The CFB Degenerate's Newsletter: Spring Games Recap (Part Five)
A summary of the relevant details emerging from April 18-20 spring games.
In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.
- Mark Twain, writer
Pigs, gather in. Today’s article is a recap of the spring games taking place on April 18 through 20. For the previous recaps of games, follow this link.
This article covers: Louisville, Texas, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Tulane, Jax State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Kennesaw State, Illinois, South Alabama, Boise State, Colorado State, ULLAF, UNC, USC, Utah State, WKU, OU, and South Carolina.
If you don’t want to miss any spring game updates, I recommend joining the pigpen 👇👇👇
LOUISVILLE
QB:
Quarterback Tyler Shough, like he has all throughout spring up to this point, showed that he is the clear QB1. His arm strength is incredible, he can make plays on the run, and he shows that he's fearless and not afraid to take some risk. He ended the night going 8-of-12 for 177 yards, two touchdown and one pick to Quincy Riley, who made a phenomenal play on a seam route. Shough was adept at making deep and shorter passes.
I went into the spring game thinking that Harrison Bailey had the slight leg up on Pierce Clarkson in the battle for the backup quarterback spot. Now, I think Clarkson seems to be the favorite.
For starters, he got the first reps after Shough did. Secondly, he flat out looked better than Bailey, who looked shaky early on in the spring game before settling in. Clarkson's mobility is a clear strength of his that the coaching staff wants to utilize, and it seems that he has continued to develop his arm strength, as evidenced by his 62-yard touchdown to walk-on receiver Jaeden King.
Clarkson went 9-of-14 for 117 yards, a score and a pick.
RB:
While some starting positions were cemented during the spring game, there’s no clear-cut front-runner for starting running back. Though Maurice Turner opened the game as the starter with Shough, Keyjuan Brown and Don Chaney were featured in the backfield with Shough later in the first half.
While there were a handful a solid runs on the night, the rushing attack was mainly bottled up for most of the night. In fact, Louisville's three main running backs - Turner, Donald Chaney, Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown - had just 112 combined rushing yards.
WR/TE:
From the moment the spring game began, quarterback Tyler Shough was ready. He opened the scrimmage with an 80-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bell. The two later connected on a 45-yard touchdown to put the offense up, 21-11. Though most of Bell’s yardage on the 80-yard TD came after the catc. He had just three catches, but they were good for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Kris Hughes… he made several plays all night, hauling in five catches for 63 yards, as well as a 70-yard run on a reverse to end the night.
As far as other pass catchers go, Antonio Meeks had a couple nice plays, Jaleel Skinner had a 36-yard touchdown up the seam in the fourth quarter, converted quarterback Sam Young had a 70-yard score that came off of a tipped pass, and Cataurus Hicks got in the mix a few times.
TEXAS
Arch Manning:
Texas didn't provide statistics, but according to ESPN Stats & Information, Manning finished with 355 yards and three touchdowns with one interception while completing 19 of 26 attempts.
QB stats:
QB Arch Manning: 19 of 25 passing for 355 yards, three touchdowns, one interception
QB Trey Owens: 14 of 21 passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns
QB Cole Lourd: 8 of 11 passing for 72 yards and one touchdown.
RB:
Running back CJ Baxter broke four tackles on an 11-yard rush and Manning found running back Jaydon Blue for a 29-yard touchdown reception.
WR:
[Ryan] Wingo caught two touchdowns. Sophomore DeAndre Moore caught Manning's 75-yarder to open the game.
WR Isaiah Bond: 3 catches, 98 yards, one touchdown
WR DeAndre Moore Jr.: 3 catches for 93 yards, one touchdown
WR Ryan Wingo: 4 catches, 81 yards, two touchdowns.
IOWA
New look offence under Tim Lester:
Saturday’s open practice served as the first look at the scheme that offensive coordinator Tim Lester has been implementing this spring. (He said this week about 85 percent of the playbook is in at this point in the year.)
