Post your Saturday Scrimmage reports.

[Ronbo]

At Montana it was mostly the 2's and 3's going at it. The starters had a few reps and some of the stars were held out to protect them.

Griz look sharp in first fall camp scrimmage
by: Dave Guffey of the UM Sports Information Department
Saturday, 08/18/2007


MISSOULA – The University of Montana’s top two returning rushers from last season scored touchdowns to pace the Grizzlies’ in their first football scrimmage of 2007 fall camp Saturday morning in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Senior halfback Reggie Bradshaw scored the first touchdown of the day on a 7-yard run up the middle. Last year Bradshaw had team-highs of 137 carries for 572 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sophomore Thomas Brooks-Fletcher made a nifty cut to the right and scored the second and final touchdown of the scrimmage on a 6-yard shovel pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Selle. Brooks-Fletcher was third on the team a year ago with 479 yards on 88 attempts, and averaged a team-best 5.4 yards a carry.

All four quarterbacks saw action, including junior Cole Bergquist, Selle, freshman Jeff Larson, and sophomore Clint Stapp.

Selle was 5-of-8-1 for 51 yards and the touchdown pass for Brooks-Fletcher, while Bergquist was 4-of-6-1 for 47 yards. Larson and Stapp had one completion each.

Larson was the leading rusher, gaining 25 yards on five carries. Bradshaw had seven carries and Brooks-Fletcher had four, each gaining 17 yards. Lex Hilliard, a two-time All-Big Sky Conference pick at halfback, who missed last season due to injury, did not have a rushing attempt, nor did junior running back Greg Coleman, who also sat out last year because of an injury.

“I think we’re deep at running back,” said fifth-year Griz head coach Bobby Hauck. “That group has had a good camp. They’ve done a nice job of fighting through some nagging injuries. They are a tough bunch. I like their pass protection. The majority of them are catching the ball well. Of course our (offensive) front has a lot to do with the success that they have.”

Senior wide receiver Ryan Bagley had two receptions for a scrimmage-high 42 yards, while redshirt freshman Tony Kazmierczak had two grabs for 16 yards, and Brooks-Fletcher had a pair of catches for 8 yards and a TD.

The defensive leader was redshirt freshman defensive end Carson Bender with five total tackles. He was followed by sophomore safety Brandon Fisher (4 total tackles and a pass deflection), sophomore end Austin Mullins (3 TT and a forced fumble), junior linebacker Tyler Corwin (3 TT and an interception), and junior tackle Jesse Carlson (3 TT). Sophomore cornerback Mike Vandenberg had the other interception.

“Carson made a couple of good plays as did the entire defense,” Hauck said. “Just in general, I thought we were fairly assignment-sound on both sides of the football. We came off the ball hard. With our more veteran players on the offensive line I thought our pass protection was good. I liked our execution.”

The scrimmage’s other scoring came from senior kicker Dan Carpenter who connected on a 48-yard field goal attempt, and converted both of his PAT tries.

Montana’s final scrimmage of fall camp is next Thursday, August 23, starting at around 9:15 a.m. in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

GRIZ GROWLS:
When asked how he thought the first 14 practices and week-and-a-half of fall camp has gone so far, Hauck said, “terrific – it’s been good.”

Junior center Colin Dow continues to recover from an off-season injury and had a couple of reps Saturday.

Senior wide receiver Craig Chambers is now in Missoula and attended the scrimmage.
The 500-600 Griz fans in attendance saw a 45-play scrimmage, which also included work on all areas of the kicking game.

Some of the players who are vying for jobs as kickoff or punt returners included junior wide receivers Rob Schulte and Matt Troxel, sophomore wide receiver Marc Mariani, Bradshaw, Brooks-Fletcher, Kazmierczak, and Vandenberg.

Hauck said that he thought the new rule this season of kicking off from the 30-yard line (it used to be from the 35-yard line) “is potentially the biggest rule change in the last couple of years. There aren’t going to be many kickers getting the ball to the end zone, unless they’ve got a gale force winds or your playing at altitude, or something like that. That will be big. Teams need to be sure they’re sound in their coverage game and good in the return game, because the team that does that is going to have an advantage on Saturdays.”


