The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Scrimmage Saturday For First Time In Fall Camp
8/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 15, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Big plays were the name of the game Saturday afternoon as the UAB football team went through its first scrimmage of fall camp on the campus practice field.
Starting quarterback Joe Webb threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another while fellow signal-caller David Isabelle tossed for two scores and led all passers with 170 yards through the air.
The scoring tosses all came from 19 yards or further with Isabelle hitting on the two longest plays. The redshirt freshman quarterback found Frantrell Forrest on a 38-yard strike and then hit Nick Adams on a short route that the receiver took 50 yards for a score.
"The biggest thing is we wanted to see who is going to work hard and who this is important to," UAB head coach Neil Callaway said. "Obviously, we're still going to make some mistakes at this stage of the game, but we have three weeks left, so we can get those mistakes corrected. The biggest thing is we have to have guys that are going to play hard and care about winning football games for UAB."
Junior Mario Wright led the receiving corps with 58 yards on three catches, while senior Sylvester Mencer also hauled in three passes for 49 yards. In addition to the Forrest and Adams touchdown catches, Webb connected with Roddell Carter (23 yards) and Patrick Hearn (19 yards) for scores.
The running game was another area of success Saturday as a trio of backs eclipsed the 50-yard mark. Justin Brooks racked up 74 yards on just three carries, while Jim Mitchell ran nine times for 70 yards. Daniel Borne added 50 yards on six carries.
"Daniel Borne did some nice things running the football, and Jim Mitchell did some nice things," Callaway said. "I also saw some runs that were there that our guys didn't make. I do think we've improved in that area, but I think we still have room to improve more."
Blazer quarterbacks went without an interception in the scrimmage, although the defensive unit managed to force two fumbles. One of the fumbles was caused by cornerback Terrell Springs, who also led all defenders with 10 tackles. Fellow corner Andre Hicks forced the other fumble and added six tackles.
"Defensively, I saw some nice things," Callaway said. "Darrion Wilson made some nice plays as did a few other guys. The biggest thing I noticed defensively is we didn't have any pass rush all day. It's going to make it difficult on our defense if we can't come up with some kind of pressure."
Back on the offensive side, Mike Jones finished as a third Blazer receiver with three catches, while Isabelle added 48 yards on the ground. Fellow quarterback Bryan Ellis finished the scrimmage a perfect 5-for-5 for 29 yards.
UAB then closed the afternoon with a session of situational work, running plays from the 15-yard line and in.
The Blazers return to the practice field Monday as they continue to work toward the season-opener, which is slated for Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. against Rice at Legion Field.
SCRIMMAGE STATS
Passing: Webb 9-14, 128 yards, 2 TD; Isabelle 9-17, 170 yards, 2 TD; Ellis 5-5, 29 yards; Bento 2-5, 13 yards.
Rushing Leaders: Brooks 3-74; Mitchell 9-70; Borne 6-50; Isabelle 4-48; Barnett 9-34; Webb 4-23, 1 TD.
Receiving Leaders: Wright 3-58; N. Adams 2-53, 1 TD; Mencer 3-49; Forrest 1-38, 1 TD; Anderson 2-31; Carter 1-23, 1 TD; Lankford 2-20; Hearn 1-19, 1 TD; M. Jones 3-17; Heath 2-14.
Tackle Leaders: Springs 10; Daniel 6; Hicks 6; K. Harris 4; Allen 4; Henigan 4; Amarikwa 3; Coleman 3; Ferguson 3; Ware 3; Burdette 3; Franklin 3.
