The Colgate football team was back at it on Monday afternoon in Hamilton, with temperatures in the low 80s and a nice breeze to begin its final week of practice. Instead of being on Andy Kerr Stadium, the Raiders practiced on the grass football field because the men's lacrosse team is getting ready for its big conference rivalry game against Bucknell this week. However, with the conditions so nice, there were no complaints about the grass, and the Raiders were eager to get to work. 

Since it is the last week of spring, all of the fundamentals and plays are now in, and while there are still some position drills, practice is much more focused on game-like situations at this point. This could be seen as early as 7-on-7 pass skeleton drill. This drill, which is usually more laid back, was now full speed and live, meaning players could be tackled. This brought about much more physical play from receivers and defensive backs, and even a little more trash talking, naturally. After this drill, the team went into a full 11-on-11 no huddle scrimmage drill. After every play in this drill, the ball is immediately placed where the ball carrier was tackled, and the offense must set up and get ready to run a play without getting back in the huddle.  This period is very upbeat and fast-paced, and it serves as both a scrimmage and conditioning for the Raiders. This period really helps the offense get used to hearing various calls from the quarterback, and also getting aligned quicker than they are used to.  It also greatly benefits the defense because they have to get used to setting up quickly and getting a defensive call in, something that will be extremely helpful when facing fast-paced offenses. One big play of note during this period was a deep-ball catch from wide receiver Siddiq Cornish from quarterback Gavin McCarney. 

From here, the team went into another situational scrimmage, this time in the red zone. The offense started at the 20-yard line and their goal was to get in the end-zone every play, and the defense wanted to limit them to a field goal attempt, or better yet, force a turnover. This period started with a big run from Zauhn Lewis down to the 1-yard line, and he proceeded to score the next play. The defense responded quickly, however, with linebacker Tyler Butler grabbing an interception on the next drive. The offense and defense continued to battle back and forth, with some drives ending in touchdowns, and some ending in turnovers or no touchdowns. Both sides of the ball looked very physical, and you can tell that everyone is feeling comfortable and ready to "let it loose" on the field. The period ended with yet another interception by cornerback Omar Auais, on a comeback route in the end-zone.

The Raiders now only have two practices remaining this spring, which will are set to be on Wednesday and Friday of this week.