Orange defeats White 31-21 in spring game
4/21/2007 1:00:00 AM | Football
From The Huntsville Item
For
the first time since last November, Bowers Stadium had a game-day
feeling Saturday as the Sam Houston State football team wrapped up
spring practice with the annual Orange and White game.
With the start of the 2007 season four months away, fans had a chance
to see some live football action before the summer break and the
Bearkats did not disappoint.
Thanks to a solid defensive effort by the first unit and a spectacular
passing performance by backup quarterback Brett Hicks, the Orange squad
claimed bragging rights for the next year with a 31-21 victory.
Hicks completed 18-of-26 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and
safety Byran Richmond and cornerback Scorpio Babers each recorded an
interception off White starting quarterback Rhett Bomar to highlight
the action.
“This was a lot of fun, and everybody gets real competitive because
that is the way we are,” said Hicks, who started eight games for SHSU
last season, throwing for 1,773 yards and eight touchdowns in the
Bearkats' 6-5 campaign. “It's a lot of fun giving each other a hard
time. I think we are going to be a lot more explosive than we were last
season, and we have had a bunch of guys step up and make plays.”
Neither team was able to get anything going offensively on their first
drives, but the White quickly pulled ahead on its next series. After a
13-yard scramble by Bomar, running back Chris Poullard took a handoff
up the middle and dashed 46 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore kicker
Taylor Wilkins spit the uprights on the point-after kick to make it
7-0.
After trading possessions, the Orange answered with a 66-yard scoring
drive to tie the game at 7. Hicks got things going with a 15-yard
completion to tight end Dustin Dziuk on second-and-15, then he
connected with wide receiver Darnell Jones for 40 more yards to move
the chains to the White's 11-yard line.
Hicks capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jones, who
made a leaping catch over a defender in the right corner of the end
zone with just over three minutes to go in the first half.
After the Orange forced a punt on the White's ensuing possession, Hicks
completed five straight passes to Dziuk and Jake Lebens for a combined
80 yards that eventually set up a 21-yard field goal by Wilkins.
On the White's next offensive play, Richmond hauled in a tipped pass
from Bomar and carried it down inside the 5 before TyMagic Robinson
took it in from 2 yards out to put the Orange up 17-7 with 10:42 left
in the second quarter.
Weeks after struggling to stop the starting offense in the first spring
scrimmage, the Kats' first-team defense cranked up the intensity
Saturday. SHSU's first unit only allowed two offensive touchdowns
Saturday, the last coming in the final minutes of the fourth quarter,
and forced the White to turn the ball over on downs inside the red zone
three times.
“Our main focus was to progress and put together two good weeks,”
Richmond said. “As far as the Orange side, we got a little pep talk
before the game about being a team and coming together no matter what.
Even when bad things happen, like when Poullard went for that long run,
we just came back and answered.”
The Orange got some big defensive plays from several different players
in the victory. Richmond and Nolen Bucek had a couple of tackles for a
loss, Carlton Cobey almost came up with another interception on the
third play of the game, and Josh Moore had a pick called back because
of defensive holding.
There were also several passes batted away and a few drops because of some ferocious hits.
The Bearkats entered the spring badly in need of a pass rush after
registering only eight sacks in 2006, and it looks like they have found
it. Defensive ends Chris Brown and Ryan Gloston were a handful for the
White's offensive line, which features four returning starters.
Brown recorded two sacks in the contest, and the front four and linebackers put some pressure on the quarterback.
“(The first-team defense) has continued to get better all spring, and I
think that is going to be a strength for us next season,” SHSU head
coach Todd Whitten said. “Strictly with our first group, our pass rush
was excellent today and that pleases me. It is critical that we improve
there, and I think we did this spring.”
The White finally got back on the scoreboard midway through the second
quarter when cornerback Cameron Jenkins stepped in front a pass by
Phillip Daugherty and returned the interception 26 yards to cut the
lead to 17-14.
But the Orange came right back to go up by 10 again when Daugherty hit
Jones, who led all receivers with six catches for 118 yards, for
43-yards before finding John Dobbs from 29 out for the touchdown.
Bomar then directed a 12-play, 60-yard drive thanks to completions to
tight end Blake Martin and wide receivers Catron Houston, Justin Wells
and Trey Payne, but a sack by Brown and false start penalty forced the
White to turn the ball over on downs at the Orange's 20.
Besides a few bad throws, Bomar had a fairly good day. He finished
21-of-36 for 288 yards, including three passes that went for 20 or more
yards. Bomar also had a few impressive gains on the ground.
As a dual-threat quarterback, the Bearkats will open things up more
with Bomar in the fall, but with the signal callers off limits
Saturday, the offense Saturday was a little watered down.
“(The White) moved the ball very well. I'm not sure what the stats are
but I'm sure they were pretty good,” Whitten said. “They got down in
the red area a few times, and went for it every time which is OK, but
couldn't get in. If they would have been a little more efficient in the
red area the outcome would have probably been different.
