Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Hold Full Dress Rehearsal for Season Opener
8/23/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 23, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State fifth-year head football coach Nick Saban sent his team through a full dress rehearsal Monday afternoon in Spartan Stadium in preparation for the Spartans? Sept. 2 season opener against Oregon.
?We?ve improved in a lot of areas since last week?s scrimmage,? Saban said following the two-hour, 120-play scrimmage. ?We probably didn?t have as much intensity today as we did in the first scrimmage but that?s to be expected after completing two-a-days. The players are tired of hitting each other. Two-a-days are a grind on the players, physically and mentally. I think the guys are ready to compete against somebody else.
?The first-team offense executed with more consistency today. We showed the ability to run the football and sustain eight-to-12-play drives. Last week, we had a lot of big plays and a lot of bad plays. Today, the offense didn?t produce many big plays but it moved the ball with more consistency.?
Michigan State?s top three tailbacks ? Lloyd Clemons, Shawn Foster and Little John Flowers ? combined for 89 yards on 20 carries. Clemons, who led all rushers with 47 yards on eight attempts, carried six times for 35 yards on the first team?s opening series. Flowers then capped the eight-play, 66-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
?All three of those guys can have a role on this team,? Saban said. ?Lloyd runs with some authority and he gives you everything he?s got on every carry. Shawn needs to play with a little more consistency but he has big-play ability. Little John has had a good preseason camp and he?s displayed some toughness running the football.
?Lloyd is the only back with a lot of game experience. Those two young backs have a lot of ability but I?m anxious to see how they?ll respond when the fur starts flying.?
Veteran quarterback Bill Burke completed 14-of-29 passes for 112 yards, including a 6-yard TD toss to Plaxico Burress.
Back-up QB Ryan Van Dyke connected on 19-of-33 throws for 159 yards, including a 7-yard TD strike to Derrick Lee. Van Dyke also scored on a 4-yard scramble around left end. He hit 7-of-9 passes during a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive.
Red-shirt freshman Arron Agler directed a five-play, 53-yard scoring drive against the third-team defense. Agler?s 27-yard completion to Joe Savage set up Mike Labinjo?s 3-yard TD run. Four plays later, true freshman Dan Larlham threw a 29-yard TD pass to Savage.
Julian Peterson made his share of big plays on defense, recording four-and-a-half sacks for 30 yards. T.J. Turner?s 10-yard interception return set up Burke?s only TD pass. Donvetis Franklin also picked off a pass.
?I thought the first-team defense played fairly well, especially in stopping the run,? Saban said. ?The unit didn?t play as well on third down when it had several opportunities early in the scrimmage to get off the field but didn?t. Until today, we had been pretty good in third-down situations.?
Defensive tackle Jace Sayler, who has missed most of preseason practice while recovering from mononucleosis, returned to the lineup Monday and produced a 6-yard sack. Coach Saban reported no serious injuries following the scrimmage, noting that Turner sat out the second half with a sprained left ankle.
The Spartans have a day off scheduled for Tuesday before beginning final preparation for the 1999 season and home opener Sept. 2 against Oregon.
