The final play of Fan Appreciation Day was perhaps the one the fans appreciated the most.
Junior quarterback Josh Rosen stepped up in the pocket and flung a bomb downfield to redshirt junior receiver Jordan Lasley, streaking behind the secondary for a touchdown of over 50 yards.
That capped off a day in which Rosen continued his increasingly impressive fall camp performance, this time with hundreds of Bruin fans lining the wall on the second-story patio of the Luskin Center and the top level of the parking lot across the street.
For much of the practice, the offense had trouble keeping the defense out of the backfield, giving up penetration in both the run game and the pass game. Rosen, though, moved the ball well when he was on the field, flashing the accuracy, arm strength and pocket presence that have made him a projected first–round pick this spring.
Though Rosen has created questions with some of his off-field comments, scouts and draft analysts have almost universally praised his on-field ability. NFL.com analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Chase Goodbread all described Rosen over the summer as the best pure passer in college football this season.
That praise has looked more and more apt as the Bruins have progressed through fall camp.
“It feels like he’s becoming more comfortable in the offense and more confident in what he’s doing, and obviously that’s what we’re after,” said coach Jim Mora. “It’s been about three or four days where he just seems to have found a little bit of a rhythm, and we’ve just got to keep pushing him and he’ll keep pushing himself.”
Notes
1. Sophomore wide receiver Theo Howard and redshirt freshman wideout Demetric Felton suffered injuries during Saturday’s practice, but Mora said afterward that Howard seemed to be okay, though he wasn’t sure of the severity of Felton’s injury.
2. Freshman cornerback Darnay Holmes has stood out throughout fall camp and looks ready to play a significant role in the secondary this fall.
“He has great talent, great ability,” said redshirt junior defensive back Adarius Pickett. “He knows concepts, he breaks well on the ball, he’s physical so he fits in really well with our secondary.”
Holmes’ athletic ability was well-documented coming out of high school, but his quick transition to the Bruins’ system has impressed defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin. An early enrollee in the winter, Holmes has already progressed to taking reps with the first team.
“Very happy with where Darnay’s been – obviously, he took advantage of coming and being here in the winter and being here for spring ball,” Martin said. “You can tell how big that is, graduating from high school and getting here, getting in the strength and conditioning program, being around the terminology and the scheme. Those things have helped him where you can see the difference between him and other guys in his class.”