TSU Tiger Camp 2018: Day 9 - First Scrimmage

PHOTO GALLERY

Scrimmage #1
Venue: William J. Hale Stadium
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 89
Total Plays: 96

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State took part in its first scrimmage of the 2018 season on Saturday morning. The Tigers opened with a 7-on-7 session before engaging in a 96 play scrimmage. The practice game saw a couple breaks which were filled by punt and field goal sessions.

The offense started strong, but was plagued by penalties throughout the day. Transfer quarterback Demry Croft took 37 snaps, while Micheal Hughes worked 28 and transfer Cameron Rosendahl took 26.

Rosendahl threw the only touchdown pass of the day, a 25 yard connection to fellow Georgia Military College transfer Major Bellamy. The offense would add to the scoring with a pair of field goals.

Defensively, the Tigers recorded nine sacks and two fumble recoveries. Redshirt junior Dante' Ferguson led the charge with three sacks and five tackles. Illinois transfer Christion Abercrombie registered a scrimmage high six tackles, including one sack.

TOTALS

• Rushing: 24 carries for 90 yards
• Passing: 24-of-40 for 162 yards
• Touchdowns: One
• Sacks: Nine
• Dante' Ferguson notched three sacks
• Mekhi Brown, Christion Abercrombie, Justin Culpepper, Dwayne Johnson, Timerik Cook and James Green all recorded a sack
• James Green forced a  fumble
• Shakur Jackson and Vincent Sellers recovered fumbles

THE SCRIMMAGE

• The Demry Croft led offense used 13 plays to travel 40 yards on the opening drive (no play or attempt was ran on fourth down).
• Croft went 4-for-6 on the series for 29 yards, including three to Kyle Oliver for 23 yards.
• Justin Culpepper recorded a sack of 11 yards to help stall the drive.
• Cameron Rosendahl moved the second drive across midfield by completing 4-of-5 passes for 23 yards.
• The defense forced its first of six three-and-outs before Micheal Hughes took the field for his first series.
• Hughes drove the offense 48 yards and produced the first points of the scrimmage, a 44 yard field goal by freshman Antonio Zita.
• Wide receiver Treon Harris gained 20 yards on three plays, while transfer running back DeMarco Corbin busted a 15 yard run to cross the 50 yard line.
• The scrimmage was followed by a "3rd down scenario", a Red Zone drill and a 2-Minute Offense series.

RED ZONE DRILL

• Croft ran the first two series', both ending with no points.
• The first series ended as a ball was dropped in the end zone (no fourth down play or attempt was made).
• The second series ended as Zita's 38 yard attempt went off the right upright.
• Rosendahl wasted no time in his first series as he hit Major Bellamy for a 25-yard score.
• On the transfers second series, he again looked to his former Georgia Military Academy teammate on three occasions.
• Bellamy caught the first pass for nine yards before dropping a pass in the end zone.
• Two plays later, the duo combined for another scoring pass, but the play was negated on an illegal man down field penalty.
• Freshman kicker Kaleb Mosley notched another three points with a 28 yard field goal.

TWO MINUTE DRILL

• Micheal Hughes hit Sabree Curtis for 10 yards on the first play of the drill.
• After keeping the ball for a six yard gain, Hughes crossed the 50 with an 11 yard pass to Aaron Cauthen.
• Hughes once again used his legs to keep the drive alive with a 14 yard scamper on a 3rd and 10.
• The Tigers fell short of scoring as a 47 yard field goal attempt failed on the final snap before the clock expired.

OFFENSE

• Junior transfer Demry Croft finished 9-of-18 for 50 yards
• Redshirt junior Michael Hughes was 8-for-12 for 50 yards.
• Junior transfer Cameron Rosendahl completed 7-of-10 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.
• Treon Harris led all rushers with 20 yards.
• Aaron Cauthen and Sabree Curtis led all receivers with four catches, while Major Bellamy went for 34 yards on two receptions.

DEFENSE

• Christion Abercrombie had a scrimmage high six tackles and one sack.
• Dante' Ferguson mad five stops with three sacks.
• Dajour Nesbeth, LaQuarius Cook, Justin Culpepper, Josh Green and James Green all notched three tackles.
• Culpepper made two of his three stops behind the line of scrimmage, including a sack.
• Khalil Jones recorded the only other tackle for loss that was not a sack.
• Nick Harper, Jr. registered a pass breakup.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Second scrimmage will take place on Sat., August 18
• The Senior Kickoff Luncheon is set for Fri., August 24
• Fan day will be held on Sat., August 25
• Mock Game is set for the evening of Sat., August 25
• Tennessee State will face Bethune-Cookman in the John Merritt Classic on Sat., September 1

Redshirt-Senior Safety LaQuarius Cook- On how the defense performed in the scrimmage
“I think it was alright. We had a lot of places we could improve, but there’s a learning curve. We’re just going to come out and learn from it. We had some guys step up and did some good things for us like Josh Green, Ray Coggins, Nick Harper. We expect that out of them. We’ll keep learning and getting better.”

- On having experience among the safeties and cornerbacks
“We’ve got to keep our d-line and front seven lined up. Our linebackers are pretty smart. The d-line, the plus for them is there are lot of them. We have a lot of depth there. We’ll just be going in and out, keeping them fresh, keeping them going, and get them ready for the next play.”

Redshirt-Junior Offensive Lineman Lachavious Simmons- On the play of the offensive line in the scrimmage
“I think we did pretty well today. We’ve just got to be more mentally focused. We’re going to be good.”

- On scrimmaging
“It’s good for us. It kind of saves our legs as opposed to doing all the individual drills. Coach E (Ehrenfeld) has prepared us all camp, and we just have to drive the ball down the field and score."

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS