Windy, fall-like conditions made moving the ball downfield difficult for quarterbacks Joey Lynch, Warren Suess and Cole Stinson at Saturday's Cardinal-White scrimmage at Ball State Stadium.
The trio combined for 142 yards on 16 completed passes in 38 attempts, and Lynch and Suess each threw a touchdown. The three quarterbacks distributed the ball to eight receivers, something Lynch said will be a defining characteristic of next year's offense.
"Last year, we relied on Dante [Ridgeway] so much because he's such a great player," Lynch said. "This year, we've got a lot of guys receiving-wise who are going to do their part and bring something different to the table."
Bryan Williamson and Terry Moss each nabbed three receptions. Williamson finished with 27 yards, including a team-high 21-yard catch, while Moss finished with 15 yards.
Saturday's situational scrimmage between the offense, sporting white and the defense wearing red, concluded the Cardinals' spring practices. Most of the offensive drives started at the 2-, 12- or 22-yard line. Coach Brady Hoke felt the team improved in the 15 practices leading up to the scrimmage.
"Overall, we had a good spring," Hoke said. "I think there was a lot of improvement in the way we play the game. I wish we would've shown more today."
Charles Wynn opened the scrimmage with a 12-yard run into the end zone, and finished with 14 yards and four touchdowns in eight carries. Freshman running back B.J. Hill made his much-anticipated Cardinal debut with 12 yards in seven attempts, including a 19-yard scamper.
Cold, wet conditions gave Ball State a taste of fall weather, and Hoke said he was disappointed with some sloppy play.
"We had center-quarterback exchange problems, a couple of ball handling issues, and when you do that, and you've got the [weather] elements, and our defense played aggressive, it makes it hard on the offense," he said.
Lynch will enter fall as the starting quarterback, with Suess and Stinson fighting for the number two spot.
"[Suess] and Cole have pretty much been in a dog fight, and that's the way it should be for that position," Hoke said.
"When you have guys that good on your back, and you're all three competing for the same position, you've got to come every day," Lynch said.
Hoke looks for the defense to play aggressively next season and said the group worked on having that attitude over spring practice. He said several defensive players made strides in the past month, including several returning starters.
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