Spring
Preview
2009
SEC 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
The Spring Games So Far ...
Alabama
April 18 – Over 84,000
fans showed up to watch the Crimson (with the No. 1 offense and
No. 2 defense) beat the White (No. 2 offense and No. 1 defense)
14-7 highlighted by a 52-yard Julio Jones touchdown catch from
Greg McElroy for a 7-0 Crimson lead. McElroy, who’s expected to
replace John Parker Wilson, completed 16-of-30 passes for 189
yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, with the second
scoring pass going to Mike McCoy. Star Jackson, the projected
backup quarterback, had a disastrous day completing just 4-of-13
passes for 52 yards and two interceptions for the White team,
while Thomas Darrah stepped in and completed 8-of-22 passes for
113 yards. Rolondo McClain, on the White team, was the defensive
star with six tackles and a sack.
Arkansas
April 19
– Ryan Mallett led the Red team to a 49-21 win over the White
team completing 15-of-26 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns
with an interception. Tyler Wilson saw a little bit of action
for both teams completing 23-of-36 passes for 301 yards and two
scores with a pick on the day. De’Anthony Curtis provided the
fireworks with a 55-yard scoring run to give the Red team its
first score, and he tore off a 24-yard scoring dash late in the
game to finish with 103 yards and two touchdowns on just ten
carries, and he also caught three passes for 33 yards. Jarius
Wright and Joe Adams had big days catching the ball for the Red
team combining for 14 grabs for 243 yards and a score. Adrian
Moore came up with the biggest highlight for the White team with
a 60-yard scoring dash in the fourth quarter.
Auburn
April 18
- The Gus Malzahn offense kicked off with a few big plays
and some big moments, but it was inconsistent even though the
defense, which was mostly the No. 2 D, was missing several key
players. The offense ended up winning 57-31 under the modified
scoring system. The starting quarterback job is still up for
grabs and will go into the fall after Neil Caudle completed
11-of-16 passes for 161 yards and two scores, and Kodi Burns
completed 3-of-8 passes for 48 yards. Onterio McCalebb led all
rushers with 75 yards on just two carries, highlighted by a
70-yard touchdown dash. Ben Tate ran for 72 yards and two scores
on just four carries. Terrell Zachery also ripped off a 70-yard
touchdown run. Matthew Sample led the defense with six tackles.
Florida
April
18 – The Orange team beat the Blue 31-21 in a day to give the
reserves a chance to shine. The top defensive players didn’t see
the field and Tim Tebow only played for a half, but there were
some exciting moments. Tebow’s backup, John Brantley, stole the
show completing 17-of-23 passes for 265 yards and three
touchdowns with an interception, and he ran for two other
scores. Don’t get used to the running touchdowns; he’s not Tebow
and won’t be running much in live action. Frankie Hammond was
the star target catching four passes for 131 yards and two
scores. Tebow didn’t do anything flashy completing 7-of-9 throws
for 83 yards and a score with an interception as he kept the
passes short. There was little sign of the new Steve Addazio
I-formation offense with the quarterbacks taking snaps out of
the shotgun.
LB Brendan
Beal led the defense with 13 tackles and an interception.
Georgia
April
11 - There were too many dropped passes and only three field
goals before a 20-yard Carlton Thomas touchdown run in the final
few seconds to lead the Red team to a 13-3 win over the Black,
but the overall scrimmage was promising. The defense was
tremendous with Marcus Washington and Justin Houston each
putting on a show with three sacks each. With Matthew Stafford
on the sidelines offering advice, new starting quarterback Joe
Cox was decent completing 9-of-16 passes for 105 yards while
backup Logan Gray completing 9-of-13 passes for 91 yards.
Kentucky
April 25 – The two teams were split up evenly, but it looked
like a blowout early on as the Blue team jumped out to a 21-0
lead before holding on for 28-23 win in front of over 20,000
people. Mike Hartline completed 17-of-33 passes for 208 yards
and two touchdowns with two interceptions for the White team,
with Nick Melillo catching four passes for 43 yards and two
scores. The Blue team didn’t get a great day from QB Will Fidler,
who completed just 10-of-24 passes for 110 yards and two scores
with an interception, but Moncell Allen ran for 96 yards on 16
carries and Randall Cobb caught four passes for 70 yards and a
score. Danny Travathan and Micah Johnson each made 11 tackles
for the Blue team, while Chandler Burden came up with two sacks.
