OB Jeremiah takes control of Apps' spring football game

April's version of football weather arrived just in time yesterday for Appalachian State's first spring football game in more than 12 years.

The Mountaineers wrapped up spring drills in a mix of rain, sleet, snow, wind, fog and cold at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Quarterback Daniel Jeremiah led the White team to a 32-14 victory over the Black team.

''I was disappointed for our fans, the support people we've got and a lot of the parents that came out, that the weather was so bad,'' said Coach Jerry Moore. ''It's been nice most of the spring until today. I think a lot of people were looking forward to this; we've always just had a regular scrimmage, but who would have thought it would have hit like this.''

Jeremiah was undaunted, rushing for 127 yards and passing for 93. He scored on a 28-yard run and had touchdown passes of 36 yards to Troy Albea and 10 to tight end Scott Murphy.

''That's his deal,'' Moore said. ''(His running ability) is no secret. He showed that again today.''

Despite the dismal weather, Moore beamed about his team's performance in spring drills, which began in early March.

''We really got a lot done,'' Moore said.

''We now know that Corey Hall (the team's leading tackler last season as a free safety) can play corner if we want to put him there. Karim (Razzak) and Jose White have both developed into really solid running backs.

''We probably threw the ball a little more than we normally have. Not necessarily because we're going to throw it more, but we wanted to look at some young lineman in pass protection and give (Joe) Burchette the opportunity to throw the ball. Plus, we've got some pretty good receivers.''

ALBEA, MOVED TO WIDE RECEIVER after splitting time between that position and tailback last season, still wound up with two carries, including one for a 17-yard touchdown run.

Daniel Wilcox returned a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown.

Moore and offensive coordinator Rob Best said that they were pleased with the performances of all three of their quarterbacks this spring. Rising seniors Jeremiah and David Reaves have split starting time the last two seasons, and rising sophomore Burchette might figure more into the mix this season.

''David hasn't done anything flashy, but he's been very consistent and has just run the football team,'' Moore said. ''Joe got most of the work this spring. He's done all right, and he had a real good scrimmage last Saturday. He still does some things that young guys do, but today was no indicator of the way he can play. Part of that was protection problems and not his fault.''

Jeremiah completed 8 of 16 passes. Reaves completed 7 of 16 for 97 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dane Honeycutt. Burchette was 0 for 3.

''Our quarterback situation probably got as confusing as ever this spring,'' Best said. ''David had a solid, if not outstanding spring, and Daniel was solid and probably had his biggest plays today. I thought Joe made tremendous strides. He's getting more comfortable with the offense and that's allowing his physical abilities to move to the forefront.''

The quarterback competition will continue when practice resumes in August.

''We'll come into camp bracketed,'' Best said. ''I think David and Daniel will go head to head, and Joe's there waiting in the wings. And we'll see how things play out.

''We've gone through this for a couple of years now and I think everybody is comfortable with it, except for the defenses. So we'll just make it work for the Mountaineers' advantage.''

Moore said: ''We've got three good quarterbacks, two of them with a lot of experience. We'll see what happens in two-a-days.''

Among defensive highlights, linebacker Derek Harrison totaled nine tackles, including one of Burchette for a safety.

Tackle Jason Sowell finished with three tackles for losses.

Steve Kitchens and Remi Awolowo both had two pass break-ups, and Sam Smalls -- a freshman linebacker who played at Mount Tabor -- saved a touchdown by knocking a pass away.