April 15, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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Kevin O'Connell threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Montgomery to lead the Red team to a 7-0 victory over the Black team Saturday morning in front of over 1,000 fans at Torrey Pines High School. The Red & Black Game capped the Aztecs' month-long spring drills, which included 11 practices and four scrimmages.
"We have a way to go yet, but that's only normal at this point, especially for a brand new coaching staff and new scheme," SDSU head coach Chuck Long said. "I was very pleased with what I saw all spring and especially today. Like I've said before, it's been a good camp and we're looking forward to the summer and the fall of course."
Defense ruled the day, as the two sides were forced to punt a combined 12 times, including on six of the eight possessions in the first half. The defense held the offense to just 40 yards rushing on 37 carries and 254 yards of total offense on 87 plays.
After a Black team punt opened the scrimmage, the Red squad put together the longest drive of the day, going 65 yards on 15 plays and ending with O'Connell's (Carlsbad, Calif.) seven-yard touchdown toss to Montgomery (Oceanside, Calif.) in the front of the endzone. The score was set up by Brandon Bornes' (Vista, Calif.) run on fourth down near mid-field, while three of junior Lynell Hamilton's (Stockton, Calif.) four carries went for first downs. O'Connell also completed five of his six passes for 40 yards on the drive.
The Black squad had its best opportunity to equalize the game early in the second half, after redshirt freshman Tony DeMartinis (Sun Valley, Calif.) recovered a fumble at the Red team's 12-yard line. Three plays later, however, senior linebacker Joe Martin (Palmdale, Calif.) intercepted redshirt freshman Kevin Craft's (Valley Center, Calif.) pass over the middle to give the Red squad the ball back.
The Red team crossed midfield on two possessions in the second half, but was unable to add to its lead. The Black team converted two first downs on the final drive of the game, but safety Brett Sturm (Littleton, Colo.) batted down O'Connell's desperation heave as time expired, preserving the Red squad's 7-0 victory
O'Connell, who competed for both sides, finished the scrimmage 15-for-26 for 155 yards with one interception and the touchdown. Hamilton ran for 34 yards on 13 carries for the Red team and added four receptions for 25 yards. Three receivers, one on the Black team and two on the Red squad, had three catches apiece.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Russell Allen (Vista, Calif.) tallied a game-high eight tackles for the Black team, including three solo efforts. Safety Reggie Grigsby (Oceanside, Calif.) had seven tackles and an interception for the Black squad, while sophomore Andrew Schantz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) recorded a team-high four stops for the Red team.
Sophomore defensive lineman Jonathan Soto (West Covina, Calif.) put together an impressive all-around performance, logging three tackles for a loss of 15 yards, forcing a fumble and recording two pass break-ups. Overall, the defense had 15 tackles for loss, four sacks and 10 pass break-ups.
San Diego State opens its 2006 campaign on Thurs., Aug. 31, against UTEP at Qualcomm Stadium. The game will be televised nationally by CSTV.