HANOVER – You might say it was a meaningless play featuring freshmen at the end of a meaningless scrimmage.
And you would be wrong.
On all accounts.
Late in the proceedings, on a first-and-10 snap from his own 39, receiver Blake Betette broke free behind the last line of the defense. Spotting him open, quarterback Jack Cannon lofted a spiral that his classmate hauled in for a sure-fire touchdown.
Except that Tre Jones wasn’t having it. The freshman defensive back never stopped running and somehow managed to force a fumble that the defense would recover.
Add it up and it was a great route, an explosive pass play, a defender who refused to give up, and a coach who liked a lot of what he saw on both sides of the ball Wednesday morning on Blackman Field.
“The offense hit on a big play, which you like to see,” Sammy McCorkle said. “But the play is never over for the defense. Tre Jones went down there and knocked the ball loose inside the five-yard line to get the ball back. A play like that is a game-changer."
While the long completion and hustle play stood out, McCorkle was impressed with a lot of what he saw.
“Overall, I thought the guys did a good job," he said. "We made big plays offensively, but when we did I thought defensively we responded, especially when we put them down in the red zone area. I thought ‘coming out’ the defense did a good job also. We had some turnovers on defense, but don’t want to turn it over offensively.”
No score was kept in the first of two spring scrimmages and there were no official statistics. Unofficially, starting quarterback Grayson Saunier was 14-of-22 for 106 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Backup Noah Trigueros was 11-of-17 for 132 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.
Woods Ray battling for the backup position, continues to be sidelined as he battles a recurring hip issue.
“I thought the quarterbacks did a good job,” McCorkle said. “But we have to make better decisions and protect the ball.
“It was guys trying to make plays but we have to do a better job of not putting ourselves in bad situations. We hit some big ones, but we have to do that on a more consistent basis.”
Wide receiver Jonathan Nelson had four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Fellow wideout Kareem Fisher added four grabs for 36 yards, while Ian Scott caught three balls with a touchdown, and Luke Rives two with a score. Also with three catches were Betette, fellow wide receivers Santino Cicarella and Nick Lemon, along with tight ends Kyle Meier and Jason Bish.
Rives’ diving grab in the end zone was a receiving highlight.
“He’s a guy you have to respect with his speed,” McCorkle said. “He’s a very good route runner and knows where he’s supposed to be after the ball’s snapped. A play like (his touchdown on a lob into the end zone) is a good lesson for our corners.”
On the down side, there were at least three passes dropped that should have been caught and a couple more that might have been caught.
"That's something we need to improve," said McCorkle. "Last year we led the league in dropped passes and we have to do better. We also want to be better on third down."
Chris Roper used an 80-yard touchdown run and a plunge into the end zone to pace the run game with 113 yards on 10 carries, with lead back Myles Craddock sitting out to heal up.
“Roper is just getting better day after day,” McCorkle said. “He’s playing with more confidence. He’s a tough, physical runner, but he’s also showing more patience reading blocks and making good decisions. I though our offensive line did a good job of creating penalties and our backs made the most of it by running hard."
Manny Johnson added 77 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, and Jacob Henry 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Field goal kicker Owen Zalc looked like the Zalc of old by striping kicks of 39 and 40 yards.
“He had a good day,” McCorkle said. “I thought operation-wise it was pretty good, and our kickers had a good day.”
Punter Luke Armistead didn’t see a real rush, but boomed several punts.
In a scrimmage where the whistle signals the end of a play, it’s impossible to quantify tackles, but there were a bevy of defensive plays that stood out. Harrison Keith ended a long drive with an interception in the end zone in the first quarter, and George Duggins had a pick in the third. Niquis Ratcliff broke up two passes in the end zone.
Among other standout defensive plays were an early tackle-for-loss by Cameron Best-Alston and another midway through the first quarter by Chris Chol. A few plays later, Matthew Boydell made a big stop at the line of scrimmage.
A JJ Bolz stop on a third-and-two play forced a field goal at the end of the first quarter, and an Ayo Adeniyi tackle on a QB draw forced a punt a little later. Gavin King circled the line for a third-and-one stop for no gain midway through the second quarter.
The third quarter featured a tackle for loss by Christian Harris, a ferocious tackle at the line by Harlem Taylor, and huge pressure by Roman Sosnovyy. Also, Lou Lamar taking on a blocker to make a tackle on a short completion, a big stop by Boydell for a loss of three in a late red zone series, and Johnny Stephens with a clean pass breakup in the end zone.
In the final quarter, it was Sosnovyy batting down a pass at the line, and a Keoni Perkins tackle for no gain on a QB keeper at the six.
Unlike some years, there were no officials so the coaches called penalties. There weren't many – "I could have called more," admitted McCorkle – but a celebration and personal fouls had the head coach grimacing after the scrimmage.
"I love the excitement, but there's limitations to what you can do," he said of one player's celebration. "I told him, 'You are going to have a lot of opportunities,' so act like you've been there before."
The scrimmage was shifted from Memorial Field because that facility was being used for orientation. While it would have been moved to the Indoor Practice Facility in the event of rain, McCorkle was glad to be on real grass, the kind the Big Green will play on at Lehigh in a little over two weeks.
“We’re going to be on grass in our first game, so we might as well get used to it,” he said. “A couple of guys slipped, but you have to keep your feet under you, which you should do all the time. I don’t care if you’re on concrete, on turf, or whatever.”
The Big Green players were scheduled to watch film Wednesday evening and have a day off (from practice, not meetings) Thursday.
They’ll be back on the field Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the final scrimmage of the preseason Monday.