Aug. 10, 2012
Photo Gallery
Bronx, N.Y. -
The Fordham offense and defense both showed good signs of things to come in the first scrimmage of camp under the lights on Jack Coffey Field on Thursday night with the offense scoring seven touchdowns and the defense forcing four turnovers.
The two quarterbacks fighting for the starting nod both had strong games with Ryan Higgins completing 13 of 20 for 139 yards and four touchdowns and Peter Maetzold making good on 15 of 21 attempts for 176 yards and one score.
"It looked like a first scrimmage," said head coach Joe Moorhead. "It was the first time we had the opportunity to put the operation on the field with referees. There were a few too many penalties but I think there was good competition on both sides of the ball."
The scrimmage started with the offense on its own one and the first offense picked up a first down on the third play from scrimmage when Higgins connected with Dan Light for a ten yard gain.
The next play saw more success for the offense as Maetzold hit Jeramie Brown with a pass in the backfield and Brown turned it into a 16-yard gain.
The defense got back on the ensuing play when Michael Martin picked off a deflected pass from Maetzold.
Brown got the offense back on track on the next possession, taking the ball for a 15-yard gain on first down.
The ball was then moved to the 35 where the offense faced first-and-ten. The defense forced the offense to a three-and-out on the first series but the offense made short work of it on the next when Higgins found Carlton Koonce in the flat and Koonce turned it into a 67-yard scoring play.
The second offense also scored on the next possession as Maetzold moved the squad from their own 35 to the one, connecting on five straight passes. Jared Crayton covered the final yard for the score.
The third offense had the same result with Nick Glogau at quarterback as he took the team from the 35 to the defense's 31 where he hit Phazahn Odom over the middle and Odom raced 25 yards to the end zone.
The defense then dug in for the next three series, stopping Koonce short on a fourth-and-one from its own 44 (Koonce fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the defense) and the allowing the offense to move to the defense's 33 where Michael Marando pushed a 50-yard field goal attempt to the left. On the third series, Anthony Pesanello opened the series with a sack of Maetzold and Austin Hancock broke up a Maetzold pass on third down to force the offense to punt.
The offense picked up a first down on the next possession with a 21-yard completion from Higgins to Sam Ajala but a penalty pushed the offense back and incomplete passes on second and third downs forced the squad to punt.
Another penalty and a Justin Yancey sack on the following series stalled the offense, which was forced to punt for the third straight possession.
The scenario then switched to red zone offense with the unit taking over on the defense's 25. On the first series, Koonce gained eleven yards on two carries before
DeAndre Slate sacked Higgins back to the 14. But two plays later, Higgins found Ajala in the corner of the end zone for the score.
The next series didn't end so well for the offense as, on the second play from scrimmage, Khary Powell intercepted a Glogau pass, Powell's second pick of the night, to end the drive.
The defense again stopped the offense on the ensuing series with the drive stalling on the 21 where Kevin Levin missed on a 35-yard field goal attempt.
The offense got revenge on the next series with Higgins hooking up with Brian Wetzel for a 12-yard gain on the first play and Crayton gaining ten with two proceeding rushes. Higgins then covered the final three yards on his own for the touchdown.
The defense stepped up on the final red zone series, using a Nick Krejci sack and an offensive holding penalty to force the offense to attempt a long field goal. But Patrick Murray put points on the board for the offense with a 45-yard field goal.
The field goal spurred the offense as the unit scored on the next two series. On the first, Higgins connected with Greg Wilson for a 15-yard scoring strike while Maetzold found Wetzel with a seven-yard scoring pass two plays later.
The final series was a two minute drill and the offense capped the night with a 59-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown pass from Higgins to Andrew Spanarkel.
Fordham Fall Scrimmage - 1
August 9, 2012 - Jack Coffey Field
Offense
Rushing (Attempts-Yards-TDs):
Carlton Koonce 8-23-0; Jared Crayton 5-18-1; Jeramie Brown 3-29-0; Andrew Erenberg 2-20-0; Ryan Higgins 2-7-1; Daniel Avedesian 2-9-0.
Passing (Completions-Attempts-Yards-TDs):
Ryan Higgins 13-20-139-4; Peter Maetzold 15-21-176-1: Nick Glogau 6-9-79-1.
Receiving (Receptions-Yards-TDs):
Sam Ajala 4-44-1; Brian Wetzel 4-54-1; Blake Wayne 4-15-0; Jeramie Brown 3-36-0; Dan Light 2-36-0; Phazahn Odom 2-22-1; Greg Wilson 2-23-1; Marc DeSisto 2-24-0; Carlton Koonce 1-67-1; Andrew Spanarkel 1-40-1; Alex Leo 1-13-0; James Avedesian 1-6-0; Ben Johnson 1-4-0.
Field Goals
Patrick Murray: Made: 45.
PAT (Made-Att.)
Michael Marando 2-2; Patrick Murray 3-3; Kevin Levin 2-2.
Defense
Tackles (Solo-AT-For Loss-Sack-PBU):
Jordan Chapman 3-1-1-0-0; DeAndre Slate 3-1-0-2-0; Jake Dixon 3-0-0-0-0; Brendan Melanophy 2-1-0-0-0; Michael Martin 1-2-0-0-1; Kassim Forbes 2-0-0-0-0; David Barletta 2-0-0-1-0; Nick Krejci 2-0-0-1-0; David Conroy 2-0-0-0-0; Nick Merino 2-0-0-0-0; Ian Williams 2-0-0-0-0; JQ Bowers 1-1-0-0-0; De'Nard Pinckney 1-1-0-0-0; Robert Palmer 1-1-0-0-0; Jake Rodriques 1-1-0-0-0; Khary Powell 1-0-0-0-1; Justin Yancey 1-0-0-1-0; Austin Hancock 0-2-0-0-1; Anthony Pesanello 1-0-0-1-0; Eric Darnell 1-0-0-0-0; Damien Stevens 1-0-0-0-0; Nick Womack 1-0-0-0-0; Richard Foligno 0-1-0-0-0; Roman Herman 0-1-0-0-0.
Interceptions
Khary Powell 2, Michael Martin 1.
Punting (No.-Yards-Avg.-Long)
Patrick Murray 2-83-41.5-48; Kevin Levin 2-85-42.5-50.
Notes
Whiting Returns: Former Fordham running back Darryl Whiting attended the scrimmage. He led the Fordham ground game last year, gaining 668 yards on 171 carries, an average of 3.9 yards/carry and 60.7 yards/game, with one touchdown. He was fourth in the Patriot League in rushing yards per game last year.
Practice, Practice, Practice: The Rams ended the scrimmage by singing the Fordham Fight Song, a practice they hope to repeat for numerous games this year as the Rams perform the song after each win.
Off Day: The Rams will be of the field on Friday though they will have something to do as Friday is photo day with head shots and the team picture being taken in the afternoon. The Rams return to the field on Saturday for their second day of double sessions.
