Josh Harper fights for more yards after a catch from quarterback Marcus
McDade in Sunday’s spring game. The Red squad beat the White squad, 21-14.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian
The spring game marked the final time the public will see the revamped Bulldog football program before fall
Sunday’s annual football spring game was highlighted by an X-factor that has torched Fresno State in recent years — big plays.
Wide receivers Victor Dean (Red team) and Davante Adams (White team) provided two scores apiece for their respective squads.
With a mix of starters and reserves on both units, the Red team outlasted the White team, 21-14. Last year’s starting quarterback Derek Carr engineered just two series for the Red team in the first quarter and tossed a touchdown to Dean.
Carr and first-team all-conference running back Robbie Rouse played sparingly, opening the door for reserves such as quarterbacks Greg Watson and Marcus McDade to shine.
Trying to implement brand-new schemes on both sides of the ball, DeRuyter admitted Sunday’s showcase was a bit sloppy, but was pleased that it gave his roster a chance to compete.
“It was a little bit sloppy ”” way too many turnovers,” DeRuyter said. “But it was fun to see our guys compete against each other. They had some fun out there.”
The Red team jumped out to an early 7-0 lead off the Carr-to-Dean touchdown.
But the big play of the day came on the first play from scrimmage in the second half when Watson found Adams deep over the middle for a 70-yard scoring strike to even the score up at 7-7.
From there McDade built a big enough lead for the Red team to pull out the victory, tossing second-half touchdowns to Dean and running back Milton Knox. McDade completed 6-of-8 passes for 83 yards. Watson led the day with 230 yards through the air and pair of scores to Adams.
Although the ‘Dogs still have yet to master the offensive and defensive playbook, including a very different up-tempo offensive attack, Carr is excited about the talent on the current roster.
“There’s so much talent on this team, it’s crazy,” Carr said.
“It’s fun to watch everybody compete and the level we’re competing at right now is fun to watch.”
At the conclusion of Sunday’s spring game, DeRuyter emphasized the importance of turnovers, a key selling point over the past four weeks. The game was the final time the public could view the Bulldogs until fall camp opens in August.