Spring Reports

Our third look at spring games across the country:

Air Force: The first- and second-team offenses failed to score on their first five combined drives and picked up more than one first down on only one of them — the fourth, when the second-team offense drove to the five-yard line before losing a fumble.

Alabama: The passing game was sharp before another huge crowd — an announced 78,200 — with running back Terry Grant doing most of the damage with four receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

Alabama Birmingham: Quarterback Joe Webb accounted for 243 yards and two touchdowns, but the Blazers ended spring practice with only 74 players, including walk-ons.

Arizona: A crowd of only 3,500 watched the spring's final scrimmage, which featured vanilla play-calling on both sides of the ball and liberal substitutions.

Boise State: Senior Bush Hamdan and freshman Kellen Moore will continue their battle to become starting quarterback into the fall.

Brigham Young: Running back J.J. DiLuigi, who sat out last season because of a broken foot, showed his pass-catching ability before 16,700.

Buffalo: The Bulls appear to have firepower on offense, but Turner Gill is searching for linebackers.

Central Florida: The Knights honored Ereck Plancher with a moment of silence and with a painted memorial on the grass outside the tunnel leading from the locker room to the Bright House Networks Stadium field.

Clemson: Receivers Xavier Dye and Aaron Kelly showed they could be dangerous, but what about that offensive line, which could end up with a freshman or two in the starting lineup.

East Carolina: The end-of-spring scrimmage was cut short when sirens went off, signaling a tornado warning.

Florida: A crowd of 61,000 watched the spring game and the "Fastest Fan" race, with pitted 15 students in a 40-yard dash against players Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson and Louis Murphy. Rainey, according to Florida officials, clocked 4.24 seconds, which beats the best time ever recorded on a track. That was 4.38 by Ben Johnson, who set a world record of 9.79 in winning the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics. Johnson later tested positive for steroids. Florida officials, of course, earlier told us that Urban Meyer didn't misuse his cell phone.

Florida State: It was all about the defense, which had 11 sacks and forced four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles.

Houston: Junior quarterback Blake Joseph passed for 421 yards and five touchdowns, completing 37 of 41 passes.

Louisiana Tech: Quarterback Ross Jenkins overcame early struggles, including two interceptions, to spark the offense.

Memphis: The Tigers' focus on the running game appears to be paying off. Curtis Steele ran for 94 yards in 15 carries, including a 38-yard touchdown run.

Michigan: A sloppy finish. The Wolverines dropped six passes, committed six penalties (including three in a row), threw four interceptions and fumbled twice.

Middle Tennessee: Joe Craddock accounted for four touchdowns and completed 19 of 25 passes for 235 yards in front of 2,512.

Mississippi: Quarterback Jevan Snead, the transfer from Texas, threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

North Texas: The Mean Green's first team defense gave up 10 points in five series and scored a touchdown in a controlled workout.

Oklahoma: The Sooners showed off their new no-huddle offense, but it was far from a smashing success. "It's still a work in progress," Bob Stoops said.

Oklahoma State: Quarterback Zac Robinson was sharp, leading T. Boone Pickens to say with a grin: "I'm just hoping for a nice, quiet season — maybe 11-1 or 12-0."

San Jose State: The highlight was the first play: a 96-yard kickoff return by Josh Harrison. The remainder of the scrimmage was fairly uneventful and dominated by the defense.

South Florida: Defense ruled, with Jarriett Buie getting four sacks and Patrick Hampton three.

Southern Mississippi: The Larry Fedora Era started before a crowd of 11,126, with running back Damion Fletcher and quarterback Austin Davis helping to make the transition a smooth one.

Stanford: Alex Loukas, who is competing against Tavita Pritchard and Jason Forcier for the starting quarterback job, capped his spring by throwing for a touchdown, catching three passes and also setting up a touchdown with a long run on a fake punt.

Texas Christian: The first-team offense struggled, scoring only one touchdown against the first-team defense.

Utah State: Stanley Morrison caught two touchdown passes, including the scrimmage winner from Sean Setzer, one of three quarterbacks battling for the starting job.

Virginia: The Cavaliers completed 76 passes to wide receivers, fewer than six game last season. On Saturday, wide receivers caught 22 passes in the final spring scrimmage.

Washington State: The Cougar passing game was sharp, totaling 350 yards and three scores, in a modified scrimmage.

Western Michigan: Glenis Thompson had 14 bruising carries for 86 yards, but the Broncos were encouraged by the improved play of the defense.