ASU Football Fall Camp Report: Fan Fest
BOONE, N.C. ? An estimated crowd of 8,500 attended Appalachian State University football’s annual Fan Fest on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
One of the most popular events on Appalachian’s athletics calendar began with the annual “Meet the Team” activities on the KBS turf. For an hour-and-a-half, Mountaineer players and coaches signed autographs, posed for pictures and played games with fans of all ages. Head coach Jerry Moore remained at his autograph station for more than two hours, signing for fans even after the Apps were on the field for warm-ups prior to their intrasquad scrimmage.
Following the meet-and-greet, the Mountaineers conducted 11-on-11 workouts in front of the large crowd for nearly an hour-and-a-half, including a 32-play intrasquad scrimmage.
Appalachian’s offense scored touchdowns on three of the scrimmage’s five series. The scrimmage opened with an impressive three-and-out showing by the first-team defense, in which the first-team offense didn’t pick up a yard. However, the offense answered by scoring on each of its next two possessions.
Quarterback Travaris Cadet almost single-handedly drove the Apps to paydirt on the second series with a 39-yard run on the first play and a 19-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Frazier that capped the four-play, 80-yard scoring drive. On the next possession, running back Cedric Baker accounted for all 80 yards on the five-play drive, including a 58-yard gain on a screen pass from DeAndre Presley and a six-yard touchdown run.
The offense strung together 13 plays and drove 53 yards behind Cadet on its next possession but the defense stood up its offensive couterparts inside the 30 to stall the drive. The highlight of the series came when freshman receiver Tony Washington laid a vicious block that helped spring Cadet for an 18-yard run.
On the fifth and final series of the scrimmage, the offense needed only four plays to find the end zone for a third time, as Baker broke free for a 56-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive.
Thanks in large part to sophomores Baker and Cadet, the offense racked up 283 yards on 29 plays, good for a gaudy 9.8 yards per snap. Baker rushed five times for 86 yards (17.2 ypr) and two touchdowns and added 58 yards on his only reception to give him 144 all-purpose yards on just six touches. Cadet ran four times for 76 yards (19.0 ypr) and completed 2-of-6 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. Presley completed 3-of-5 passes for 74 yards.
Defensively, defensive back Dominique McDuffie led all players with four tackles. Defensive end Jabari Fletcher, tackle Gordy Witte and linebackers Michael Frazier, Terrence McLean and Zac Baker all made tackles for loss and Frazier, linebacker D.J. Smith and defensive back Demetrius McCray broke up passes.
Prior to the full-team periods, Appalachian put its special teams on display. Highlights included three 57-yard field goals - two from incumbent place kicker Jason Vitaris and one by redshirt freshman Sam Martin - and back-to-back 30-plus-yard kickoff returns by CoCo Hillary and B.J. Frazier.
Appalachian holds its final day of fall camp on Monday with two practices at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Large Crowd Turns Out for Annual Meet the Bulldogs
Charleston, S.C. - Over a thousand people lined the field at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility at Willson Field on Saturday for the annual "Meet the Bulldogs."
The Citadel Football team scrimmaged for two hours as fans looked on to get a peak of the Bulldog program as they prepare to open the season in two weeks. The class of 2013 outlined the field and cheered on their fellow Cadets as fans looked on and cheered from nearby bleachers. Refreshments were available and players gathered in McAlister Field House following the scrimmage for an autograph session.
"It was a great atmosphere here. It really does a lot for our program," said Bulldog Head Coach Kevin Higgins. "I share with our players this is one of the few places in the country where you can have this kind of fan support for an intersquad scrimmage. It just shows how much people on campus and in the community care about the program and it says a lot about our responsibility to them as well.
The Bulldogs scrimmaged without starting quarterback Bart Blanchard and All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts who were both out with sprained ankles. Redshirt freshman Miguel Starks played with the ones as several receivers had the opportunity to step up and make big plays.
"The defense played very well the first couple of series and our offense came back in the last two series and finally began to move the football," Higgins said. "Our guys did a good job with the movement skills up front on defense. Offensively, several receivers stepped up and made some big plays for us.
"We are pleased with our kicking game. They did a great job and kickoff coverage caused a fumble. Our kickers did a nice job. Sam Keeler was 3-of-4 for field goals and Jordan Panter hit a 47-yard field goal so that was encouraging to see."
