SPARTANBURG, SC – On Saturday morning the Wofford football team took part in the first of two scheduled scrimmages this spring. Overall the team ran approximately 80 plays, plus worked on special teams during the two-hours on the field.
“I think some young kids did some real good things,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We are making progress. We are still not fundamentally where we need to be. I think from a concept standpoint we are getting closer. We are putting in some new plays and some new formations and what we have to make sure is that the coaches are up to speed on the new stuff as well. There was a lot of good play and a lot of good execution. I thought Donvoan ran the ball extremely hard and we are blessed to have two great backs at that position.”
In the first group of twenty plays, Mitch Allen and Brad Nocek each had first down runs for the offense and Donovan Johnson added a one-yard touchdown run. The kickers then attempted a PAT and field goals from 32, 37, 47 and 52 yards. Christian Reed was five-of-five before missing the 52-yard attempt. Kasey Redfern was 3-of-6 and Paul Inclan was 2-of-6.
The offense moved the ball better in the second group of twenty plays, as James Lawson, Derek Boyce and Donovan Johnson had first down runs and Bryan Youman had a catch for a first down. Mitch Allen scored on a one-yard touchdown run. The next special teams segment was punting, with Christian Reed, Kasey Redfern and Paul Inclan each taking turns.
With the offense back on the field, Chris White and Lavadrick Farrar each had first down runs and Thomas Simmons had a catch to move the chains. Donovan Johnson went 25-yards on a screen pass and capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. Next, the team worked on punt and kickoff coverage.
In the final segment of twenty plays, the defense came up with big plays. Allen Smith had a tipped pass, Stephon Shelton made a tackle for loss and Anthony Carden picked off a pass. The offense answered with a 30-yard touchdown reception by Ryan Petrea from James Lawson. Kickoff return wrapped up the scrimmage.
Players who were held out of the practice either due to injury or precautionary reasons included Cody Burris, Brenton Bersin, Rob Greene, Rob Williams, Eric Eberhardt, Joseph Inman, Alex Dunmire, Bernard Williams and Stephon Simmons.
Wofford will continue practice this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The second scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, also at 10:00 am.
