The 2002 Spring Game: Maroon 12, White 0
April 20, 2002
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com

           1   2   3   4    F
          --  --  --  --   --
Maroon     3   6   0   3   12
White      0   0   0   0    0

1st Quarter:
Maroon-FG Warley 39, 2:36 remaining

2nd Quarter:
Maroon-Randall 8 run, 0:55, kick failed

3rd Quarter:
No scoring

4th Quarter:
Maroon-FG Warley 39, 5:15


Click here for TSL's post-game analysis

Blacksburg, VA - Playing quarterback for both teams, Bryan Randall completed 21 of 38 passes for 211 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, as the Maroon squad triumphed over the White for the second year in a row, 12-0.

Randall's play was the highlight of the day. He had several nice scrambles, including an 8-yard quarterback keeper in the second quarter that was the only touchdown of the game. He also threw some impressive passes, with his best being a thread-the-needle 23-yarder to Terrell Parham (Maroon) late in the game. But he also missed some open receivers, most notably a wide-open Shawn Witten (Maroon) on a play that would have been a 72-yard TD had he not overthrown Witten.

But overall, Randall played with poise and confidence, making few obvious mistakes. He didn't fumble, he didn't botch plays, and he only threw one interception in his 38 attempts. That pickoff came early in the game, when linebacker Blake Warren (Maroon) batted a Randall pass into the air and Lamar Cobb (Maroon) caught it for the turnover.

The leading rusher in the game was Kevin Jones (White) with 8 carries for 35 yards, and Cedric Humes had 5 carries for 28 yards for the Maroon. Randall, who was sacked twice for 8 yards in losses and was pretty well bottled up in the option, had 10 carries for 10 yards.

Despite having a poor spring, the receiving corps generally played well, with Justin Hamilton (White) leading the way with 4 catches for 44 yards. Hamilton had at least two nice catches on balls that were not well thrown.

Ernest Wilford (White), who was plagued by drops all spring, also played well, catching 2 passes for 44 yards. Wilford and Randall hooked up on one of the most exciting plays of the day, when Randall avoided the rush, rolled right, and hit Wilford about 20 yards downfield. Wilford juked two defenders and stiff-armed Eric Green, turning the play into a 30-yard gain before being tackled on the Maroon 10-yard line.

The White squandered the scoring opportunity when a bad snap and hold killed a field goal attempt from the Maroon 7. It was one of three botched kicks by the special teams on the day.

The White team outgained the Maroon team 165-137 and had 10 first downs to 6 for the Maroon, but the White simply could not put together any scores. The White penetrated into Maroon territory three times, but missed two field goals (of 24 and 39 yards) because of bad snaps and holds.

Defensively, safety Vince Fuller (White), LB Blake Warren (Maroon), and walk-on safety Jackson Dismukes (Maroon) all had 5 tackles. DT Mark Costen (White) had one and a half sacks, and defensive end Cols Colas (White) had half a sack and was a disruptive force.

Attendance was not kept, but the game was attended by over 20,000 fans. Spectators were not allowed to sit on the East (student) side and were restricted to the West side and North end zone. The West side stands were almost full, and hundreds more fans sat in the North end zone.

TechSideline.com will return later with analysis and commentary on the game.


STATISTICS

                       White      Maroon
                        ----        ----
First downs               10           6
Rushed-yards           12-24       17-67
Passing yards            141          70
Total yards              165         137
Sacked-yards lost        0-0         2-8
Passes               14-25-1      7-13-0
Punts                 2-43.0      3-48.7
Fumbles-lost             1-1         0-0
Penalties-yards         4-30        3-25
Time of possession     13:33       12:58 

Att: 26,000 (per hokiesportsinfo.com)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: White-Jones 8-35, Easlick 1-0, Randall 3-(-11); Maroon-Humes 5-28, Randall 7-21, Burnell 2-10, Spence 1-4, Candelas 2-4.

PASSING: White-Randall 14-25-1-141; Maroon-Randall 7-13-0-70.

RECEIVING: White-Hamilton 4-44, Easlick 3-23, Wilford 2-44, Burnell 2-15, Shreve 1-8, Berry 1-4, Jones 1-3; Maroon-Clifton 2-18, Spence 2-6, Parham 1-23, Witten 1-13, Johnson 1-10.

          

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