WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Howard University football team held its first official scrimmage on Saturday and although several players were held out healing minor bumps and bruises, there were several bright spots, most notably on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Floyd Haigler looked especially sharp running the offense.  A 6-2, 215-pound red-shirt junior from Orangeburg, S.C., who saw limited playing last year, picked up where he left off in spring practice, mixing the plays well and connecting on both short and long passes.

Jarad Dorsey, a 6-3, 200-pound freshman from Ellenwood, Ga., also showed flashes of his talent when he rebounded from a shaky start and responded with two nicely thrown TD passes to freshmen wide receivers Willie Carter (6-0, 180, Denmark, S.C.) and Brandon Drayton (5-8, 170, Miami, Fla).

Another wide receiver who made some eye-catching plays was Daley Gunter, a 6-3, 190-pound sophomore from Wichita, Kan.

The running back position is arguably the deepest and most competitive on the team and it showed in the scrimmage.  Senior running back Karlos Whittaker (5-11, 215, Chicago, Ill.), junior Ramon McElrathbey (5-11, 205, Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore transfer Rayvon Williams (5-10, 175, Accokeek, Md.) all made the most of their opportunities.  Senior Terry Perry (5-8, 175, Chicago, Ill.), who rushed for over 400 yards last season, did not play due to an injury.

Defensively, linebackers Endor Cooper (6-3, 250, Sr., Woodbridge, Va.), the MEAC Pre-season Defensive Player of the Year and Keith Pough (6-3, 225, Fr., Orangeburg, S.C.) along with defensive linemen Jordon Faust (6-2, 305, SO, Norristown, Pa.) made plays.

On the special teams, there were also some bright spots with the punting of Patrick Wolff (6-0, 210, SO, Wurselen, Germany) and the kicking of Dennis Wiehberg (5-10, 205, JR, Berlin, Germany), who nailed a 53-yard field goal.

"Overall, I was pleased," said Howard second year coach Carey Bailey.  "We're making progress.  We had some young on the offensive line step up.  There were some other young players who got a chance to show what they can do.  It's something to build on as we continue to work on getting better each practice."

The Bison will continue their two-a-day practices on Monday and will have media day on Saturday.  The season opener is Saturday, September 6 against Georgetown at 1 pm in Greene Stadium.