Spring
Preview
2008
Sun Belt 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
Boise State
In the annual Blue and Orange spring game in Boise, the offense got the
best of the defense 25-9. The score was secondary to the quarterback
battle that has been waged this spring and in this spring game. Each of
the contenders for the starting position played relatively well, even
though it was redshirt freshman Kellen Moore who garnered most of the
attention from the locals. The youngster completed eleven of 13 passes
for 99 yards.
Fresno State
Head coach Pat Hill was
pleased with his team’s effort this spring, including the team’s final
scrimmage of spring practice. Running back Kyle Duffy had a strong
showing in the team’s fifty play 11-on-11 scrimmage, scoring on a screen
pass and a 45-yard run. He registered 74 yards total offense on the day
(rushing and receiving). Defensive end Ikenna Ike racked up two sacks
on the day to lead the Bulldog defense.
Hawaii
As part of the Ohana Festival, the football team concluded its spring
drills with the annual Warrior Bowl – a Black team 24-20 victory over
the Green squad. Quarterback Inaka Funaki led the Black squad, throwing
and running throughout the game. He led the Black team in rushing,
twice for 45 yards and completed 12 of his 18 passes for 145 yards and
two touchdowns. But, he got some help from the Black defense that held
the Green offense to three total rushing yards.
Idaho
The annual Silver and
Gold game left head coach Robb Akey in a good mood after it was over.
Although he liked the play on both sides, the Silver emerged victorious
31-17 over the Gold. Running back Princeton McCarty put on a show for
the 5,100 in attendance, scoring four times for the Silver. McCarty
scored on runs of 46, 9, 5 and 15 yards, rushing for 124 yards on just
14 carries. His counterpart on the Gold squad Deonte’ Jackson ran for
84 yards on 13 carries, 40 of which coming on one carry.
Louisiana Tech
The White team made a
furious comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the Blue team 14-13 in
the second annual T-Day spring game in Ruston. Quarterback Ross Jenkins
completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Philip Livas to complete the
comeback win for the White. Jenkins finished the day having completed
16 of 27 passes for 148 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. Both
defenses stole the show for much of the game, including linebacker Quin
Harris who had four tackles and a sack for the victorious White team.
Nevada
World, meet Colin
Kapernick. If you missed the arrival of the Nevada quarterback last
season, you can’t miss his second tour of duty. If the annual Silver
and Blue spring game is any indication, that is. Kapernick rushed for
146 yards on only five carries, including a 52- and a 65-yard run for
scores. His passing accuracy suffered (five of 15 for 74 yards and an
interception), but his ability to make something happen out of the
pocket should have many more people taking notice this fall.
New
Mexico State
The New Mexico State
defense, led by defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, reigned victorious
over the offense 35-17 in the annual NMSU spring contest. Quarterback
J.J. McDermott completed 32 of 49 passes for 281 yards and two
touchdowns, but the defense registered six sacks of McDermott to lead
the way to the spring game victory. Nick Paden paced the defense with
eight tackles and two sacks
San
Jose State
Defense ruled the day
during the team’s annual spring game, as the defensive unit defeated the
offense 42-18. The defense racked up three fumble recoveries, a pick
and five sacks on the way to its 24-point margin of victory. The ‘D’
harassed the Spartan quarterbacks all day long, as the trio looking to
replace former starting quarterback Adam Tafralis struggled. Myles
Eden, Sean Flynn and Jordan La Secla completed a combined eleven of 28
passes for only 108 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Utah State
After years of not
having enough depth to hold a standard spring game, Utah State held a
more traditional Blue-White spring game, a contest won by the Blue
14-10. Receiver Stanley Morrison scored both touchdowns for the Blue
team, catching an eleven yard touchdown in addition to a 14 yarder to
put the Blue up on top for good. The White was led by running back
Derrick Cumbee, a former linebacker, who ran for 69 yards on nine
carries, including a 28-yard touchdown run. Head coach Brent Guy really
liked how Cumbee performed, even in a losing effort.
