April 23, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - As the Western Kentucky University football team closes in on the end of spring practice, the Hilltoppers held their final mini-scrimmage of the season - the first in which quarterbacks have been allowed to face contact - Wednesday at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field.
The winner - inconclusive.
The defense allowed one first down on 19 snaps when facing 1st-and-10 and 3rd-and-long situations, but the offense regrouped to score a pair of touchdowns behind the efforts of Casey Rooney.
"The defense came out early and reestablished themselves," Topper head coach David Elson said. "They really got after the offense on the first-down and third-down plays facing medium to long distance. You could tell in the locker room the last couple of days that the defense was a little sore over the results of Saturday's scrimmage, and they were chomping at the bit to get back out there.
"But the offense bounced back when it was 3rd-and-short, and scored two touchdowns in the red zone."
Rooney led the first-team offense, but the first time the group took the field the defense did not allow a first down and held the unit to minus-5 yards on six plays - Anthony Bates' sack on the third play of the day was the biggest stop on the opening possession. The second-team offense ran three straight times for gains of five combined yards before Teco Dickerson intercepted a Perez Smith pass that went off the hands of the intended receiver.
Moving to 3rd-and-8 situations, Rooney connected with Robert Morand for a 19-yard gain on the first team's opening snap of its second possession. The defense recovered to hold the opposition short on its next five tries for a first down from either eight or six yards away.
Rooney scrambled for a pair of first downs when the first team returned for 3rd-and-short snaps, with Jacques Johnson adding another. Smith also had two gains of 12 or more yards to move the second unit.
The last three possessions of the afternoon set the offense up with 1st-and-10 from the defense's 25-yard line. Rooney completed a pair of 3-yard passes and ran for five more to make it 1st-and-10 at the 14-yard line, and the offense moved inside the 5-yard line with an 8-yard run from Trey McMiller and Johnson's 5-yard burst up the middle. Rooney's second effort after an initial hit by Karl Maslowski provided the first score of the day.
The second-team offense was hampered by a pair of bad snaps and Corey Shive's 12-yard sack of Smith.
The first team took the field and immediately faced 3rd-and-21 after two incomplete passes and a holding penalty, but Rooney cut across the middle of the field to scramble for 24 yards and the first down. A false start call set up 1st-and-15 at the 17-yard line, with Rooney finding Morand in the left corner of the end zone after an an incomplete pass to end the day's activities.
"I think Casey showed today what an athletic quarterback can do, even against a defense as good as ours," said Elson. "Everyone was in the right position, but Casey was still able to make some plays. I'm glad that the quarterbacks were live today."
Western has a final practice Friday at 3:30 p.m. (CDT) prior to the annual Red-White Game. That contest will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday at Feix Field, with a ceremony to present the Hilltoppers' with their national championship rings to follow at 6 p.m.
The first-team offense and second-team defense will comprise the Red squad, with the White team consisting of members of the first-team defense and second-team offense. Special teams players will compete for both sides.
"We have set it up to make Saturday seem as game-like as possible," Elson said. "The players are excited about it, and we still have groups working together to help evaluate performances when we go back to the film. It's the final piece of the whole spring practice puzzle.
"I've told the team to treat it like game day, because we need to get a read on who will help us in the fall."
- WKU -
