Max Duggan, Derius Davis impress during Tuesday’s TCU practice
Senior quarterback Max Duggan continues to impress during the second week of fall camp for TCU.
After throwing a touchdown pass on Monday to Taye Barber, Duggan followed up that performance with two more during the 11-on-11 portion of practice Tuesday.
This time it was Derius Davis on the receiving end. The first one was a good example of how head coach Sonny Dykes’s offenses can create chunk plays for the Horned Frogs.
Running with the second-team offense, Duggan pump faked to a receiver running a screen near the line of scrimmage. After forcing the defense to react, Duggan took advantage of the unit’s aggressiveness and found an open Davis down the sideline. The play covered at least 50-60 yards.
A couple plays later, Duggan connected with Davis again as the senior receiver created separation at the very last moment against Abraham Camara. Davis made the acrobatic catch by rising in the air and twisting while reeling in the ball near the back of the end zone.
Dykes said he hoped to see some separation between Duggan and Chandler Morris this week, but it looks like the race is beginning to tighten. Morris was the better quarterback last week, but Duggan is coming on strong.
As for Davis, he’s been running mostly with the second-team behind Taye Barber. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get in the mix with the first-team after a big day on Tuesday. Davis led TCU in receptions last year and was second on team with 518 receiving yards.
More shakeups in the WR rotation
The first-team group of receivers has been Barber, Quentin Johnston and Quincy Brown most of camp. That changed on Tuesday as Savion Williams ran with the first-team unit.
True freshman wide receiver Jordan Hudson has also moved from the third-team to second-team the last few practices. Hudson looks to have a spot in the rotation.
“Jordan Hudson is really good,” quarterback Sam Jackson said. “We’ve added a lot of depth to the receiver room. I feel like we have one of the best receiver rooms in the country for sure.”
The first team had its moments as Morris completed a 10-plus yard pass to Barber. Running back Kendre Miller had the best run of the camp with a rush that would’ve been 40-plus yards for a score.
“I really challenged the guys, we’ve got to run the football,” co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach A.J. Ricker said of Miller’s run. “At the end of the day we have to run the ball, it’s a mentality.”
Injuries starting to pile up
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson missed another practice as he spent Tuesday working out off to the side in a walking boot. TCU hopes to get him back on the field sometime this week. Josh Newton took first-team reps at corner along with Noah Daniels.
Starting guard Brandon Coleman also missed Tuesday’s practice. With Coleman out Steve Avila slid to left guard and SMU transfer Alan Ali was at center with the first-team. There were a few low snaps from Ali and one resulted in a fumble by Morris on the first-team’s first play of the day.
Overall Ricker was pleased with how the unit performed even without Coleman.
“We’ve had a good collective effort. We’re finally getting some depth, we’ve gone 3-deep and plus some which is key so you’re not wearing out the key guys,” Ricker said.
Marcel Brooks also missed Tuesday’s practice and was seen wearing a sling. He could be out for a few weeks. Corner Ish Burdine was wearing a no-contact red jersey, but got back on the field to participate in position drills.
Safety Chace Biddle exited practice early and joined the rest of the injured players off to the side. Keonate Jenkins, DJ Allen and Noah Bolticoff also remain out.
More observations
Soni Misi, Dylan Horton and Terrell Cooper have been running with the first-team defense because of the injury to Horton. There was a change Tuesday as true freshman defensive lineman Damonic Williams played at nose tackle.
Williams impressed as he was in the mix during a fumble by Morris on the first play of the series. Misi ran with the second-team defense and Colt Ellison was bumped down to the third-team as Caleb Fox took his spot at defensive end. Zach Marcheselli filled in for the injured Brooks with the second-team.
Namdi Obiazor had a good stop near the line of scrimmage on Trent Battle. Third-team linebackers TJ Wilson and Palmer Nix combined for a tackle for loss as well.
After missing Monday’s practice, Johnny Hodges was back on the field and running with the first-team defense with Jamoi Hodge and Dee Winters at linebacker.
NFL scouts from the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns were at practice Tuesday along with a scout from the CFL.
This story was originally published August 9, 2022 at 10:28 AM.
