Coastal Makes Second Scrimmage Game-Like as Possible

The second Coastal Carolina scrimmage of the 2010 preseason was held Saturday

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Andrae Jacobs had five tackles in the second scrimmage of the season.

Aug. 14, 2010

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Video of Defensive Coordinator Curtis Walker

Video Offensive Coordinator Kevin Brown and Quarterback Zach MacDowall

CONWAY - The second Coastal Carolina scrimmage of the 2010 preseason, held Saturday from 10 am-12:30 pm at Brooks Stadium, was as close to a game as one could get, without having the other team.

The team, wearing game uniforms - including the coaches in official sideline gear, took the field just as they would for a game and kicked off at 10:30 with game officials, game clock, etc. When the clock hit zeros for halftime, the team went to the new locker room at Adkins Field House, made adjustments and came out for the second half, just as they would come Sept. 4 when Coastal Carolina faces 24th-ranked West Virginia on the road.

Also, to help prepare for the environment at Mountaineer Field, crowd noise and music was played loudly over the speakers in the second half of the scrimmage.

Also, in a twist on most formats, the offense could score by getting touchdowns or field goals, but could also pick up points through first downs or big plays. The defense could score too by forcing three-and-outs, getting tackles for losses and forcing turnovers. Ultimately, the offense prevailed, 53-48.

The defense set the tone early by forcing three-and-outs on the first three series. On the second time on the field for the offense, Zach MacDowall had a 10-yard run and followed that with a 40-yard touchdown strike to Jamie Childers.

The second-string offense also had success on its second time on the field. A long run by Marcus Whitener, adding a late hit on the defense, put the offense in the "teal zone" (inside the 20 yards line. Later, Aramis Hillary hit Ben Collins for a four-yard score.

The only negatives of the first two scores were missed PATs by both kickers. However, they redeemed themselves as Justin Durham drilled a 40-yard field goal on the ensuing series. On the next series, Grant Clayton split the uprights from 36 yards. The half did end on a low note as the second offense got into scoring range, thanks to an 11-yard Hillary to Brandon Whitley completion, but the 21-yard field goal attempt as time expired failed.

During the first half, freshman linebacker Phillip George stood out on special teams, blocking two punts.

The second half opened with the offense scoring on three straight possessions. However, the defense was at a disadvantage as each drive started on the five yard line. Durham hit a 28-yard field on the first drive, Eric O'Neal scored from three-yards out and Hillary connected with Trae Long from five yards out.

The next set of series put the offense at the disadvantage, starting from its own one. Freshman Mike McClure dropped fellow rookie Aaron Jones in the backfield for a safety for the defense. The defense then forced a three-and-out before the offense moved the ball. Jones had a first-down run, followed by a 15-yard Hillary to Jonathan Morgan completion. The drive looked to have stalled, but a pass interference called kept the drive alive for three more plays before forcing a punt.

The scrimmage ended with three series starting inside the defense's 15. The first started at the 13 but, thanks to a big tackle for loss, ended with a 40-yard field goal by Durham. The second and third started at the seven. Racheed Gause had a four-yard run and a three-yard run for a touchdown. The scrimmage ended with Hillary hitting Gause on a completion, only to have Marcus Lott force a fumble at the one, which was recovered by the defense's E.J. Brown.

Coastal Carolina Head Coach David Bennett Post Scrimmage Quotes - August 14, 2010

Overall thoughts...
"I thought we were a lot better today, but we are still not where we need to be. I felt like we got fatigued a little too quickly, but you have to be ready because it's going to be hot. We started off with good intensity and energy, but we still have to get in better shape. We are not in good game shape yet."

On the scrimmage format...
"We brought in a sports psychologist whose specialty is training of the mind. He helped our guys understand how important it is to have a positive mindset. He explained that your mindset can either be like a green light where you are always positive and put your mistakes behind you, a yellow light where you tend to always think cautiously or a red light where you constantly think in a negative way. I think if we can get our team to use the green light way of thinking we can be very good. If we use the yellow light way of thinking I think we will be alright, but if we think in the red light way we are going to get killed. The sports psychologist actually helped me with the scrimmage format because he asked me if I had ever kept score, used the clock or had referees on the field. I decided to do that today and we had all the aspects of a real game. We came up with a point system for both the offense and defense, and we stopped and started the clock as you would in a real game. He helped us start the thinking process and I think he is great at what he does."

On kicking concerns...
"Coach (Maurice) Drayton and I did something today that we have never done before. We put everyone in game uniforms for a scrimmage. We also practiced special teams after every score, which is something we don't normally do. We put the guys in a tough situation today. We also played the West Virginia fight song and had some crowd noise to make it very loud on the field. They (the kickers) might tell you it didn't bother them, but it does take some getting used to."

SCRIMAGE STATISTICS

Rushing:
Zach MacDowall 3-7; Marcus Whitener 3-10; Aramis Hillary 2-7; Aaron Jones 10-0; Cody Craig 2-(-4); Eric O'Neal 5-12, TD; Anthony Frye 5-22; Racheed Gause 5-13, TD; Adrian Sullivan 1-(-5); Morgan Byrd 1-8.

Passing:
Zach MacDowall 2-3, 45 yds, TD; Aramis Hillary 6-7, 49 yds, 2TDs; Cody Craig 0-3.

Receiving:
Myron Rogers 1-8; Jamie Childers 1-40, TD Ben Collins 1-4, TD; Eric O'Neal 1-5; Brandon Whitley 1-11; Trae Long 1-15,TD; Jonathan Morgan 1-15; Racheed Gause 1-6.

Field Goals:
40-yd att., good by Justin Durham; 36-yd att., good by Grant Clayton; 21-yd att., missed by Durham; 28-yd att., good by Durham; 40-yd att., good by Durham.

Defense:
Andrae Jacobs 5; Keon Cunningham 5; Brooks Barbaree 4; Dominique Whiteside 3; Donnie Owens 2; Carlton Mitchell 2; Desmond Steward 2; Marcellus Hunter 2; Tyler McCarthy 2; Mike McClure 2; Chad McField 1; Jamel Davis 1; Robert Balkunas 1; A.J. Kelley 1; E.J. Brown 1; Johnnie Houston 1; Kent Harper 1; Jerran Devlin; Quinton Davis 1; Johnny Hartsfield 1; Dominique Davenport 1; Josh Norman 1; Marcus Lott 1;