Link (http://wpe1.montanagrizzlies.com/fmi/xsl/mt_griz/db/news/xsl/news_item.xsl?-db=mtgriz_content&-lay=content_news_detail&id_news=21770&record_type=DB&-token.1=21770&-max=1&-find)

[McTailGator]

8/18/07 ~ Football
Defense has its say during Saturday morning scrimmage for the McNeese Cowboys

The defense had its say Saturday morning when McNeese State held its second scrimmage of August camp. Led by three interceptions by cornerback Brian Harvey and two by cornerback Marcus Brown, the defense had a total of six pass interceptions and three fumbles caused in the hour and a half workout.

http://mcneesesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081807aaa.html

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/mcne/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/1291671.jpeg

Marcus Brown (No. 5) had a No. 1 Day.

[GOKATS]

Montana State scrimmage, from the SID:

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Rob Ash knows his Montana State football team
has come a long way in the 12 days since he conducted his first practice
as Bobcat head coach.
"Astronomical," he says of the difference between Saturday's
scrimmage and the team's first practice on August 6. "It's night and
day."
Montana State's offense scored three touchdowns and two field
goals in the 115-play scrimmage that marks MSU's final full-contact
session of fall camp. Sophomore running back Aaron Mason carried 19
times 144 yards, highlighted by five carries of more than 10 yards. Jack
Rolovich threw for 253 yards and one touchdown, while Cory Carpenter
threw for 128 yards and a touchdown, throwing the day's only
interception.
Ash said the team's familiarity with his schemes, installed less
than two weeks ago, was apparent on Saturday. "When we call plays and
defenses right now, everyone knows just what's going on," Ash said.
"There's a minimum amount now of guys saying, 'Where do I go, what's my
assignment here?' We've advanced to the level where we're able to work
on technique and fundamentals and finesse."
The Bobcat offense rolled up 700 yards on Saturday, scoring two
touchdowns and two field goals, but Ash said plenty of room for
improvement remains. "We've got to get better offensive tempo getting
plays run," he said. "We had two time outs today when we didn't get the
plays in. But, today was the first day we've ever practiced the whole
scenario, two coaches in the box and (Coach Jonathan) Beasley on the
sideline sending signals in. For the first time going through it all, it
wasn't bad. But, it's not good enough yet."
The chase for starting quarterback duties remains open, Ash
said. "They're still both in the hunt," Ash said. "Jack's doing a great
job, but every time Cory goes with the ones he does an excellent job,
also. I'm very happy with both of them. I'm very happy with both of
them, they're both guys we can play at any point in time. Cory had the
tougher assignment going up against the one defense with the number two
offense, and I thought he moved the ball really well. They're both still
in the picture."
The Bobcat defense registered several big plays, in addition to
Arnold Briggs' interception and two fumble recoveries by Mike McCracken.
Ash indicated the wear and tear of camp was evident on the defensive
side of the ball in Saturday's scrum. "The defense is tired and beat up
a little bit right now," he said. "The one defense went against the two
offense, and other than the first drive the two offense didn't do very
much. We're concerned about our depth (on defense), we still need to
shore that up. In the defensive secondary we have some things we have to
work on to make sure we're solid."
Senior receiver Josh Lewis caught three passes for 96 yards,
including long strikes of 48 and 31 yards, while Deon Toliver caught
three passes for 64 yards. Ash was pleased with his pass-catchers. "One
thing I thought was a bright spot today in a big way was the receiver
corps. They caught the ball, made moves after the catch. People told me
when I got here that was a thin position and we still have to see, but
I'm very happy with what I see in that group right now. We have good
depth, and the balance will help us a lot."
Montana State will practice twice Monday, Wednesday and Friday
next week, and once each on Tuesday and Thursday.

RUSHING: Aaron Mason 19-144, Isaiah Taito 7-23-1, Anthony Tillemans
11-18, Demetrius Crawford 7-13, Jamelle Banks 1- -5.
PASSING: Jack Rolovich 22-15-0, 253, 1; Cory Carpenter 18-13-1, 128, 1;
Jordan Rasmussen 6-3-0, 29; Willie Sullivan 10-4-0, 97, 0.
RECEIVING: Tyler Lulay 4-46-1, Josh Lewis 3-96-1, Deon Toliver 3-64,
Elliott Barnhart 3-26, Derek Green 3-39, Kyle Begger 3-30, Demetrius
Crawford 3-16, DeAndre Green 3-34, Aaron Mason 2-15, Joe Schreibeis
2-16, Isaiah Taito 1- -2, Derek Erickson 1-3, Ty McDonald 1-9, Shane
Robison 1-5, Jamelle Banks 1-4.

