Offense, Defense 'Even' During Initial Spring Scrimmage

Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics

Offense, Defense 'Even' During Initial Spring Scrimmage

April 09, 2022 | Football

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State held the first of three spring scrimmages inside Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday and there were plenty of plays made on both sides of the ball.

Mike Leach's Air Raid offense produced six touchdowns while the Bulldogs' defense forced four turnovers, four sacks and added a pair of TDs as well.

"This was pretty even," Leach said. "One of the quickest signs of a decent scrimmage is if everybody is pissed. If one side is happy then something is wrong on the other side. I thought that we had good effort."

Starkville native Rufus Harvey hauled in a pair of touchdown passes on the day. Harvey made a diving catch in the back of the end zone for a 19-yard score from Will Rogers and also capped the scrimmage with a 13-yard TD from Sawyer Robertson.

"Rufus has been uncanny good for a while," Leach said. "He's played real well for the last year really. He always finds the end zone. If Rufus gets enough reps, he's always going to find his way to the end zone. That's a good knack to have. Of course in high school, Rufus was in the end zone all the time too."

Robertson also added a 14-yard scoring strike to redshirt freshman Antonio Harmon. Harmon has showcased his playmaking abilities several times early on this spring.

"He's getting better and better," Leach said of Harmon. "He's physical, naturally physical. I think that's a lesson that all those receivers can take."

Chance Lovertich tacked on a pair of touchdown passes during the scrimmage as well. Ke'Travion Hargrove turned a Lovertich shovel pass into a 35-yard touchdown after breaking it to the outside following a key block by Justin Robinson that set the edge for Hargrove to run freely down the left sideline.

Lovertich's second TD toss was a 15-yarder to J.J. Jernighan out of the backfield. The lone rushing touchdown on the day went to Dillon Johnson, plunging across the goal line from 1-yard out.

The practice featured a 7-on-7 period midway through the scrimmage that allowed true freshman Braedyn Locke to showcase what he has learned thus far. Locke connected on a pair of touchdown throws – a 20-yarder to newcomer Jordan Mosley and a 15-yarder to fellow freshman Jarnorris Hopson.

Not to be outdone, the defense definitely made its presence felt inside Davis Wade Stadium as well. Safety Corey Ellington scored the first touchdown of the day after intercepting a deflected pass and returned it 52-yards for a score.

Cornerback Decamerion Richardson was able to rip the ball away from a receiver which created an opportunity for linebacker Nathaniel Watson to scoop it up and follow a convoy of blockers for a 76-yard fumble recovery score.

Watson himself also forced a fumble earlier in the scrimmage that defensive end Randy Charlton recovered. Safety Jackie Matthews snagged an interception while linebackers DeShawn Page, Ty Cooper and John Lewis provided sacks as did defensive tackle Nathan Pickering.

Safety Eldric Griffin picked off a pass during the 7-on-7 period.

"I thought it was a pretty good first scrimmage," Leach said. "I don't think it was a great first scrimmage, but I thought it was a good one. I thought it was good work and was a good starting point."

The Bulldogs will hold their Super Bulldog Weekend scrimmage next Saturday starting at 11 a.m. The third and final scrimmage is slated for April 23. All scrimmages are free and open to the public.

"We're having three scrimmages this spring and we want to get the most out of all of them," Leach said.

For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.