2009 Spring Game Reviews - MAC

What happened in the MAC spring games? Check out the reviews of the final scrimmages of the spring season.

Spring Preview 2009

MAC Spring Game Reviews

Spring Game Reviews
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The Spring Games So Far ...

Akron
April 4 – The defense beat the offense 28-24 according to the special scoring system. The offense was solid early, but the defense quickly adjusted and started forcing stops to come back for the victory. QB Chris Jacquemain was hot to start, but cooled off to finish 16-of-27 for 189 yards and a touchdown and ran seven times for 25 yards. On the flip side, Matt Rodgers had an awful start to the game but finished completing 10-of-22 passes for 115 yards and a pick. Almondo Sewell, the star of the defensive front, had a great game with six tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss.

Ball State
April 11 – The defense controlled the action in the spring game under new head coach Stan Parrish, but the offense was without star RB MiQuale Lewis and WR Briggs Orsbon only played a little bit. That allowed freshman WR Seth White to show what he could do, and he had the appearance of a breakout star with the skills to potentially be a No. 1 receiver. The offensive line had problems and new QB Kelly Page didn’t have too much time to work thanks to Robert Eddins, who closed out a good spring with a dominant scrimmage. If this off-season was any indication, pencil in Eddins for All-MAC honors.

Bowling Green
April 25 – The offense beat the defense 66-47 after getting shut down early on. And then the running game got going led by Steven Dunlap, who ran 15 times for 106 yards and a score and with Chris Bullock running 22 times for 88 yards and two scores. Starting QB Tyler Sheehan wasn’t sharp, completing 14-of-27 passes for 129 yards getting sacked three times. Andrew Beam had a decent scrimmage in the battle for time completing 10-of-18 passes for 160 yards and a score. Ray Hutson was the big playmaker with four catches for 65 yards and two scores. Andrew Johnson consistently came up with pressure into the backfield finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Buffalo
April 18 – The offense beat the defense 46-44 as Zach Maynard ended any doubts about the starting quarterback situation. He only completed 15-of-35 passes for 129 yards with a pick and a touchdown run, but the conditions weren’t exactly conducive to throwing consistently well. While no one’s asking the left-hander to be Drew Willy quite yet, Maynard should add a different dimension to the attack with his running ability that goes along with his live arm. Backup QB Jerry Davis had a rough afternoon completing just 5-of-13 passes for 30 yards, while RB Brandon Thermilus, playing in place of a banged up James Starks, ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Central Michigan
April 18 – The offense beat the defense 31-30. Ryan Radcliff had the best day among the backup quarterbacks showing good decision making skills and throwing crisply with a live arm, while Derek Rifenbury wasn’t consistent despite completing 20-of-29 passes for 191 yards. QB Dan LeFevour only played one series going 3-for-3 for 22 yards. If the unthinkable happens and LeFevour’s out, there will likely be more downfield passing if Radcliff is in. The real star turned out to be RB Jahleel Addae, who ripped off runs with a good mix of speed and power.

Kent State
April 25 – Will Kandray hit a 36-yard field goal as the Gold team beat the Blue. That was it. The quarterback situation continues to be unsettled with Anthony Magazu completing 9-of-16 passes for 54 yards while running for 14 more, and Giorgio Morgan completing 7-of-14 passes for 29 yards. Sal Battles struggled with his passing, but had the best day running with 49 yards on seven carries. Mostly, the punting game was on display with ten in all, but the offense didn’t do anything fancy. The table is set now for the fall with Morgan and Magazu neck-and-neck for the starting gig.

Miami University
April 18 – The new Mike Hayward pro-style offense looked solid, even if it was a bit vanilla, as QB Daniel Raudabaugh completed 11-of-14 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown while Zac Dysert completed 11-of-15 passes for 129 yards. The White team (with the No. 1 offense) beat the Red (with the No. 1 defense) 13-7 with a few players splitting time between the teams. Chris Givens turned into the team’s top receiver catching nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, while the star of the defense was Will Diaz with two sacks and six tackles.

Northern Illinois
April 25 – In a short scrimmage, forced to end early because of lightning, it was more of a walk-through with no real hitting. However, Meco Brown was fantastic running 18 times for 145 yards highlighted by a 55-yard touchdown dash. Chandler Harnish had a decent day throwing the ball completing 8-of-12 passes for 58 yards with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jack Marks. Looking to push for playing time, QB DeMarcus Grady was inconsistent completing just 5-of-10 passes for 47 yards with Ron Walker catching three passes for 29 yards.

Ohio
April 25 – Boo Jackson completed four of six passes for 61 yards in his limited work, while Theo Scott completed two of four passes for 28 yards, but it was RB Devin Favors who stood out running six times for 42 yards. It wasn’t like a normal game, with the keeping everyone healthy the main goal. Safety Donovan Fletcher stood out for the defense with a sack and four tackles.

Temple
April 18 – The White team beat the Cherry team 10-0 on a five-yard touchdown pass from Chester Stewart to TE Anthony Pekarski and a 19-yard Jake Brownell field goal. It wasn’t a crisp game on either side with plenty of penalties, dropped passes and misfires, but Stewart was a bright spot completing 14-of-29 passes with the touchdown despite playing with mostly backups. QB Vaughn Charlton completed 14-of-31 passes for 125 yards with three interceptions, while safety Kevin Kroboth led the defense with nine tackles.

Toledo
April 17 – With projected starting quarterback Aaron Opelt sitting out, Alex Pettee completed 25-of-29 passes for 203 yards to lead the Blue to a 20-14 win over the Gold, with Kenny Stafford catching five passes for 62 yards. The defense had some of the day’s biggest stars with Archie Donald dominating for the Blue team with 18 tackles and three tackles for loss, while end Alex Johnson came up with nine tackles and three sacks. Morgan Williams led the Gold team with 57 yards to go along with six catches for 39 yards, but the two scores came from QB D.J. Lenehan on short runs. Lenehan completed 14-of-30 passes for 146 yards.

Western Michigan
April 11 – The offense beat the defense 38-35, but the star was Vernon Stewart with 11 tackles. Defensive end Deauntay Legrier was all over the field making eight tackles for the Brown team. The Gold (offense) started things off with a bang as backup QB Drew Burdi connected with Robert Arnheim from 63 yards out. In the battle for playing time in the backfield, Glenis Thompson made a statement with 42 yards while Brandon West was held to 27 yards on just five carries.