[Jiggs]

Football Holds Second Fall Scrimmage
Jefferson Adcock completed 10-of-12 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's scrimmage


Aug. 18, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team held its second scrimmage of the fall Saturday morning at Seibert Stadium.

Senior quarterback Jefferson Adcock led the passing game, completing 10-of-12 passes for 121 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Bradley. Backup quarterback Dante Williams completed 10-of-15 passes for 74 yards. Freshman quarterback Richie Fordham completed 3-of-5 passes, including a 16-yard touchdown to freshman Justin Craig.

"I thought we were sharper offensively today," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "Jefferson had a good day. I thought Mark Prevost kicked the ball well, which was good to see."

Prevost, a freshman place-kicker from Jasper, Ala., was good on two-of-three field goals in the scrimmage, making kicks from 50 and 42 yards out.

Freshman Alex Barnett, who was moved from defensive back to running back earlier this week, rushed seven times for 56 yards. UAB transfer running back Chris Evans rushed five times for 35 yards.

"The running backs ran pretty well," Sullivan said. "It was good to see Alex Barnett at running back, he gives us a spark, and I thought he did a good job."

Sullivan added that he liked what he saw on the defensive side of the ball as well.

"I thought, the defense was good, they created some more turnovers, which was very positive for them," Sullivan said. "They are doing a good job. The thing that impresses me there is some of our seniors and our leaders, especially our linebackers and some of the guys in the secondary like B.T. Hartloge are stepping up and doing a good job."

Sullivan said, overall, he thought the scrimmage went well for the Bulldogs.

"The good thing is, we were able to get through it without getting anybody hurt," Sullivan said. "We ran about 75 to 80 plays, and I thought it went well."

The Bulldogs will begin working on the game plan for the first game of the 2007 season with Monday morning's 6:30 a.m. practice at Seibert Stadium.

Samford opens the 2007 season on Thursday, Aug. 30, when the Bulldogs play host to West Alabama. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

[katstrapper]

Getting defensive

Sam Houston State defense outplays offense in second live scrimmage

By Cody Stark
Sports Editor (Huntsville Item)

Stingy.

That pretty much sums up how well the Bearkats defense played during Sam Houston State’s second intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning at Bowers Stadium.

A week after letting quarterbacks Rhett Bomar and Brett Hicks combine for 200 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns, the defense buckled down and held Bomar and Hicks to a combined 104 yards and one score.

“We are just trying to come together, and the pass rush is coming along beautifully,” defensive end Chris Brown said. “Our secondary is really stepping it up. We are just making this team come alive and filling in the spots we need to.”

The defense was clicking on all cylinders on a relatively cool morning thanks to cloud cover in the area.

The defensive front was getting a push on the line of scrimmage. The secondary also provided excellent coverage, forcing the quarterbacks to tuck the ball and scramble quite a few times.

Junior linebacker Jeremy Werland came up with an interception on a pass from Hicks and almost came up with another on a dropped pass.

And drops, well, that seemed to be another thing that slowed down the offense.

“I think the defense played well today,” Bearkats coach Todd Whitten said. “We made some plays out there, but we dropped a few balls. That was discouraging. I have to look at the tape, but as I have watched these receivers over the past 14 workouts, I think they have each day gotten a little better.

“And I really think our defense has gotten better and better. Our pass rush is coming on, and anytime you have a pass rush, it helps the guys on the back end.”

Not all the receivers had a bad day. Darnell Jones caught a 29-yard touchdown from Bomar on the first team’s final play of the day. Bomar had plenty of time to set up before he dropped a beautiful ball past two defenders into Jones’ hands in the end zone.

Junior Trey Payne caught a 28-yard pass from Pate over the middle, in traffic. Just as Payne hauled it in, he was crushed by a pair of defenders but still held on to it. Junior Justin Wells had two catches for 20 yards, and tight end Blake Martin caught the only pass thrown to him for 7.

The highlight for the offense came in the running game. Sophomore running back Chris Poullard gained 43 yards on seven carries. He also set up the only scoring drive of the morning, in which he carried the ball six times in a row for 31 yards, including two first down conversions.

