Big Plays Highlight SFA's First Spring Scrimmage Saturday Afternoon
4/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – With one week of spring camp under its belt, Stephen F. Austin showcased the progress the team had made in its first five practice sessions, holding its first scrimmage of the spring season Saturday afternoon at Homer Bryce Stadium.
“I was very pleased with what I saw today and thought we did some really good things,” said head coach Clint Conque. “We were limited in our numbers, having just 53 players, not including quarterbacks and specialists, able to go, and I thought there was a great effort across the board. The offense came out strong and kind of set the tempo early as the defense was a little sluggish. But all in all a good effort and good to see the progress of this team.”
SFA ran 80 plays on a perfect April afternoon at Homer Bryce Stadium with temperatures in the upper 70s with a breeze offering some relief. The scrimmage was divided into four segments beginning at different points on the field. The early sets of plays began in the shadow of the offense’s own endzone, originating from the four yard line, resulting in the defining play of the day as redshirt freshman Josh McGowen broke free for a 96-yard touchdown down the near sideline.
Possession then moved to the offense’s 35-yard line as the defense started to emerge and make some big plays. The defensive unit kept the offense out of the endzone with some big stops, including an interception by redshirt freshman Paten Snell on a tipped pass.
Session three featured a hurry-up offense at midfield as once again, both sides had their flashes. The Lumberjack defensive line had a number of tackles for loss, stalling drives and forcing third-and-long situations. Offensively, big plays by both the SFA running backs and wide receivers showed both the speed and talent. The highlight of period three included a 24-yard touchdown strike from sophomore Jake Blumrick to sophomore Kiki Hill, with Hill muscling his way through three defenders the final five yards to find the purple turf.
The final section tested SFA’s red zone efficiency, spotting the ball at the opposition 20-yard line. The Lumberjacks scored twice during the final installment, beginning with a screen pass from Foster Sawyer to Amous, who maneuvered his way through a host of defenders to find the endzone. The final play of Saturday’s scrimmage featured the second touchdown connection between Blumrick and Hill as the quarterback spotted the wide receiver on a scramble, then Hill raced in from 10 yards out, diving for the pylon on the near sideline to cap the scrimmage with a score.
Each situational period was broken up by special teams practices as the Lumberjacks were able to capitalize the opportunity to work on field goal and punt situations. Sophomore Storm Ruiz remained strong in his field goal attempts while the punting duo of juniors Caleb Lewallen and Michael Crowder each had some impressive kicks.
With week one of spring football now in its rear view mirror, SFA gears up for another busy week. The Lumberjacks are scheduled to hold practices Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) and Thursday (4:00 p.m.), leading into the second scrimmage of the spring season next Saturday, taking place in Carthage. It is Conque’s annual “road scrimmage” of spring practice, kicking off at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, at Carthage High School, and is open to the public.
-SFA-
