The Toledo Rockets’ Blue and Gold spring football game saw the Blue rally late to defeat the Gold 21-14 on April 16 at the Glass Bowl.

Returning Rocket starters on both sides of the ball reprised their respective roles with solid performances, but the heated competitions at quarterback and running back remained unsettled. Sophomore QB Austin Dantin (Blue) finished 8-of-8 for 56 yards and rushed for 36 more, but senior QB Alex Pettee (Blue) completed 12 of 19 passes for a game-high 94 yards.

Redshirt freshman Terrance Owens (Gold) debuted 9-of-13 for 66 yards. Sophomore David Pasquale started for the Gold and finished 7 of 14 for just 13 yards, but he ran for 30 yards on five carries. All but Dantin were picked off once.

“It’s wide open,” said coach Tim Beckman. “I see Dantin doing some good things. I thought Pettee did some good things and Owens had opportunities as did Pasquale.”

Dantin, who started three games and threw for 962 yards and four TD in 2009, appeared to be the frontrunner. Beckman said the spring game would “be the tell-tale factor on who’s going to be the No. 1 guy” at quarterback heading into the first preseason practice August 5.

The teams combined for 344 net rushing yards and multiple backs stood out, none more than juniors Morgan Williams and Adonis Thomas. Williams collected 51 yards on 13 carries with a one-yard TD and caught four passes for 48 more for the Blue team. Thomas finished with 79 yards on 16 carries while accounting for both of the Gold’s touchdowns on runs of 1 yard and 2 yards.

Redshirt freshman Darius Reeves took advantage of his first exposure as a Rocket with 48 yards and the game’s first score, a 3-yard TD in the opening quarter that gave the Blue an early advantage. Sophomore Jake Walker rushed five times for just eight yards but Beckman indicated all four players will be in the mix when the season starts at home Sept.3 against Arizona.

“They each do their thing,” he said. “Adonis might be a little bit of the slash type running back, Morgan’s got the speed when he gets out in the open and Walker is the hard-nosed back and Reeves is the same. They all have their plusses and they’ll be big-time factors for us next year.”

After a standout all-Mid-American Conference freshman year, receiver Eric Page looked  fine in his first spring appearance.

Defensively, senior all-MAC linebacker Archie Donald (Gold) didn’t disappoint with 10 tackles, but freshman safety Ross Madison (Gold) made an impression with a game-high 11 tackles. Beckman cited Gold ends sophomore T.J. Fatinikun, Perrysburg graduate, and senior Douglas Westbrook as spring game standouts.

Junior safety Isaiah Ballard, a Rogers grad, also looked impressive and 308-pound Danny Farr’s shift to defensive tackle satisfied Beckman. Junior tackles Jonathan Lamb, Malcolm Riley and Johnnie Roberts also had good games.

Tags: UT football

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 10:42 am and is filed under College Football, Sports.
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