8/27 (Monday) Afternoon Practice Notes

It was scorching hot on the Farm on Monday afternoon. Find out who scorched whom on the field.

On a very hot (close to 90 degrees) Monday afternoon, the Stanford football team continued their preparations for their season opener on September 8 against Boston College. I caught the last hour or so of the practice and here are some random tidbits:

• When I arrived at practice, the receivers were going one-on-one with defensive backs with the different QB's rotating in to the deliver the football. Most routes were deep and a surprising number of balls were completed. I witnessed Teyo haul in three straight passes - all fairly deep. One was a jump-ball situation in the end-zone and, once again, #5 came down with it.

• True Freshman Gerren Crochet also caught a sweet bomb in the end-zone (over Stanley Wilson, I believe).

• In 11-on-11, on his very first play, Randy Fasani found Luke Powell deep down the sideline. With 3 defenders in pursuit, "Cool Hand" Luke then stopped on a dime, reversed field and took it all the way across the grain to the HOUSE. The highlight play of the afternoon for sure.

• In kick-off practice, Mike Biselli hooked two consecutive balls out of bounds, then came back and hit a perfect onside kick (recovered by, who else, Teyo), followed by two deep kicks to the goal-line. Freshmen Michael Sgroi also licked off a couple of times but Biselli got most of the action on this day.

• Amon Gordon was working out with the linemen when the different units were split up.

• Freshman offensive lineman Brian Head was still on crutches. Don't know if an MRI has been performed.

• Dressed but not practicing: Michael Craven and Ruben Carter. TE Darin Naatjes was out on the field, but only participating in non-contact drills.

• QB Kyle Matter had a rough practice. On three consecutive plays, he was picked off my Ryan Fernandez (after the D, led by #22, put on some serious pressure), then another potential INT was dropped (don't remember who dropped it but, as is now the custom any time a defender drops a interception, the entire D had to drop and do 10 push-ups) and finally Simba "Lion King" Hodari came up with another INT.

• Faces in the crowd: McNalks, terry, Frank O, Chad and Juan-Carlos Lacey (aka the "Spartan Killer").

• According to one defensive assistant coach, the two most likely freshmen to see action early: DT Casey Carroll and DE Mark Anderson.