Football Holds First Scrimmage of 2007

Offense shines with six touchdowns on 13 drives

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State offense scored six touchdowns on 13 drives during the Blazers first scrimmage of the 2007 preseason Saturday morning at Reames Field.

The offense started the scrimmage quickly, using just 11 plays to march 75 yards for a touchdown. Willie Copeland completed five of his six passes on the drive and picked up another five yards on the ground. Scott Palmer also picked up 15 yards on the ground while Michael Terry used two carries to gain nine yards. Copeland found junior wide receiver alone in the end zone for a two-yard gain to cap off the drive.

The defense stepped up and held as the No. 2's took field, forcing a turnover on downs, before holding the No. 3's to a field goal attempt on the third drive of day. The 48-yarder sailed wide left before the team moved to the red zone for its next six drives.

The first team defense held again on the first drive from the 20-yard line, but the second team offense scored as Rashawn Robinson dove in from the one-yard line. The roles reversed when the ball moved to the four-yard line, although the first-team offense had to overcome a sack for its score. The sack moved the ball back to the 11 yard line before Terry burst through the line for a touchdown. The defense again won the battle with the reserves on the field on the final drive from the four.

The final red zone drives saw the ball moved back to the 18-yard line and the first-team offense again turn the ball over on downs. The second-team offense appeared in trouble when an errant snap sailed over the head of junior quarterback Tucker Pruitt, who fell on the ball at the 32-yard line. However, on the next play, Pruitt found a streaking P.J. Katz down the left sideline for a score.

The offense again faced a long field as the ball was placed on the home 35 for the final four drives, which included the highlight of the day. With the coaches mixing the groups in order to get a better look at newer players, Chris Hart hit Cedric Evans on a screen and saw the wide receiver break a tackle to gain 25 yards. The next two passes fell incomplete before Jeffrey Felton made a lunging one-handed catch on a Hart pass and raced 40 yards for the score.

The next two drives saw the defense force turnovers on downs, before Hart led the starters to one final touchdown. He completed all three passes on the final drive, including an eight-yard pass to Kendall Burton for the score. The key play of the drive came on first-and-10 from the home 48, when Hart rocketed a ball over the middle towards Evans. A Blazer defender appeared to have an interception on the pass, but the ball bounced off his hands and into those of Evans, who then raced 44 yards before being brought down on the eight-yard line.

"Overall, I was pleased with how we looked today," said head coach David Dean after the scrimmage. "Our offense is starting to gel and that showed today. We held some guys out on defense, such as Travis Harrison who didn't even play a snap, in order to get some of our young players a little more experience. I think the offense took advantage of that a little, but overall I was pleased with how we played."

The Blazers return to the practice field on Monday, August 13 at 3:00 p.m. as they continue their preparations for their September 1 season opener against Albany State. The game will be played in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium at 7:00 p.m.

OFFENSIVE STATS

Passing - Willie Copeland 5-of-6, 35 yards, TD; Tucker Pruitt 6-of-8, 66 yards, TD; Doug Pilcher 1-of-3, 3 yards; Russ Callaway 12-of-16, 63 yards; Chris Hart 7-of-10, 150 yards, 2 TDs. TOTALS: 31-of-43, 317 yards, 4 TDs.

Rushing - Willie Copeland 1-5; Scott Palmer 1-15; Michael Terry 3-20, TD; Mike Brown 2-6; Donnie Powell 1-11; Kendall Burton 1-3; Ronnye Nelson 4-16; Thomas Arnold 3-16; Rashawn Robinson 2-6, TD. TOTALS: 20-101, 2 TDs.

Receiving - Travis Taylor 1-9; Michael Terry 1-9; Jeffrey Felton 2-45, TD; Cedric Evans 5-92; Josh Rayam 2-15, TD; Kendall Burton 4-37, TD; Mike Brown 1-2; Clay Callaway 3-26; R.J. Bastone 1-7; Jackson Dean 5-22; P.J. Katz 2-38, TD; Ronnye Nelson 1-6; Thomas Arnold 2-14.

VSU PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Saturday, August 11 - 9:00 a.m. - Scrimmage

Monday, August 13 - 3:00 p.m. - Classes begin, Regular Season practice schedule begins
Saturday, August 18 - 9:00 a.m. - Scrimmage
Saturday, August 25 - 9:00 a.m. - Meet the Blazers Day, Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
Saturday, September 1 - 7:00 p.m. - Valdosta State vs. Albany State, Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
*Practice time will change to 8:30 a.m. if bad weather is expected during the afternoon

Current News >>