McNeese_beat
April 26th, 2008, 11:36 AM
From Friday's Lake Charles American Press:
Whitehead lifts Gold to 21-14 spring game victory
By GARY LANEY
AMERICAN PRESS
The 2,535 fans who gathered at Cowboy Stadium Thursday for what was unofficially the largest spring game crowd in McNeese State history breathed a sigh of relief the first time the Gold team had the ball.
That's when Steven Whitehead caught a pass out of his slot receiver position and outraced the secondary to the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass from Derrick Fourroux.
No limping. Plenty of speed. No sign of the injury that sidelined the Big Play waiting to happen for most of the 2007 season.
"Just like old times," Whitehead said. "I got to hook back up with Derrick Fourroux and he just sees it real easy right now."
Whitehead, the 2006 Southland Conference Player of the Year, caught seven passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Gold team to a 21-14 win over Blue in a 40-minute game on the new Louis Bonnette Field.
The brand new artificial surface was a hit — fans lined up for a chance to walk on the field after the game — and the game was competitive as Gold couldn't breathe easily until defensive end Terrance Freeman sacked Mark Fontenot on the game's final play. Freeman pressured Fontenot, who slipped on the turf as he was preparing to heave a 40-yard Hail Mary from the Gold's 40-yard line.
"I thought it was great," said head coach Matt Viator, who gushed about all aspects of the game. "It was a great game. Both teams competed really good. Offensively, we looked good in the first half. Defensively, we came back in the second half and made some stands.
"All in all, we didn't get anybody hurt and we played about 90 guys and that's hard to do and still look good."
Beau Lasseigne and Whitehead also connected on a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, putting to rest any doubts that about the health of Whitehead, one of the Southland Conference's most productive offensive players.
"I definitively wanted to send that message," said Whitehead, who earned a medical hardship year after he was lost to a knee injury in 2007's second game against Louisiana-Lafayette. "I didn't want everybody to worry. I wanted to come out here and prove to myself that I could compete at a full-speed level.
"The coaches didn't let me get tackled much in the spring, so it was real key for me to come out here and see how it worked."
Fourroux also hit Brandon Broussard for a 52-yard touchdown as Gold jumped to a 21-7 lead by halftime. The Cowboys junior quarterback completed 8 of 15 passes for 122 yards.
Gold threatened to make the game a blowout, but an early second half Gold drive that would have made it a three-touchdown game was thwarted at the Blue 3-yard line when Fourroux fumbled a snap and defensive tackle Damion Aultman recovered.
That let Blue back in the game and it took advantage when quarterback Mark Fontenot, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 262 yards, threw his second touchdown pass of the game. The 38-yard screen pass to tailback Elrick Jones pulled Blue within 21-14 with 8:48 left.
Another Blue drive was halted when safety John Vigers picked off Fontenot at the Gold 32 with 4:15 left in the game. Gold held the ball until the last minute before Blue had one desperation shot at a comeback that fell after Freeman's sack.
"It was competitive," Viator said. "I thought the kids had a good time. There weren't many turnovers, a fumbled snap and an interception.
"I really enjoyed it. It was fun."
Particularly because Viator didn't have a dog in the hunt. The assistant coaches ran the team and Viator was a highly interested observer. For the record, co-offensive coordinator Broderick Fobbs got the win as Gold's coach over the other co-offensive coordinator, Tim Leger.
As for Viator, he spent the game standing on the field, next to the referee, with the day's main attraction, a new turf, under his feet.
"I can't thank Mr. Robert (Noland, the booster who paid for the majority of the cost of the field) enough," Viator said. "This is great. The players are excited about it and that's the main thing."
Whitehead lifts Gold to 21-14 spring game victory
By GARY LANEY
AMERICAN PRESS
The 2,535 fans who gathered at Cowboy Stadium Thursday for what was unofficially the largest spring game crowd in McNeese State history breathed a sigh of relief the first time the Gold team had the ball.
That's when Steven Whitehead caught a pass out of his slot receiver position and outraced the secondary to the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass from Derrick Fourroux.
No limping. Plenty of speed. No sign of the injury that sidelined the Big Play waiting to happen for most of the 2007 season.
"Just like old times," Whitehead said. "I got to hook back up with Derrick Fourroux and he just sees it real easy right now."
Whitehead, the 2006 Southland Conference Player of the Year, caught seven passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Gold team to a 21-14 win over Blue in a 40-minute game on the new Louis Bonnette Field.
The brand new artificial surface was a hit — fans lined up for a chance to walk on the field after the game — and the game was competitive as Gold couldn't breathe easily until defensive end Terrance Freeman sacked Mark Fontenot on the game's final play. Freeman pressured Fontenot, who slipped on the turf as he was preparing to heave a 40-yard Hail Mary from the Gold's 40-yard line.
"I thought it was great," said head coach Matt Viator, who gushed about all aspects of the game. "It was a great game. Both teams competed really good. Offensively, we looked good in the first half. Defensively, we came back in the second half and made some stands.
"All in all, we didn't get anybody hurt and we played about 90 guys and that's hard to do and still look good."
Beau Lasseigne and Whitehead also connected on a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, putting to rest any doubts that about the health of Whitehead, one of the Southland Conference's most productive offensive players.
"I definitively wanted to send that message," said Whitehead, who earned a medical hardship year after he was lost to a knee injury in 2007's second game against Louisiana-Lafayette. "I didn't want everybody to worry. I wanted to come out here and prove to myself that I could compete at a full-speed level.
"The coaches didn't let me get tackled much in the spring, so it was real key for me to come out here and see how it worked."
Fourroux also hit Brandon Broussard for a 52-yard touchdown as Gold jumped to a 21-7 lead by halftime. The Cowboys junior quarterback completed 8 of 15 passes for 122 yards.
Gold threatened to make the game a blowout, but an early second half Gold drive that would have made it a three-touchdown game was thwarted at the Blue 3-yard line when Fourroux fumbled a snap and defensive tackle Damion Aultman recovered.
That let Blue back in the game and it took advantage when quarterback Mark Fontenot, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 262 yards, threw his second touchdown pass of the game. The 38-yard screen pass to tailback Elrick Jones pulled Blue within 21-14 with 8:48 left.
Another Blue drive was halted when safety John Vigers picked off Fontenot at the Gold 32 with 4:15 left in the game. Gold held the ball until the last minute before Blue had one desperation shot at a comeback that fell after Freeman's sack.
"It was competitive," Viator said. "I thought the kids had a good time. There weren't many turnovers, a fumbled snap and an interception.
"I really enjoyed it. It was fun."
Particularly because Viator didn't have a dog in the hunt. The assistant coaches ran the team and Viator was a highly interested observer. For the record, co-offensive coordinator Broderick Fobbs got the win as Gold's coach over the other co-offensive coordinator, Tim Leger.
As for Viator, he spent the game standing on the field, next to the referee, with the day's main attraction, a new turf, under his feet.
"I can't thank Mr. Robert (Noland, the booster who paid for the majority of the cost of the field) enough," Viator said. "This is great. The players are excited about it and that's the main thing."