True freshman Isaiah Sneed had two touches for eight yards on the drive that covered 70 yards and was capped off by Bomar’s touchdown pass.

“Coach (Jim) Ferguson had been stressing all week that we were going to run the ball down their throats,” Poullard said. “No matter what happens, if we had to run it all the way down the field, we were going to do it. We had been practicing hard the whole week, and we came out today and showed it.”

For the second straight weekend, Bomar also flashed his ability to run with the ball. He carried the ball six times for 41 yards with a long of 16 yards.

So far this summer, it’s all tied up with the offense taking one scrimmage and the defense taking the other.

“All in all, I thought today was OK,” Whitten said. “We seem to be relatively healthy, and that is the main thing to come away from this. We have two weeks before we play, and I think we are on schedule.”



Scrimmage notes and quotes

A break from the penalties — The Bearkats’ first scrimmage was marred by 18 flags, but that wasn’t the case Saturday. In fact, the defense wasn’t called for a single penalty. In all, the officials threw eight flags, the majority of which came with the third-string unit on the field.

“I thought we executed pretty decently,” Whitten said. “I thought we played a little cleaner. Some of our younger guys made mistakes. We got down to that third group and had problems lining up.”

Last week all the guys had to do some extra running following practice for the amount of penalties, but this time they got to go straight to the locker room.



Being safe and smart — Defensive end David Branch sat out of Saturday’s scrimmage in order to be fully healthy heading into the season opener Aug. 30 against Angelo State. Branch, an All-Southland Conference selection in 2005, had shoulder surgery a year ago and missed the entire ’06 campaign.

“They told me they would rather have me playing in the season than playing in a scrimmage,” the senior said before the start of Saturday’s scrimmage. “But I’m fine and just ready to get the season started.”



The death of a mustache — Senior backup quarterback Brett Hicks was sporting a solid mustache for the first two weeks of summer workouts. But he was cleanly shaven Saturday morning.

Maybe he felt like it was slowing him down because on Saturday he broke off a 12-yard scamper on a third-and-long situation. He didn’t pick up the first down, but it was his longest run of the summer.

[catamount man]

Catamount Football Holds Second Scrimmage of the Preseason Saturday Morning

Team prepares for start of classes, Meet the Cats scrimmage next week

Aug. 18, 2007

Cullowhee, N.C. - Two weeks away from its 2007 season opener at Alabama, the Western Carolina Catamount football team took to the turf Saturday morning for its second scrimmage of preseason drills. The two-hour session encompassed nearly 95 total plays, in addition to special teams work on kickoff and kickoff return.

"We got a lot of good work done today," said WCU's sixth-year head coach Kent Briggs. "I was pleased with the solid intensity today - guys hustling both on and off the field, good attention to details. But we are still not at a level to be a champion. Overall, we had good game-like situations today and had several players step up and make good plays. We will look at the film, learn from what mistakes we did make and move forward."

Briggs added, "I felt like we made a lot of progress this week. We are not ready today to play Alabama, but we are moving along and get better each time out."

After consecutive three-and-out stops by the Catamount defense of the offensive unit to open the scrimmage, the offense broke through on its third attempt. Under the direction of sophomore quarterback Adam Hearns, the offense moved from its own 35 yard line into field goal range before the drive stalled thanks in part to a tackle for loss by junior Jeff Bradley on a second down option run. Junior kicker Jonathan Parsons delivered a 24-yard field goal to put the first points on the board.

Five possessions later, the Catamount offense tallied its first touchdown of the scrimmage. Starting from its own 45, senior quarterback Todd Spitzer marched his squad down the field before finding classmate Eddie Cohen on a 27-yard touchdown strike. Sophomore tailback Willie Harper keyed the drive with an eight-yard scamper on third and short to keep the chains moving. Spitzer finished 3-for-4 on the drive with each completion going to Cohen for 54 yards.





On its next possession, the offense capitalized on positive momentum again driving 55 yards culminating with a one-yard touchdown leap by senior tailback Mike Malone. Sophomore signal caller Richard Harp orchestrated the drive, completing 4-of-5 passes for 36 yards with both junior Donald James and red-shirt sophomore Marcus Brown making big catches.