“I was pleased with the first-team offense. I thought Rhett threw the
ball well. He made a couple of bad decisions, but he also made some
plays with his feet. The whole thing is that as long as the quarterback
is not live it is hard for him to flourish because you are going to get
that quick whistle.”
The Orange put the game away with under four minutes to go in the third
quarter when a couple of defensive players got in on the offensive
action. Babers caught a 23-yard pass from Hicks before the senior from
Bandera found a wide open Stanley Garrett over the middle. The
cornerback looked more like a receiver when he reeled in the throw and
found his way into the end zone from 47 yards away for a 31-14
advantage.
The White's final touchdown came with 5:15 left in the game. After
Bomar was sacked by Brown on first down, he hit Wells for 8 yards then
Poullard for 9 to move the sticks.
A defensive holding penalty moved the ball down to the Orange's 29, and
Bomar found Payne for a 28-yard gain down to the 1 where Poullard took
it in to make it 31-21. Poullard carried the ball six times for 49
yards and had two catches for 22 in the contest.
The Orange went three-and-out on its next possession, but Babers sealed the game with an interception.
Wells led the White with seven receptions for 89 yards, while Martin finished with four for 77.
“I think we have come a long way since the start of spring practice,”
Richmond said. “I was expecting the Orange to do well because we had
more leaders on our side. Bomar and the offense did a pretty good job
today as well. I like our results and now I can't wait for the season
to start.”
PREGAME STORY
By Cody Stark
Assistant Sports Editor
After
weeks of anticipation, Sam Houston State football fans will finally get
a chance to see what will be in store for opposing teams when the 2008
season kicks off next fall.
The
annual Orange and White game will be held today at 10 a.m. at Bowers
Stadium as the Bearkats wrap up spring practice. SHSU has managed to
stay relatively healthy so far this spring, and head coach Todd Whitten
would like that to be the case heading into the summer break.
“(The game) is exciting for the players and the fans. That is really
why we do it,” Whitten said. “I just hope we get through it healthy. As
a coach it always makes you kind of nervous. But this is one last time
to see our guys get out and play more of a game-type situation. It's
good for them to get out and compete, and I think we will have a lot of
fun.”
Much of the attention today will be centered around the offense. With
Oklahoma transfer Rhett Bomar moving into the starting quarterback
role, the Bearkats have potential to be an explosive unit.
Bomar, along with the rest of the first-team offense, will make up the
White squad and will square off with the starting defense (the Orange)
led by returning starters linebacker Luke McCall and defensive lineman
Eric Mikolajchak.
The Bearkats plan to use Bomar's arm and legs to move the chains next season but will tone things down a bit today.
“It's going to be kind of hard to evaluate all of it because the
quarterback will not be live,” Whitten said. “Because of that, it kind
of negates what you can do because if you have an athletic quarterback
and he is not live, you are going to get an early whistle. I just hope
we continue to improve, which we have the last two scrimmages.”
Since the quarterbacks will be off limits, those on hand won't get a
chance to the full package of plays the offense intends to run next
season. Still, there should be plenty of fireworks.
SHSU is evaluating its wide receivers, so look for Bomar to stretch the
field with Catron Houston, Trey Payne, Justin Wells and tight end Blake
Martin.
“I would really like to see our wide receivers have a nice day,”
Whitten said. “They have been up and down throughout the spring, so we
have one more chance to see those guys and get them some more game-type
situations because we are inexperienced at that position.
“Most of the time when we go out on the field we are going to throw it
a good bit. I'm sure everybody will be anxious to see Rhett, and he has
been getting better and more comfortable each time out.”
Defensively, one of the main focuses this spring has been getting more
pressure on the quarterback, but the Bearkats also have plenty of holes
in the secondary.
In the first spring scrimmage, Bomar completed 14-of-15 passes for 261
yards and three touchdowns, each went for more than 40 yards. But with
the addition of a pass rusher in University of Texas defensive end
transfer Chris Brown and returning defensive back contributors Scorpio
Babers, Byran Richmond, Carlton Cobey, Josh Moore and Stanley Garrett
(all of whom will be on the Orange team), the defense has continued to
improve.
In the second scrimmage of the spring, the SHSU defensive guys picked
off three passes and held Bomar and backup quarterback Brett Hicks to a
combined 238 yards and zero touchdowns through the air.
“Scorpio Babers is going to be a returning senior and he has had an
excellent spring after playing well for us last season,” Whitten said.
“Byran Richmond is playing well, as is Josh Moore, and Stanley Garrett
has stepped up at the other corner back spot. We also have several
walk-ons you have been nice surprises. The defense has continued to get
better each week.”
ORANGE 3 Scorpio Babers DB 5-11 190 |
WHITE 4 Catron Houston WR 5-11 183 |