No official stats were kept in Saturday's scrimmage. Freshman tight end Dominic Jones suffered a contusion of the chest wall and is currently undergoing additional diagnostic tests. There were no other injuries reported.
Elon Football Practice Report: Phoenix Holds First Scrimmage
ELON, N.C. ? Not long after a passing shower cooled the evening air to a comfortable temperature, the Elon Phoenix football team took to the field at Rhodes Stadium for the first time this preseason for its first scrimmage of camp. Over 150 Phoenix faithful turned out to watch the workouts, including over 50 women who participated in Elon’s Third Annual Football 101 Women’s Clinic.
During the scrimmage, the Phoenix took part in two move the ball drills and team periods which focused on the two-minute drill, overtime, red zone situations and goal line conditions. Throughout the night Elon’s special teams worked on all facets of its game ? punting, punt return, kickoff coverage, kickoff returns, PATs and field goals.
Head coach Pete Lembo said, “Our first defense played very well throughout the night. Several of our younger players had very productive outings.”
Lembo recognized defensive back Brandon Spurlock who made some big tackles, linebacker Jordan Jones who picked off a pass and linebacker Lionel Shoffner who notched a tackle for a loss.
Offensively, Lembo noted that running back A.J. Harris looked good both running the ball and catching screen passes. Receivers Sean Jeffcoat, Lance Camp and Rasaun Rorie had solid outings with Camp hauling in a touchdown pass from Scott Riddle and Rorie collecting a score from Thomas Wilson.
Eric Carstens and Adam Shreiner each had good nights working on their kickoffs while Darrius McQueen stood out in special teams drills.
Lembo added, “On the negative side of things we had some penalties that twice negated big runs and another that was added onto a play which backed the defense up in the red zone. Those are things that we have to get corrected quickly.”
The team will work out once on Sunday ? a 2:15 p.m. session from the Hunt and Tucker practice fields. All preseason practices are open to the public.
The Third Annual Football 101 Women’s Clinic was held prior to the scrimmage, beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. with classroom sessions that covered offense, defense and special teams. That was followed by a trip down on McKinnon Field where participants took part in drills and heard from officials about rules. Following an autograph period with Phoenix players, the women watched the scrimmage from the President’s Box while enjoying hors d’ourves and wine from Grove Winery. Fire Salon also sponsored the event.
Record Crowd Attend Little Eagles Camp
STATESBORO, Ga. - A record crowd of children came out for the third annual Little Eagles Football Camp, held Saturday (Aug. 22) at Paulson Stadium. Georgia Southern head coach Chris Hatcher, his staff and players conducted the morning camp.
In all, 177 children ages 4-12 attended. The Eagles worked with 'Future Eagles' in various football drills, from kicking, blocking, tackling, running and catching the football. The campers also got to see inside the home locker room and closed out the camp by running onto the field with the players making a tunnel.
Following the camp, fans arrived at Bishop Field House for autographs and pictures with the players and coaching staff. According to Eagle Sports Marketing Director Brent Jones, more than 1,000 fans attended 'Meet the Eagles' and more than 2,000 football schedule posters were handed out.
Youngsters Receive Bulk Of Snaps In Bulldogs' Final Scrimmage
Sophomore wide receiver Richie Fordham pulled down a pair of touchdown receptions
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University football team turned in an energized hour-and-a-half long scrimmage at Seibert Stadium on Saturday. The scrimmage was the Bulldogs' second of fall camp and a majority of the snaps were taken by the second and third string teams on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
"We didn't want to work the guys too hard, but we wanted our younger players to get a lot of good reps," said Samford head coach Pat Sullivan. "It was great to see a lot of those guys out there getting a lot of snaps and now all we need is to get all of our starters back to 100 percent. We have quite a few guys out right now and we just need to get them back."
Samford's first-team offense only stayed on the field for the opening two drives of the scrimmage. On the Bulldogs' second possession, starting quarterback Dustin Taliaferro helped set up a one-yard touchdown run from Chris Evans with a 30-yard pass to Richie Fordham.
Taliaferro, the 2008 Freshman of the Year in the Southern Conference, finished Saturday's scrimmage 2-of-4 for 44 yards in two possessions. Evans, the Bulldogs' preseason All-American running back, finished with three carries for seven yards, including a tough one-yard touchdown run.
Samford's second-team offensive unit received a majority of Saturday's reps and added a pair of touchdowns.