Hearns lead all five quarterbacks by completing 11-of-14 pass attempts for 93 yards and a touchdown. Spitzer finished 6-of-10 for 71 yards with a TD and an interception, with Harb going 5-of-7 for 38 yards and freshman Zach Jaynes completing 5-of-8 for 32 yards. Rounding out the quarterbacks was junior Andy Horn who was 3-for-4 for 17 yards.

James led all receivers during full-field work with eight catches for 62 yards and a TD, while Cohen hauled in five passes for 61 yards and a score. Malone led the rushing attack with 42 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown, while Harper rushed six times for 15 yards and Joe Clark-Dear rumbled 14 yards on his lone carry of the scrimmage.

The offense converted all three red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. Following Jeff Bradley's second sack of the scrimmage, Spitzer threaded the needle on a 22-yard touchdown strike to Nick Miller for the first of his two TD receptions during red-zone work. Two plays into the second opportunity, Jaynes found Kyle Garland for a score, with Horn tossing a 25-yard pass to Miller on third down of the third and final red-zone scenario.

Highlighting the defensive, Bradley finished with a pair of sacks and a tackle for loss, with red-shirt sophomore Keanon Orr tallying a pair of TFLs and senior defensive lineman Darren Curtis recorded a TFL and blocked a PAT attempt. Freshman Craig Brooks tipped a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Dorian Battle, with junior linebacker Drew Walker also picked off a pass but had it negated by a defensive penalty on the same play.

Western completed two-a-days on Friday and will turn its attention to the start of fall classes on Monday, with the final preseason scrimmage - the annual "Meet the Cats" event - to be held Wednesday, August 22. The team will be available for autographs from 6:00 pm until 6:30 pm, with the scrimmage slated to start at 7:00 pm.

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[Jag4Life]

Southern takes it to the air

Coaches give Jaguars ‘passing’ grade in scrimmage

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 1C

Southern had been tinkering around plenty with its running game through the first two weeks of preseason camp.

So with Bryant Lee anointed as the team’s top quarterback earlier this week, the time came in a long scrimmage Saturday morning at A.W. Mumford Stadium to air it out a bit.

The results were so-so after about 71 plays.

Lee looked crisp enough, but his performance and that of fellow sophomore Warren Matthews diminished as younger receivers took the places of nicked-up veterans.

“We wanted them to come out (Saturday) and just throw it, because I really feel we’re going to be able to run the ball and the area I want to work on is throwing,” offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said.

“I’d probably give it a C-plus. Earlier, maybe the first 30, 40 plays, a B-plus, but as some younger guys got into the scrimmage, that’s where the continuity and execution faltered.”

In unofficial statistics, Lee was 16-for-21 for 154 yards, including a 70-yard breakaway touchdown pass to Juamorris Stewart, and Matthews 7-for-14 for 34 yards.

The emphasis on passing made the offense one-dimensional, while the passing game itself was relatively conservative as the Jaguars were without three senior wide receivers: Gerard Landry (tooth), A.J. Turner (pulled leg muscle) and RaShon Jacobs (ankle).

Then, SU lost junior wide receiver Del Roberts to a hip injury and, as planned, pulled Stewart, a sophomore starter, and Mark Henderson, a senior who may start this season, to give younger receivers some work.

“He’s still inconsistent, but he’s still a young quarterback,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said of Lee, who is entering his third season with the team and his first as the starter. “We wanted to see him under pressure, to see how he’d step up and read his keys.”

The running game had been the emphasis of earlier, shorter scrimmages and, day after day, team-on-team drills concentrated on the rush.

“Going in, we wanted to take a look at Lee, see how poised he was and his accuracy and the command of the offense,” Richardson said. “The timing of that is going to have to pick up.”

As for Mathews, Richardson said, “At times, he did well. He’s still inconsistent, too.

“The more we see them under pressure, the better they’re going to be.”

Lee was good on his first nine passes, zipping the first-team offense down the field, but then junior Edward Robinson fumbled the ball after making a catch near the goal line.

Read Full Story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/9241926.html?showAll=y&c=y)

[813Jag]

Southern takes it to the air

Coaches give Jaguars ‘passing’ grade in scrimmage

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 1C

Southern had been tinkering around plenty with its running game through the first two weeks of preseason camp.