The scheme, which included a healthy mix of 11 and 12 personnel groupings, most notably had a heavy dose of motions.
Whether it be speedy wide receiver Kaden Wetjen, a member of Iowa’s arsenal of tight ends or someone else, motions — sometimes presnap and sometimes during the snap — were a near constant during Saturday’s practice.
QB:
More work to do in the passing game
Cade McNamara was limited to individual drills as he continues to recover from knee surgery, and the absence of Iowa’s QB1 was evident during 11-on-11 drills.
Deacon Hill, who took first-team reps in McNamara’s absence, threw two interceptions and was dangerously close to further adding to that total. His second interception was intended for running back Max White on a short route, but Hill’s throw was behind White and went off his outstretched hand.
Marco Lainez, who has taken second-team reps this spring, showed the ability to extend plays with his feet on Saturday. But when it came to actually throwing, Lainez had mixed results.
WR:
Kaleb Brown has continued his development at receiver after mostly playing running back in high school. He caught the ball and showed off the ability to gain yards after it during this workout.
TE:
Even with Addison Ostrenga sidelined, Iowa tight ends produced on Saturday. Luke Lachey resembled his pre-injury self, which is fantastic. Zach Ortwerth, Johnny Pascuzzi and Cael Vanderbush were involved on offense.
IOWA STATE
QB:
Redshirt freshman J.J. Kohl and freshman Connor Moberly split snaps in the game. Kohl finished 6-8 for 38 yards and had a pair of six-yard gains on scrambles, while Moberly was 5-7 for 32 yards with 16 of them coming on a pass to redshirt freshman wideout Dillon Ranck. If there’s anything that separates the two this far out from the season, Kohl looks more comfortable running the ball, while Moberly was more apt for distance passing attempts.
Walk-on freshman Major Cantrell got some reps as well, going 3-4 for 25 yards, which included a 14-yard pass to freshman Beni Ngoyi.
RB:
On offense, Dylan Lee was the star. He had 17 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown as projected starter Abu Sama did not appear in the scrimmage, but was dressed for practice. In total, the offense combine for 148 rushing yards on 36 carries, a 3.2 yards per carry average.
WR:
Wideout Beni Ngoyi has been a key name to note over the course of spring practice, earning praise for his athleticism and ability to establish himself among a talented wide receiver room. On Saturday, Ngoyi officially notched a single 14-yard grab, but the wide receiver saw more action in the team's scrimmage session earlier in the day. Ngoyi's 46-yard catch in the team's Liberty Bowl showing last season was a glimpse at his potential to affect the game downfield, and in his second spring game with the Cyclones, Ngoyi solidified himself as a threat across the field.
MICHIGAN
QB competition:
Quarterback questions continue as [Davis] Warren, Orji battle
Alex Orji started for the Blue team with Jadyn Davis as his backup, while Davis Warren started for Maize and Jayden Denegal served as his backup. Seventh-year QB Jack Tuttle was not dressed for the game.
With the offensive line and skill position groups separated, it's hard to make any true assessments, but Orji didn't seem to do anything in particular to hurt his perception as the clubhouse leader for the job. His unofficial stats: 11 of 17 passing for 95 yards and one rush for 18 yards and one touchdown.
Unofficially, Warren finished completing 6 of 9 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
RB Donovan Edwards:
On Saturday, Edwards (Blue team) looked much more like the explosive ball carrier he showed to be as a sophomore. He took the first touch of the game through the A-gap for 11 yards, then two plays later ripped off another 11-yard rush off the left side of his line behind Blake Frazier and Amir Herring, then took his third run outside right for a gain of six and nearly broke it free.
Edwards was consistently falling forward, decisive with his cuts and generally looked more explosive, even on limited touches. Unofficially, Edwards ran four times for 32 yards, a good first showing, behind a make-shift line, from U-M's new lead back.
WR:
It's always hard to say when the teams are split up, but Tyler Morris seemed to be the clear No. 1 option out wide in the passing game right now.
