The scoring system of the annual spring game was complex, but the end result had more on the line than just improvement for the Elon University football team. While the offense technically won the scrimmage that wrapped up spring practice by a score of 61-50, the prize for the winners was free food from a local fast food chain, Cookout.
“We came in just trying to make plays on defense,” said junior linebacker Odell Benton. “Everybody was just trying to make plays, especially with the competition we had with the point system. The winner got free Cookout, so we on defense really wanted that.”
Though the offense came away with the free food, the seemingly much improved defense came away with more than expected following the scrimmage.
With a new defensive coordinator in Brad Sherrod taking over for Ed Pinkham after the 2012 season, the focus was to not only learn Sherrod’s new system, but to also focus on stopping the run.
Benton said the system under Pinkham was potentially “too complex.” He said the new system allows the group to get back to the basics of football.
“Our last defense was a lot more complex, but things were too complex,” Benton said. “We’re getting back to basics now and working on our base defense. It’s going back to focusing on the run and not doing anything too complicated and just focusing on getting really good at that one thing.”
With junior quarterback Mike Quinn under center to start the game, the defense held Quinn’s offense under control and didn’t them advance far before creating turnovers.
On the third play of the game, Quinn completed his second pass of the evening to sophomore receiver Andre Davis. Upon being tackled, Davis coughed up the ball and Benton recovered to reset the offense.
On the fifth play of drive No. 2, Quinn dropped back to pass to the right side and found Ricky Brown in the flat. The ball went through the sophomore’s hands and into the waiting arms of senior defensive back David Wood.
“The defense was running in and out all over,” said head coach Jason Swepson. “We created depth and that’s something we haven’t had since I’ve been here.”
Though they were the only two turnovers the defense could force, the unit raced around the field throughout the course of the game not allowing any of the three quarterbacks to take deep shots down the field. However, the two times Quinn and sophomore transfer quarterback Trevor Vasey took chances, pass interference penalties were called.
On the first attempt, Quinn was looking for junior Danny Sellers down the left sideline. The penalty put the Elon offense in the red zone for the first time in the game. Sophomore running back Tracey Coppedge scampered 19 yards to the 1-yard line before redshirt freshman running back B.J. Bennett took the ball in three plays later from three yards out.
Of the three offensive touchdowns scored, Bennett scored two of them on short goal line carries.
“We missed B.J. last year event though he was a freshman,” Swepson said. “He showed us what he can do. They’re going to be something special to watch watching them develop over the years.”
Late in the game when Vasey took a chance down field, the pass interference penalty set up Bennett’s second touchdown of the game.
The lone lengthy pass play in the books came from Quinn on a bubble screen to the right side to Davis. The receiver put a move on junior defensive back Miles Williams and found himself free in the open field for a 47-yard touchdown.
That accounted for more than half of Davis’s receiving yards in the scrimmage as he finished with eight receptions for 86 yards and the touchdown.
“(Davis) had the best spring that we didn’t see coming,” Swepson said. “’Juice’ hasn’t been healthy since (North Carolina) Central (University) last year. He was limping around the whole year and we forgot how talented that young man is. Here he is full go, he’s a playmaker and he proved it all spring.”
This season, Elon will face four option offenses. The first of which comes in the form of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 31. With many question marks and youth on the on the offensive side of the ball, Benton knows the importance of the defense shouldering a heavy portion of the load for the Phoenix to succeed in 2013.
“We’re definitely going to have to carry the team a little bit,” Benton said. “Especially with the younger guys and losing Thomas (Wilson) and (Aaron Mellette) on offense and a couple offensive linemen, we’re definitely putting it on our shoulders. We’re going to come in this year and try not to put the offense in any bad positions and stop the run.”
The team will report to training camp on Aug. 3 in preparation for the Aug. 31 trip to Atlanta, Ga. to face the Yellow Jackets.
“You never know what is going to happen down at Georgia Tech,” Swepson said. “But we have to have healthy bodies and develop a strong 22 on defense. I don’t know if we can develop 22 on offense, but we can develop 22 on defense.”