So with Bryant Lee anointed as the team’s top quarterback earlier this week, the time came in a long scrimmage Saturday morning at A.W. Mumford Stadium to air it out a bit.

The results were so-so after about 71 plays.

Lee looked crisp enough, but his performance and that of fellow sophomore Warren Matthews diminished as younger receivers took the places of nicked-up veterans.

“We wanted them to come out (Saturday) and just throw it, because I really feel we’re going to be able to run the ball and the area I want to work on is throwing,” offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said.

“I’d probably give it a C-plus. Earlier, maybe the first 30, 40 plays, a B-plus, but as some younger guys got into the scrimmage, that’s where the continuity and execution faltered.”

In unofficial statistics, Lee was 16-for-21 for 154 yards, including a 70-yard breakaway touchdown pass to Juamorris Stewart, and Matthews 7-for-14 for 34 yards.

The emphasis on passing made the offense one-dimensional, while the passing game itself was relatively conservative as the Jaguars were without three senior wide receivers: Gerard Landry (tooth), A.J. Turner (pulled leg muscle) and RaShon Jacobs (ankle).

Then, SU lost junior wide receiver Del Roberts to a hip injury and, as planned, pulled Stewart, a sophomore starter, and Mark Henderson, a senior who may start this season, to give younger receivers some work.

“He’s still inconsistent, but he’s still a young quarterback,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said of Lee, who is entering his third season with the team and his first as the starter. “We wanted to see him under pressure, to see how he’d step up and read his keys.”

The running game had been the emphasis of earlier, shorter scrimmages and, day after day, team-on-team drills concentrated on the rush.

“Going in, we wanted to take a look at Lee, see how poised he was and his accuracy and the command of the offense,” Richardson said. “The timing of that is going to have to pick up.”

As for Mathews, Richardson said, “At times, he did well. He’s still inconsistent, too.

“The more we see them under pressure, the better they’re going to be.”

Lee was good on his first nine passes, zipping the first-team offense down the field, but then junior Edward Robinson fumbled the ball after making a catch near the goal line.

Read Full Story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/9241926.html?showAll=y&c=y)
We're looking good at QB, I like Lee, he's a winner.

[Freightliner]

From Texas State's SID.

Scrimmage Ends Second Week of Camp
Bobcats go through 80-snap practice

Aug. 18, 2007

SAN MARCOS - Texas State's offense had big plays to start and close the Bobcats' first scrimmage of preseason camp but it was the defense that gained the upper hand during an 80-play workout Saturday morning.

"The last couple of days our offense has been getting the better part of the defense. On offense we have figured out exactly what it takes to attack our defense," said Texas State coach Brad Wright. "But all of a sudden today, our defense figured out what we need to do to stop our offense.

click link to continue reading

http://txstatebobcats.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081807aaa.html

[BDKJMU]

http://www.jmusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=71029&SPID=8113&DB_OEM_ID=14400&ATCLID=1153741

LANDERS LEADS DUKES IN FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE

Junior quarterback Rodney Landers led two touchdown drives for the Dukes Saturday.

HARRISONBURG, Va., Aug. 18, 2007 – Junior quarterback Rodney Landers (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) led touchdown drives on his first two series of a James Madison football scrimmage Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

Landers, the Dukes' likely quarterback starter after three seasons of working behind veteran Justin Rascati, directed a 65-yard touchdown drive on the scrimmage's first series and a 70-yard touchdown march on his second series.

Landers capped the four-play opening drive with a 34-yard scoring run after hitting redshirt freshman tailback Jamal Sullivan (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) on a 24-yard screen pass on the possession's second play.

On Landers' second series and the team's third overall, the Dukes drove 70 yards in 11 plays with redshirt freshman tailback Griff Yancey (Glen Allen, Va./Hermitage) scoring from the one. Landers had completions of 17 yards to sophomore wide receiver Rodney McCarter (Philadelphia, Pa.), 13 yards to senior wide receiver L.C. Baker (Richmond, Va/.Armstrong), and eight yards to sophomore tight end Mike Caussin (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) to set up the score.

Landers overall hit on nine of 12 passes for 110 yards during the contact part of the scrimmage.

JMU had nine players run from scrimmage and 13 catch passes during the scrimmage, which was a part of the university's annual "Meet the Dukes" activities.

