Long time lurker, infrequent poster here. Before I discuss my experience a little about myself. I'm a 30 something surgeon who has had season tickets for the last 3 years. I am not by any means a big time donor but I give between 5-10K per year, mostly for the required donation for my tickets. I was invited to watch a practice of my choice and of course decided to go a scrimmage. I was told it was ok to post something like this.
Before I get into it just a comment on the stats. I would say I agree for the most part with what has been published. One thing that is 100% true is you can not read too much into the stats for each player and draw a conclusion on who is better. Between the situational stuff, the key players sitting out and which team was out there (1s, 2s, 3s or freshman) it's difficult to compare all the players.
So onto my day. I got there around 12 and was given a short tour of the Hale center. They are still working on parts but have vastly improved it since the last time I was there 2 years ago. There a TVs showing ex players in the NFL, a wall with each NFL team listing which RU players have played there and several photos of all the players. The weight room is amazing as are the meeting rooms and lounge. I'm sure this is all geared toward recruiting so that potential players can see that you can get to the NFL from RU.
Next we went out to the field. I missed the Patton TD but that was it. I got introduced to a bunch of ex players that were there and they were all very engaging and seemed very interested in me enjoying myself. One of them even went to get me some gatorade like I was some big time guy to be waited on. I met EJ Barthel who was also very friendly and engaging. I can see why the recruits like to hang out with him. He will pay dividends for sure.
As for the scrimmage the stats are what they are and I'm not going to go into specifics but will give my impressions. First off, we looked like a legit big 10 team. We look bigger in the trenches and faster in the secondary. There was the expected hiccups with only one week of practice so far but we have players on both sides of the ball. The Qbs looked good and the Wrs did too. I would say although the CB got beat a lot they were right there on most of the plays. Not a lot of separation between them and the WR. I liked what I saw from Hester and Lewis. Think both will be upgrades. It was harder to get a feel for the run game as only PJ got more than a few carries. I think this scrimmage was designed to separate the QBs and I don't think one ran away with it. But I see why people think Rettig has a lot of upside. He has a swagger and was very intense and into the scrimmage.
One other thing to mention was the heat. They told us on the field it measured at 134 degrees. I was sweating standing there in shorts and a polo. I can't imagine what the players felt like. It must have taken its toll as the day moved along.
Once the scrimmage was over we went back inside the Hale center. The guided tour continued and my guide was Marco B. What an ambassador for the university that guy was. Very intelligent and has plans upon plans for what can be done. Just need the money to build it. After that I was invited to the team meal but I had to leave. All in all a tremendous experience.
I wanted to share my experience because I was totally blown away by the professionalism and how I was treated. The entire time I was there I was made to feel welcome and introduced to everyone. I never knew what people meant when they said Julie gets it but now I do. I got to see the ins and outs of a major program and I can say without a doubt that better days are ahead.
Before I get into it just a comment on the stats. I would say I agree for the most part with what has been published. One thing that is 100% true is you can not read too much into the stats for each player and draw a conclusion on who is better. Between the situational stuff, the key players sitting out and which team was out there (1s, 2s, 3s or freshman) it's difficult to compare all the players.
So onto my day. I got there around 12 and was given a short tour of the Hale center. They are still working on parts but have vastly improved it since the last time I was there 2 years ago. There a TVs showing ex players in the NFL, a wall with each NFL team listing which RU players have played there and several photos of all the players. The weight room is amazing as are the meeting rooms and lounge. I'm sure this is all geared toward recruiting so that potential players can see that you can get to the NFL from RU.
Next we went out to the field. I missed the Patton TD but that was it. I got introduced to a bunch of ex players that were there and they were all very engaging and seemed very interested in me enjoying myself. One of them even went to get me some gatorade like I was some big time guy to be waited on. I met EJ Barthel who was also very friendly and engaging. I can see why the recruits like to hang out with him. He will pay dividends for sure.
As for the scrimmage the stats are what they are and I'm not going to go into specifics but will give my impressions. First off, we looked like a legit big 10 team. We look bigger in the trenches and faster in the secondary. There was the expected hiccups with only one week of practice so far but we have players on both sides of the ball. The Qbs looked good and the Wrs did too. I would say although the CB got beat a lot they were right there on most of the plays. Not a lot of separation between them and the WR. I liked what I saw from Hester and Lewis. Think both will be upgrades. It was harder to get a feel for the run game as only PJ got more than a few carries. I think this scrimmage was designed to separate the QBs and I don't think one ran away with it. But I see why people think Rettig has a lot of upside. He has a swagger and was very intense and into the scrimmage.
One other thing to mention was the heat. They told us on the field it measured at 134 degrees. I was sweating standing there in shorts and a polo. I can't imagine what the players felt like. It must have taken its toll as the day moved along.
Once the scrimmage was over we went back inside the Hale center. The guided tour continued and my guide was Marco B. What an ambassador for the university that guy was. Very intelligent and has plans upon plans for what can be done. Just need the money to build it. After that I was invited to the team meal but I had to leave. All in all a tremendous experience.
I wanted to share my experience because I was totally blown away by the professionalism and how I was treated. The entire time I was there I was made to feel welcome and introduced to everyone. I never knew what people meant when they said Julie gets it but now I do. I got to see the ins and outs of a major program and I can say without a doubt that better days are ahead.
