooks and Nelson, which if any newcomers will be asked to play right away? (While not a newcomer to the team, Vic So'oto is a newcomer to outside linebacker, and he has secured a starting spot at Will, with newcomer Coleby Clawson pushing So'oto and ready to step in there. At the other side, freshman Daniel Sorensen was moved from safety and is being "speed-trained" to back-up the Sam spot. Inside, return missionary Matt Ah You battled injury problems to master both Mike and Buck positions, with freshman Iona Prithcard and Spencer Hadley probably the 4th and 5th backers inside. While either or both could see scattered snaps, the coaches would prefer to ride their "Big 3" inside, and outside, for that matter)

-can unheralded Scott Johnson pull a "Criddle" and be a #1 corner? (Yes--he held off all comers in camp, and Bronco trusts him. Enough said)

-can projected starters Kellen Fowler and David Tafuna hold off the competition at safety? (Yes, with Andrew Rich unable to move either guy off the first string, but it appears that Rich is good enough to play at either safety spot. Bronco doesn't favor rotation in the secondary, but Rich may force the coach's hand)

-is Justin Sorensen's foot fully healed, and will he make special teams and kicking drills actually fun to watch? (He told me early in camp he was still only at about 85% of full health and readiness, after being unable to kick for 5 months due to that plant foot injury. While he was spectacular at times, and did make kicking drills fun to watch, Sorensen was inconsistent. Mitch Payne, meantime, was back healthy, a little more consistent than Sorensen, and even made some rather lengthy field goals in camp. Right now, it looks like Payne has held off Sorensen as the "#1" place kicker, with Sorensen designated to kick off, and try the longest of long field goals. Stay tuned on this one...)

-will Jaime Hill be more visible (and audible) as DC? (I guess the answer here, is... yes)

-and while I hate to mention this, which projected starter(s) will be bitten by the injury bug and force a shuffle in the depth chart? (Austin Collie, Tom Sorenson, Ian Dulan. Note that Collie is expected back healthy, Sorenson's absence is indefinite, and Dulan should return soon...but injuries to all three starters forced some shuffling behind them)

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I received my latest copy of the Sporting News today, and within the College Football section, some legendary retired coaches were asked to do some prognosticating. LaVell Edwards was one of the panelists.

While Bronco's boys would love to prove LaVell wrong, he replied "No," when asked if any team would go undefeated this season. He likes Florida and Ohio State as his top two teams, and Tim Tebow to repeat as Heisman winner.

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There's another high national ranking for Northern Iowa.

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You might note that the "Podcast/Audio download" box above that used to contain the words "Camp Cougar," now contains the words "Cougar Cuts." From this point forward (camp having concluded), any time I have interviews to post on this page, they will be located in the "Cougar Cuts" box. As they were during camp, these interviews will be available for podcast and download. Just a little housekeeping item, as we move into football (and later, basketball) season.

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