University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Scrimmage Caps Off First Two-Practice Day
8/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Scrimmage Caps Off First Two-Practice Day
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss went for two practices in one day for the first time this preseason, ending with a controlled scrimmage at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Saturday.
But Head Coach Jeff Bower wasn't completely satisfied with the first full-contact session, as he saw some good play and some bad in the scrimmage.
"I thought (the scrimmage) was good, but we had way too many missed assignments on offense," Bower said. "But we have kind of thrown a lot at the players early, and that is where we really have to make some improvement."
The Golden Eagle offense had some moments in the scrimmage, but the defense had the better showing.
"We made a lot of plays on defense," Bower said. "We just had those missed assignments on offense. We will iron that out, and we will get better. We did have some good effort though, and that was pretty good to see."
Offensively, redshirt-sophomore quarterback Dustin Almond and redshirt-junior Micky D'Angelo split time going against the first and second defenses. Almond finished the scrimmage with 27 yards on 3-of-5 passing, while D'Angelo went 1-for-6 for four yards. Newcomer Damien Carter threw for 29 yards on 3-of-5 passing, and signee Jeremy Young completed one pass for 16 yards.
Redshirt-sophomore receiver Rocky Harrison grabbed three receptions for 27 yards, and signee Chris Rhoden had two catches for 29 yards. On the ground, junior running back James Walley rushed five times for 13 yards, while redshirt-junior Tim Blackwell had eight carries for nine yards. Redshirt-junior Ryan Earnest rushed three times for nine yards.
Bower also said the team will scrimmage two more times before classes begin, holding one on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and another Saturday, Aug. 16. Both scrimmages will be closed to the public.
Several players were held out of today's action, including senior cornerback Greg Brooks. Brooks was taken to the emergency room on Friday night for treatment of a spider bite. Bower said that the swelling has gone down, but when Brooks will return to the field is not yet certain.
