AKRON – Friday,
the University of
Akron held its official
groundbreaking celebration for its new football facility – InfoCision Stadium/Summa
Field. Saturday, the UA community got a taste of what life will be like on
campus for home football games as a full day of activities and festive
atmosphere surrounded the Zips’ annual Blue-Gold spring football game.
The Gold
team struck first, going out to a 10-0 lead, but the Blue team, led by senior
running back Dennis Kennedy (16 rushes for 117 yards and two touchdowns),
rallied to claim a 27-24 decision Saturday afternoon before a packed house in the Stile Athletics
Field House as part of the Zips' Spring Festival, presented by Chick-Fil-A.
“This is
the first time we have had enough depth and personnel to divide the team and
play this as a regular game,” said UA head coach J.D. Brookhart. “I was very
excited about that as it brings a sense of unity to the team, where it is not
the offense versus the defense. I feel good about our depth right now. We plan
on playing about 20 people on defense each game and will regularly rotate the
skill positions on offense.
“Overall,
spring had its good and bad moments. We did not have some starters out there due
to injuries, especially along the offensive front. However, the good news is a
lot of young players got a lot of reps, which they needed and ultimately we
need if we want to be successful.”
Both offenses
had no success on their first drives. However, the Gold, under the direction of
offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, took an early 3-0 lead on the strength on
Branko Rogovic’s 36-yard field goal.
On the next
play from scrimmage, Chris Jacquemain was under heavy pressure and threw a
screen pass before Kennedy was ready. The ball deflected off Kennedy and sophomore
defensive back Levon Morefield intercepted the ball, returning it six yards for
a 10-0 Gold lead.
The Gold defense
kept the Blue off the board on the next two possessions as Dante Barnes picked
off a tipped pass and Morefield got his second interception, halting a Blue
drive near the goal line.
“I do not
think (the two) interceptions Jacquemain threw were necessarily his fault,”
Brookhart said. “Regardless, he regrouped, battled and his team came up with
the win. Jacquemain set the pace as the starter all spring, but Matt (Rodgers)
pushed him the whole way. I am pleased with where we are at this point with
both of our quarterbacks.”
Both
quarterbacks put up similar numbers. Jacquemain was 15-of-28 for 208 yards with
three INTs and 1 TD. After throwing three picks in his first 10 attempts,
Jacquemain completed 11-of-18 passes the rest of the way. Matt Rogers was 15-of-27 for 214 yards with a
score. Rogers
started hot, completing four of his first seven passes, and finished strong,
completing 10 of his last 13.
The Blue,
under the direction of defensive coordinator Jim Fleming, settled down and
Jacquemain eventually found Curtis Brown streaking down the left sideline for a
35-yard TD. The Gold answered right back as Joe Tuzze capped a drive with a
four-yard rushing score, putting his squad on top 17-7.
Prior to
halftime, the Blue’s Igor Iveljic connected on a pair of field goals, making
the score 17-13 in Gold’s favor. Iveljic first split the uprights with a 36-yard
FG. The Blue got the ball back when Jalil Carter forced a fumble, which Chuck
Thompson recovered. The Blue worked the clock and Iveljic hit a 22-yard field
goal as time expired.
The second
half opened with the Blue team putting together a drive that took nearly the
whole 15 minutes in the third quarter on the continuously-running clock.
Jacquemain found Andre Jones for a long pass completion and Kennedy capped the
drive with a six-yard run. Iveljic added the PAT and the Blue had its first
lead, 20-17.
The Gold
struck right back on a two-play scoring drive. Rodgers and Brandon Williams did
all the work. First, they hooked up for 44 yards, then scored on a 22-yard pass
to give the Gold a 24-20 lead.
The Blue
team was not fazed, methodically moving the ball with steady rushing by Kennedy
and Morris. Kennedy found a hole up the middle and broke off a 20-yard TD run.
Iveljic’s PAT provided the final margin, 27-24.
The Gold
team had one final shot, thanks to a 46-yard Kade Wagner-to-Jeremy Bruce pass.
However, Rogovic’s 28-yard field goal to tie the game with just under two
minutes to play sailed wide left and the Blue team ran out the clock for the
win.
Saturday
was the final of Akron’s
15 spring practices. In addition to the Blue-Gold game, the team elected its
offensive and defensive captains for the 2008 season (the special teams captain
will be named at a later date). Leading the offensive will be senior tight end
Merce Poindexter, while the defensive leader will be senior linebacker Doug Williams.
“To be a captain
is an honor, even more so when the team elects them,” Brookhart said. “Merce is
a very serious, focused player. He has the right work ethic. The team sees that
and hopefully follows that. I am very proud of Doug. He has overcome a lot to
get to this point. He is understated in many ways. This was a very deserved
honor for both Merce and Doug.”
Spring Scrimmage Statistics
OFFENSE
Passing:
Matt Rodgers:
15-27, 214, 1 TD, 0 INT
Chris Jacquemain:
15-28, 208 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Kade Wagner:
3-4, 57 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
KC Patterson:
1-2, 11 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing:
Dennis Kennedy:
16 carries, 117 yards, 2 TDs
Phillip Morris:
7 carries, 49 yards
Joe Tuzze:
6 carries, 21 yards
Stephon Fuqua:
1 carry, 13 yards
Alex Allen:
5 carries, 6 yards
Matt Harmon:
1 carry, 5 yards
Chris Jacquemain:
4 carries, 5 yards
Matt Rodgers:
3 carries, 1 yard
Receiving:
Jeremy Bruce:
5 rec, 96 yards
Brandon Williams: 4 rec, 86 yards
Andre Jones:
5 rec, 71 yards
Merce Poindexter:
4 rec, 70 yards
Curtis Brown:
2 rec, 69 yards
Alphonso Owen:
4 rec, 46 yards
Jose Cruz:
1 rec, 18 yards
Brian Flaherty : 1 rec, 13 yards
Matt Harmon:
1 rec, 7 yards
Stephon Fuqua:
1 rec, 5 yards
Alex Allen:
3 rec, 3 yards
Dennis Kennedy:
3 rec, 3 yards
DEFENSE
Tackles (Unassisted-Total):
Bryan Williams: 5-11
Jalil Carter:
3-8
Aaron Williams: 1-7
Al-Teric Balaam:
3-6
Ray Siler:
5-5
Chuck Thompson:
4-5
Levon Morefield:
3-5
Viktor Rajek:
3-5
Doug Richardson:
1-5
Amin Kabir:
3-4
Brandon Anderson:
0-4
Hasan Hazime:
3-3
Courtesy: Jeff Harwell-Zips Sports Photography