LSU
April
18 – The White team beat the Purple team 27-0, but all that
mattered was the fantastic play of the two key offensive stars.
Jordan Jefferson all but ended any discussion of a quarterback
derby with a good spring ending by completing 8-of-10 passes for
97 yards. RB Charles Scott ripped off 70 yards and two
touchdowns on 11 carries. The superstar recruit of the great
2008 class, Russell Shepard, saw a little time under center and
showed flashes of quickness and speed while completing 7-of-12
passes for 70 yards. However, he also forced a late pass and
threw a pick six with Patrick Peterson taking the pass 69 yards
for a score. Chris Garrett also got a little work in for the
Purple team completing 8-of-14 passes for 49 yards and an
interception.
Ole
Miss
April 18 – Jevan Snead dominated the Grove Bowl as
the Blue team beat the Red 55-0 (but the “official” score was
55-28 with the Red team being spotted the four scores). Snead
completed 11-of-15 passes for 254 yards and three scores as the
offense was in midseason form. The highlight was a 70-yard
scoring play to Markeith Summers, but Jacarious Lucas was the
star late the game on scoring passes from 19 and 50 yards out.
Brandon Bolden is all but assured the starting running back job,
and he showed why with 50 yards and a touchdown on four carries,
but Devin Thomas showed a flash with a 53-yard scoring run.
Mississippi State
April 18 – Derek DePasquale nailed a 24-yard field goal to
give the Maroon team a 24-21 win over the White team. In the Dan
Mullen attack, RB Anthony Dixon will be asked to do a little bit
of everything, including lining up wide. He ran 11 times for 59
yards and a touchdown for the Maroon team, but it was O’Neal
Wilder who was the star of the passing game catching four passes
for 122 yards including a 63-yarders. Chris Relf completed
13-of-26 passes for 195 yards for the White team, while Tyson
Lee completed 19-of-33 passes for 251 yards and a score for the
Maroon. For the special teams, DePasquale might have hit the
game-winner, but Sean Brauchle showed off the bigger leg
connecting from 46 and 47 yards away along with a 25-yarder.
South Carolina
It was all about the running game as the Garnet beat the Black
team 30-14 with Kenny Miles tearing off 81 yards for the Black
and Giles roaring for 114 yards and two scores for the Garnet.
Giles, a true freshman, looked every bit the part of a top
recruit, but most of the production from the backs came in the
second half when many of the top defensive linemen were out.
Just as important as the production from the backs was the play
of the offensive line, a major problem last year that appeared
to be better in spring ball. QB Stephen Garcia played for both
teams completing 12-of-19 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown
to Moe Brown.
Tennessee
April 18 – The offense beat the defense 41-23
with an efficient, relatively mistake-free performance. B.J.
Coleman was the star completing 13-of-22 passes for 160 yards
and two scores, while Jonathan Crompton completed 14-of-27
passes for 143 yards and a touchdown with an interception. The
offense didn’t open it up as head coach Lane Kiffin kept the
schemes simple, but it worked. Tauren Poole and Toney Williams
each ran for 78 yards, while Quintin Hancock led all receivers
with eight catches for 96 yards and a score. Rico McCoy showed
once again that he should be one of the stars of the SEC making
11 tackles with an interception.
Vanderbilt
March
28 - The offense that was such a nightmare throughout last
season got a big spark from WR Alex Washington, who was used in
a variety of ways and took a pass 75 yards for a touchdown. End
Steven Stone was one of the biggest playmakers for the defense
with two sacks and a good burst into the backfield all day, but
along with Washington the big stars were the quarterbacks. Larry
Smith completed 9-of-14 passes for 117 yards and a score and
Jared Funk completed 6-of-9 passes for 111 yards to challenge
Mackenzi Adams, who threw a scoring pass, for the starting job.