Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Look Sharp in Final Spring Football Scrimmage
3/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 21, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head coach Pat Hill was pleased with the 'Dogs' performance during Friday afternoon's scrimmage, but what pleased him most was the development his squad has made during spring practice. The Bulldogs ran a 112-play scrimmage in Bulldog Stadium to conclude their three-week long spring session. Nearly 1,000 fans attended the scrimmage.
"The intensity was great today," said Hill. "There was a lot of good hitting and physical play. That's happened all spring. We were able to accomplish a lot. I'm really happy with the team chemistry we developed and the personality of this team. We have a lot of talented players who are learning to play the game with a lot of intensity and at a very high level."
The Bulldog defense dominated the scrimmage early, forcing two fumbles and getting an interception. The offense moved the ball with more consistency later in the scrimmage as the offense defeated the defense 20-8 in the final segment of the scrimmage. Awan Diles had five tackles and a fumble recovery. Freshman Marcus McCauley had an interception, his third third during the spring scrimmages. Freshman linebacker Ricky Miller had some big hits with four tackles. All-WAC linebacker Bryce McGill had four tackles, forced a fumble and had a tackle for a loss. Nose tackle Donyell Booker had an excellent scrimmage with four tackles, two for losses.
Sophomore running back James Cummings was the talk of the scrimmage, playing both fullback and tailback. He had 15 carries for 111 yards and touchdown on the afternoon.
"James had a great scrimmage," head coach Pat Hill said. "James is a good football player and he, along with Jamal Jones, have done a great job with our fullback position. James did a great job of running the ball as a tailback as well."
The kicking game is an area of concern for Hill, who must replace All-WAC kicker Asen Asparauhov and punter Jason Simpson. Freshman Mike Lingua was inconsistent during the scrimmage but showed great leg strength with a booming 55-yard punt that had great hang time. Junior kicker Brett Visintainer converted three of five field goals, making attempts from 32, 38 and 20 yards. He missed a 45-yard attempt that hooked wide left and missed a 51-yard attempt that came up 1 yard short.
Fresno State's quarterback each performed well. Freshman quarterback Jordan Christensen looked sharp, completing all eight of his pass attempts for 66 yards. 2002 WAC Freshman of the Year Paul Pinegar completed 11-of-21 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown. Senior Jeff Grady was also sharp, connecting with freshman receiver Joe Fernandez on 20-yard touchdown pass in the back of the endzone. Grady completed 9-of-16 passes for 123 yards and was a victim of two dropped passes. He also threw an interception.
Fernandez finished with three receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown. Fellow rookie Paul Williams had a touchdown reception. Fresno State's most consistent performer in spring drills was senior running back Rodney Davis had 20 carries for 31 yards and three receptions for 49 yards in the scrimmage.
The Bulldogs are off until fall camp in early August. Fresno State opens the 2003 season on August 30 at Tennessee.
