courtesy of Michael George, a Butkus drill:
https://instagram.com/p/0FdvweA3bp/

It's a drill where you have three levels of blocking. The first level is offensive and defensive linemen, next a Tight End on a linebacker, then a WR on a DB, and a running back tries to get by all three levels to score.

In the first one, Gibbons holds off Tautuaiki, allowing Bo Hardy by, who scores with Robbie Walker and Connor Brown blocking downfield. In the next drill Watson is battling someone, while Irons gets by, and by the linebacker, too, before the DB nabs him. In the third drill AJ OUellette is eaten at the line of scrimmage as Cleon Aloese bests Pruehs, and Blair Brown beats Mason Morgan.

It looks like they are having good fun, and are in great shape.

It was a nice choice by Coach George of what to show. One win by the Offense, one by the Defense, and one draw.

Note that this is just one sample of the drill. Just because Aloese beat Pruehs this time, and Blair Brown beat Morgan this time, it doesn't mean that the next time they faced off the result wasn't different.

Still, it definitely made me smile to see Aloese looking like he's ready to be a dominant force in the middle. It was Super Iron Bobcat Award winner versus Bobcat Award winner, so Aloese wasn't facing some weak player. Ohio needs Aloese and Porter (or someone else) to step up this fall to replace Crutcher and McLeod in the middle of the defensive line, which is the one area where Ohio isn't returning starters.

I was also impressed with the aggressive blocking by Walker. In that drill, the WR has to hold his block the longest because it takes awhile for the running back to get there. When you find a receiver that blocks, catches, and can run after the catch, you have something special. Often wide receivers coming out of high school lag in blocking ability because they were the featured player in their offense, but at Ohio, if a receiver can't block, he isn't going to play. Those downfield blocks by receivers are what makes a 10 yard run into a 50 yard run.

I have to say, Hardy looked good on that first run! One could say that it was an easy run for him as his blocker was having his way with his man, but one of the most underrated aspects of a running back IMHO is "see the hole-hit the hole." A lot of NFL runners, Trent Richardson among them, will juke right and left without ever going downhill. Big woop. I'll take a runner with good field vision who's decisive in hitting the hole and Hardy sure looked like he did that on the first play.

Looks like he was held on that play too!

Looks like Daz is sitting out this practice with sweats on. Any word about an injury?