Morris, who dressed for the Blue squad, was targeted early and often from both Orji and Davis. After Orji's first pass to Morris was thrown behind him on an intermediate crosser, he was targeted the next play on a screen for a gain of six.
On the next possession, Morris caught a screen pass from Davis and took it eight yards for a first down, then he got a carry on the next play and appeared to pick up three yards on the end-around, but a penalty negated the play.
It was largely about the reserves in the second half, however Morris' early involvement wasn't an accident.
TULANE
QB competition:
"There will not be a starter named anytime soon," said Tulane's head coach Jon Sumrall. "All three of them have done some really nice things. It's a big summer of who steps up and leads. And who takes ownership with that position."
All three signal callers: Kai Horton, Ty Thompson, and Darian Mensah, all made strong showings throughout the spring and in Saturday's Spring Game.
Horton made the biggest play in the scrimmage in the third quarter, connecting with former East St. John standout Dontae Fleming for a long touchdown.
Kai Horton:
Unofficially, Horton finished 8 of 9 for 160 yards with one touchdown and an interception on the final play, when cornerback Jai Eugene stepped in front of walk-on wideout Lucas Desjardins in the end zone. Horton played on the day’s opening series, which was a three-and-out. His next four drives ended in a failed fourth-down conversion, a 27-yard field goal from walk-on Ian Helmcke, the touchdown pass and the interception.
Ty Thompson:
Oregon transfer Ty Thompson, who went in third, was 5 of 10 for 89 yards with two drops, including one that should have been an easy 20-yard touchdown catch by wide-open walk-on tight end Jonathan Kahn. He hit tight ends Reggie Brown and Joshua Goines with back-to-back completions for 17 and 29 yards on his second drive, setting up Arnold Barnes’ 9-yard touchdown run for the first score.
RB Makhi Hughes:
I’m convinced that Makhi Hughes has gotten way better, which says a lot. On the first drive of the day, the offense was in a 3rd and about 15 at midfield when Joe Craddock called on Hughes for a draw. Hughes went on to break three tackles before easily winning a foot race to the endzone. After practice last week, he told me that he felt like he had gained a lot of speed over the summer, which was clearly evident by this breakaway run.
JAX STATE
QB:
Logan Smothers was the leader for most of the spring, taking first team reps and leading off most of the drills throughout the spring but UConn transfer Zion Turner took the first reps of the spring game.
From there Smothers saw reps, followed by Caden Creel with Ashton Frye and Griffin Brewster and Te'Sean Smoot also received plenty of reps. Multiple quarterbacks saw reps with the first team offense, but with wet weather and at times heavy rain, some struggled throwing the ball downfield.
The Gamecocks will also be adding Furman transfer Tyler Huff over the summer, adding to one of the deeper positions on the roster.
Carter Lambert:
Local walk-on Carter Lambert had been playing across the field for the offense throughout the spring and saw reps with the first team offense on Friday. He has been moved around at receiver and running back. It seems to be a swiss-army knife role like Taysom Hill played for the New Orleans Saints the past few years. At times Lambert lined up at quarterback but did not throw. Lambert comes from Boaz High School throwing and running for more than 1,300 yards and 28 total scores in his time there.
Transfers making an impact:
UAB transfer Samario "Flip" Rudolph had some impressive plays as a hybrid running back and receiver. Some of the transfer quarterbacks Turner and Griffin Brewster had their ups-and-downs, with Brewster making some solid throws once the weather passed. Wagner transfer Jayvin Little scored the offense's second touchdown and had plenty of strong drives on that run.
WAKE FOREST
QB:
Hank Bachmeier completed 24 of 39 passes for 313 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Freshman Jeremy Hecklinski had a big day, completing 12 of 20 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He was not picked off. Mizzell and Gilliam had their moments, but Hecklinski stood out.
Afterwards, Clawson said the quarterback battle remains open.