Quarterback Connor Lowery turned in a 13-of-22 performance for 109 yards. The Bulldogs' redshirt freshman from Lebanon, Tenn., also tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Fordham
"Connor (Lowery) pretty much played quarterback the entire time today and looked comfortable in there," Sullivan said. "I thought that he really made a lot of nice throws and it was good to see him get some work. I also thought that our two kickers did a really good job today. That's a big part of every team and I'm happy that we looked very solid in that area out there today."
Samford's special teams were impressive in Saturday's scrimmage. Placekickers Cameron Yaw and Ben Meadows were both perfect from the field and junior punter Bob Hooper averaged 48.1 yards per punt. Yaw, the Bulldogs' true freshman from Trussville, also sent a number of booming kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, while Riley Hawkins turned in a kick return of 46 yards.
"I thought that Darion Sutton had a very good day at the linebacker position and Richie Fordham made some really nice plays," said Sullivan. "Durell Hill also made a very nice play at the end of the scrimmage when he forced a fumble and then recovered it as well."
Fordham, Samford's exciting sophomore receiver from right here in Birmingham via Oak Mountain High School, turned in the best overall performance of the day. The Bulldogs' lithe 6-foot-1 wide receiver finished with four catches for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Bulldogs' scrimmage was officiated by a full crew of local referees and very few penalties were whistled throughout the workout. Samford looked sharp on both sides of the ball and there was only one turnover in the entire scrimmage.
Saturday's full scrimmage was the Bulldogs' last of fall camp. Beginning Tuesday, Samford will begin its normal game-week preparations.
"We'll go to church as a team tomorrow and then we'll give the guys Monday off on the first day of classes," Sullivan said. "On Tuesday, we'll start our normal game-week preparation and we'll start working on our game plan for Central Florida. Our guys have had a tough, hardworking camp and it will be good to get them back into a normal routine."
Samford will take both Sunday and Monday off from practice. The Bulldogs will then resume practice Tuesday afternoon in full pads.
Samford opens its 2009 season Saturday, Sept. 5, as the Bulldogs travel to Orlando, Fla., to take on the UCF Knights. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) at Bright House Networks Stadium.
SCRIMMAGE STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Connor Lowery: 13-of-22, 109 yards, 2 TDs
Dustin Taliaferro: 2-of-4, 44 yards
Spencer Wise: 2-of-4, 41 yards
RUSHING
Alex Barnett: 6 rushes, 21 yards
Mason Wald: 8 rushes, 19 yards
Alex Caldwell: 4 rushes, 17 yards
Chris Evans: 3 rushes, 7 yards, TD
RECEIVING
Richie Fordham: 4 receptions, 59 yards, 2 TDs
Marquel Franklin: 4 receptions, 59 yards
Riley Hawkins: 2 receptions, 29 yards
Jacob Kirschenbaum: 1 reception, 15 yards
David Strider: 1 reception, 10 yards
Alex Caldwell: 2 receptions, 9 yards
Jacobi Rodriguez: 1 reception, 8 yards
Geoffrey Moore: 2 receptions, 5 yards
SACKS
Alex Davis (1), Erik Peterson (1)
FIELD GOALS
Ben Meadows: 1-for-1 (made-38)
Cameron Yaw: 1-for-1 (made-25)
KICK RETURNS
Riley Hawkins: 1 return, 46 yards
Craig Chavis: 1 return, 18 yards
Marquel Franklin: 1 return, 10 yards
PUNTING
Bob Hooper: 4 punts, 48.1 yards per punt
Fall Practice Update #8: Western Carolina Completes Second Scrimmage of Season
Catamounts wrap up scrimmage as season opener at Vanderbilt is just two weeks away
Audio Interview with Freshman Linebacker Jordan "Rock" Williams
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina football completed its' second scrimmage of the preseason after conducting 60 plays on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
The Catamounts practiced a series of plays and game scenarios Saturday, including the offensive hurry-up.
A stingy Catamount defense kept the offense at bay until the final possession. Quarterback Zach Jaynes connected a 45-yard pass to senior wide out Christian Bethune with 4.2 seconds remaining on the game clock. Bethune ran to the endzone, where he snagged the ball in mid-air as time expired for the offensive touchdown.
