Conner Throws For 3 TDs; Sparks MSU In Scrimmage
Conner, who completed eight-of-14 passes for 175 yards, sparked an offense Thursday which had failed to score in its first scrimmage this past Saturday.
"I thought the offense started better today, but got a little sloppy there toward the end with a bunch of pre-snap penalties," MSU head coach Sylvester Croom said. "There?s no question that Omarr has made the most drastic improvement of anyone over the past three-to-four days. He is understanding what we want from him, and he is showing some poise back there. I think we have him going in the right direction."
Conner hooked up with rising senior wide receiver McKinley Scott (Tunica, Miss.) on a pair of scoring plays. The first, a 64-yard dart down the center of the field, came on the unit?s second possession. Scott?s second TD grab came on a first-down play in a short-field situation from 22 yards away. Conner also tossed a short scoring pass to rising senior fullback Darnell Jones (Greenwood, Miss.).
The ground game also produced three scores, all coming in controlled, short-field situations. Rising senior halfback Fred Reid (Tampa, Fla.) scored twice, and converted halfback Carlton Rice (Huntsville, Ala.), who redshirted as a linebacker this past fall, tallied the final scrimmage touchdown.
"I think the offensive line got better," Croom said, "but they still have a long way to go. The defensive front is wearing down a little bit. I?m sure it has to do with numbers, but we have what we have. They?ve got to shut people down."
SCORING
Scott 64 pass from Conner (no PAT attempt)
D.Jones 16 pass from Conner (Andrews kick)
Scott 22 pass from Conner (Andrews kick)
Reid 7 run (no PAT attempt)
Andrews 37 FG
Andrews 50 FG
Reid 1 run (no PAT attempt)
Rice 3 run (no PAT attempt)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING- Norwood 7- 24, Jude 6- 22, Rice 7- 15 TD, Mills 5- 13, Reid 9- 7 2TD, Morgan 1- (- 3), Nelson 3- (- 15), Conner 3- (- 18).
PASSING- Conner 8- 14- 0- 175 3TD, Nelson 6- 8- 0- 47, Morgan 2- 3- 0- 29.
RECEIVING- Scott 3- 122 2TD, Threadgill 3- 45, Da. Jones 1- 16 TD, Norwood 1- 13, Pettit 1- 12, Signaigo 1- 11, Rice 1- 10, Reid 1- 9, Do.Jones 1- 6, Milons 1- 3, Sanders 1- 2, Sherrod 1- 2.
TACKLES- Horton 5, Powell 5, M.Evans 4, Griffith 4, Hannibal 4, Clark 3, Dockery 3, Fuller 3, Tate 3, Upton 3, D.Williams 3, Bennett 2, Culberson 2, Fields 2, Griffin 2, Hampton 2, J.Johnson 2, Kern 2, McDougal 2, Robinson 2, Arant 1, Byrdsong 1, Heard 1, Hill 1, Jack 1, Johnson 1, Nelson 1, Perry 1, Swain 1, Yarbrough 1.
SACKS- Heard 1- 11, Powell 1- 8, Hampton 1- 5, Robinson 1- 4, Jack 1- 3.
TACKLES FOR LOSS- Robinson 2- 8, Hampton 2- 7, Heard 1- 11, Powell 1- 8, Dockery 1- 4, Hannibal 1- 4, Horton 1- 4, Jack 1- 3, McDougal 1- 3, Arant 1- 2, Clark 1- 2, Bennett 1- 1, Tate 1- 1, Upton 1- 1.
PASS BREAKUPS- McKinley 1- 1, Robinson 1.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES- Bennett 1, Cooper 1, Smith 1