Saturday, April 1, 2017

Defense, running backs shine in NCCU Eagles first scrimmage

DURHAM, North Carolina -- The defense flew around, and North Carolina Central football coach Jerry Mack liked that a lot. But there were too many penalties and pre-snap mistakes than he cared for during the Eagles first scrimmage of the spring.

The three-time MEAC champs went through a three-out, full workout, at O’Kelly-Riddick Saturday morning. N.C. Central has four practices completed, and Saturday was the first time the Eagles went 11-on-11 in game like situations. The offense was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Shaolin McGuire, who was picked off once and didn’t throw a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Naiil Ramadan hit Jalen Wilkes for a long score towards the end of the scrimmage, while running backs Ramone Simpson and Torri Cotton each found paydirt for the offense.

“I thought the running backs played well,” Mack said. “They ran the ball tough in between the tackles and they got it out on the perimeter a lot.”

Isaiah Totten, a freshman running back from Apex, was also in the mix as Dorrell McClain got some rest for N.C. Central. With the passing game taking a while to gel with two young quarterbacks, the running backs were more than willing to lead the way. Simpson, an all-conference pick last season, said the backfield is more than willing to get the offense going. Simpson, a junior, and Cotton, also proved to be reliable receivers out the backfield for McGuire and Ramadan whenever they got in a jam.

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