TicketsCINCINNATI – Redshirt senior quarterbacks Emory Jones and Ben Bryant each threw for a pair of touchdowns in the University of Cincinnati football's annual Spring Game presented by Skyline Chili at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.
"First of all, it was a lot of fun out there today," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "I want to thank all of the fans for coming out. We had the band and cheerleaders; it was an awesome atmosphere out there for our players. Our guys have put a lot of great work in here since January coming back and basically finished up this semester with a really good scrimmage out here today. I thought there was some really outstanding play on both sides of the ball, we had different playmakers stepping up and making plays. Really in the spring game for a coach you want to come out and a win is keeping our guys healthy. We did that so that's a definite win…There was great competition. That's the one thing that I think our guys did a great job of all spring was a competitive spirit that they had in every drill that we did. You are always excited about that; we are excited about where we are headed as we head into the summer."
The defense made an instant impact in the initial scrimmage period when redshirt senior transfer outside linebacker Daniel Grzesiak strip sacked Bryant on the opening play before senior defensive lineman Jowon Briggs chased down a pitch to force a three-and-out in the first possession.
Jones found redshirt junior tight end Payten Singletary on consecutive competitions on the fifth possession, the last on a 16-yard strike over the middle to score the first touchdown of the afternoon. Jones finished 4-of-4 on the drive, also connecting with senior running back Ryan Montgomery and redshirt senior wide receiver Jiair Thomas for a pair of first downs.
Thomas also hauled in a touchdown of his own on a 20-yard strike from redshirt sophomore quarterback Brady Lichtenberg.
Junior transfer wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter hauled in sideline catch in traffic from Bryant to set up the offense in the redzone. Redshirt sophomore running back Victor Dawson found paydirt from four yards out to close out the initial scrimmage period.
Early enrollee freshman quarterback Brady Drogosh marched the offense down the field and connected with classmate wide receiver Barry Jackson on a 34-yard touchdown in his first action of the scrimmage.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jah-Mal Williams snagged a red zone interception off Lichtenberg, while redshirt sophomore transfer defensive back Jordan Young flashed in the secondary throughout the afternoon with big hits and a pair of pass breakups.
Sophomore kicker Carter Brown connected on a short field goal to close out the scrimmage period. Bryant found redshirt sophomore tight end Chamon Metayer on a play action motion design and Jones connected with redshirt junior tight end Michael McCalmont for a pair of touchdowns to open the redzone portion.
Junior running back Corey Kiner found the endzone from three yards out before redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacob Hoying hit Berkhalter for six to close out the scrimmage.
UP NEXT
The Scott Satterfield era officially kicks off when Cincinnati hosts Eastern Kentucky for its 2023 season opener at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 2.
###
"First of all, it was a lot of fun out there today," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "I want to thank all of the fans for coming out. We had the band and cheerleaders; it was an awesome atmosphere out there for our players. Our guys have put a lot of great work in here since January coming back and basically finished up this semester with a really good scrimmage out here today. I thought there was some really outstanding play on both sides of the ball, we had different playmakers stepping up and making plays. Really in the spring game for a coach you want to come out and a win is keeping our guys healthy. We did that so that's a definite win…There was great competition. That's the one thing that I think our guys did a great job of all spring was a competitive spirit that they had in every drill that we did. You are always excited about that; we are excited about where we are headed as we head into the summer."
The defense made an instant impact in the initial scrimmage period when redshirt senior transfer outside linebacker Daniel Grzesiak strip sacked Bryant on the opening play before senior defensive lineman Jowon Briggs chased down a pitch to force a three-and-out in the first possession.
Jones found redshirt junior tight end Payten Singletary on consecutive competitions on the fifth possession, the last on a 16-yard strike over the middle to score the first touchdown of the afternoon. Jones finished 4-of-4 on the drive, also connecting with senior running back Ryan Montgomery and redshirt senior wide receiver Jiair Thomas for a pair of first downs.
Thomas also hauled in a touchdown of his own on a 20-yard strike from redshirt sophomore quarterback Brady Lichtenberg.
Junior transfer wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter hauled in sideline catch in traffic from Bryant to set up the offense in the redzone. Redshirt sophomore running back Victor Dawson found paydirt from four yards out to close out the initial scrimmage period.
Early enrollee freshman quarterback Brady Drogosh marched the offense down the field and connected with classmate wide receiver Barry Jackson on a 34-yard touchdown in his first action of the scrimmage.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jah-Mal Williams snagged a red zone interception off Lichtenberg, while redshirt sophomore transfer defensive back Jordan Young flashed in the secondary throughout the afternoon with big hits and a pair of pass breakups.
Sophomore kicker Carter Brown connected on a short field goal to close out the scrimmage period. Bryant found redshirt sophomore tight end Chamon Metayer on a play action motion design and Jones connected with redshirt junior tight end Michael McCalmont for a pair of touchdowns to open the redzone portion.
Junior running back Corey Kiner found the endzone from three yards out before redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacob Hoying hit Berkhalter for six to close out the scrimmage.
UP NEXT
The Scott Satterfield era officially kicks off when Cincinnati hosts Eastern Kentucky for its 2023 season opener at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 2.
###