In reading this report on today's scrimmage:

Joey Byerly - Red Shirt Freshman quarterback 6'4, 250, good speed,strong arm.

Jamario Thomas - True freshman RB Rivals #5 RB in Texas and #20-21 in US.

Daniel Meager - True freshman QB who was rated #5 in state and recruited by numerous "big" programs until he suffered a broken leg. UNT stayed with him & he's fully recovered showing no after effects.
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The Scoop:

The story of the scrimmage had to be Jamario Thomas. Guys, if we didn't have Patrick Cobbs on the roster, this guy'd be starting. Literally about 90 % of the time, he made the first guy miss. Perhaps miss is misleading. Occasionally he'd wiggle or juke. But he also showed enough power to light up D-Linemen. On one running play, he too it between the tackles only to find a DT looking him in the face, broke down for a tackle. Instead of running around him, he ran OVER him, and spun away from a linebacker. It took a safety flying across the field and nailing him at full speed to slow him down. This guy is amazing. He also has great hands. At one point, he made a shoestring catch in the backfield, and then turned it upfield for a 10 yard gain. Folks, you HAVE to watch this guy. He is something else. Legs like tree trunks, feet like quicksilver, spiderman hands and great field vision. And to think the only knock on him was that he went to a small (3A) school. Yeah, i bet people saying that about Michael Strahan and Jerry Rice are STILL kicking themselves.

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Quick Shots:

-Montrell Parks is doing everything he can to show that he's a starting quality linebacker. He showed great sideline to sideline range, coming in from the other side of the field to lay a hit on a running back. He also can wrap up, and usually does so, only hitting when he knows he can't miss. Showed great pursuit and great field smarts. Came up with an interception that he returned for around twenty yards.

-Tyrone Carter, second string CB. He's generously listed at 5'8, 176, but this dude plays four inches and 40 pounds bigger than he is. Saw him come up and lay a hit on a TE that probably outweighed him by at least 60-70 pounds, then stared him down. He's got a few picks in practices so far, and he shows great ability to leap and get in the way of the pass.

-The departure of All-Conference Safety Craig Jones hurts, but that blow is much lessened by just taking a glimpse at Senior Safety Markeith Knowlton. He's come up with a few blocked field goals in camp, and, today, pulled down a tipped pass from Scott Hall and raced upfield for a TD.

-Brandon Kennedy's successor at DT, Evan Cardwell, is wreaking havoc in the pass rush. He recorded a sack and four hurries today in the scrimmage, and his pressure on the line is helping DE Adrian Awasom, who also was in the backfield every play. A lot of times, the O-Line seemed to double Awasom and Cardwell, leaving one guy free. It seemed to work better than giving one of those guys single coverage.

-If (knock on wood) Scott hall goes down, I feel plenty comfortable with backup Joey Byerly. This guy is a field marshall, with a deep gritty voice, and is physically imposing at 6'4 250. He has a pretty strong arm and runs well. One play that sticks out was on a busted play. He scrambled to the left side of the field, when he suddenly shifted into another gear, blowing by a very surprised linebacker and picking up the first. His scrambling ability was key on several drives.

-Daniel Meager is intriguing. He runs better than any QB on the team, and arguably throws the prettiest ball. He shows zip, touch, and a great spiral. The only question is his deep ball. He underthew brandon jackson on a fly route where he had beat his man. His stats won't reflect how good he is, though. His recievers dropped no fewer than six balls.

-Scott Hall threw what was, to me, the prettiest deep ball of his career on a 55 yard strike to Zach Muzzy, who drug a defender about five yards downfield. Pretty spunky WR, if you ask me.

You should have seen:
After delivering a great playfake, QB Joey Byerly rolled out to his left, only to see a d-lineman in his face. Unfazed, he rolled BACK out to the right, and, on the run, winged a pass 45 yards downfield in the air to T.J. Culberson, who ran it in for the TD.

Quote of the Day:

"You saw what happend to K-Moore's {behind}. Go ahead. Run a play my way."
DB T.J. Covington, as he came over to the offense's sideline, had a drink of their water, and started talking trash. (Covington laid a BIG hit on RB Kevin Moore a few plays earlier)