Offense Makes Strides in First Scrimmage
August 17, 2002 | Football
Aug. 17, 2002
It was a day of positives for the University of Louisville football team on Saturday as the Cards' offense, led by a strong showing from its young line, made significant gains in the first scrimmage of the 2002 season.
Unlike several scrimmages during the spring season in which the U of L offense was unable to move the ball, Saturday's scrimmage showed significant progress on the offensive side of the ball, especially on the line which protects Heisman Trophy candidate Dave Ragone.
Not to be confused, the Cardinal defense still dominated play on the field as evidence by one stretch in which it tallied four consecutive sacks. However, if the scrimmage showed anything, it proved that the young U of L offensive line, which is replacing four of five starters from last season, can compete with the Cards' dominating defensive front, widely considered among the nation's elite units.
"We made progress today," said Ragone, whose on-line diary on ESPN.com made its debut on Saturday. "The guys up front did a good job today, if we can block that defense, we can block anyone."
Head coach John L. Smith agreed with Ragone's assessment.
"We are making progress with each practice," Smith said. "I'm a lot happier walking off this field than I thought I was going to be heading into the scrimmage. We're making small strides and you can tell that our guys are getting more confident with each snap of the ball."
Ragone finished the day completing 6-of-13 passes for 71 yards, including a 38-yard pass to Damien Dorsey to setup a two-yard scoring run by Lionel Gates against the No. 2 defense on the first offensive series.
Playing with the No. 2 offense against the No. 1 defense, Stefan LeFors completed 5-of-11 passes for 89 yards, including a 42-yard strike to Tiger Jones and a spectacular catch by Dontay Spillman on a 29-yard completion in which the junior college transfer elevated over cornerback Josh Minkins to haul in the ball.
While the Cards made strides on the offensive side of the ball, the defense continues to impress with speed and depth at virtually every position across the board. In addition to the suffocating play of the starting defense, the Cards' No. 2 and No. 3 units proved to be more than capable of causing problems for the offense, regardless of which offensive unit they faced.
Other highlights on the day included an 85-yard punt return by senior safety Anthony Floyd.
