Senior quarterback Jordan Palmer completed 16 of 20 passes for 216 yards and hit El Paso native Chris Day for a two-yard touchdown, leading the white to a 24-5 victory over the blue in UTEP's 2006 Spring Game on Thursday in the Sun Bowl.
Palmer connected on his first seven pass attempts and 13 of his first 14. He was picked off once, by senior linebacker Josh Chamois.
Junior running back Marcus Thomas was impressive in limited duty. He opened the scrimmage with a 61-yard run and finished with 78 yards on seven carries, including a one-yard punch into the end zone for the white team's first points.
"We didn't make as many big plays on offense," UTEP Coach Mike Price said. "We would've made more big plays if we had kept Marcus Thomas in there, but one play was good enough to show me that he can play. Plus Johnnie Lee Higgins played only a quarter, and Jordan Palmer a half."
Six quarterbacks saw action in the scrimmage. Redshirt freshman Brandis Dew got off to a fast start before finishing 6-for-20 passing for 79 yards. At one point, Dew was 5-for-9 for 52 yards. Junior Joe Castro was 5-for-8 for 54 yards on the night, and junior Lorne Sam was 3-for-7 for 26 yards.
"Brandis looked great in the first half," Price said. "He wasn't hitting them in the second half, but he showed me what he is capable of."
The Miner signal-callers spread the wealth, completing passes to 13 different targets. Junior Josh Fematt led the way with four receptions for 58 yards. Senior tight end Casey Mauch registered five catches for 55 yards, and Day, a sophomore, added three receptions for 54 yards.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Landon Goodwell was the leading tackler with nine stops.
Unlike last year's 65-6 rout by the blue over the orange, this scrimmage was highly competitive - perhaps a testament to UTEP's improved depth on both sides of the ball.
"I think it speaks more to our depth on defense," Price said. "The defense got the upper hand tonight ... just enough to let me worry all summer."
After the white scored the game's first 17 points, the blue got on the board on a 43-yard field goal by senior Reagan Schneider. Junior safety Quintin Demps hiked the white's advantage to 24-3 on a 65-yard interception of freshman quarterback Ozzie Carlton. The blue added two more points on a safety off a bad snap by senior Justin Hanel that was kicked by senior punter Ryan Hotchkiss through the end zone.
SCORING
W - Marcus Thomas 1 run (Reagan Schneider kick)
W - Reagan Schneider 48 field goal
W - Chris Day 2 pass from Jordan Palmer (Reagan Schneider kick)
B - Reagan Schneider 43 field goal
W - Quintin Demps 65 interception (Reagan Schneider kick)
B - Safety, bad snap through end zone
RUSHING LEADERS
Marcus Thomas 7-78-1, Jon Lane 12-27, Johan Givens 8-24, Brandon Jackson 1-6, Omololu Ogunlana 1-5, Tony Gonzalez 4-4.
PASSING LEADERS
Jordan Palmer 16-20-216-1-1, Brandis Dew 6-20-79, Joe Castro 5-8-54, Lorne Sam 3-7-26.
RECEIVING LEADERS
Josh Fematt 4-58, Casey Mauch 5-55, Chris Day 3-54-1, Marcus Thomas 2-43, Tufick Shadrawy 3-33, Jeff Moturi 1-31, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. 2-29, David Sutton 3-28, Johan Givens 2-13.
TACKLE LEADERS
Landon Goodwell 9, Michael Montero 8, Phillip Moss 7, Jeremy Jones 6, Da'Mon Cromartie 5, Jason McQuay 5.
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