Michigan State Football Second Spring Scrimmage Report!

Offense Rallies to Win Second Spring Jersey Scrimmage, 62-59

Dan Conroy’s 45-yard field goal on the last play of the scrimmage clinches the win for the offense.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, the Michigan State football team held its second jersey scrimmage of spring practice Thursday afternoon in Spartan Stadium. Utilizing a modified scoring system, the offense defeated the defense, 62-59, in a “situational” scrimmage.

In the first scrimmage held on Saturday, the defense came away with a convincing 72-32 victory.

The biggest difference for the offense in the second scrimmage was the running game. Senior Larry Caper led the way with 106 yards on 21 carries (5.0 avg.), including a 22-yard touchdown and another rush for 31 yards, the longest of the day. Sophomore Nick Hill carried the ball 12 times for 51 yards, while junior Le’Veon Bell had 48 yards on 13 attempts. Hill (15 yards) and Bell (2 yards) also had touchdown runs. The three running backs combined for 205 yards on 46 carries (4.5 avg.) and three TDs.

Red-shirt freshman Connor Cook, who took a majority of the snaps in the scrimmage due to Andrew Maxwell’s sprained knee, was 15-of-34 passing for 144 yards and one touchdown. Cook completed passes to 10 different receivers.

Junior defensive end William Gholston led the defense with 10 tackles, including five for losses (17 yards), and had an 8-yard sack. Junior linebacker Denicos Allen posted two tackles for loss (7 yards) with a 6-yard sack, and collected five stops overall.

Defensive tackle James Kittredge was active with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass break-up, while Tyler Hoover also made plays on the inside of the defensive line with five tackles. Red-shirt freshman safety R.J. Williamson led the secondary with six tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss, and also recovered a fumble. Fellow red-shirt freshman Trae Waynes tallied five tackles and two pass break-ups.

Early in the scrimmage, the defense again got off to a strong start and jumped out to a 23-11 lead.

But paced by a strong rushing attack, the offense stormed back to take a 57-38 advantage. The offense started the rally on a 22-yard rushing touchdown by Caper that trimmed the lead to 27-21, while Bell’s 2-yard TD run put the offense down just two points at 32-30.

Cook’s 25-yard completion to Andrew Gleichert, Cook’s longest pass of the afternoon, set up a Dan Conroy 24-yard field goal that gave the offense a 37-32 lead. The offense continued its scoring run on a 42-yard field goal by Conroy, a 15-yard TD run by Nick Hill, and a 3-yard TD pass from Cook to Trevon Pendleton that pushed the lead to 19 points at 57-38.

The defense quickly rallied with two fumble recoveries, a sack by Gholston, and a pass break-up by Isaiah Lewis on a third down that cut the lead to four points.

With the defense leading 59-58 late in the scrimmage on a fourth-and-8 play from the defense’s 40-yard line, Cook connected on an 8-yard pass to Andre Sims, giving the offense a pivotal first down to stay alive while tying the game at 59.

The defense then held the offense from converting another first down, setting the stage for Conroy to win it with a 45-yard field goal attempt. After a timeout by the defense, Conroy drilled the kick through the middle of the uprights, clinching the green jerseys for the offense with a 62-59 win.

Following the scrimmage, the team was presented their championship rings for winning the 2011 Big Ten Legends Division and the 2012 Outback Bowl.

Michigan State will resume spring practice on Friday.

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Second Spring Scrimmage Recap

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Time elapsed: 2:30 (127 total plays)

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Stat Leaders
Rushing: Larry Caper 21-106; Nick Hill 12-51; Le’Veon Bell 13-48.

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Passing: Connor Cook 15-of-34 for 144 yards and one touchdown (3 yards to Trevon Pendleton).

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Receiving: John Jakubik 4-37; Le’Veon Bell 2-19; Jeremy Langford 2-14.

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Defense (solos-assists-total): William Gholston 7-3-10 including 5.0 tackles for loss (17 yards) and one sack (8 yards); RJ Williamson 4-2-6 including 1.0 tackles for loss (2 yards) and a fumble recovery; Darien Harris 1-5-6 including 1.0 tackles for loss (4 yards); Denicos Allen 1-4-5 including 2.0 tackles for loss (7 yards) and one sack (6 yards); Tyler Hoover 3-2-5 including 0.5 tackles for loss (2.5 yards); Trae Waynes 2-3-5 and two pass break-ups; Max Bullough 3-2-5.