“We won’t name a starter until we have to,” he said. But he indicated that the Kerns-Bachmeier competition might be expanded after Saturday. “Last year in the Pitt game, we ended up playing our No. 3 quarterback. So anyone is in contention.”
WR:
Horatio Fields 37 pass from Hank Bachmeier
Jaydin Gerard 65 pass from Jeremy Hecklinski
B.J. Williams 8 pass from Hecklinski
Ian VerSteeg 27 pass from Hecklinski
NOTRE DAME
QB:
Kenny Minchey 12 completions, 19 attempts, 123 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, long 38, 6 rush (40), 1 touchdown, long 15;
CJ Carr 15-23-165, 1 TD, long 29; 4 rush (-11), long 4.
Steve Angeli 17 passes, 25 attempts, 228 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interceptions, long 62
CJ Carr probably had a couple of freshman throws that he’d like to have back, but he had more plays where you were left saying, “I can’t believe this kid is a freshman.”
RB:
Woo, Jeremiyah Love is going to be a problem for opposing teams all season. He’s so sudden and powerful when he gets some space.
Gi’Bran Payne 10 carries, 58 yards, long 15;
Justin Fisher 7 carries 23 yards, long 6;
Devyn Ford 1 carries 13 yards;
Aneyas Williams 10 carries, 39 yards, 1 touchdown, long 9;
Jeremiyah Love 7 carries 36 yards, 1 TD, long 18;
WR:
Micah Gilbert 5 catches, 79 yards, 2 touchdowns, long 29;
Jaden Greathouse 3-38, long 14;
Kris Mitchell 2-69, 1 TD, long 62;
Jeremiyah Love 5 catches, 41 yards, long 32;
Eli Raridon 5-41, 1 touchdown, long 21;
Deion Colzie 4-58, long 18;
Jack Larsen 4-41, long 19;
Justin Fisher 5-12, long 6;
KK Smith 3-54, long 38;
Cooper Flanagan 3-34, long 15;
KENNESAW STATE
Details are sparse out of camp from the FBS’s newest member.
The Kennesaw State offense (Gold) claimed a 41-36 victory over the defense (Black) in the program's annual spring game.
"Today I thought you saw a game that was evenly matched at times," said head coach Brian Bohannon. "It was a productive spring, regardless of tonight, because we did make improvement. We have a lot of work to do to get where we need to go, but this is part of the process."
The defense posted a trio of three-and-outs on the night and came up with two big defensive plays, including on the first drive of the game. After the offense reeled off a 12-play drive, defensive back Isaac Paul recovered a fumble and sprinted down the left sideline for an 86-yard touchdown return that put the Black up 7-2 early.
A string of third-down stops put the defense up 22-4, before the offense claimed its first touchdown of the night on a seven-yard run by quarterback Davis Bryson. He added another touchdown run in the second quarter on an 11-yard dash, while a six-yard run by running back D.J. Scott near the end of the quarter put the offense up 32-22.
ILLINOIS
QB:
Luke Altmyer, who played only in the first half, went 10-for-14 with 116 yards and two touchdowns. Playing in the first three quarters of action, Donovan Leary finished with 207 yards through the air and two passing scores while completing 13 of his 23 pass attempts. Five different quarterbacks saw action in the contest.
RB:
Aidan Laughery totaled 70 yards on the ground across his 11 carries, while he also tacked on a receiving score.
Josh McCray found the end zone in the first quarter for the first score of the day
WR:
Malik Elzy recorded a game-high six catches for 85 yards, and he hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception. Alexander Capka-Jones accumulated a game-high 95 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, while Kenari Wilcher amassed four catches for 38 yards. Collin Dixon's lone reception was a 33-yard score.
SOUTH ALABAMA
QB:
All three quarterbacks on the roster played Saturday, combining to complete just 13 of 41 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown. Gio Lopez, who entered the spring as the frontrunner to start in 2024, did not complete any of his 13 passes and was also intercepted once.
