Cameron Newton fumbles way through spring game
By JENNA MARINA
April 16, 2007
After the Orange and Blue game Saturday afternoon, freshman backup quarterback Cameron Newton might have earned a new nickname: Nemo.
"It was like throwing a little goldfish in the sea," Newton said of his performance. "And I was that goldfish in the first half."
Leading the Orange team, Newton completed 20 of 30 passes for 275 yards, including one touchdown. While it looks respectable on paper, his statistics weren't synonymous with his performance.
Newton could not lead his team to a first down until the second quarter, and the Orange team failed to score in the first half.
By halftime, Newton had rushed five times for -15 yards. The freshman also had an issue handling snaps.
A handful went through his fingers.
Newton said he was not used to the quickness of a college football game, and his first taste of the Swamp was a little daunting.
"When you come from high school, you know that you can do it, but it's not that easy doing it in front of 50,000 people," Newton said. "I guess that was my little culture shock to college football."
Newton still looked a little rusty into the start of the second half when he was sacked on the first play and missed a snap four plays later.
He redeemed himself toward the end, converting several long passes including back-to-back completions to wide receiver Jarred Fayson for a combined 59 yards to set up the Orange team's first touchdown.
Newton realized he's no longer playing high school ball, and he's confident he will learn to adjust as the summer progresses.
His biggest lesson for the moment is learning how to manage the game.
"That's what Coach (Dan) Mullen is teaching me every day," Newton said. "Don't try to make plays. That's why we have people like Percy Harvin and Bubba Caldwell -- let them make plays for you."
