Crimson Wins #IUFB Spring Game, 42-36, in Overtime
4/13/2017 10:38:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The fans in attendance at the Indiana Football Cream & Crimson Spring Game received more than they previously anticipated. While they were treated to free food, honorary coaches Jon and Jim Gruden, and a youth clinic, the Hoosiers added to the day with an overtime result in the on-field action.
Team Crimson emerged victorious with a 42-36 overtime victory, the first spring game under head coach Tom Allen. Allen's plan to draft the two teams with assistant defensive coordinator Mark Hagen (Crimson) and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord (Cream) at the helm paid in full, as the back-and-forth contest turned an offseason exhibition into a fight to the finish.
It was Team Cream who ignited the scoreboard with an 8-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter. Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow honed his sights on redshirt junior wide receiver Simmie Cobbs, Jr., for the 24-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Crimson responded with a 12-play touchdown drive spanning nearly half of the 12-minute quarter, capped by redshirt freshman quarterback Payton Ramsey's dash to the pylon from 11 yards out.
Crimson ended the first quarter with a momentum-shifting series of plays. Fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant jumped a route for the Hoosiers' first takeaway of the evening, setting up a short field for his offense. Ramsey rewarded Fant's effort with a 23-yard toss to senior tight end Ian Thomas, giving Crimson a 14-7 lead.
Although neither team could punch through the end zone in the second quarter, the game opened with a jolt in the third. Crimson reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out a reverse handoff for sophomore Marcelino Ball. Usually a defensive standout, Ball seized the opportunity and scampered 22 yards to the 47-yard line after finding himself deep in the backfield.
Ramsey's day wasn't over, as he turned Ball's highlight play into his second passing touchdown. The seven-play, 75-yard drive ended with a slick red zone play, a right side fade route to redshirt freshman wide receiver Taysir Mack. It was a superlative effort by Mack to make the grab, as he had to leap over his defensive mark and bring the ball to the ground on the edge of the end zone.
With the field goal units keeping the game close in the quarter breaks, the teams were in for a tight contest down the stretch. It tightened further with Cream's tying score midway through the final quarter of regulation.
Lagow once again led an energetic drive to the red zone with a chance to tie the game. He found his dialed-in running back, redshirt junior Ricky Brookins, for a 12-yard passing touchdown, and called Brookins' number again for the two-point conversion. The game, knotted at 36-36, wouldn't discover a winner until overtime.
Crimson put the game away, and ensured a future steak dinner, in the first three plays of the overtime period. Cream, eyeing a chance to take a quick lead, took the first possession and attempted a deceptive halfback pass. The Crimson defense blew up the play, and redshirt sophomore defensive back Thomas Henderson fell on the fumble.
Any points gave the Crimson the win, so they made short work of their ensuing overtime drive. Redshirt junior running back Alex Rodriguez rumbled his first touch of overtime inside the 5-yard line. His second finished the initial effort, giving Crimson the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
At halftime, the Hoosiers announced their award winners for the entirety of the spring season. The IU Football spring award winners are as follows:
Offense
Most Improved Player: Ian Thomas
Most Outstanding Player: Richard Lagow
Strength & Conditioning: Brandon Knight
Defense
Most Improved Player: Tom Bolstad
Most Outstanding Player: Khalil Bryant
Strength & Conditioning: Chase Dutra
Fly Wheel Award (Outstanding Special Teams): Simmie Cobbs, Jr., Isaac James, Tegray Scales, Ian Thomas
Team Crimson emerged victorious with a 42-36 overtime victory, the first spring game under head coach Tom Allen. Allen's plan to draft the two teams with assistant defensive coordinator Mark Hagen (Crimson) and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord (Cream) at the helm paid in full, as the back-and-forth contest turned an offseason exhibition into a fight to the finish.
It was Team Cream who ignited the scoreboard with an 8-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter. Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow honed his sights on redshirt junior wide receiver Simmie Cobbs, Jr., for the 24-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Crimson responded with a 12-play touchdown drive spanning nearly half of the 12-minute quarter, capped by redshirt freshman quarterback Payton Ramsey's dash to the pylon from 11 yards out.
Crimson ended the first quarter with a momentum-shifting series of plays. Fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant jumped a route for the Hoosiers' first takeaway of the evening, setting up a short field for his offense. Ramsey rewarded Fant's effort with a 23-yard toss to senior tight end Ian Thomas, giving Crimson a 14-7 lead.
Although neither team could punch through the end zone in the second quarter, the game opened with a jolt in the third. Crimson reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out a reverse handoff for sophomore Marcelino Ball. Usually a defensive standout, Ball seized the opportunity and scampered 22 yards to the 47-yard line after finding himself deep in the backfield.
Ramsey's day wasn't over, as he turned Ball's highlight play into his second passing touchdown. The seven-play, 75-yard drive ended with a slick red zone play, a right side fade route to redshirt freshman wide receiver Taysir Mack. It was a superlative effort by Mack to make the grab, as he had to leap over his defensive mark and bring the ball to the ground on the edge of the end zone.
With the field goal units keeping the game close in the quarter breaks, the teams were in for a tight contest down the stretch. It tightened further with Cream's tying score midway through the final quarter of regulation.
Lagow once again led an energetic drive to the red zone with a chance to tie the game. He found his dialed-in running back, redshirt junior Ricky Brookins, for a 12-yard passing touchdown, and called Brookins' number again for the two-point conversion. The game, knotted at 36-36, wouldn't discover a winner until overtime.
Crimson put the game away, and ensured a future steak dinner, in the first three plays of the overtime period. Cream, eyeing a chance to take a quick lead, took the first possession and attempted a deceptive halfback pass. The Crimson defense blew up the play, and redshirt sophomore defensive back Thomas Henderson fell on the fumble.
Any points gave the Crimson the win, so they made short work of their ensuing overtime drive. Redshirt junior running back Alex Rodriguez rumbled his first touch of overtime inside the 5-yard line. His second finished the initial effort, giving Crimson the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
At halftime, the Hoosiers announced their award winners for the entirety of the spring season. The IU Football spring award winners are as follows:
Offense
Most Improved Player: Ian Thomas
Most Outstanding Player: Richard Lagow
Strength & Conditioning: Brandon Knight
Defense
Most Improved Player: Tom Bolstad
Most Outstanding Player: Khalil Bryant
Strength & Conditioning: Chase Dutra
Fly Wheel Award (Outstanding Special Teams): Simmie Cobbs, Jr., Isaac James, Tegray Scales, Ian Thomas
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