Just one more camp practice left for the Spiders as the 3+ week grind comes to an end. Not much to update, as this is really about getting a final QB battle update in before the coaches make their decision.

Offense

Aziz Foster-Powell – The supposed two running back attack is turning into three. Foster-Powell continues to impress with the touches he gets, showing his powerful running style but also an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. I don’t think the touches will get split evenly three ways, but I’d imagine we’ll have some short yardage situations that he’s perfect for. Excited for the impact this young, local Spider could provide.

Red zone – More emphasis on this area the past week, and I like some of the concepts Coach October has put together. Really letting our strengths at receiver and tight end show in this area, as we’ve got some great route runners on the team.

Defense

Camden Byrd – Really like what I’m seeing from Byrd, who keeps showing his athleticism on the edge. Skilled enough to rush the passer and quick enough to disrupt screens in space. He looks very comfortable out there and there should be plenty of snaps for #96 on the way.

Matthew Traynor – Traynor will be the extra safety in the 4-2-5. Very glad he’s going to get a good amount of snaps as a redshirt freshman because #7 looks to be All-conference material down the road.

QB battle

I think Kyle Wickersham gets the nod against UVA. My official prediction is that this isn’t over yet, as I wouldn’t be surprised if this continues a few games into non-conference play.

I’m leaning towards carrying this into September because both have been so good. For as strong as #16 and #14 have been the past four months it’s hard to imagine the coaches simply relegating one to the bench. Especially when you have two QBs with varying styles, seeing how the offense looks with each guy running the show would be more than fair. I also thought we’d see one QB start to get a majority of the snaps with the 1s towards the end, however the split remains relatively even. If we had a set QB1 at this point, I’d like to believe we would be getting them a stronger majority of the snaps with the 1s. Those two things make me think the staff isn’t fully decided either.

I’ll echo what I said during the spring – if the coaches want this to play out during the first few games that’s ok, but there’s got to be a clearly defined plan. We saw last year what happens when you try and change QBs too frequently, or even in the middle of a drive. If they frame this to give Wickersham the first couple of drives, and then Coleman the next couple (or something along those lines), I think things play out fine. As long as we have QB1 set for the trip down to Elon, I think we’re in a good spot.

In the end, both guys are going to feel they’ve won this job, and rightfully so. We’re going to look back on this in the future and wish we had either guy, because QB talent like this doesn’t come around too often. These two have continually pushed themselves and made everyone around them better, and it really has been fun to watch each time I’ve seen them.

Of course, I could be wrong and we may know our starter by tomorrow. Wouldn’t be the first time, and sadly won’t be the last.

Next Post

That concludes the fall camp updates. Nine position group previews and three practice updates the past 3 1/2 weeks. I hope everyone enjoyed the updates and if there’s anything I didn’t touch on that you wish I did, please let me know. Enough talk about practice, time for the real thing.

Game 1 – 2024: UVA Preview – Friday, August 30th