Drake Maye tosses 2 interceptions during Patriots’ in-stadium scrimmage

FOXBORO — Drake Maye took the field with less than two minutes left in need of a touchdown.

He opened with two short completions to Rhamondre Stevenson. First down.

Then Maye barked signals and hurried the offense back to the line, as the defense showed blitz. He called for the snap, cocked his arm and fired left.

Interception. Ballgame.

Thank goodness it was August.

Maye tossed two interceptions over the Patriots’ ninth training camp practice Friday, the team’s annual in-stadium, intrasquad scrimmage before season-ticket holders. Maye’s Blue team took a 47-38 loss to the White team headlined by backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs and a smattering of defensive starters. Players will be off this weekend after five straight practices, including three in full pads.

“I think we got in great work,” Pats linebacker Robert Spillane said of the scrimmage. “Everyone seemed to stay healthy, go hard, and it seemed to be a great practice.”

Friday’s scrimmage followed modified rules, including no tackling, and points awarded after every play. Both offenses received points for scoring, explosive plays, third-down conversions and staying on schedule with efficient gains. The defenses earned points for short gains, tackles for loss, offensive penalties, takeaways, third-down stops and scoring.

The highlights?

Veteran safety Jaylinn Hawkins nabbed two interceptions for the Blue team, one off a reverse pass thrown by DeMario Douglas and another courtesy of undrafted rookie quarterback Ben Wooldridge. The latter pick slipped through the hands of another undrafted rookie, Lan Larison, who also scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. Larison made a nice cut back inside on a hand-off that started left, found room and bounced across the goal line.

Larison’s touchdown followed early strikes from Maye and Dobbs, who both scored on their opening drives. Maye hit rookie wideout Kyle Williams wide open in the end zone at the end of a 30-yard trick play. Dobbs responded with the throw of the night, a bomb launched from midfield to Kayshon Boutte sprinting down the left sideline. Boutte made the catch inside the 10-yard line and shook second-year corner Marcellas Dial Jr. off to get across the goal line.

Maye’s next drive ended after just three plays: consecutive completions to Stefon Diggs and his first interception of the summer. He ripped an errant pass right, where inside linebacker Spillane drifted over for a deflected pick.

“We called a man-to-man defense. I ended up being a (zone) player, made a great play,” Spillane said. “Our corner on the ball tipped it up, and I was able to get underneath it and scoop it.”

Unfortunately for the White team, Hawkins held their offense off with a deep interception at the 2-yard line. Lucky for them, it took one play to take the ball back.

Stevenson, who fumbled seven times last season, dropped the ball again on a punch-out from little-known defensive back Brandon Crossley and Spillane recovered. White pushed into the lead soon thereafter on Larison’s touchdown run.

No one else found the end zone through the end of the game, though rookie kicker Andres Borregales nailed field goals from 42 and 53 yards. Other rookies, including starting left tackle Will Campbell, took snaps throughout the night in their Gillette Stadium debut,

“It’s good to get out here on the field that you’re going to be playing on, feel the turf for the first time and things like that,” Campbell said. “It’s nice to get in the stadium.”

Play ended with Dobbs’ orchestrating a two-minute drill that resulted in a 32-yard field goal from veteran kicker Parker Romo, and Maye tossing his second pick of the night.

Veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne (left leg/foot) and offensive lineman Caedan Wallace both left prematurely with injuries.

The Patriots’ coaching staff held a draft to divide their roster into two teams. Tight ends coach/passing game coordinator Thomas Brown served as the head coach for the White Team, while inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, who doubled as the Patriots’ interim defensive coordinator over the spring, led the Blue team.