93rd Annual Blue-Gold Game comes down to the wire

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Al Washington breaks the 1-1 tie against DeLand McCullough as Team Blue wins 28-21.

For the second year in a row, third year defensive line coach Al Washington takes down Team Gold.

"You know we are you know the best versions of ourselves, right? So that's the reason we compete so yeah, it was great to see them put as Coach D. said put the verbs behind you know the adjectives," Washington said.

"A lot of good and a lot of bad from the game. As I told the players let's utilize the teaching opportunities that a game like this provides but also you know, continue to use these first 15 practices as a barometer to continue to move forward," Head Coach Marcus Freeman added.

Coming into the Blue-Gold game, there weren't much expectations from the quarterback room, after hearing that Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard would be sidelined as he recovers from his ankle surgery.

That doesn't mean others didn't step up. Freshman CJ Carr played for both teams and completed 15 of 23 passing attempts for 165 yards, including a 29 yard touchdown to Micah Gilbert.

Gilbert's name has been brought up a lot throughout the spring and the wideout didn't disappoint in Saturday's scrimmage. He finished with two touchdowns on 79 receiving yards.

"Micah Gilbert is a really good football player and he's added a great skill set to that room at a young age," Freeman said. 

The freshman left his stamp on the matchup and so did senior receiver Deion Colzie, snagging four receptions for 58 yards. But tied at 21 with under 5 minutes remaining, the dynamic play was Steve Angeli to FIU transfer receiver Kris Mitchell.

A 62-yard connection to the endzone to give Blue team a 28-21 lead.

"Every time I step on a field in a game like setting you know I'm out there do my best and do what I can to help this team win. You know just another FUN game you know Coach Washington and coach McCullough LIKE coach Wash said like they make this event fun and you know, it's very competitive," Angeli said.

"Steve just having a connection with him on and off the field. You know, got class together, we hang out together. He's cool people. So just playing with him and having that connection in the field and off the field is good to have," Mitchell added.

The run game also left an impact on the outcome. Freshman back Aneyas Williams reached the endzone once and rushed for 40 yards. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love finished with 36 yards and a touchdown.