By: Jackson Wolek / Staff Writer
Fans were able to get a firsthand look at some of what they can expect to see in the 2011 football season as the Blue vs. Gold game took place on Saturday, April 2 at FIU stadium. Around 75 plays were run in the scrimmage, which ended with the offense winning the matchup 19-10.
From the start, it was the defense that really looked strong and on the first drive of the game forced a costly mistake as Wesley Carroll threw an interception to Sam Miller on the first drive for the only turnover in the game.
Jake Medlock got the second string quarterback position and took command on the second drive that ended with him overthrowing Glen Coleman in the end zone, ending the drive at the defense’s 32-yard line.
Dalton would then get his chance to try to get something for the offense going, but could get nothing started either. The offense would not score until Medlock hooked up with none other than T.Y Hilton at the one-yard line to help set up a Jeremiah Harden touchdown run that put them up 12-7 on the defense.
Carroll, Medlock and Blaine Dalton all took turns taking snaps at quarterback, with Carroll the only one wearing a red no-contact jersey.
The players that made the most impact on the defensive end were both linebacker Gregory Hickman and defensive lineman Isame Faciane. Hickman recorded three sacks on the day and Faciane got one of his own.
Faciane moved from outside to inside lineman, and the spring game showed that so far it has been a smooth transition for him.
“I think Isame is going to be a heck of a player for us, and I think Hickman is going to be a heck of a player,” commented Crsitobal on their performance today.
Dalton would end up being the biggest performer from the quarterback side as he led two drives that put points on the board. One that gave Jack Griffin a field goal and another that was a touchdown pass to Glenn Coleman that ended the practice.
Replacing graduates Cedrick Mack and Brad Serini from the offensive line is going to be tough this year, and at the start of the spring game it looked a little shaky as the defensive got to the quarterbacks quite often making them have to scramble and run down the field.
“They played okay. We had a couple bad snaps with one that was in the red zone that was unacceptable, but they’re going to keep on getting better and better,” Crsitobal said.
During the second half they started to pick it up, which helped the running game get into the groove of things. Both Brandon Bennett and Torrence Seymore had 45 yards each, and Jeremiah Harden ended the day with a one-yard touchdown run and 41 yards.
“I think after the butterflies got out, we started coming off the ball and the running backs started hitting the holes harder and everyone just stayed together,” said center Ceedrick Davis.
At the conclusion of the game, all of the players and coaches received their championship bowl rings, and Mario Cristobal gave a speech to the fans thanking them for their support and encouraging them to keep coming to games this upcoming season.
“To achieve this it’s a great moment, it’s historical for us and our program and it’s a great chance to honor it and to make a commitment to continue to make this happen year after year,” Cristobal said.
There are only 163 days left until FIU takes on North Texas at the start of the 2011 season on Sept. 1.
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