Football: Offense Takes the Gold-Blue Game
April 16, 2005 04:13 PM | General
April 16, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia offense (Gold) got off to a slow start on Saturday, April 16, at the annual Gold-Blue game in Morgantown, W.Va. but was able to turn it on late and down the defense (Blue) 62-42.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez seemed pleased with play on both sides of the ball after the 100-play scrimmage at Mountaineer Field.
“I don’t know if I can truly gauge how good we are right now until I watch the films, but we had a great spring and I really liked our guys' effort and attentiveness,” said Rodriguez.
The game was played with a modified scoring system that allowed the the defense to score points on plays such as turnovers and defensive stops.
The microscope was on the quarterback position throughout the day as sophomore Dwayne Thompson and redshirt freshman Pat White made their case for the starting job.
White had the better statistics posted in front of the 6,812 in attendance as he racked up 235 yards of total offense, including 141 passing yards (10 of 18) with one touchdown and 94 yards on the ground on 11 attempts and two scores.
“I’m a little bit more comfortable with the offense,” said White after the game. “Some of my throws were a little high but that will change with more practice.”
The Daphne, Ala., native recorded one of the highlights of the day as he took off on a 31-yard run, breaking two tackles down field to give the Gold team its first touchdown of the game. He also capped off the game on the last play with a 39-yard bomb to Rayshawn Bolden in the back of the end zone.
Thompson had his moments on the field too as he went 10 of 15 through the air for 65 yards and ran for another 18 yards on the ground on 11 attempts, including one touchdown.
Thompson’s score came on a 3-yard quarterback keeper off of the left side of the line.
Fullback Owen Schmitt shined on the afternoon as well both rushing and receiving. The Fairfax, Va., native caught four balls for 48 yards to lead all receivers and rushed for another 29 on eight carries.
At running back, Erick Phillips led the way as he collected 28 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Junior college transfer Arlen Dorsey rushed for 21 yards, while Pernell Williams ran for 13.
Bolden bolstered the wide receiving corps with 47 yards receiving on three receptions. Lewisburg, W.Va., native Travis McClintic made a name for himself in the game as he caught three balls for 37 yards, including one grab from his knees for a first down.
Defensively, junior defensive back Abraham Jones provided the play of the game with the Blue’s only touchdown on the day. After Jones had been flattened by Schmitt on successive plays, Jones got some redemption as he collected the ball after Schmitt coughed it up inside the 10-yard line and took it 91 yards for a touchdown.
Jones and sophomore linebacker Marc Magro led the defense in tackles with eight apiece. Bobby Hathaway chipped in with six tackles, while Kevin “Boo” Mclee and Marcus Law added five tackles apiece.
“I think (the defense) played pretty well today,” said McLee. The scrimmage is the annual culmination of spring practice. The Mountaineers kickoff their 2005 campaign on Sunday, Sept. 4, when they face Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
