April 12, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Charles Thompson made eight tackles including two for loss Saturday, and Chad Kincaid added six stops with two sacks to lead a first-team defense that did not allow a point and forced two turnovers in the Western Kentucky University football team's opening scrimmage of the spring at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field.
"This defense has been together a lot longer than the offense," Hilltopper head coach David Elson said. "They still run well and have a lot of team speed, which was the difference today."
The first-team offense started quickly with a pair of first downs on its opening possession, stalling just shy of midfield. The second group came on and collected one first down on its first set of downs, then crossed midfield by moving the chains three times - Casey Rooney connected with Reggie Dent on a 13-yard pass to open the drive, finishing 3-for-3 for 29 yards before a fumbled snap ended the march.
When both first teams returned to the field, the defense forced a 3-and-out, then allowed a 15-yard run to Chris Miller. Following that play, though, the group held the offense to one yard on the next 10 snaps.
Brian Peters intercepted Rooney on the second team's next possession, with the defense not allowing a yard on the second drive before the offense concluded the first half with the only score of the day. Rooney completed five consecutive passes for 30 yards and Dent added 18 yards on six carries to lead the unit 65 yards in 15 plays. The group reached midfield when Rooney hit Dent on a 9-yard screen pass for a first down at the 50-yard line, then advanced after the junior quarterback found Dustin Strupp for a diving 7-yard catch on 4th-and-3 from the defense's 43-yard line. Jacques Johnson moved the team inside the 20-yard line with an 8-yard gain before Rooney completed the march with a 3-yard pass to Gary Fessell and a 12-yard keeper around right end.
"You could see some life in the offense at times," said Elson. "Casey did some good things on the run, but neither quarterback has separated from the other at this time. There are still some growing pains on that side of the ball."
Rooney, who worked with the first team in the second half, picked up all but one of his 49 rushing yards after the break, including a 25-yard run on the unit's second possession. But, the group ended one drive with a fumbled snap and saw another come to a close after Antonio Veals intercepted Rooney in the end zone.
Johnson helped push the second-team offense across midfield with 43 yards on seven rushes on the group's third march of the half, but it would be the first of just three drives in the second stanza that would reach the defense's territory.
Kris Mau and Shawn McCrimon each added five tackles for the first-team unit, while Anthony Bates collected four stops including a sack.
Josh Johnson led all players with 12 total tackles on the second team, and Corey Shive chipped in with eight and two sacks.
Rooney was 12-of-21 for 94 yards passing to lead the offense, with Perez Smith completing 7-of-12 attempts for another 32. Nine different receivers made at least one catch, as Shannon Hayes topped all players with four catches for 30 yards. Fessell, Strupp and Robert Morand added three receptions each, while Dent collected two for 22 yards.
Dent was also the leading rusher with 55 yards on 22 attempts, as Johnson posted 10 carries for 49 yards and Miller added 31 on 17 rushes.
Brian Claybourn averaged 49.2 yards on six punts, with each of his first three efforts sailing at least 55 yards.
"When I look at the big picture, I was pleased with how things went in regards to our operation," Elson said. "One thing I noticed was how we got the plays in and out, and there were no substitution problems like I've seen in the past.
"Overall, the thing our team learned today in the heat is that we are not in as good condition as we need to be right now."
The Hilltoppers return to work Monday with a 7:30 p.m. (CDT) practice at Smith Stadium.
- WKU -
