Wolf, Olasimbo and Barnes. Those were the big names from Tennessee’s annual spring scrimmage on Saturday in which the White team scored late to earn the 16-13 victory over the Orange.
Not familiar with these names? Don’t feel bad, I don’t think many people are.
Tyler Wolf picked off a pass late in the third quarter and took it 73 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. It was the first score of the day for the White team .
Roy Olasimbo led all backs with 119 yards on 7 carries including a 23 yard run on, what turned out to be the winning drive of the game. He also had a 75 yard burst that ended just short of the endzone.
Brett Barnes led the defense with 13 tackles on the afternoon. That includes an astounding 9 solo tackes.
As with most spring scrimmages, a lot of eyes were on the quartebracks. With Erik Ainge coming off of surgery, Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens got to share the spotlight. When it all said and done, both signal callers completed under 50% of their passes. Crompton threw one interception while Stephens threw a pair.
Neither team scored more than once in any quarter. The 29 points were the fewest scored in an Orange and White Game since the 2002 snooze fest that ended 7-6.
After the game, coach Fulmer gave his outlook on the team after “phase one” as he put it.
“I think we have a chance to have a good football team. How good will depend on them, their attitude, their work ethic, how well they prepare, and how much our leadership continues to grow. I think it will be a fun team to coach. Right now if we took 70 to Cal I don’t know if I could fill the plane up with 70 guys that are really ready. That’s up to them to get themselves ready to play and contribute.”