Redshirt sophomore Bishop Davenport — last year’s scout-team quarterback — completed just 4 of 13 passes for 41 yards and was picked off twice, but did break loose for a 55-yard touchdown run. True freshman Jared Hollins was easily the most-productive of the three (though he was facing mostly the second-team defense), completing 9 of 15 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown — including a 25-yard touchdown to Andrew Bench — and an interception.
“Top offensive players”:
Many of the Jaguars’ top offensive players — including running back Braylon McReynolds, tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett — played only a handful of snaps on Saturday, in the interest of long-term health.
I covered South Alabama’s scrimmage from a week ago in detail here.
BOISE STATE
Freshman RB Sire Gaines:
Koetter knows a special ball carrier when he sees one, and he said Boise State has another up-and-coming star in freshman running back Sire Gaines.
“For a 17-year-old, wow, he’s off to a great start,” Koetter told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s very impressive, not only when it comes to running the ball and yards after contact, but he’s physical in pass protection.”
Gaines graduated high school a semester early and has been on campus at Boise State since January. The power he possesses in his chiseled 208-pound frame, his top-end speed and explosive cuts, and his workmanlike mentality have stood out since he arrived, head coach Spencer Danielson said.
“No one is going to outwork him because his success means more to him than anybody else,” Danielson said. “He’s very developed physically as a 17-year-old. That’s a product of how hard he works.”
Boise State fans got their first look at the talented freshman Saturday in Boise State’s annual spring game, and they didn’t have to wait very long to see what he’s capable of.
Gaines’ first carry of the game went for 27 yards. He finished with 45 yards on five carries, averaging 9 yards per carry. He also caught three passes for 18 yards.
“He’s grown so much as a person and a player since he got here,” wide receiver Prince Strachan said Saturday. “The first talk we had was on the field while we were doing some work. He was so intentional with everything that I told him, ‘If you keep it up, you’re going to go far.’”
Gaines has done enough to prove to coaches that he’s ready for a role on offense, Danielson said.
RB:
Last season’s Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, Ashton Jeanty, is going to carry the load for the Broncos again this year. He led the team with 1,347 yards and 19 total touchdowns last fall.
Gaines still has some work to do to wrestle the No. 2 running back job away from sophomore Jambres Dubar, who finished the spring game with just five yards on six carries but scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Jeanty limped to the sideline after scoring a rushing touchdown in the first half. Danielson said after the game that he tweaked a hamstring but it’s not serious.
WR:
[Latrell] Caples was one of 11 players who recorded a catch in the spring game, and he led the team with four catches for 40 yards. The redshirt senior from Lancaster, Texas, ran crisp routes and was a consistent check-down option for former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson, who made his debut on The Blue. Caples also took the top off the defense and hauled in a 23-yard pass despite tight coverage.
“He’s one of the biggest leaders in our room,” Strachan said. “He’s a great player who works hard and holds other players to a high standard.”
Junior college transfer Chris Marshall finished the spring game with three catches for 35 yards. Strachan caught two passes for 48 yards, and former Colorado wide receiver Chase Penry added two catches for 35 yards and a touchdown
I covered BSU’s scrimmage from a week ago in detail here.
COLORADO STATE
RB:
Running back work: The running back room is full, even with Vann Schield now in the transfer portal. But Justin Marshall wasn’t available and Keegan Holles earned a number of carries. Back from a second ACL injury, he looked lively. He has work to do to overcome Marshall, Kobe Johnson, Damian Henderson and Avery Morrow for carries but it was good to see him looking healthy. Henderson had a rushing touchdown.
WR:
Receivers get looks: Justus Ross-Simmons has transferred. Horton didn’t play on offense (no sense risking injury), so others had plenty of reps. Donovan Ollie caught a touchdown. Jamari Person and Caleb Goodie both had some solid catches. They’ll all need to produce this year.
ULLAF
Spring game wasn’t open to the public so details are sparse.
QB:
[ULLAF HC] Desormeaux said starter Chandler Fields is having a “great spring”, but the staff’s had to push reserve quarterbacks Samari Collier and D’Wanye’ Winfield.
