Aug. 16, 2002
Columbia, Mo. - Missouri continued preparations for its first public scrimmage to be held Saturday afternoon at Faurot Field with two practices on Friday.
Saturday's scrimmage begins at 1 p.m., and is open to all fans. Tiger players will be available for autographs on the field following the conclusion of the scrimmage. Gates open at 9 a.m., and the Tiger Team Store and the Ticket Office will be open at that time, as well. Concession stands open at 10 a.m., and will feature lunch specials.
Friday's first practice session included full pads, and featured strong play by the defense.
Highlights of the scrimmaging included:
*- The #1 defense held Zack Abron short of first downs in three 3rd down and short situations.
*- Abron got revenge when he carried for a 6-yard gain on a 3rd-and-1 situation vs. the #1 defense.
*- Gary Anthony came off the edge to tag Tyrone Roberson in the backfield for a loss.
*- T.J. Leon had a good gain with a rush off the right end.
*- Brad Smith connected with Clint Matthews for a gain of more than 10 yards on a 3rd-and-3 situation.
*- David Overstreet hit DeQuincy Howard for a 20-yard gainer on 3rd-and-3.
*- Kirk Farmer hit Sean Coffey in the endzone for a short TD.
*- Tauras Ferguson had consecutive big plays, when he nailed Mario Whitney for a loss in the backfield, and later pressured Kirk Farmer in the backfield to force an incomplete pass.
*- Marcus James turned in a nice sliding catch in the endzone on a 4-yard scoring strike from Sonny Riccio.
*- Justin Gage had a nice fingertip catch for a short gain from Brad Smith.
*- Keith Wright batted down a pass after getting pressure on the quarterback.
*- James Kinney forced a fumble after a catch by Ben Fredrickson.
*- Chris Crosby had a big gain on a swing pass.
*- Tyrone Roberson made an excellent shoestring grab over the middle on a ball from Kirk Farmer, and turned it into a big gain as he scampered down the right sideline.
*- Marcus James and Brad Smith hooked up for a 10-yard gain on a nice timing route on the right side.
*- Zach Kauflin forced and recovered a fumble after stripping Jonathan Howard of the ball.
NOTES
*- Justin Gage took off his red jersey today and returned to action on a limited basis.
*- Dedrick Harrington, who has missed practice since spraining an ankle on Monday, began some light jogging on the sideline. It is not known when he'll be able to return.
*- Gary Anthony continued to wear a red jersey, but took part in most of the drills and scrimmaging situations. He's recovering from a mild concussion suffered over the weekend.