STILLWATER — After the defense dominated the first spring scrimmage two weeks ago, quarterback Zac Robinson and his offensive teammates took a lot of ribbing from their defensive comrades.
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In the first major scrimmage, a 2-hour, 131-play session on Friday, Robinson and the offense not only found the end zone this time, they found it frequently.
The first-team offense had three possessions against the first-team defense where drives started at either the 30- or 35-yard lines. The offense scored two touchdowns and on the other possession moved near field-goal range before the drive stalled.
"There were a lot of things that need work, like too many penalties and some other things, but there were a lot of positives,” Robinson said. "We had a good rhythm going. It was definitely progress, a lot better than some practices we've had.”
On the three head-to-head possessions, Robinson completed 13 of 14 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. He also scored on a 5-yard TD run.
"I felt good out there, and the coaches made some great calls,” Robinson said. "All the guys were making plays and the (offensive) line played really well today. I didn't have any protection problems.”
Gundy was pleased with the offense's production but said Robinson still has much to improve on in the passing game.
"Zac is still not sharp in his throwing,” Gundy said. "He has a lot of work ahead of him. He finds a way, but he's not sharp. He needs to work on his footwork and what he does with his eyes downfield.
"Now, I wouldn't trade him. But he's not the finished product. What makes Zac so effective is you have to defend everything he does (with the option). He actually has an easier time with the throwing game because they have to defend everything.”
OSU must replace wide receiver Adarius Bowman and tailback Dantrell Savage, who both will be selected in next month's NFL Draft.
But there are signs this spring the offense will still have plenty of playmakers — just not as experienced. Kendall Hunter and Beau Johnson should form a solid tandem at tailback.
In Friday's scrimmage, the wide receivers had a solid day.
Dez Bryant had four catches for 72 yards, Damian Davis had five catches for 48 yards and Hubert Anyiam added a leaping 30-yard touchdown grab. Jeremy Broadway had a solid day, and Josh Cooper will be in the mix.
"We're still a ways away,” Gundy said. "Damian is a ways away. He plays the same position as Bowman, who was a man. Kendall has played well, but he's not Dantrell.
"Zac is playing better than he was. (Brandon) Pettigrew will be really good. And I feel good about the offensive line.”
Gundy emphasized those three drives were only one portion of the two-hour scrimmage. The defense posted several three-and-outs during the backed-to-your-own-goal drill in addition to some other stops.
"It was pretty even, but if you were keeping track, the offense was a lot better,” Gundy said. "But we had too many penalties on offense, which I thought might happen the first time you bring officials in.
"The defense gave up too many plays on third down, but we didn't miss very many tackles for a 130-play scrimmage. I thought we tackled pretty well. And obviously, Lucien (Antoine) gives you a different look defensively. He'll blow you up, which is why we brought him here.”
Antoine is one of six junior college defensive players who were signed to help upgrade a suspect defense. Several young players also are playing more prominent roles.
"The offense did move the ball a lot better today and made some plays on us,” said safeties coach Joe DeForest. "But we also had some three-and-outs. I think it was a lot of give and take. Our defense did some good things. But we made some mistakes we have to correct.”
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