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The University of Utah Athletics
Arceneaux Looks Sharp in Scrimmage
8/4/1999 12:00 AM | Football
August 18, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -
The first football scrimmage of the fall had Utah head coach Ron McBride feeling good about his team-especially his backups. With star running backs Mike Anderson and Omar Bacon carrying the ball just three times each, and first-team all-conference defenders Kautai Olevao and John Frank watching from the sidelines, several backup players got a good look from McBride and his staff.
"We let Mike and Omar play just three downs apiece because we wanted to see the third and fourth string backs," said McBride after a two-hour controlled scrimmage on Wednesday. "Mike and Omar have already proven themselves. I was pleased to see that we have seven good running backs."
Quarterback was a different story, with McBride still unsure of his backup quarterback after the scrimmage. Starter Darnell Arceneaux played a handful of series and posted the best numbers of the five quarterbacks. His numbers could have been even better, said McBride, had Arceneaux been allowed to run.
"Darnell made some big pass plays and he could have had some really big runs but we blew (the whistle) because we didn't want anyone to touch him."
His run game thwarted by the coaching staff, Arceneaux took to the air, completing 5 of 8 passes for 76 yards and a 28-yard touchdown to Chris Christensen. Freshman Lance Rice also looked good, completing 3 of 7 passes for 66 yards and 1 TD. His touchdown pass was a 34-yard strike to freshman tight end Ben Allison. Rice and Allison are both Utah products, with Rice playing his high school ball at Olympus and Allison at Ogden.
The other three backup quarterback candidates struggled, with junior T.D. Croshaw, junior college transfer Tony Alvarez and redshirt freshman Joel Gines combining to complete 5 of 16 attempts for 41 yards. Croshaw and Alvarez went into the scrimmage battling for the No. 2 spot.
Defensively, Olevao and Frank sat out to nurse minor aches, which allowed senior defensive tackle Richard Seals to shine. Seals had a sack (7 yards), a tackle for loss (3 yards) and a pass breakup. Junior nose guard Maake Kemoeatu added a sack for nine yards. Defensive lineman Lauvale Sape went down holding his knee early in the scrimmage. It did not appear to be a significant injury but he was sent to the doctor for a precautionary MRI.
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