There’s a lot of hand-wringing today over the reports from last night’s scrimmage. Though the Dawgs easily beat the scout team, many are focusing on Matthew Stafford’s impatience with the energy level.

"The thing that was missing was energy, man," Stafford said. "Maybe 92,000 sitting in the seats will spark a fire under some of these guys. People are going to find out quick, young guys what it takes to play in this league. I just hope they realize it before they go out there and play."

As others have observed, he’s really taking control of this team. Whether or not the young guys, especially the offensive line, respond in time. There is a window of opportunity with a quarterback like Stafford on campus, and the Dawgs need to make the most of it.

Another bit of news from last night is Thomas Brown emerging as the starting tailback. One one hand, it’s amazing that a guy less than a year removed from a major knee injury has risen back to the top. On the other hand, you’re not surprised by anything from Brown. I admit that I expected Lumpkin to at least start the season as the starter. We’ll see both Brown and Lumpkin as well as Knowshon Moreno rotate in. Given Brown’s reputation as a blocker, one wonders if the staff is making their decision with an eye on an inexperienced offensive line. It has to be disappointing for a guy like Lumpkin who was the starter for the second half of 2006 and into the spring, but he’ll have every opportunity during his time on the field this season to make his case.

There are certainly bigger questions on the team than the three-deep tailback position, but does that mean more of the same from the tailback position this year? With the addition of Moreno, fans were expecting a step forward.