Bennett Alleviates Concerns in Scrimmage

Drew Bennett, who worried himself with inconsistent play over the previous couple days as coaches prepare for the cutdown at quarterback, looked sharp in a 90-minute scrimmage Saturday afternoon before a crowd of about 1,500 at Spaulding Field.

“I thought he did some nice things today,” Coach Bob Toledo said. “I think that was obvious to everybody.”

Even Bennett’s timing was right--he completed four of five passes for 50 yards two days before Toledo will announce which two quarterbacks will compete for the starting job and which two will be destined for the bench and the scout team. Cory Paus was five of nine for 56 yards, Ryan McCann was two of four for nine yards and Scott McEwan was two of six for 44 yards.

“I’m just glad I played well,” said Bennett, who came into camp as the No. 1 quarterback because he was the only one among the four with any experience. “That’s the extent of it.”

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Danny Farmer, the All-American candidate at flanker, suffered a sprained left ankle on the opening drive, spent the rest of the scrimmage on the sideline and was eventually carted off, but the Bruins are listing him as day to day.

“They seem to think it’s just a mild sprain,” Toledo said of the evaluation from the medical staff.

The same goes for safety Jason Stephens, who left the field on crutches with a sprained right knee. The trainers said it was also a mild injury.

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A three-yard run by DeShaun Foster on the first series was the only score for the offense. Bennett was at quarterback for the drive. . . . Three freshmen played well on defense: linebackers Asi Faoa and Marcus Reese and defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. . . . Not only will Manning play in the secondary, but the impressive rookie is slotted as the backup return man, behind Freddie Mitchell and Jermaine Lewis on kickoffs and behind Mitchell on punts.