SAN ANTONIO — Freshman wide receiver Jake Wanamaker caught a 24-yard touchdown pass and first-year defensive back Jeremy Hall had 10 tackles and an interception to highlight the inaugural UTSA Football Fiesta Spring Game presented by Health Texas on Saturday afternoon before an estimated crowd of 4,289 fans at the Alamodome.
Pitting the offense (white) against the defense (blue), the Roadrunners ran 79 plays in an hour-and-a-half scrimmage to cap the 15-workout spring season.
Behind Hall and sophomore defensive end William Ritter, who recorded a half dozen tackles, three sacks and another stop for a loss, to go along with a forced fumble, the defense held the offense to 254 yards and one score. Freshman linebacker Lambert Riley added six stops and a quarterback hurry, while frosh defensive lineman Richard Burge posted five tackles, including one-and-a-half for a loss.
“The defense played very well today,” head coach Larry Coker said. “They brought a lot of energy throughout the scrimmage and that showed up in the way they were able to come up with several big stops. I was really pleased with how they stormed to the ball and tackled.”
Wanamaker hauled in two passes for 33 yards and the only TD of the afternoon on a corner route toss from sophomore quarterback Eric Soza. Freshman running back Cody Seaber caught five passes for 44 to lead all players, while sophomore wide receiver Cole Hicks added three catches for 28.
Freshman running back Chris Johnson rushed seven times for a team-leading 51 yards with a long of 15 to lead the rushing attack. Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Kennedy Jones was 8-for-13 through the air for 83 yards and he also rushed for nine.
“I saw some good things out of our offense today,” Coker said. “We didn’t get the scores, but we did move the ball and sustain drives. We ran the ball pretty effectively as a group and I thought all four quarterbacks did a good job of spreading the ball around through the air.
“The crowd was outstanding today. The players really enjoyed coming out in front of all those fans today and giving San Antonio a glimpse of what’s to come this fall. This was a great way to cap the spring season.”
