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Stidham sharp in Auburn QB competition

 
Published April 9, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. — Telltale signs that it was a good day for Jarrett Stidham: The Auburn quarterback only had to do pushups atoning for two errant throws, and a tailback's fumble near the goal line bounced into his arms for a touchdown.

The one-time Baylor starter supplied fans at Saturday's spring game with hope that a passing game that's frequently sputtered the past few seasons is due for some improvement, deep balls and all. Stidham, who arrived in January after sitting out last season at a Texas junior college, made a good impression after three months of hype.

Playing only in the first half, Stidham completed 16 of 20 passes for 267 yards in leading the first-team offense. He also scored on a 1-yard run after collecting the fumble — which he called "offense by accident" — and had four completions topping 30 yards.

"It was a blast," Stidham said. "It's been a while for me, so I had a lot of fun. A ton of fun."

At halftime, he did 10 pushups for each misfire. This time he missed Jason Smith in the end zone on a run-pass option and a screen pass.

"I thought he managed the offense well," coach Gus Malzahn said. "I thought that he protected the football; that's really where it starts."

The strong performance didn't settle the quarterback competition. Returning starter Sean White sat out the spring game while recovering from surgery to repair a broken right forearm sustained in the Sugar Bowl.

MORE FOOTBALL: Bradenton IMG Academy five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas committed (nonbinding) to Clemson on Saturday. He is ranked No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite; the No. 1-ranked recruit, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, has also committed to the Tigers. … Dartmouth and Princeton announced they will play at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 9, 2019.

DENVER WINS HOCKEY TITLE: Jarid Lukosevicius scored three goals in the second period, and Denver beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in Chicago for the NCAA championship. Denver moved into a tie with North Dakota for second on the NCAA list with eight men's hockey titles; Michigan has nine. The Pioneers (33-7-4) won their first championship since 2005. Minnesota Duluth (28-7-7) dropped just two of its last 21 games.

BASKETBALL: Arizona 6-11 sophomore forward Chance Comanche declared for the NBA draft, but has not hired an agent.