The football team closed its 12 spring practices with the Green-White scrimmage on Saturday at Memorial Field. An opportunity to evaluate the team’s readiness for the upcoming fall season, the low-scoring game displayed the strength of the team’s defense.
The players played a full four-quarter game with the first-team offense facing the first-team defense and the second-team offense playing the second-team defense. Special teams play was simplified, with limited field goal attempts and punts with only the snapper, punter and returner on the field. With this game format, coach Buddy Teevens said he hoped to avoid unnecessary injuries.
“The awareness of concussions and injuries is foremost on my mind,” Teevens said. “We’ve disciplined and trained our guys to play a limited speed, limited contact contest. It’s real football, but we don’t tackle.”
Teevens said he also aimed for the game to give players a realistic simulation of game-time situations while culminating of the progress made throughout the spring.
“I used to draft teams for the game, but you don’t have the guys playing together who worked together in the spring,” he said. “I want to see my best against the best.”
At its best, the Big Green knows it can compete with any team in the League. The focus, said left tackle Jacob Flores ’16, is on consistently playing at the highest level -— players, he said, have been looking to “perfect our craft.”
The Big Green struggled with consistency last season, finishing 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League. The team ended the season in dramatic fashion, beating then-undefeated Princeton University under driving snow in Hanover and upsetting the Tigers’ hopes at winning the Ivy League title outright.
Next year’s team will enter the season with continuity on both sides of the ball, as eight offensive and six defensive starters are returning.
The team’s depth, however, is not rock solid. The departure of star running back Dominick Pierre ’14 leaves an important hole, and due to injuries suffered by Brian Grove ’16 and Kyle Bramble ’16, Marc Sasso ’15 has split carries with freshmen Abrm McQuarter ’17 and Jacob Siwicki ’17 during spring practice. Notably, former cornerback K.J. Booze ’16 has made the switch to receiver and tackle Pat Hand ’15 has switched to tight end from the offensive line.
With some of the offensive changes, the Green-White game gave a chance to evaluate the unit’s status and progress. The game was a low scoring affair, with the second-team offense scoring a single touchdown against the second-team defense in the second quarter on a jump-ball thrown by quarterback Alex Park ’14 to Daniel Gorman ’16. The only other scoring coming from a 42-yard field goal from Alex Gakenheimer ’17 and a 45-yarder from Riley Lyons ’15.
The Big Green’s defensive units stifled the offense throughout the entire game. On the game’s first drive, the first defense recovered a fumble on third down to end the drive. The second defense responded by forcing a quick three-and-out.
Quarterback Dalyn Williams ’16, who shared the first team snaps with Park, attributed the low-scoring game to both the talent of the defense, and its familiarity with the offense.
“We’ve been playing each other all spring,” Williams said. “They know some of our calls and looks, but they’re a great defense and we can definitely execute a little better on offense, too.”
The offense had some strong performances from its receiving corps. Victor Williams ’16, in particular, stood out with an acrobatic catch to sustain a second quarter-drive and showed off his speed throughout the game with some impressive yards after the catch.
The defense produced consistent pressure on the quarterback and generated several key turnovers. Notably, defensive back Paddy Clancy ’16 made a difficult interception on a pass from Williams in the third quarter.
The defensive line found success in getting to the quarterback, tallying six sacks in the scrimmage. In a crucial third and long situation, linebacker Folarin Orimolade ’17 flew past the offensive line and carried out a blind-side sack on Williams to end the drive.
“The defensive line is a strength of the team,” Flores said. “We have a good defense — they’re going to make plays, but I think we protected pretty well.”
Orimolade attributed the success of the pass rush to the opportunity of playing against a strong offensive line in practice, especially going up against Flores and returning first-team all-Ivy lineman Scotty Whitmore ’15.
At halftime, the team voted to elect Stephen Dazzo ’15 and Sean Ronan ’15 captains for the 2014 season.
The team will open its season at home against Central Connecticut State University on Sept. 20.