The scrimmage's final offensive touchdown came on a five-yard run by freshman tailback Jonathan Rose (Amherst, Va./Amherst). Rose's score capped an 11-play, 75-yard possession during which redshirt freshmen quarterbacks Drew Dudzik (Clifton, Va./Centreville) and Keith McPherson (Ocean, N.J./Ocean Township) shared playing time. Freshman tailback Scott Noble Baltimore, Md./Franklin) had a 15-yard run, Dudzik a 15-yard completion to redshirt freshman tight end Jason Dosh (Glen Allen, Va./Benedictine) and Sullivan and McPherson carries of 11 yards during the series.

Freshman safety Jonathan Williams (Ridgeway, Va./Magna Vista) scored for the defense, returning a second-series interception 48 yards for a touchdown.

Sophomore defensive end J.D. Skolnitsky (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) recovered a fumble and was credited with breaking up a pair of passes.

JMU has two weeks remaining in preseason preparation time before opening the 2007 campaign Sept. 1 North Carolina.

Rushing – Noble 13-65, Sullivan 12-45, Landers 3-42-1, Yancey 6-23-1, Rose 6-23, McPherson 2-14, Dudzik 8-14, Allen 2-7, Hicks 1-4.

Passing – Landers 9-12-0, 110, Dudzik 7-8-1, 109, Allen 2-4-0, 12.

Receiving – Yancey 3-21, Charity 2-66, McCarter 2-27, Caussin 2-24, Sullivan 1-24, Dosh 1-15, Baker 1-13, Noble 1-10, Turner 1-10, Goff 1-9, Williams 1-6, Ray Brown 1-3, Graves 1-3.

[fuEMO]

Lamb Sees Positives On Both Sides Of Football In Saturday Scrimmage
Two-Hour Session Highlights Fan Day At Furman

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/1167485056_e8425468c3.jpg?v=0

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head coach Bobby Lamb emerged from Saturday's Fan Day scrimmage in Paladin Stadium generally pleased with his team's performance in the face of another steamy hot August afternoon.

"I saw some flashes of brilliance on both sides of the football, and from a head coach's standpoint that's probably what you want to see in a scrimmage," said Lamb following the nearly two-hour session in temperatures that reached 103 degrees on the field. "We had several guys step up and make some big plays on both offense and defense, and everybody in uniform saw action."

The scrimmage got underway with senior Scott Beckler converting a pair of long field goals from 45 and 50 yards. The senior from Anderson, S.C., and two-time All-Southern Conference selection heads into the 2007 campaign ranked third on Furman's career kick scoring chart with 232 points and seventh in all-time scoring. He had converted 32-of-55 field goal attempts in three seasons.

"The ball is really coming off Scott's foot," said Lamb. "He's worked hard to improve since last season."

All four Furman quarterbacks saw action, and the work of both Renaldo Gray and backup Jordan Sorrells pleased Lamb.

"I thought Renaldo and Jordan both did some nice things. It's like we have two starting quarterbacks, and I also thought Cody Worley showed a little of what he can do."

Gray, a senior from Greenwood who is coming off an injury plagued 2006 campaign, completed 5-of-10 passes for 72 yards while Sorrells, a sophomore and former Greenville High standout who started a pair of games a year ago in Gray's absence, found the mark on 7-of-9 passes for 116 yards. Worley went 2-for-7, and walk-on freshman signal caller Bryan Hayes went 4-for-9 for 27 yards, including the scrimmage's only touchdown pass, a 7-yard strike to freshman tight end Seth Skogen.

Eleven Paladins caught passes, including senior split end Patrick Sprague, who collected a pair of receptions form 68 yards, including a leaping 39-yard hookup with Sorrells. Sprague is Furman's leading returning receiver with 62 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Adam Mims, who sustained broken led versus North Carolina a year ago and missed all of spring practice due to injury, had two receptions for 55 yards. Other notable receptions included a 34-yard Gray completion to tailback Cedrick Gipson and 38-yard catch and run by sophomore and former Eastside star Keiron Williams.

Headlining Furman's defense was sophomore defensive tackle Corey Ray, who notched four tackles and a forced fumble, and sophomore strong safety Julian Hicks with five stops and forced fumble.

"Corey Ray made some big hits, especially on a play near the goal line that caused a fumble."

In all the defense pounced on four fumbles, recorded three sacks, and deflected five passes.

