Yesterday, the Eagles held their first scrimmage of the summer at Alumni Stadium. Score was not kept or reported, but it was interesting to read how certain players performed. The big question everyone is wondering how Chase Rettig is improving this offseason. After Coach Frank Spaziani explained during media day that Rettig and new offensive coordinator Doug Martin were getting along splendidly, yesterday's scrimmage was the first chance to see how they did. Rettig had solid results, going 6-10 for 51 yards, with a touchdown pass to Rolandan Finch and an interception on what sounded like a fantastic play by Jim Noel.
The other quarterbacks got a chance for some reps as well. Josh Bornder went 9 for 18 for 71 yards, while Uncle Dave Shinskie had the biggest bomb of the day, hitting freshman wide receiver Joel Zoungrana for a 48 yard touchdown reception. Reading the game notes I found, it did not appear that Mike Marscovetra or Christian Suntrup appeared in this scrimmage.
Running back Rolandan Finch had a solid first scrimmage of the summer, running the ball eight times for 47 yards. Andre Williams apeared in the first team offense vs first team defense drills and rushed the ball three times for 23 yards. Tajh Kimble did not appear in the scrimmage.
Wide receiver Harrison Jackson, sporting #3, had the most consistent game for the Eagles. If you don't know Jackson, he's a 6'2 receiver from Virginia, who Bobby Swigert earlier compared to Ifeanyi Momah. Harrison finished the game with five catches for 50 yards. Because it was only a scrimmage I can only say that Swigert and tight end Jarrett Darmstatter (who started with the first team) caught multiple passes.
The defense made some plays as well. Dillon Quinn, Kasim Edebali, and Kieran Borcich each had a sack. While defensive back Dominique Williams had a forced fumble and a near interception. Nate Freese kicked three field goals during red zone drills.
To wrap up the scrimmage, Coach Spaziani gave his thoughts on the practice:
"It was a good start, good first series and then it tailed off," head coach Frank Spaziani said. "We got soft and had some execution issues, but in general the scrimmage gives us a good idea where we're at right and we'll look to improve for the next one."