Though the offense was the MSU football team's stronger unit
during spring preseason practice, it was the defense that stole the
spotlight during the first half of the 2014 Green and White game.
Sophomore safety Demetrious Cox, redshirt freshman
defensive end Demetrius Cooper and junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun
each had moments of brilliance as the Green team and White team are
tied at halftime, 13-13.
Calhoun was particularly impressive for the Green team with two
sacks, two tackles, a blocked field goal and a quarterback hurry.
Overcoming
a slow start, sophomore quarterback Tyler O'Connor helped the Green
team bounce back from a 13-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter, completing
10-of-17 passes for 101 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Junior quarterback Connor Cook was solid in
the first quarter but struggled in the second, going 4-of-8 for 88 yards, a
touchdown, and an interception.
Senior wide receiver Tony Lippett has six receptions for 88 yards.
O'Connor, who started under center for the Green
team, was intercepted by sophomore cornerback Jermaine Edmundson at the
Green 40 yard line just 20 seconds into the game. On the next
play, redshirt freshman quarterback Damion Terry, who played for both
sides, showcased his athleticism, rushing 23 yards to score the first
touchdown of the afternoon for the White team.
With 6:30 to go in the first quarter, Cook
connected with junior wideout Aaron Burbridge for a 26-yard touchdown,
capping off an 86-yard drive. The extra point was blocked, leaving the
White team with a 13-0 lead.
The Green team missed an opportunity to score
towards the end of the first half, as sophomore kicker Michael Geiger
missed a 38-yard kick wide left to cap off a 12-play, 59-yard drive.
After a strong first half, Cook was
less-than-steller in the second half, throwing his first incompletion on
a pass intended for Burbridge.Cook threw an interception on the
next play, with Cox catching the pick and returning the ball 21 yards
to the White 31 yard line.
Despite the early touchdown, Terry struggled on the
following Green drive, throwing an incompletion to Lippett and taking a
sack from Cooper. Terry seemed to be uncomfortable with his
passing, going 1-3 on pass attempts, for a total of 22 passing yards, to
go with four rush attempts
The drive ended with a field goal kick at the 31, cutting the White lead to 10, 13-3.
O'Connor
was improved on yet another scoring drive for the Green team, looking
comfortable as he competed throws to senior wideout Keith Mumphrey and
Lippett to set up a field goal by Geiger, making it a seven-point game.
Another strong drive by O'Connor brought the game to a
13-13 tie at the conclusion of the first half. Following an eight-yard
rush out of the pocket, O'Connor found sophomore tight end Jamal Lyles
for a 12-yard reception and first down.
O'Connor finished the drive with a 14-yard pass to
Mumphrey to help the Green team close a 13-point deficit with a 13-point
run to end the half.
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