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Defense is key

UT struggled getting any offensive production as the Blue team defeated the Gold team 6-5 in Saturday's spring game.

Photo courtesy of UT Athletics

Sophomore quarterback Quentin Gibson looking for an open wide-out in Saturday's game.

Keith Boggs, Sports Reporter

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The University of Toledo’s spring football game lacked offensive excitement as the blue team walked away with an unconventional 6-5 win over the gold team on Saturday in the Glass Bowl.

The Rockets finished last season as the number-one ranked offense in the Mid-American Conference last season, but that display was absent due to what looked like a much-improved defense and an inexperienced offense.

Both defenses showed their dominance all game long. The gold team managed only 109 yards while the blue team was held to just 82 yards from scrimmage.

Linebacker Chase Murdock got the blue team on the scoreboard first, forcing a fumble in the end zone leading to a safety. Junior punter Nick Ellis snuck a 30-yard field goal in right before halftime finishing the scoring for the gold team.

“I thought the whole defense played well,” said senior cornerback Cheatham Norrils. “I saw everyone competing at every position.”

In his first look at live game action since contracting a season-ending illness last summer, Norrils picked off a deflected Julian pass in the second quarter and returned it for 23 yards before being brought down in his team’s half of the field.

“It’s good to make plays on the ball,” Norrils said. “It’s very rare to have the chance, so you have to take advantage of them when they happen.”

The senior defensive back is expected to help solidify a Toledo secondary that struggled to defend the pass last year. The Rockets finished dead last in the MAC when it came to stopping the pass in 2014.

With QBs Philip Ely and Logan Woodside and running back Kareem Hunt recovering from offseason surgery, both teams struggled to find a rhythm on offense.

 

“A lot of guys got put in critical positions,” said Head Coach Matt Campbell. “How they respond to those situations is what you look for in a spring game.”

 

Quarterbacks, Michael Julian of the blue team and Quentin Gibson of the gold team, benefited from the vacant position by taking majority of the snaps under center.

 

Gibson finished his day 13-of-24 passing for 94 yards including an interception, being the more accurate of the two QBs. Julian struggled in the pocket, hitting 4 of his 13 targets and throwing two interceptions on 52 yards passing, including the deciding 17-yard touchdown pass to wideout Cody Thompson.

 

The theme for the Rockets this spring is the turnover on the offensive line and how they would perform replacing all five starters from last season.

 

“I think the line did a fine job,” Campbell said. “It’s hard to tell since they’re matched up with different people. A lot of guys did do well in those individual battles throughout the game.

 

“How we develop those guys is critical.”

 

UT still has ample time to make adjustments and improve before their opening game against Stony Brook on Sept. 3 in the Glass Bowl.

 

“The biggest improvement I’m looking to see is where the leadership on our football team is going to be,” Campbell said. “I think that’s going to be critical to the next three or four months.

 

“We’ve made a lot of strides, but what’s most important is how we look when we come back in the spring.”

 

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