By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Colby Brown started fast, Jared Davis finished strong and the defense made a whole bunch of good plays without allowing a big gain, leading Tennessee Tech football coach Watson Brown to observe that both sides of the ball improved over the past week.

He made that quick evaluation of the Golden Eagles Saturday afternoon following a 72-play scrimmage in Tucker Stadium as part of the festivities at the annual Gathering of Eagles. Bright, sunny and warm weather gave the team a real conditioning test during the two-hour session.

The offenses managed 335 total yards, with 37 running plays and 35 pass attempts as the coaches worked on getting a balanced look at a lot of players.  The ground game accounted for 127 yards with one touchdown, while four quarterbacks combined to go 23-for-35 for 208 yards with one touchdown.

After losing four turnovers last week, the offense did not cough up the football once this time around. The defense did avoid any long plays and had five quarterback sacks and four tackles-for-loss.

“Both sides of the ball got better on ‘team’ things,” Brown said. “Taking care of the football, the offense didn’t have a turnover. The defense made the offenses work and didn’t give up any big plays.”

Many projected starters were on the sidelines Saturday as the coaches worked at evaluating the next level of players.

“This is decision day,” Brown said. “The guys that have been here four and five years, we know what they can do. We let a bunch of the younger ones go, and see who pops out, and I saw some. I think some people have separated themselves and we’ll see that on the tape.”

Brown, a sophomore transfer who joined the team in January and had the opportunity to work through spring drills, opened the scrimmage strong for the second straight week. Working with the second unit, Brown completed his first five passes of the day after starting last week seven-for-seven.

He marched the team through a 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive despite twice being sacked by senior safety Stephen Bush. The offense also overcame a false start penalty on the way to the score, an 11-yard TD pass from Brown to Darius Stafford, a true freshman from Kirby High School in Memphis.

Following a couple of possessions that nowhere, Brown lined the teams up at the 25 and asked sophomore John Arnold to attempt a 39-yard field goal.  His kick was plenty long and down the middle, striking the filmers’ lift parked behind the goal post about halfway up.

Davis then moved the team on a nice drive, moving to a first-and-goal at the five before settling for a 29-yard field goal from Nick Madonia, a true freshman kicker from Centennial High School in Franklin, Tenn. The longest play in the series was a 15-yard toss from Davis to senior Steve Wilson. The drive also had to overcome a setback when Davis was sacked for an eight-yard loss by junior Senquay Eighelberger.

Davis was at it again to open the second half, moving the team 60 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Senior Radir Annoor scored from the one after a six-yard pass from Davis to Wilson set up the play. Davis avoided tremendous pressure to thread the needle and Wilson leaped above two defenders to make the catch for the most impressive play of the afternoon.

The second and third units each stalled. The first defensive stop was aided by the third sack of the scrimmage, this one by Chris Moore, a true freshman from Signal Mountain High School, who caught Ty Jobe for an eight-yard loss. Freshman cornerback Anthony Flemister came up with a diving pass deflection to break up the next drive.

Two of Brown’s incompletions came on the drive, the first when he was forced from the pocket and threw it away to avoid a sack and other on a dropped third down try.

That last one brought Arnold back onto the field to attempt a 42-yard field goal and we knocked it through.

The fifth sack came on the final possession, with freshman walk-on quarterback Luke Ward trying to mount a drive. Following a 27-yard run by freshman Kenyan Harper, the longest play of the afternoon, the offense worked itself to a first-and-goal at the 10. A 15-yard run by Ward got them there, but Ward was sacked for a 10-yard loss on the next play by Tim Collins, a true freshman from Restoration Academy in Fairfield, Ala.

When the drive was halted, Madonia was asked to put points on the board with a 29-yard field goal try and he gave the two kickers a perfect 4-for-4 day with his second three-pointer of the afternoon.

Davis finished 10-for-12, connecting on his final 10 after going 0-for-2 on his first possession. He had 94 yards. Brown was 7-for-13 for 71 yards with the lone touchdown, while Jobe was 4-for-6 for 28 yards and Ward wen 2-for-4 for 15.

Seven of the 12 ball carriers were caught for losses, with the defense getting credit for five sacks and three tackles-for-loss.

The top rusher was Dorian Eskridge with 32 yards on five carries, while Harper had 29 on two tries. Willie Davis added 18 yards on six tries.

Wilson topped nine receivers who caught passes. He had four catches for 44 yards. Two others had four catches each – Colton Belew for 26 yards and Annoor for 31 yards. Austin Hicks, a true freshman from Gardendale, Ala., had three catches for 27 yards.

Season tickets to watch the Golden Eagles at all five home games in Tucker Stadium in 2015 are now on sale, with several ticket package options available. An adult season ticket is only $36, while a family plan which includes five tickets for the entire year is only $75. A "Back The Golden Eagles" plan features 10 tickets to each home game, a total of 50 tickets, for just $200. Tech employees can purchase a season ticket for only $25.

To order season tickets, or for additional information, please call the Eblen Center Ticket Office at (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be ordered online at TTUsports.com or by clicking here.