Running game big for Scotties

By JOHN VERSER
Glasgow Daily Times

August 16, 2008 12:19 pm

— BROWNSVILLE - Running game big for Scotties
The Scotties scrimmaged Edmonson County, Clinton County and Logan County in 50-minute increments in their first of two scrimmages to begin the season.
“There were some bright spots,” Glasgow coach Billy Lindsey said. “I thought we found some offensive people that could execute a little bit. On defense I think we found out that we can’t sort of set back. We’re going to have to attack and do the best we can with what we’ve got.”
Each team got 10 snaps on one side of the ball before switching sides. The offense started at the 40-yard line heading toward the goal. Each team got three 10-play series for each team.
Glasgow got the ball on offense for the first 10 snaps against Edmonson. The Scotties ran 10 plays on the ground and ended the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run by Blake Perkins.
The Wildcats scored with a touchdown pass over the middle in seven plays to knot the score. Edmonson failed to score in its next three plays.
The Scotties got a big gain on the ground from Stacy Sullivan on their first play of their second offensive series. Sullivan ran for 30 yards on the play. After a holding call, Perkins scored on a 15-yard play for Glasgow’s second touchdown of the scrimmage.
Edmonson scored twice in its next 10-play series. The Wildcats once again found the end zone with a pass over the middle.
Glasgow knotted the score on its final offensive possession. Terrel Whitlow found the end zone on a 15-yard run to knot the scrimmage at three scores a piece.
The Scotties held the Wildcats out of the end zone in their final offensive series.
“Usually at this time of the year the defense is ahead of the offense,” Lindsey said. “But we’ve switched our defense around a little bit and tried to change people and personnel to try to find the right niche. I don’t think they’ve really had the opportunity to work on that one technique that they need to have.
“If we just lay our ears back and go after them, we’re more aggressive, then that carries over to our offense too. That looks like what we’re going to have to do is get after people.”
Glasgow matched up with Clinton in the second 50-minute increment and outscored the Bulldogs 3-1.
The Scotties had mixed defensive success on the Bulldogs’ first offensive possession. Glasgow forced a fumble and came up with an interception, but also allowed a 40-yard touchdown pass. Of the five scores that the Scotties gave up on the night, three came through the air.
“It’s a situation where they ran two guys right down the hash on us and we had no pressure on the quarterback,” Lindsey said. “If you don’t do that, you’re putting a guy in a bind because the quarterback has time to look them off, the safety fades one way, and he throws the other way if he’s got any sense. I think that’s what happened to us there on one of them.
“And then a couple of times we lost containment. When you lose containment, the guy buys time. I don’t care if Deion Sanders is trying to cover me - we’re both pretty old now - but I believe if I had enough time I’d finally get open.”
Glasgow needed just three plays on offense to knot the score. Lamar Howard ran for 22 yards and Griffin Smith had a five-yard run before Howard’s 13-yard score knotted the game.
The Scotties needed just four more plays for their second score. Tyler Lindsey found John Allen for a 10-yard pass and Sullivan ran the ball for 20 yards. Allen moved the ball to the 1-yard line on a nine-yard run before Smith punched it in from one yard out. Smith scored his second touchdown on Glasgow’s next possession, also a 1-yard score, to put the Scotties up three scores to one.
Glasgow rolled over Logan for a 5-1 win. Howard and Smith each scored on the first offensive possession and the Scotties held the Cougars scoreless.
Sullivan scored on a 21-yard run to give Glasgow a 3-0 lead. Logan’s only score came on a busted play when the Cougars’ quarterback rolled in for a 15-yard touchdown.
Glasgow’s freshmen added a pair of scores to round out the night.
Glasgow ran the ball effectively against all three teams Friday night, using a mix of running backs. Lindsey also thought his receivers and quarterback played well.
“We knew what some of them could do,” Lindsey said. “We had Blake (Perkins) there and Lamar (Howard) back there that played a whole lot last year. We knew that they would take some hits and give some punches. Lamar, we kept him on offense, which made him fresher. I thought our receivers were able to get loose a time or two on little misdirection stuff.
“I thought Tyler threw the ball pretty well today. I thought every ball he threw was pretty much on target. We had pretty good pass protection.”
The Scotties travel to Warren East next Friday for their final scrimmage. They open up the season Aug. 30 against Allen County-Scottsville in the T.J. Samson Bowl.