 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki 
Today the University of Toledo football team had their first scrimmage of the spring. Most of the student-athletes that signed with Toledo in February were also in attendance to watch the scrimmage. Toledo also held a "Junior Day" for high school juniors after the scrimmage, so many high school juniors and their parents and coaches were in attendance as well.Sophomore quarterback Clint Cochran guided the 1st team offense against the 2nd team defense, and redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Summers guided the 2nd team offense against the 1st team defense. Both quarterbacks did well, but the scrimmage really belonged to the running backs. Redshirt freshman running back DaJuane Collins continued to impress coaches as he had a strong scrimmage. He has very good athletic ability, mixed with power and speed. Walk on running back Ray Williams also looked good in limited action. Williams is 5th or 6th on the depth chart and he is only practicing on Friday's and Saturday's this spring. However, when he got in the scrimmage he showed why he is a former Mr. Football in the state of Ohio. He had a few nice runs, including a nice spin move at the goal line for a touchdown. Junior running backs Jalen Parmele and Scooter McDougle ran the ball well also. It was nice to see McDougle show that he has overcome the knee injury that forced him to miss the 2004 Motor City Bowl and the majority of the 2005 season. Sophomore Richard Davis also looked good and showed his speed on a couple of runs.  Senior wide receiver DJ Nichols took a bubble screen pass about 50 yards for a score early in the scrimmage. He showed his speed in blowing past the defense on the way into the end zone. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Moore had a nice catch up the middle of the field, and redshirt freshman wide receive Mike Norris also had a nice catch and played well.The defense played pretty well and were aggressive. The secondary did a nice job of sticking with the tall and speedy receivers that the Rockets have. The linebackers did a lot of blitzing and got a few sacks in the scrimmage. Senior outside linebacker Mike Alston and junior inside linebacker Steve Morrison made some nice plays and stood out in my mind. Overall it was a good scrimmage for the Rockets and it was nice to see some of the incoming recruits in attendance. For a photo gallery of the practice and scrimmage, click here! Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |