SPARTANBURG, SC – The Wofford College football took to the field on Wednesday for the final two-a-day of the summer. In the evening scrimmage, the offense and defense each ran 30 plays in preparation for the season opener.
In addition, in the Preseason Sports Network FCS Poll released on Tuesday, the Terriers were ranked #13 in the nation. Appalachian State is the preseason number one team, while Elon (15), Georgia Southern (17) and The Citadel (23) also appear in the poll from the Southern Conference.
On Tuesday, the team was in full pads for one practice at 3:30 pm. Wednesday morning at 8:30, the team worked almost exclusively on special teams for an hour in helmets and shoulder pads. The final period of practice focused on defense in goal line and two-minute situations.
The final scrimmage of the summer began at 6:00 pm at Gibbs Stadium. After stretching and a brief period of individual drills, the 60-play scrimmage began. The first offense started things off with a 56-yard run by
Michael Scott, which was followed by a nine-yard touchdown run by
Sean Lees.
Derek Boyce added a 62-yard touchdown run as well. The first defense started strong as well, with a tackle for loss by
Mitch Clark and an interception by
James Mitchell.
Back on offense,
Brenton Bersin made two 10-yard receptions from
Robby Davis.
Kyle Lanham had a first down reception at tight end. Special teams lined up to attempt a 37-yard field goal, which was made by
Patrick Mugan,
Landon Bennett and
Grant Cody. With the defense back on the field, the offense was kept in check with pass break-ups by
Preston Roseboro,
Mychael Johnson and
Kendall Bratcher.
Johnson Richardson ended the series with a 25-yard reception.
In the third series by the offense,
Derek Boyce made a 20-yard run on a pitch from
Mitch Allen, but had a 35-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty. During the final defensive series,
James Mitchell had his second interception of the day, while
Gary Blount and
Allen Smith had tackles for loss. The scrimmage lasted 75 minutes.
“I thought we accomplished what we wanted to tonight,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We split it up and the sides were loaded, but it still comes down to execution. You have to block and you have to read the right options. I think defensively they did a nice job making some plays and getting some turnovers. Frankly I think they just wan to play. Camp goes for a while and I think they are at a point right now where they are tired of running into each other and they just want to get started.
“There are some young kids that are definitely stepping up and are going to play some ball for us. At quarterback we have three guys and any of them can do the job, which gives us a lot of flexibility. At receiver we are a little beat up and thin, but hopefully we will get a couple of them back. If we do, we will have a great receiving corp. We are solid at tight end. We have three guys who are ready to play and can help us. The offensive line is one of our strong points. We have some guys up there that have played a lot of snaps and they will be the glue to hold that group together. Defensively, we are a defense that possesses good speed. If we can just fine tune somethings, we are getting better. In the kicking game, we have resolved a few things and I think when all is said and done we will be a solid team.”
The list of players held out of the scrimmage included Devin Reed, Jordan Ingman, Andrew Young, Hunter Hobson, Jeremy Marshall, Blake Beeler, Lavadrick Farrar, Matthew Boggs, Jamie Chappell and Jason Leventis.
Practices are held on the practice fields behind Gibbs Stadium. All practices are open to the public; however keep in mind that the schedule can change without notice. On Thursday, the team will practice at 6:15 pm in conjunction with Terrier Fan Fest. Single practices will also be held on Friday at 3:30 pm and Saturday at 10 am to conclude preseason camp.
The Terriers will open the 2008 season on Saturday, August 30 against Presbyterian at Gibbs Stadium. Tickets are available by calling the Wofford Ticket Office at 864-597-4090.