Blue Hose Spring Game a Huge Success

Courtesy of Presbyterian Athletics

CLINTON, S.C. – In a fine display of collegiate football, the Presbyterian College Spring Game was a huge success Saturday morning in front of a good turnout of Blue Hose faithful.

The White Team defeated the Blue Team 24-20 as the White team forced three straight incomplete passes, got the ball back and milked the final 1:15 to hold on to the four-point victory.

Leading the way for the white team was Myron Gary, who completed 11-of-20 attempts for 157 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of his passes went to rising junior Pat McKoy, who hauled in a game-high 128 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

The White Team was effective running the ball as Trandon Dendy returned from an injury that forced him to miss the last three games of the 2009 campaign. He rushed for a game-high 82 yards, averaging a 5.9 clip while scoring twice. CeeJay Harris led the defense with five total tackles while redshirt-freshman Keyadd Miller notched four tackles, all of which were for a loss. Miller also had a sack on the day.

On the Blue Team, Brandon Miley tossed a game-best 179 yards on 14-of-29 attempts. He also recorded two touchdown passes. For the Blue Team, Derek Frost led the way with 72 receiving yards on three receptions, including a long of 60. Tyler Robbins and Hunter Counts each accounted for a touchdown reception.

Redshirt-freshman Seth Moreland scampered for a team-best 55 yards. Defensively, Iouli Burroughs posted a game-high seven tackles, including two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Rising sophomore Connor Norman tallied six unassisted tackles.

Rising sophomore Patrick Morgano punted for both teams, amassing a 37.0 average for the White Team and a 36.0 average for the Blue Team. Three of his kicks on the day were spotted inside the 20. He also had a long of 50 for the day.

After a defensive struggle the first part of the opening quarter, the White Team took over at its own 42 after a Morgano punt of 43 yards. Gary completed a 14-yard pass to McKoy on a second-and-nine. ON a third-and-10, He found Robert Bumgarner for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive alive.

On the 33-yard line, Dendy rushed for 28 yards, putting the team on the five. Two plays later, Dendy barreled through the defense for the game’s opening touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

The Blue Team countered with a quick drive. On the 31-yard line, Miley hit Frost for a 60-yard bomb that got the team to the nine-yard line. On fourth down, Moreland broke the goal line to give the team six points. However, the point after failed, leaving the score at 7-6.

The Blue Team took the lead early in the second quarter when Robbins caught a well-thrown pass from Miley for a 23-yard score. The extra point made the score 13-7.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the half, Gary put the White Team ahead, hitting McKoy for a 26-yard touchdown on a superb athletic play near the sideline of the end-zone. However, the Blue Team countered with a touchdown of its own as Miley found Counts on a fade pattern for a 12-yard strike, putting the Blue Team ahead 20-14.

As time wound down in the half, Aaron Mayes pulled the White Team within three on a 41-yard field goal as time expired.

The teams decided to play a full fourth quarter – and the White team stopped the Blue Team on the opening drive of the final stanza, getting the ball back just 49 seconds in. Taking over on the opposing 45-yard line, Gary drilled McKoy for a sensational play, putting the ball at the 23. Five plays later, Dendy ran in for a nine-yard touchdown for what turned out to be the final score of the day in the 111 play scrimmage.

“We had a good day of football,” head coach Harold Nichols said. “There were a couple end of quarter – game-type situations where teams were put in the two-minute offense and did a good job. We have had a great winter and spring up to this point and what we do the next three months will determine the success we have in the fall.

“We have improved since the start of the spring and we did what we needed to do this spring. We are coming out of spring practice with no big injuries, but we have a long way to go. We have our young players maturing and need to continue the process as we are progressing and starting to be the team that we want to be. I am proud of our effort and of what we have accomplished as a team.

“The 2010 schedule is the most challenging in PC’s football history. Our team is prepared for the challenge it will face. We are looking forward to playing in those arenas and for laying the foundation for where this program is headed. It is a journey that we are going to be on.”

The players will report for fall practice Aug. 3 and the first game of the season is Sep. 2 at Wake Forest. The game time has not been announced, but the game will be carried on television.