The University of Akron’s annual spring game on Saturday didn’t produce many answers about what will happen in the fall, but it did offer some insight into what could happen.
For the record, the Blue team beat the White team 20-17. For much of the game, the teams were evenly matched, with the first-team offense battling the first-team defense and the second-team units also taking their turns.
It took the better part of the first half for the Zips’ first-team offense, with quarterback Thomas Woodson at the helm, to warm up. But once they found a rhythm, some good things happened.
“When I look at our first-team defense and first-team offense,” UA coach Terry Bowden said, “we saw a lot better defensive play than offensive play.”
• Wide receiver JoJo Natson is pesky and could be an electrifying player. He caught seven passes for 101 yards, but what’s truly noticeable about him is how elusive he can be in the open field. He might alternately drive his coaches crazy with his attempts to make the big play with risky cutbacks and make them scream for joy for the same reason when he succeeds. He has blazing speed and an uncanny ability to see the field from a wide perspective.
“You cannot keep him from making bad moves,” Bowden said. “A guy like JoJo Natson, you’ve got to let him run backwards once in a while … You just have to let it go because he’s going to make big plays out of nothing.”
Natson agreed.
“When I catch the ball, I’m always looking to score, but if something is closed up or not there, I’m always looking for another way to make a play,” Natson said.
• Woodson, who completed 13-of-31 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, might be that quarterback who has to work to get into a rhythm. He gets progressively better as the game continues.
The offensive line will be young, but in this game, they, for the most part, looked solid giving Woodson ample protection.
• Generally speaking, the secondary played well. The first-team defense didn’t give up big plays and kept what little of the running game there was in check.
• Backup quarterback Tra’Von Chapman is going to provide Woodson some competition. The difference between him this spring as opposed to last season appears significant, including his comfort with the offense. He completed 16-of-30 passes for 258 yards.
“I think his stock really went up today,” Bowden said. “He showed, if given the opportunity, he can take this team and get the ball to the great wide receivers. We knew he could run. But we see him out there getting the ball to the receivers.”
Bowden said it’s a matter of comfort for Chapman.
“That’s what having a year to look from the sideline and really critique yourself, that’s what it does,” he said. “You get a year to grow up.”
• Wide receiver Kevin Gladney, a Firestone graduate and transfer, caught five passes for 59 yards. and receiver Kwadarrius Smith also impressed. Bowden was high on him throughout camp and he caught seven balls for 76 yards.
“In this game, I just wanted to show I’m a big playmaker — that I can make plays,” Smith said. “I’m a newcomer, so you come here and you have a lot of things to prove. I feel today, my O-line and quarterback allowed me to get those things done.”
Spring awards
Offensive MVPs: JoJo Natson and Thomas Woodson; Most Improved: Mykel Traylor-Bennett and Hakeem Lawrence; Unsung Hero: offensive linemen Stephen Ericksen and Kyle Ritz. Defensive MVPs: Defensive end Jamal Marcus, cornerback DeAndre Scott; Most Improved: defensive lineman Darius Copeland and defensive back Larry Hope; Unsung Hero: defensive lineman Brock Boxen and senior linebacker Andrew Hauser.
Weight room awards
Offensive MVP: Offensive lineman Kyle Ritz; Defensive MVP: Safety James Turner; Most Improved: Defensive back Shawn Featherstone.
Receiving recognition
Players from last year’s team that won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl received their rings Saturday morning. Two banners, one from that win this past December and another from the UA victory in the 2005 Motor City Bowl, hung inside InfoCision Stadium. They will have a permanent home inside the Stile Athletics Field House. Also, starting this season, players who play in a win over Kent State will receive Wagon Wheel pins with the respective year on it to commemorate the victory.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at www.ohio.com/zips. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.