Aug. 27, 2005

EAST LANSING, Mich. - With temperatures in the mid-60s, Michigan State third-year head coach John L. Smith sent his team through a 147-play "controlled" scrimmage in Spartan Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The 2 1/2-hour scrimmage featured 54 running plays and 46 passing plays.

"I wasn't a happy camper when I came off the field Tuesday, but after looking at the video, the scrimmage wasn't nearly as bad as I first thought," Coach Smith said. "The first-team offense executed well and produced big plays. With Drew Stanton in the lineup, the first-team offense ran like clockwork. I also saw improvement in our operating procedures. Our overall execution was much better on both sides of the football. The first scrimmage was sloppy -in terms of how we used our hands, in our execution and sloppy in getting into the proper formations.

"I was disappointed in the overall operation of the second-team offense and defensively, we made too many mistakes and gave up far too many big plays. The big plays remain a major concern. We simply can't afford to surrender that many big plays."

Quarterback Drew Stanton (6-3, 222, Jr.), who played just six snaps with the first-team offense, directed two scoring drives. On the second play from scrimmage, Stanton hooked up with Kyle Brown (6-1, 210, Sr.) for a 63-yard scoring play. His 25-yard completion to Terry Love (5-11, 173, So.) on the second series set up another scoring pass to Brown, this time a 44-yard bomb. Stanton finished 3-for-3 for 132 yards.

"Drew Stanton has worked extremely hard at improving his accuracy, especially in throwing the deep ball," Smith said. "I really believe that he's improved at making all of the throws. It's exciting because he's made some great throws in preseason camp."

Red-shirt freshman Brian Hoyer (6-2, 204), who took snaps with both the first and second units, connected on 10-of-21 passes for 36 yards and two interceptions. Despite posting modest passing totals, Hoyer directed four scoring drives, resulting in two touchdowns and two field goals. His 9-yard scramble set up a 32-yard field goal by John Goss (6-3, 218, Jr.). Hoyer's 18-yard completion to Jehuu Caulcrick (6-0, 245, So.) led to another field goal, this time a 42-yarder by Kyle Mayer (6-1, 210, Jr.).

Freshman Domenic Natale (6-1, 185) saw action primarily with the second unit but quarterbacked one series with the first-team offense. Natale, who hit 10-of-16 throws for 115 yards and one interception, engineered two TD drives. Natale capped a 12-play, 79-yard march with a 22-yard TD strike to Kerry Reed (6-2, 198, Jr.), who made the grab between two defenders. He scored on a 7-yard keeper around left end to finish off an 11-play, 66-yard drive.

"We'd really like for a quarterback to emerge and establish himself as the clear No. 2," Smith said. "Brian Hoyer definitely has a better grasp of the system at this point; but with his running ability, Domenic Natale is capable of manufacturing big plays. The bottom line is that we need to continue to get Brian and Dom as many reps as possible in practice."

Freshmen A.J. Jimmerson (5-10, 195) and Javon Ringer (5-9, 195) again got the bulk of the carries, combining to rush for 125 yards on 30 attempts. Jimmerson led the well-balanced ground attack with 75 yards on 16 carries, including a 16-yard TD run. Ringer gained 50 yards on 14 attempts, including runs of 12 and 13 yards. Jason Teague (5-9, 193, Sr.) produced 39 yards on three carries, including runs of 14 and 19 yards, while Caulcrick contributed 34 yards on five attempts, including a long of 18 yards.

"We're blessed to have two talented freshmen backs," Smith said. "We'd prefer to play one guy this fall and red-shirt the other. These guys are so good that we'd like to create a class separation between the two of them."

Reed had a scrimmage-best six receptions for 63 yards as 12 different receivers caught at least one pass. Brown and tight end Dwayne Holmes (6-0, 254, R-Fr.) had three catches each for 119 and 57 yards, respectively. Holmes' first grab covered 48 yards and resulted in a TD.

"I really like Kerry Reed," Smith said. "He's a mature, sharp receiver that has picked up the offensive system in an amazingly short period of time. Kerry has good size, good hands and plays with great effort. He's a natural receiver, meaning that he doesn't fight the ball when making a catch. I'm pleased with his development, and I expect him to play a bundle this fall.

"It's really nice to see Dwayne Holmes land in a spot where he can contribute. He definitely has the ability to play the position. How quickly he absorbs the material will determine the extent of his playing time. We'll prepare a package that's manageable for him to play. Dwayne provides a physical presence at the wing, so he can step inside and knock defenders off the ball. He can do the same thing from the natural tight end position as well because at 250-plus pounds, he isn't afraid to fight and battle at the point of attack. Dwayne is making steady progress every day."

Domata Peko recorded four tackles, including two sacks (8 yards), in the second preseason scrimmage.

Linebacker Eric Andino (6-4, 232, So.) produced a scrimmage-best 11 tackles, including an 8-yard sack. Defensive tackle Domata Peko (6-2, 320, Sr.) recorded four tackles, including two sacks (8 yards), while defensive end Clifton Ryan (6-2, 302, Jr.) posted a tackle for loss plus an interception. Cornerback Ashton Watson (5-11, 189, Sr.) and safety Kyle Rowley (5-10, 197, R-Fr.) each intercepted a pass.

"Eric Andino played well," Smith said. "We've given Eric a ton of snaps, so things are finally beginning to click for him. That's good to see because we're counting on Eric to contribute this fall.

"Domata Peko has improved a great deal since the end of last season. He's improved his speed and strength, and as a result, he's making more plays in the offensive backfield."

Michigan State's 2005 season and home opener, Sept. 3 vs. Kent State, will be televised by ESPN Plus, with kickoff set for noon EDT.