The battle at defensive end among junior Paul White and sophomores Channing Welch and Shaun van Rensburg continues, and it may be the middle of next week before a starter is known.

"We'll have to look at the film from today, but all three of those guys have done some good things. Paul has started some games, but Channing has really come on, and Shaun has a lot of ability."

Heading up the ground attack was Stephone LaFrance with five carries for 29 yards. Fullback Brantley Kendall scored the only rushing touchdown during the regular scrimmage on 2-yard run. Mike Brown and Cardenal Coleman tallied a pair of rushing scores in a short goal line session at the end of the scrimmage.

Three players sat out Saturday's contact work with injuries, including defensive tackle Gaines Burnett (ankle), linebacker Philip Morris (shoulder), and split end Ryan McKie (shoulder). All-Southern Conference nose guard Justin Brown was pulled from the field midway through the session "mainly as a precaution" according to Lamb. "Justin had shoulder surgery in the offseason, and we are just trying to keep him as fresh as possible for the season."

The Paladins are off Sunday but will return Monday for a pair of practices beginning at 8:00 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.

http://furmanpaladins.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081807aaa.html

[Jag4Life]

We're looking good at QB, I like Lee, he's a winner.

Yep and from what I hear we have "Air"

[ysubigred]

August 18, 2007
Football: Offense Runs to Scrimmage Victory Beating Defense 43-26
The Penguin Offense retained the right to wear the Red jerseys throughout the fall by virtue of a 43-26 victory over the defense on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.
The offense scored four rushing touchdowns and placekicker Stephen Blose connected on four field goals to spearhead the offensive onslaught.

Picking up rushing scores for offense were Ben Lane, Tim Dewberry and Josh Lee, who finished with two scores. Blose made field goals of 48, 20, 39 and 39 yards during the workout.

Head Coach Jon Heacock said both teams had their ups and downs.
"It will be good to see on film," Heacock said. "It was disappointing to see the turnovers and two missed field goals from veteran guys, but from a defensive standpoint causing those turnovers was good."
The first score of the afternoon came when Blose connected on a 48-yard field goal that just cleared the cross bar. His chance for the long-distance kick came after two-year starter Brian Palmer missed earlier from 37 yards.

The defense picked up a score when James Terry's jarring hit separated the football from tight end Louis Irizarry and Luke Matelan scooped up the ball.

Irizarry rebounded two plays later grabbing a Tom Zetts in heavy traffic for a 28-yard gain. However, Palmer missed a field-goal try from 23 yards out to end the threat.

From there, the offense went to the ground to take control of the scrimmage.

Lee, a freshman, scooted 13 yards around the end for the first rushing score before Lane plunged in from a yard out.

Between scores the placekickers dueled at halftime. Palmer was sharp making 8-of-9 while Blose connected on 5-of-9 attempts from distances ranging from 23 to 52 yards.

Blose followed the practice session by making three more field goals during the scrimmage. He connected on a 20-yarder after a 42-yard rumble by Lane and a 39-yarder when a drive stalled at the defense's 22.

Dewberry kept the momentum going scoring on a 32-yard run before Blose kicked his fourth field goal of the scrimmage making another 39-yarder.

Lee showed some break-away speed late in the workout running untouched for a 37-yard score.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Nick Mernedakis led all defensive players with 10 tackles while senior Dorian Chenault finished with seven. Linebackers Terry and Jeremiah Wright were credited with five stops each. Mernedakis and Terry each finished with two tackles for losses.

Zetts completed six-of-nine passes for 81 yards to lead the quarterbacks. Ferlando Williams completed two passes for 39 yards, both to Dustin Helle.

Freshman Paul Corsaro was 2-of-3 for 13 yards, freshman Scooter Hargate was 1-of-3 for 42 yards, hooking up with Nick Canterino on a 42-yard gain, and freshman David Rogers was 1-of-1 for six yards.

Irizarry caught four passes for 47 yards while fellow tight end Derrick Bush had a 29-yard grab.

Lee led all rushers with 54 yards on six carries while Dewberry had 48 yards on 10 rushes. Lane had two attempts for 43 yards as well.
Heacock said there is still work to be done before the season opener on Sept. 1 at Ohio State.

"This scrimmage is good from an evaluation standpoint so we can really see where a lot of guys are."