Colorado State University Athletics
CSU football camp blog: Practice 15
8/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 18, 2010
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By Nick Frank
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - With beautiful weather on their side, players and coaches were out on the intramural fields again on Wednesday. Wednesday's afternoon practice will mark the end of two-a-days for the Rams.
The team practiced third-down conversions, an area of emphasis, heavily at practice. On the offensive side of the ball, senior tight end Eric Peitz proved to be a valuable weapon.
Peitz was recently named to the watch list of the John Mackey Award, a trophy that is presented annually to the country's top tight end. Only 32 candidates were placed on the list. Additionally, he was nominated by Colorado State for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which values a well-rounded individual on and off of the field.
Peitz showed what he could do on the field Wednesday. On a ball that seemed to be out of reach, Peitz used his 6-foot-5 frame and an impressive vertical jump to snag the ball out of the air, on a play that looked like an incompletion. Shortly after that play, Peitz made a sliding catch across the middle of the field that made him look more like a Gold Glove outfielder than a tight end.
Defensively, Ezra Thompson continued to be a ball hawk as he snagged another interception from the secondary. Similar to his other interceptions, he showed his defensive awareness when he intercepted a ball that had been tipped with one hand shortly before it would have hit the ground.
Unity: As part of a team-building exercise, all football players received a puzzle piece on which they either wrote their initials or signed their name. Their goal is to put all the pieces together to form one image. That image is a human body that symbolizes a unified, working system that relies on all parts pulling their individual weight to help the greater good. This directly correlates to the common message of unity that the team has adopted this year. Upon completion, the 18-by-50-inch puzzle will be framed and hung up.
Live period: The Rams held a 13-play red-zone scrimmage on Wednesday morning. The offense won 12-10.
Statistics: RUSHING - Klay Kubiak 1-10 (TD), John Mosure 1-9, Raymond Carter 1-3, Amadeus Waters 1-2. PASSING: Pete Thomas 4-for-6, 31 yards, 2 TD, INT; Nico Ranieri 1-for-1, 8 yards; Klay Kubiak 0-for-1. RECEIVING: T.J. Borcky 1-14, Matt Yemm 1-10 (TD), Marquise Law 1-8 (TD), Bobby Borcky 1-8, Lou Greenwood 1-(-2). DEFENSE - Dominique Vinson interception in end zone, Travis Ford tackle for loss.
Hit of the Day: During the live team period, Elijah-Blu Smith reminded onlookers of just how hard he can hit. As Marquise Law came across the middle, Smith hit him so hard that his helmet popped off, including an ear piece that went flying into the air. However, Law got the last laugh as he held onto the ball for an 8-yard touchdown.
Protect Pete: Even though not injured, Pete Thomas wore a red jersey for a portion of practice. The jersey, which usually symbolizes a player recovering from injury, was a precautionary measure by coaches so that Thomas would not get hit during the live period.
