Purdue Fall Practice Report: Kick Scrimmage Wrap

Today was the first big scrimmage of fall practice: The Kick Scrimmage. The morning session concentrated on special teams plays featuring Paul Griggs and Thomas Meadows, while the afternoon session had more 11 on 11 work. Here are some of the highlights.

• Senior Thomas Meadows had a good day. While it is very unlikely that he will be the placekicker, he connected on 7 of 13 field goals, put a pair of kickoffs out of the back of the end zone, and had a solid day with punts. A couple were close to 50 yards and he was able to down one inside the 5. Since he faces competition at punter from freshman Joe Schopper it was a big day for the senior.
• Paul Griggs, another senior, struggled by hitting only 5 of 11 field goals. He is the incumbent at the position and showed a lot of range with multiple 50+ yard field goals last season, so I don't think his job in is serious jeopardy. Part of the difficulty for him might have been the holder. Normally, Meadows holds for him, but today it was David Blough. With Meadows holding last year he was 16 of 20.
• Anthony Brown successfully blocked two of Meadows' field goals.
• Langston Newton had a good afternoon session at getting to the quarterback. Unfortunately, he was playing on the third team. It could mean a move up for the junior, however.
• The entire defense was excellent at creating pressure with different blitzes in the second practice. Just about the only positives the offense had came from the running backs with D.J. Knox, Markell Jones, and Tario Fuller making plays.

Not much else is going on. On the quarterback front Austin Appleby and Blough still appear to be even, but Blough had an interception today when Race Johnson picked him off. Elijah Sindelar is almost exclusively working with the third team, likely making this a two man race between Appleby and Blough.