“Our second and third groups, we’ve got to play better at quarterback in those groups,” he said. “Certainly we’re going to get Ben (Wooldridge) back, but in the future, you’re not playing just the short game, you’re playing the long game too. So those guys have got to get better.”
NORTH CAROLINA
QB competition:
UNC quarterbacks Max Johnson, Conner Harrell continue battle
Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson started the scrimmage with the first-team offense, throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Paul Billups II.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell faced the second-team defense, but had two explosive plays for touchdowns. Harrell connected with freshman wideout Javarius Green for a 68-yard touchdown before finding veteran Nate McCollum on a slant route that led to a 65-yard TD. Both players looked good in moments, so the battle continues for the starting job ahead of the season opener.
RB:
All the running backs are playing for second place
Omarion Hampton made a cameo appearance in UNC’s “thud” session of the game (light hitting), but was quickly stowed away on the sideline when the actual hitting started. With Drake Maye NFL-bound, Hampton figures to be a bell cow for the Carolina offense in 2024. Brown may put him in bubble wrap until August.
USC transfer Darwin Barlow showed off his speed, scoring the only rushing touchdown of the game, and freshman Davion Gause put together a few nice runs as well. But nobody else on the roster brings the dynamic combination of tackle-breaking and breakaway speed that Hampton does.
“All the running backs we’ve got are pretty darn special,” said Johnson. “I think they’ve done a great job of finding the holes, and if it’s not there, just making something happen.”
WR:
Jordan Shipp could be one of UNC’s top playmakers
Freshman wide receiver Jordan Shipp looks the part as a potential star on the outside, snagging several catches over defenders before hauling in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Harrell. UNC’s highest-ranked recruit, according to 247Sports, Shipp was an elite playmaker at Providence Day School in Charlotte. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound wideout was a three-time state champion and logged 37 touchdowns, with nearly 3,000 yards in three seasons.
USC
QB:
All three Trojan quarterbacks saw action as redshirt junior Miller Moss went 16-of-21 for 133 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, redshirt sophomore Jayden Maiava went 15-of-17 for 172 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT and redshirt junior Jake Jensen went 6-of-8 for 91 yards and 1 INT.
RB:
Redshirt freshman RB A'Marion Peterson wrapped up the day with a 6-yard TD run to post the final points for the offense.
Freshman RB Bryan Jackson scored on a 4-yard run to close out the first half of play. The defense led 33-14 going into halftime. Jackson scored once again, this time off a 3-yard pass from Moss.
WR:
Sophomore WR Makai Lemon led the offense with 6 receptions for 52 yards and 1 TD, while freshman RB Bryan Jackson had a team-high 10 carries for 13 yards and a TD.
UTAH STATE
Andy Pham did a great job writing a 5 takeaways for the Aggies spring game. I recommend you check that out for full coverage.
Some highlights:
QB:
Spencer Petras struggled for the most part and the offense was stagnant.
The second-team offense had a slow start, with Quarterback Bryson Barnes being off-target on a few short-area targets.
RB:
Running Back, Robert Briggs Jr worked exclusively with the ones and with no rotation at any time.
The exclusive second-team Running Back was Corbin Cottle, who looked like a player who didn’t take any snaps last year.
WR:
Star Wide Reciever Jalen Royals played four series and was targeted twice.
The question is who will play the slot position and that remains a mystery.On the sixth series for the second-team offense, we finally got to see Robert Freeman in the game at slot, he would be targeted on three of the first four plays and caught all three of those targets. Freeman is an exciting player who simply stands out from an athletic perspective. Freeman is twitchy with great lateral quickness, can sink his hips and is constantly open. It appears he just doesn’t have a grasp of the playbook yet and that’s why he’s at the bottom of the depth chart.
In the first two series where Freemanwas in the game for the second team, he was targeted six times and each time he beat his defender clean and was open. Barnes passes were either deflected, off-target, or caught by Freeman.
