Barnett, Cicero Shine During Baylor Scrimmage
3/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 2, 2001
Waco, Texas - Running back Melvin Barnett gained 69 yards and quarterback Greg Cicero passed for 116 Friday afternoon during a two-hour scrimmage inside Floyd Casey Stadium in Baylor's final football practice prior to spring break.
With Friday's sesson, Baylor wrapped up its first two weeks of spring practice. The Bears will take next week off with school out of session before returning for two final weeks of spring drills beginning Mar. 12.
Barnett, working exclusively with the first-team, carried the ball 12 times for 69 yards and scored on a one-yard dive. Chedrick Ricks also worked with the first unit and gained 33 yards on eight carries.
"We had some guys make some plays," head coach Kevin Steele said. "Melvin Barnett ran the ball very effectively and looked strong and quick. The whole offensive line did some good things today.
"Defensively, the secondary looked really tight on their coverages and made some nice plays. And our front did a good job providing a pass rush."
Cicero completed 11-of-21 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. His first scoring toss was a 12-yard pass to Lanny O'Steen on the scrimmage's first drive. He later connected with Reggie Newhouse on a 23-yard scoring strike. Second-team quarterback Josh Zachry was 7-of-20 for 66 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
O'Steen had a scrimmage-high five catches for 57 yards, while redshirt freshman Marques Roberts caught four passes for 30 yards.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Anthony Simmons wreaked havoc against the second-team defense. While quarterbacks weren't allowed to be touched during the scrimmage, several plays were stopped when Simmons got close enough in the backfield to get credit for a sack. Another sophomore linebacker, John Garrett, recovered a fumble, while safety Samir Al-Amin and defensive tackle Travis Hicks both intercepted a Zachry pass.
