April 18, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Aztec junior running back Davon Brown (Torrance, Calif.) scored four touchdowns, including three on the ground, to lead the offense at the San Diego State football team's first scrimmage of 2009 spring drills. The Aztecs ran through 119 offensive plays overall in just under two hours Saturday afternoon at the on-campus practice facility.
Brown scored the first touchdown of the day on a 47-yard scamper and then tacked on a 3-yard run for a score. He found the end zone two more times on possessions that started inside the red-zone, catching a 10-yard pass from Kelsey Sokoloski (Greenwood Village, Colo.), and rounding out the day with an 8-yard TD run.
Brown led the Aztec ground attack with 16 carries for 97 yards, while classmate Brandon Sullivan (Poway, Calif.) added 35 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Sokoloski was the team's top QB, completing 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 129 yards and a pair of TDs.
Wideout Jon Toledo (Encinitas, Calif.) had a squad-best five receptions for 89 yards and tight end Alston Umuolo (Phoenix, Ariz.) had four catches for 48 yards, including two for scores from quarterback Drew Westling (Mission Viejo, Calif.).
The defense held the offense to 167 yards on 67 carries, but struggled to stop them during the red-zone portion of the scrimmage, allowing five touchdowns. Linebacker Miles Burris (Granite Bay, Calif.) had a team-high nine tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage, while defensive back Romeo Horn (Fresno, Calif.) added eight.
This was the first of three straight Saturdays in which San Diego State will scrimmage on-campus, culminating in the annual Red & Black Game on May 2 at the SDSU Sports Deck.
2009 San Diego State Spring Football Scrimmage #1
Aztec Practice Facility
Game Stats
SCORING PLAYS
Lane Yoshida 27-yard field goal
Davon Brown 47-yard run (Shields kick)
Brandon Sullivan 5-yard run (Yoshida kick)
Davon Brown 3-yard run (Shields kick)
Alston Umuolo 23-yard pass from Drew Westling (Yoshida kick)
Bryan Shields 29-yard field goal
Doug Deakin 12-yard pass from Kelsey Sokoloski (drive started in red-zone)
Davon Brown 10-yard pass from Kelsey Sokoloski (drive started in red-zone)
Brandon Sullivan 1-yard run (drive started in red-zone)
Alston Umuolo 8-yard pass from Drew Westling (drive started in red-zone)
Davon Brown 8-yard run (drive started in red-zone)
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
RUSHING TOTALS (carries-yards-touchdowns)
Davon Brown 16-97-3, Brandon Sullivan 13-35-2, James Simon 13-47-0, Atiyyah Henderson 15-30-0, Mekell Wesley 1-7-0, Roberto Wallace 1-(minus 2)-0, Dominique Sandifer 1-(minus 5)-0, Kelsey Sokoloski 1-(minus 6)-0, Team 2-(minus 8)-0, Drew Westling 2-(minus 12)-0, Ryan Lindley 2-(minus 16)-0. TOTALS 67-167-5.
PASSING TOTALS (completions-attempts-interceptions yards touchdowns)
Kelsey Sokoloski 10-14-1, 129, 2, Drew Westling 9-18-0, 106, 2, Ryan Lindley 8-20-0, 94, 0. TOTALS 27-52-1, 329, 4.
RECEIVING TOTALS (number-yards-touchdowns)
Jon Toledo 5-89-0, Dominique Sandifer 2-69-0, Alston Umuolo 4-48-2, D.J. Shields 5-32-0, Doug Deakin 3-24-1, Javier Nicholas 1-20-0, Mekell Wesley 2-13-0, DeMarco Sampson 1-12-0, Davon Brown 1-10-1, Atiyyah Henderson 1-5-0, Brandon Sullivan 1-4-0, Matt Kawulok 1-3-0. TOTALS 27-329-4.
INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
TACKLES (total-unassisted)
Miles Burris 9-3, Romeo Horn 8-2, Kwincy Edwards 7-2, Davion Mauldin 6-2, Nick Sandford 6-2, Josh O'Brien 6-1, Jonathan Soto 6-0, Dey Juan Hemmings 5-3, Ernie Lawson 5-1, Martrell Fantroy 5-1, Vincent Camarda 5-0, Brandon Davis 4-1, Rob Andrews 4-1, Neil Spencer 4-1, Jerome Long 4-0, Logan Ketchum 3-3, Andrew Gregorio 3-2, Aaron Moore 3-1, Chris Gordert 3-0, Bryan Finkel 2-1, Larry Gibbs 2-1, Darryn Lewis 2-1, Eron Moses 2-1, B.J. Williams 2-0, Zach Shapiro 2-0, Willie Watters 2-0, Issac Sensabaugh 2-0, Colin Shumate 1-0, Marcus Yarbrough 1-0, Demetrius Barksdale 1-0. TOTALS 115-30.