TE:
Freshman Tight End Noah Wright made one nice play: it was a deflected pass that Wright kept his focus, made the catch in stride, and was able to pick up some additional yards.
WKU
QB:
No official score or stats were kept for the Red & White Spring Showcase.
WKU opened the game with a 41-yard pass from TJ Finley to Dalvin Smith and later capped off the drive with a 47-yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro. Finley also threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Easton Messer later in the exhibition.
Jaleel Walker caught two touchdown passes in the scrimmage – a 5-yard pass from Turner Helton and a 9-yard strike from Caden Veltkamp, who also had a 35-yard touchdown pass to Smith in the contest.
Helton capped off the Spring Showcase with a 7-yard scoring pass to Denzil Alleyne.
RB:
Running back Elijah Young was named the team's Spring Offensive MVP
OKLAHOMA
Offence shines:
On the first drive of the game, Jackson Arnold threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Deion Burks for the first score of the game.
Later, Arnold found Deion Burks for a pass of about 30 yards for a first down. That gave the Red a 20-0 lead. A few plays later Gavin Sawchuk rushed for a 1-yard touchdown run.
OU's second unit scored after a long drive conducted by quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.
Kalib Hicks finished the drive with a 30-yard run.
WR Deion Burks:
The Deion Burks game
Redshirt junior Deion Burks headlined the spring game with an explosive performance.
The Purdue transfer burned the Sooners’ secondary to cash in a 64-yard touchdown on the first possession of the game.
Burks continued to flash his speed and connection with sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold with a 50-yard touchdown reception later in the first half. He caught five passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
His ability to connect with Arnold was apparent early and continued throughout the game, catching five of Arnold’s 10 completions.
BAYLOR (cancelled)
ULM (cancelled)
SOUTH CAROLINA
QB:
One of the questions I asked going into the game was whether or not LaNorris Sellers would show that he had separated from the other quarterbacks. I believe he did show that. The biggest difference in the game's score was that the Garnet team had Sellers and the Black team did not. That shows his impact.
LaNorris Sellers commanded the running game from the start, bringing in the first touchdown for Team Garnet on a 13-yard run. He rushed for 27 yards on his first drive and went 4-for-4, throwing for 38 yards. He looked strong, converting twice on third down and scrambling efficiently against pressure. Sellers connected with sophomore Tyshawn Russell and graduate student Joshua Simon, who grabbed 17- and 11-yard catches, respectively.
Robby Ashford couldn't get Team Black on the board in his first two drives, throwing for 14 yards and rushing for nine. He threw a sideways pass to Gerald Kilgore, a defensive back serving as a receiver on the trick play, but Kilgore's throw to freshman Mazeo Bennett was nearly picked off.
Sellers sat the second half, giving Dante Reno a chance to run the offense. To wrap up the first, Sellers went 9-for-11 for 70 yards and and rushed for 38 yards, scoring on one of five attempts.
WR:
In saying that, I’m not sure who the heck he’s gonna throw to. South Carolina’s receivers didn’t do a whole lot in the spring game — which isn’t always the best barometer, but doesn’t help the confidence. Granted Nyck Harbor, who was busy nearly setting track records, didn’t play but, still, no one caught more than two passes and no one reeled in a catch over 17 yards. Redshirt freshman Tyshawn Russell and freshman Mazeo Bennett had solid moments, but it will be interesting how much the Gamecocks try to beef up their WR room in the spring portal window. And if they don’t, does the production turn into déjà vu from last season — where one guy (Xavier Legette) is unstoppable but doesn’t have much help?
USCjr. looking for a portal WR:
It's no secret that South Carolina will look to the portal for size at wide receiver, and I do believe it's needed. There are some guys that can contribute on the roster right now, ones with experience. There's actually more depth right now in terms of number of guys that could go out and play. However, there's not a Xavier Legette type, meaning there's not that alpha type right now. There's not that "bail out" player who can go physically dominate someone one-on-one.
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