Last night I made my first trip to the $60 million football palace that is Allen's Eagle Stadium to check out Coppell (Solomon Thomas) against Longview (Texas commitment Dorian Leonard, Jamycal Hasty). That stadium is majestic with a hint of ridiculousness, and as for the game, well, it was a good one.
After Leonard beat not one, but two defenders deep down the field, and adjusted to come back and catch a deep post for a 44-yard touchdown, Longview led 24-12 late in the third quarter. However, Coppell's defense stepped up, and a fourth-down tailback pass call from about 10 yards out resulted in a touchdown to cut it to 24-19. Then, Coppell executed a surprise onside kick, drew Longview offsides on a key fourth down well inside Longview territory, and then punched it in on the ground with Thomas as a lead-blocking tight end.
The finish was a rough one for Longview and Leonard. With just over three minutes left, Leonard went down to the turf to slide and try to make a catch on a low throw off his chest. It bounced straight up in the air and was picked, this was just a couple plays after the UT commitment made a miraculous grab on a tipped ball down the sideline over two defenders but the play was called back for holding.
Coppell downed a punt at the one, and Longview threw four straight incompletions, the last bouncing in front of an open Leonard at the sticks. After kneeling it three times to run the clock to six seconds, Coppell ran it in to get the 32-24 victory.
After the game, the four-star defensive end Thomas was named the Defensive MVP of the Tom Landry classic, and award named after Jacob Logan, who was a close friend and teammate of Thomas' on Coppell's team last year before tragically passing away in an accident at Possum Kingdom Lake. I'll have a full story later in the week on Thomas, but the big guy was obviously very moved about receiving the award.
As for his performance on the field, I had Thomas down for three sacks, including one where he dipped his shoulder and used a speed rush to get by the LT and swung around the QB like he was Lex Luger. Coppell went with a 3-4 pretty much all game, and Thomas required two blockers most of the night as he was consistently disruptive in the run and pass game. Basically, I left thinking I just saw the No. 24 player in the 2014 Rivals100 performing like a top prospect should and then some.
Leonard probably beat himself up some over the ball off his chest near the turf late, but he was very impressive. His only big drop was followed the every next play by the 44-yard touchdown catch. At a legit 6-4, Leonard "oohed" and "ahhed" the crowd at one point when he got a comeback near the sideline, faked like he was going out of bounds, spun to lose the defender and pick up extra yards. He also caught a slant and broke one tackle before dragging another defender with him for the ride. I continue to be impressed more and more with the Texas commitment. He finished with 133 yards and one touchdown on seven catches.
There's a lot to like about 2015 RB Jamycal Hasty because he has some serious speed, quickness, and big-play ability. When Hasty got to the edge, he was a problem for the defense, and also showed the ability to make a defender miss near the line of scrimmage to burst into the second level. Although at times I questioned his natural running ability (he had a tendency to want to dance a little or bounce things outside), Hasty was a consistent play-maker in the passing game and running game. He had 117 yards rushing on 12 carries and added 66 yards receiving on three catches. There can't be many players in the state with his kind of speed and big-play ability.
Also, keep an eye on junior Coppell RB Charles "Chuck" West, who I liked a lot as a sophomore. He ripped off 110 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, and although he's on the smallish side, West ran hard and strong as he required multiple defenders to tackle him nearly every time he touched the ball.
After Leonard beat not one, but two defenders deep down the field, and adjusted to come back and catch a deep post for a 44-yard touchdown, Longview led 24-12 late in the third quarter. However, Coppell's defense stepped up, and a fourth-down tailback pass call from about 10 yards out resulted in a touchdown to cut it to 24-19. Then, Coppell executed a surprise onside kick, drew Longview offsides on a key fourth down well inside Longview territory, and then punched it in on the ground with Thomas as a lead-blocking tight end.
The finish was a rough one for Longview and Leonard. With just over three minutes left, Leonard went down to the turf to slide and try to make a catch on a low throw off his chest. It bounced straight up in the air and was picked, this was just a couple plays after the UT commitment made a miraculous grab on a tipped ball down the sideline over two defenders but the play was called back for holding.
Coppell downed a punt at the one, and Longview threw four straight incompletions, the last bouncing in front of an open Leonard at the sticks. After kneeling it three times to run the clock to six seconds, Coppell ran it in to get the 32-24 victory.
After the game, the four-star defensive end Thomas was named the Defensive MVP of the Tom Landry classic, and award named after Jacob Logan, who was a close friend and teammate of Thomas' on Coppell's team last year before tragically passing away in an accident at Possum Kingdom Lake. I'll have a full story later in the week on Thomas, but the big guy was obviously very moved about receiving the award.
As for his performance on the field, I had Thomas down for three sacks, including one where he dipped his shoulder and used a speed rush to get by the LT and swung around the QB like he was Lex Luger. Coppell went with a 3-4 pretty much all game, and Thomas required two blockers most of the night as he was consistently disruptive in the run and pass game. Basically, I left thinking I just saw the No. 24 player in the 2014 Rivals100 performing like a top prospect should and then some.
Leonard probably beat himself up some over the ball off his chest near the turf late, but he was very impressive. His only big drop was followed the every next play by the 44-yard touchdown catch. At a legit 6-4, Leonard "oohed" and "ahhed" the crowd at one point when he got a comeback near the sideline, faked like he was going out of bounds, spun to lose the defender and pick up extra yards. He also caught a slant and broke one tackle before dragging another defender with him for the ride. I continue to be impressed more and more with the Texas commitment. He finished with 133 yards and one touchdown on seven catches.
There's a lot to like about 2015 RB Jamycal Hasty because he has some serious speed, quickness, and big-play ability. When Hasty got to the edge, he was a problem for the defense, and also showed the ability to make a defender miss near the line of scrimmage to burst into the second level. Although at times I questioned his natural running ability (he had a tendency to want to dance a little or bounce things outside), Hasty was a consistent play-maker in the passing game and running game. He had 117 yards rushing on 12 carries and added 66 yards receiving on three catches. There can't be many players in the state with his kind of speed and big-play ability.
Also, keep an eye on junior Coppell RB Charles "Chuck" West, who I liked a lot as a sophomore. He ripped off 110 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, and although he's on the smallish side, West ran hard and strong as he required multiple defenders to tackle him nearly every time he touched the ball.
