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OFFENSE AND DEFENSE BOTH SHOW WELL IN FIRST FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE OF THE SPRING
4/21/2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After watching his first scrimmage as the Sacramento State head coach, Marshall Sperbeck thought there were good signs but warned his team not to get over-confident.
“There was some good and some bad,” Sperbeck said. “The kids went out and competed hard, which is good.
“This is a learning process and today was the first test. If I had to give a grade, it would be a B-minus.”
The scrimmage opened with an impressive drive by the offense. The unit, which was led by senior quarterback Tim Bessolo, used 14 plays to drive 70 yards for a touchdown. Running back Seth McDaniels rushed seven times for 42 yards and also caught one pass for 12 yards during the drive. McDaniels’ final carry came from the 11-yard line and resulted in a touchdown. He also kept the drive alive by gaining two yards on 4th-and-1.
The defense answered right back with a safety on the next series. With the drive beginning on the 5-yard line, junior Joe Rudulph broke through the line and sacked freshman quarterback Jason Smith in the end zone.
The defense kept its momentum going by creating turnovers on three-straight series. The first came on a McDaniels fumble following a 13-yard pickup on a pass from Smith. The first play of the next drive saw Smith connect on a screen with Phillip Perry but sophomore Craig King jarred the ball loose and it was recovered by the defense. King then stopped a long drive with an interception in the end zone. The cornerback nearly returned the pick over 100 yards for a touchdown but he was tackled by running back James Johnson.
The offense bounced back with three touchdowns in the next section of the scrimmage. Starting at the defense’s 10-yar d line, junior John Alanis rushed to the 1-yard line before senior quarterback Crosby Wehr snuck in for a score. Ryan Hastie followed with two 5-yard runs for a TD and Alanis then found the end zone from seven yards out.
Sacramento State used four quarterbacks during the game as Bessolo, Smith, Wehr and KC Patterson each took snaps for the Hornets. Both teams were playing without some key players. The offense was missing receiver/kick returner Torrell Baker while the defense was without the services of defensive tackle Dallas Mauga, defensive end Mike Brannon and cornerbacks Jody Johnson and Kevin Davis.
The second scrimmage will take place on Sat., Apr. 28, and the annual spring game will be held on Sat., May. 5.
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