Offense finishes strong to win Jersey Scrimmage, 53-34,
8/17/2013 8:12:00 AM | Football
Behind a second-half comeback, Kent State's offense earned the right to wear blue jerseys at practice with a 53-34 victory over the defense during Saturday's scrimmage at Dix Stadium.
The scrimmage will serve as the final bit of information for Kent State's coaching staff as it prepares to set the first depth chart of 2013 by Monday.
"We'll go in and watch tape as a staff," said head coach Paul Haynes. "Offensively and defensively we will dissect it and move forward … We told our guys before the scrimmage that a lot of decisions are going to be made, but from this point forward there is no offense vs. defense. It's going to be the Kent State Golden Flashes vs. everybody else."
A sack by freshman linebacker Dustyn Moore to end the first half gave the defense a 24-4 lead at halftime. Just a few snaps earlier, freshman safety Kevin Bourne came up with an interception to give the defense its biggest lead of the game.
Offensive highlights in the first half were limited to a 10-yard run by junior Anthony Meray and 16-yard pass over the middle from senior David Fisher to sophomore Joe Ziccardi. The defense came up with a pair of fumble recoveries to keep its momentum throughout the half.
Sophomore quarterback Colin Reardon ran 12 yards into the end zone on a bootleg left to jump-start the offense. A pitch left to senior Dri Archer resulted in another quick score with the help of a lead block from junior Trayion Durham.
Redshirt freshman kicker Brad Miller moved the offense into striking distance on a short field goal. A touchdown run up the middle by sophomore Julian Durden gave the offense its first lead.
Playing from inside the five, the offense punched in three late scores. From the triple-I formation, Durham easily made his way across the goal line. Fisher then eluded several pass rushers, rolling left and finding senior tight end Tim Erjavec. A one-yard scoring plunge by Meray put the game out of reach.
Player interviews after scrimmage
Monday's depth chart will include a decision on a starting quarterback for the season opener vs. Liberty on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. inside Dix Stadium.
On Saturday, Reardon and Fisher split time working with the first-team offense.
"It's hard to say right now," said Haynes. "There are a lot of things they did well. The only thing I want to see out of them is that they control the ball and they manage the offense … How are they in the huddle? What do they look like when a bad play happens? What do they look like when a good play happens? All of those things to me are important in who I want in front of that huddle.
"Like recruiting, we are not going to make the decision off of a highlight tape. You are going to watch, learn and get to know the kid. We've been practicing 20 practices. We are not going to make the decision off of one scrimmage. We will make it off of the whole camp to this point."
