Saturday, April 5, 2003

FIU Football defense comes away with a 24-21 spring scrimmage win

• Spring Scrimmage statistics

t was the FIU offense that shined in the first half of the Golden Panthers first spring football scrimmage Saturday morning at FIU Stadium. But it was all defense in the second half and in the end, the defensive side came away with a 24-21 victory in a 69-play exhibition.

“We played our starting offense in the first half and they played well,” said head coach Don Strock. “In the second half, we brought in our second units on both sides and there were a lot of mistakes. But overall, I was pleased with the effort. Everybody got a chance to play and they came out and played hard.”

The offense went five series and scored three times in the first half under the direction of quarterbacks David Tabor (Kissimmee, Fla.) and Josh Padrick (Merritt Island, Fla.).

After a defensive stop, the offense got cranked up on the rushing of Rashod Smith (Miami/Northwestern) whose 64-yard run put the ball inside the 10-yard line. Four plays later, it was Smith from one-yard out giving the offense a 7-3 lead. Smith ended as the leading rusher on the day with 61 yards on four carries.

Tabor’s last series of the first half was a 12-play drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to Harold Leath (Tampa, Fla.) and a 14-6 offensive advantage.

Redshirt freshman Padrick took over for the last series of the half and continued moving the offense, both with his arm and his legs. He completed his first four passes of the drive until on a third-and-six, his next attempt was nearly picked off by Matthew Bass (Hollywood, Fla./McArthur).

But on the next play, Padrick scrambles out of the pocket and raced for the first down with 20-yard gain. Six plays later, O.J. Price (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Flanagan) scored from four yards out and the offense had a commanding 21-6 lead at the half.

“You don’t want [Padrick] to [scramble] but he does have that kind of athletic ability,” said Strock. “That’s another dimension he gives us offensively. But he still has a long way to go and a lot to learn. Both quarterbacks made some good plays but they also made some bad plays. But they’ve got to learn to be consistent because that’s what it will take to win ball games.”

What seemed to be an easy offensive win, quickly turned with six-straight defensive stops resulting in a 24-21 come-from-behind victory. Defensive back Gentry Jackson (Port Orange, Fla.) led the defense with seven tackles, while linebackers Gerrod Bodie (Miami/Palmetto) and Derrick Kuilan (Miami/Braddock) had six stops each.

“I expected the defense to play well earlier,” said Strock. “We need more consistency. But there’s no question that we have a good nucleus of players here. Every day we seem to be getting a bit more mature and they’re beginning to better understand the system we’re trying to implement. All this will make us better competitively next season.”

After a day off Sunday, the Golden Panthers return to the practice field for their final week of the spring, Monday at 3:15 p.m. at FIU Stadium. Spring practice ends next Saturday, April 12 with the Blue/Gold Scrimmage beginning at 10:00 a.m.