Football prepares for Maroon vs Gold game

“We will have fun because the game is truly for the fans,” Jovane Parkinson, cornerback and sports management junior, said about the 30th annual Maroon vs. Gold spring game.

The football team is preparing for the 30th annual Maroon vs. Gold spring game that will take place on April 14 at Memorial Stadium. The coaches separate the players into two teams and prepare them to face each other. Since 2006, the maroon team leads gold 8-4 and has taken down the gold team for three years straight. The last year the gold team won was 2014 with a score of 24-21.

“I’d say my best memory from these games is the competition. Once you find out whether you’re on the maroon or gold team it becomes a flat out competition of who the better squad is. There is a lot of fun and good spirit surrounded around it and come game time, it’s time to put all that hard work and talk from spring to the test,” D. J. Myers, wide receiver and psychology senior, said. “It gives a lot of guys the opportunity to get that taste of how Saturdays in the fall will be and others the opportunity to show that they belong.”

The team has been preparing for the game with practices and scrimmages since March. The game will help the team know where they are and what they can look forward to in the fall, according to Jaydon Cunigan, defensive back and criminal justice junior.

The team has 17 graduates leaving this semester, so this game will allow the freshmen and transfers to show what they have. It will also allow the returning players have a chance to “up their game.”

“We get a lot of work in as a team and the spring allows the freshman and transfers to show what they have, as well as giving team vets a chance to up their game. This is usually the time where you can gauge how we will be for the upcoming season.” Keith Domino, offensive lineman and economics junior, said.

The coaches and players will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses throughout the team. They will be able to improve the chemistry between receivers and quarterbacks, as well as limit big plays in defense, Sam Frederick, wide receiver and mass communication junior, said.

“Offensively we can improve by cleaning up missed assignments and receivers having better chemistry with the quarterbacks,” Frederick said. “Defensively we need to be sure we limit big plays and create turnovers. Overall we have a chance to be as good as ever.”

Aside from being beneficial for the upcoming season, the game is fun for the players and fans. The game is truly for the fans as Parkinson said. But this game is not treated any different than a regular game, since every game for the team is fun and exciting.

“We will have fun because it is truly for the fans, but we also take it serious because we are live and can get hurt if you don’t play full speed like you know how. Everyone on the team is competitive so we will do what we can get to a win for our team,” Parkinson said. “Every game is fun and you never want to be too excited or too nervous, so we try to make the approach the same whenever we have a game-like situation.”