"I was real impressed with the defense," said second-year Catamount coach Dennis Wagner. "I thought they did a good job. They gave up a couple of plays, but for the most part they kept the offense from getting big plays and kept them out of the endzone.
Jaynes unofficially threw a solid 9-for-15, tallying for 111 total yards. The redshirt sophomore connected on three other 10-plus yard passes including a 25-yard zinger to tight-end Connor Orr. Orr finished the contest with three receptions for 32 yards.
Sophomore defensive lineman Trey Selby tallied two sacks in the afternoon scrimmage as the Catamount defense mounted four total in the contest.
Coach Wagner noted the increased pressure on the offensive line due to some players missing playing time, "We can really tell that we are missing our starting three inside lineman and a our center." The four linemen are expected to return to practice on Tuesday.
"This was good experience for our freshman linemen and they did a good job out there."
The offense showed some gusto after the mid-way break. A 35-yard breakaway run by freshman Michael Johnson highlighted a promising seven play drive. Johnson tallied 55 yards in six rushing attempts.
"I think Michael Johnson is going to be a good football player," noted Wagner. "When he was in, he did some good things." Immediately following Johnson's run, freshman Jacoby Mitchell snagged a 16-yard pass from Jaynes to put the ball at the 26-yard line.
The drive then stalled after cornerback Angelo Brown recorded a five-yard tackle for loss on a third down play, forcing a field goal attempt.
WCU special teams connected in two of five field goal attempts, as junior kicker Blake Bostic made connections on 34-yard and 28-yard field goals.
The Catamounts will resume preseason practice on Monday as the team preps for the season opener with Vanderbilt on Sept. 5.
Wofford: Saturday Football Scrimmage Report
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College football team conducted the second scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium. The eighty-play scrimmage with officials did not produce many big plays, however the offense and defense both looked strong at times.
“It was not as sharp as I would have liked and there were a lot of penalties,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “I think our quarterbacks have made some progress and I think Stev has made a lot of progress. We have some receivers who can do a great job and the first offensive line is game-ready. The backs that we have that are healthy are doing a real good job. Defensively I think we have gotten a lot better just in awareness of where the football is.
“In this scrimmage we did not want to take anybody to the ground and the whole reason was we have had too many guys injured. The big thing we wanted was fast reps and speed so you can see the speed of the game. We worked on the kicking game and the basic mechanics of playing the game. I think overall you get eighty reps in on film, that is eighty good evaluations. It may not have turned out the way you wanted, but the bottom line is you can teach from things that went right and things that went wrong. Overall we have kids that play with effort and we are making progress.”
After a quick “off on the ball” segment, the five kickers all made PATs. The scrimmage began with the offense and defense running forty plays each in groups of ten. On the first offensive drive, Derek Boyce had a 15-yard run, Mitch Allen completed a 35-yard pass to Stephon Shelton and David Royster had a first down catch. Four of the five kickers made attempts from 37-yards to end the first segment. The defense then had a sack by Ameet Pall on their first segment of plays.
With the offense back on the field, Thomas Simmons had a 15-yard catch from Chris White, but Michael Roulhac also had a tackle for loss. The kickers then had two tries each from 42-yards, with Chris Tommie and Carter Stinman both hitting 2-for-2. Back on defense, Keaton Thompson and James Lane came up with interceptions.
The offense got the ball moving with a 25-yard pass from Mitch Allen to Brenton Bersin. Mike Rucker gained a first down, which was followed by a 14-yrd touchdown run by Michael Scott. Andrew Young added a 15-yard reception from Stev Davitte as well. With the defense on the field, Cody Van Der Linden had a tackle for loss, Jamar Reaves had a pass defense and Hunter Hobson came up with an interception off a deflection by Robert Williams.
The kickoff unit worked on the hands team for several repetitions before the defense took the field. In the final segment, Jordan Ingman intercepted a deep pass.
Players who were held out of the scrimmage due to injury were DE Mitch Clark, LB Mark Flott, HB Brad Nocek, OL Matt Vick, HB Alex Dunmire, WR Montae Monroe, LB Alvin Scioneaux, LB Phillip LeGrande, WR Justice Joslin and LB Sam Johnson.
After a day of meetings on Sunday, the team will practice twice on Monday, once on Tuesday and twice on Wednesday. Wednesday will be the last two-a-day of the preseason and will conclude with a scrimmage that evening. All practices are open to the public; however keep in mind that the schedule can change without notice.