INTERCEPTIONS (total-yards)
Willie Watters 1-10
FORCED FUMBLES (number)
none.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES (total-yards)
Dey Juan Hemmings 1-0, Zach Shapiro 1-0. TOTALS 2-0.
QUARTERBACK SACKS (total-yards)
Bryan Finkel 1.5-10, Miles Burris 1.0-9, Jonathan Soto 1.0-7, Eron Moses 1.0-6, Vincent Camarda 0.5-2. TOTALS 5-34.
TACKLES FOR LOSS (total-yards)
Miles Burris 3.0-15, Team 2.0-8, Jonathan Soto 2.0-8, Bryan Finkel 1.5-10, Eron Moses 1.0-6, Vincent Camarda 1.0-5, Kwincy Edwards 1.0-3, Logan Ketchum 1.0-2, Nick Sandford 1.0-2, Josh O'Brien 1.0-2, Ernie Lawson 1.0-1, Brandon Davis 0.5-3, Neil Spencer 0.5-1. TOTALS 16.5-66.
TEAM PASSES BROKEN UP (number)
Romeo Horn 2, Davion Mauldin 2, Dey Juan Hemmings 1, Vince Camarda 1, Aaron Moore 1, Larry Gibbs 1. TOTALS 8.
2009 San Diego State Spring Football Scrimmage #1
Aztec Practice Facility
Post Practice Quotes
SDSU Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening statement:
"In your first big scrimmage, you obviously learn a lot about your team. It is kind of a measuring stick for where we are as a football program right now. We have a long way to go. We have to take care of the ball better. We had the football on the ground after a couple of quarterback exchanges and we have to keep the offense out of the end zone when they get into the red zone. We didn't do a very good job of that and we didn't compete the way I thought we would down there defensively. Until you see the tape, you will learn a lot more and I'm sure I'll know a lot more on Monday."
On if he had any preconceived notions going into today:
"I think you always have some preconceived notions about where you are at as a team and the excitement of watching them play. Just being out there on the field by themselves is an important part of it."
On what it is like learning about a new team:
"You learn more when you see guys live and in person. They are adjusting to our style and how we are practicing - the physicalness that we want to be in everyday in practice and the execution. We are pretty demanding and we have high expectations. For the most part, the guys are doing a great job of jumping in and trying to improve everyday."
On the difference in the intensity of workouts:
"I can't answer for the years past, but I know how we are going to coach football. We are going to have an intensity, a focus and emotion everyday."
On the backup quarterback position:
"I think both of them (Drew Westling, Kelsey Sokoloski) are improving in learning the offense. I think we tried to force a couple of throws in there that they knew that they either had to throw the ball away or make a better decision with it. I think both of them are competing hard and I like how both of them have progressed."
San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley
On depth at the receiving position:
"It's a deep group. We can stick a bunch of people in there even though VJ (Vincent Brown) and Roberto (Wallace) are hurt right now. We still have got a lot of guys stepping up. There's a lot of guys who can make plays, young and old, and we're really deep in the receiver position and tight end and running backs. I like the skills (position) right now a lot. I think offensively, we're really shaping up nice."
On practice compared to last season:
"It's different. Coach Hoke brings a lot of intensity to practice. It's nice. It gets everyone jacked up and it brings a lot of energy out there and we just want to keep rolling with this."
San Diego State defensive back Nick Sandford
On adapting to new defensive coordinator in Rocky Long:
"(It's) not hard at all. The defense is pretty basic, but the way we move around it makes it more confusing for the offense. Everybody is attacking on every play; it's a lot more fun."
On teammates being excited about the direction of Aztec football:
"We're tremendously excited. The staff is great. I love the workouts we've been doing in the weight room, because it translates out onto the field and our intensity carries over. We just have to keep going through the rest of the next two weeks and work into summer training."