Spring
Preview
2008
ACC Spring Game Reviews
Spring Game Reviews
- ACC |
Big East |
Big Ten |
Big 12 |
C-USA |
Ind.
- MAC |
M-West |
Pac 10 |
SEC |
Sun Belt |
WAC
By
John
Harris
Atlantic
Boston College
As former quarterback
Matt Ryan prepared for draft day in New York City, the Eagles had
business to attend to in the form of the annual Jay McGillis Memorial
game. And, the first matter at hand was finding a quarterback to
replace Ryan in 2008. Put Chris Crane’s name high up on the list. He
completed 18 of his 35 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Injured
linebacker Brian Toal, who missed all of 2007, racked up four tackles
for the defense, while cornerback Razzie Smith had a 100 yard pick six
as well.
Clemson
All-ACC candidate
Cullen Harper led Orange squad to a 16-7 victory over the White in the
annual Clemson Spring Game. Harper completed 13 of 18 passes for 142
yards and two touchdowns. While running back James Davis and receiver
Jacoby Ford sat out the scrimmage, star receiver Aaron Kelly had a solid
outing catching eight passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Florida State
Where have you heard
this one before…the Florida State defense dominates, while the offense
falters. In front of nearly 30,000 attendees, the Gold (defense) beat
the Garnet (offense) 22-12, getting the attention of head coach Bobby
Bowden. The team’s defensive front wore out the offense’s depleted
offensive front throughout the scrimmage, as guys like Neefy Moffett
(two sacks) and Kendall Smith (four tackles, two sacks and two TFLs)
starred. Redshirt freshman receiver Taiwan Easterling averaged nearly
17 yards per catch on five catches and was the closest thing the offense
had to a ‘star’.
Maryland
The annual spring game
at Maryland turned into a whitewash as the White thumped the Red 27-3
behind the strong performance of running back Da’Rel Scott. The
sophomore runner led the way with 101 yards rushing and a touchdown for
the White (he had an additional 12 yards on the ground for the Red),
making a strong bid for the starting running back position. Defensive
back Jeff Allen registered eight tackles for the White and ten overall
to lead the defensive effort on the day.
NC State
Nothing like a nail
biting finish in Raleigh for NC State’s annual spring contest. The Red
squad scored on the final play of the scrimmage to register a 23-21 win
over the White. With no time left on the clock, quarterback Justin
Burke launched a 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Bryan for
the win. Burke, one of the three quarterbacks this spring vying for the
starting position, completed 17 of 24 passes for 191 yards and the only
two touchdown passes of the day. Fellow Red quarterback Harrison Beck
had a solid day as well, completing 65 % of his 20 passes for 158 yards.
Wake Forest
The final Wake Forest
spring scrimmage of the year featured strong play from all three
quarterbacks – Riley Skinner, Brett Hodges and Ryan McManus. Potential
All-ACC quarterback Skinner had the best day completing 15 of 18 for 245
yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Ben Wooster led all receivers with
138 yards on five catches, including a 35 yard scoring toss from Skinner
and a 65-yard pitch and catch from Hodges.
Coastal
Duke
The David Cutcliffe era
began this spring and concluded with a 14-3 White victory over the Blue
in the annual spring game in Durham. Running back Tony Jackson ran for
85 yards on only five carries, including the only offensive touchdown of
the game. Although he couldn’t get the Blue team in the end zone,
quarterback Zack Asack made a strong bid for the starting quarterback
position, which was once his a couple of years ago, with a 14-17, 107
yard performance.
Georgia
Tech
The Paul Johnson
‘spread option’ offense sputtered playing in front of a public audience
for the first time. The Blue team won the annual spring game 24-7, but
didn’t get much help from its offense. Both units struggled holding on
to the ball early, but the myriad of quarterbacks in position for the
starting job for the Blue did enough to put the ball in the end
zone…through the air, mind you, for the win. The Blue team was led by
the number one defensive unit, which held the White in check as Josh
Nesbitt and company had difficulty handling the ball in their new
offense.
Miami
The defense defeated
the offense 32-29 in the annual spring matchup, a contest that didn’t
help clear up the quarterback competition in the slightest. The defense
got a tremendous performance from its true freshmen linebackers Arthur
Brown, who had eight tackles and a pick and Sean Spence, who had two
interceptions. Offensively, running back Graig Cooper had a banner day
running for 91 yards and two touchdowns, but the young quarterbacks,
Robert Marve, Jacory Harris and Cannon Smith, didn’t leave a lasting
impression in a race to become the number one signal caller.
North
Carolina
Although the team’s
Saturday Spring Showcase was cancelled, the Tar Heels strapped it up for
a final scrimmage to end the 15 practice spring session. It was a
scrimmage dominated by the team’s talented running backs – Greg Little,
Ryan Houston and Devan Ramsey. The trio combined for 137 yards on 31
carries, while each back scored a touchdown. Quarterbacks Mike Paulus
and Cam Sexton had solid outings as they battled one another for the
starting job in the fall (TJ Yates was out all spring after shoulder
surgery this past winter).
Virginia
In the team’s final
spring scrimmage of the season, the UVa quarterbacks had a field day,
even without starting quarterback Jameel Sewell, who was not enrolled
during the spring semester. The offense threw the ball most of the
scrimmage and Scott Deke, Mark Verica and Peter Lalich took advantage of
the aerial circus to each make a bid for the starting position. Deke,
arguably, had the best day, completing 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards and
two touchdowns, while Verica finished 17 of 25 for 110 yards and a
touchdown.
Virginia Tech
One year after the
tragic events of the spring of 2007, the Hokies took the field in the
annual Maroon and White spring contest, as the starting quarterback
tete-a-tete continued. Quarterback Sean Glennon led the Maroon squad to
a 24-3 win, hooking up with receiver Brandon Dillard for a 25 yard score
in the first half. Dillard also had a 49 yard run on a reverse to set
up the Maroon team’s first touchdown. Rising sophomore quarterback
Tyrod Taylor struggled throughout the day for the White, throwing one
interception and getting sacked three times.