Flashes score three points in last scrimmage

Redshirt freshman defensive back Mark Follen goes after a fumble during the Blue and Gold scrimmage on Friday night. The Gold team won 3-0. Rachel Kilroy | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: DKS Editors

Sophomore punter Matt Rinehart got a good workout out of Friday night’s Blue and Gold football scrimmage.

The offense was another story.

Rinehart punted 10 times in a 60-minute, running-clock scrimmage where Kent State’s defense ruled the show.

The Gold team beat the Blue team 3-0 behind a 36-yard field goal into the wind by junior Will Kandray. While Kent State coach Doug Martin said he was intentionally holding back the offense Friday night, sophomore and senior quarterbacks Giorgio Morgan and Anthony Magazu were less than pleased with their performances.

“Me and Giorgio, we’re both upset,” Magazu said. “We wanted to come out of this scrimmage with no turnovers, which we both did, but we’ve got to put points up. That’s disappointing.”

Neither quarterback posted lengthy drives, but both had promising starts. Morgan connected on his first two passes – for 5 and 7 yards respectively – and Magazu found a receiver under the coverage for 20 yards on his first attempt.

The defense pressured both Morgan and Magazu throughout the night, sacking them six times and forcing them to run on numerous occasions. Still, neither quarterback turned the ball over.

“The thing that they both did was they didn’t really make any mental mistakes, either one of them,” Martin said. “I really thought that was probably their best scrimmage.”

Senior running back Eugene Jarvis made just one carry for 3 yards, fielding punts for the rest of the night. Without Jarvis or junior Andre Flowers, sophomore Jacquise “Speedy” Terry and junior Alan Vanderink led the ground attack. Terry rushed for 22 yards on nine carries, while Vanderink totaled 24 yards on 12 carries.

“Alan’s had a great spring,” Martin said. “He always makes positive yards. Jacquise has just gotten better and better. He’s still got to get a little better protecting the quarterback on pass protections, but we’ve really got four quality running backs.”

In the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Sal Battles nearly led the Gold team to a touchdown, marching the offense to the 6-yard line. However, sophomore Marc Lechlitner intercepted his pass over the middle in the end zone to end the threat.

Despite the low-scoring affair, Martin said the most important thing is that the team is healthy.

“We had a really healthy spring, and we’ve done a lot of contact,” he said. “I think that’s a testament of how hard our kids have worked.”

Still, the Flashes’ offense has a long way to go before the season begins on Sept. 3, Morgan said.

“When you come out to your spring game, you’ve got to have some explosion – you’ve got to have some positive,” Morgan said. “I mean, yes, the turnover margin was a positive, but still you’ve got to come out with points.

“To put a goose egg on the board, that’s just inexcusable. We’ve got a whole lot of work to do.”

Contact sports reporter Josh Johnston at [email protected].