Our fifth look at spring scrimmages across the country. Ohio State set a new record for a spring scrimmage, with an announced crowd of 95,722. If you missed our previous reports, click here, here, here and here.
Atlantic Coast
Boston College: A sluggish effort for the offense. Clearly, the Eagles haven't gotten to know the schemes of new offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill. "We need a lot of work," first-year coach Frank Spaziani said.
Maryland: No Darius Heyward-Bey? No problem. Sophomore Quintin McCree caught three touchdown passes and junior Adrian Cannon had two touchdown receptions as the Terrapins showed why receiver will be among the team's deepest positions.
Big East
Cincinnati: Coach Brian Kelly kept his new 3-4 alignment under wraps, often staying with last season's 4-3. "We didn’t want to show too much," he said. "I'm really pleased with [our defense]. We got our defensive coordinator [Bob Diaco] in place. We got our system in place. We made some changes and moved some personnel around that helped us."
Big Ten
Illinois: The Fighting Illini worked on their attitude, something they need to improve after last season, when they slipped to 5-7 coming off a 9-4 Rose Bowl season. ''There was something I couldn't put my finger on last year,'' coach Ron Zook said.
Michigan State: Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol will continue their battle to replace Brian Hoyer in August. "I think you see now why you can look at our quarterback situation and say, 'Wow, it's close to call right there,' " coach Mark Dantonio said. Attendance: 26,000. The start of the scrimmage was delayed by 15 minutes because of a rainstorm.
Minnesota: Inconsistent play along the offensive line remains a problem for the Golden Gophers, who enter the 2009 season with a five-game losing streak.
Northwestern: Senior Mike Kafka, the projected starter at quarterback, displayed an ability to scramble. He would appear to have a capable backup in Dan Persa.
Ohio State: A record 95,722 watched Terrelle Pryor complete 13 of 18 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. There was no sign of the awkward, shotput-like throwing motion he sometimes displayed last season. "I think I played exceptionally well," he said.
Penn State: The Nittany Lion offense must replace three receivers and three lineman. "We're short one or two offensive linemen that have that kind of confidence you need," coach Joe Paterno said. "A lot will depend on whether we can get that offensive line just a little more cohesive than they’ve been so far." Attendace: 76,500.
Big 12
Colorado: Sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen broke the thumb on his right (throwing) hand when he slammed it on the helmet of defensive end Marquez Herrod. Hansen was to undergo surgery and would have the hand in a cast for at least a couple of weeks.
Conference USA
Marshall: Defense ruled play before 8,436, which included a reunion of the Thundering Herd's undefeated team from 1999.
Southern Methodist: June Jones has his team running more plays out of the Pistol formation. He hopes to cut down on turnovers. "As long as we don't throw interceptions, we're probably going to win a lot of games," he said.
Tulane: Coach Bob Toledo is optimistic his team can rebound from a 2-10 season. "I told them today that I really liked the attitude and the energy we've shown, " he said. "Last year kind of tore us apart. Now I can see us developing as a team again."
Mid-American
Bowling Green: Coach Dave Clawson's offense has much work to do before the opener against Troy. "[The offense] took too long to get going. We don't want to take until the [sixth] drive to start moving it," he said.
Kent State: Neither fifth-year senior Anthony Magazu nor redshirt sophomore Giorgio Morgan stood out in the battle to become the starting quarterback.
Northern Illinois: Sophomore running back Me'co Brown had 145 yards in 18 carries, including a 55-yard touchdown run in a scrimmage that was called early because of lightning.
Ohio: Boo Jackson, Theo Scott, Brandon Jones and Philip Bates are battling to become the starting quarterback. "We like the fact that we have several experienced guys who can make plays. That will go into fall camp," coach Frank Solich said.
Mountain West
Wyoming: Quarterback Karsten Sween solidified his starting role, but coach Dave Christensen was upset with the play of his receivers. "If you're going to play wide receiver in this offense, you better be able to catch the ball and you'd better have courage," he said.
Pacific 10
UCLA: Kevin Prince, the expected starter at quarterback, missed on his first six passes, one of which was intercepted. The offense had 50 yards in the first 44 plays, which included three lost fumbles, one interception and three sacks.
USC: Quarterback Aaron Corp gave a steady if unspectacular performance before an announced 22,565 at the Coliseum. "I thought he played really solid," coach Pete Carroll said.
Washington: Quarterback Jake Locker made the strongest case yet that he has improved his passing. Locker completed 16 of 18 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington State: About 400 spectators — including former players Ryan Leaf, Jason Gesser and Jack Thompson — turned out on a brisk, windy day at Martin Stadium. The scrimmage was shortened because of the lack of healthy players.
Southeastern
Kentucky: Backup quarterback Will Fidler had his best day as a Wildcat. On his first drive, Fidler completed six of eight passes for 86 yards, including the 26-yard touchdown strike to Randall Cobb. He later had a nine-yard TD pass. Attendance: 20,200.
Sun Belt
Western Kentucky: The offense started slow but finished strong. Brandon Smith remains the No. 1 quarterback.
Western Athletic
Fresno State: With the help of a scaled-back defense, the offense put on a show. Ebahn Feathers, who is competing with Ryan Colburn and Derek Carr to start at quarterback, ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns in 12 carries.
Hawaii: Coach Greg McMackin praised his offensive line, which was penalized 28 times for holding last season but was not called for holding in three spring practices. Attendance: 3,726.
New Mexico State: Coach DeWayne Walker is pleased with his team's development, but the passing game needs work. Trevor Walls and Jeff Fleming are battling to replace three-year starter Chase Holbrook at quarterback.
Comments