‘Jacks Conclude Spring Ball with Annual Purple and White Spring Game

Photo by: SFA Athletics

‘Jacks Conclude Spring Ball with Annual Purple and White Spring Game

4/27/2019 9:34:00 PM | Football

SFA hosted its annual spring game Saturday as the Lumberjacks took part in approximately 70 plays spanned across eight series to wrap up spring practice

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES – With the sun shining bright inside Homer Bryce Stadium late Saturday afternoon, the SFA football team gave its fans and supporters a first-hand look at its body of work over the last five weeks with the Lumberjacks' annual Purple and White spring game. The game marking the end of SFA's allotted 15 spring on-field workouts, the 'Jacks were split into offensive and defensive units with the purple team donning black jerseys and the white team suited up in SFA's white jerseys.

Joined by over a thousand spectators, which included alumni, former players and junior day attendees and their families, the 'Jacks conducted approximately 70 plays spread across eight series. Both first and second team units got reps in during the game as drives began with the ball spotted at the offense's 25-yard line and 35-yard line, midfield and the defense's 30-yard line. Utilizing a modified scoring system in which both the offense and defense could gain points from successes such as gaining a first down, making a fourth-down stop, forcing a three-and-out, converting a fourth-down or stopping a drive, in addition to traditional scoring plays, the purple (black) team prevailed 51-48 over the white team.

"A fantastic day overall," head coach Colby Carthel commented following his inaugural spring game in Texas' oldest town. "The game went great, we stayed healthy and the Lumberjacks won, that's always a positive. It was just a great day throughout, we had a parent's luncheon which was a great opportunity for our coaching staff to meet all of our player's parents for really the first time and that was a booming success. We had a little over 200 guys here for junior day and there were a lot of people out here having a lot of fun with SFA football, it was just overall a great day."

Several players on both sides of the ball were impressive throughout the game with a trio of touchdowns and four field goals highlighting the intra-squad scrimmage. The first score of the afternoon came off the leg of rising senior place-kicker Storm Ruiz, who drilled a field goal from 51 yards out. Another Ruiz field goal, this time a chip shot from 19 yards out, preceded rising junior running back Josh McGowen's 46-yard touchdown scamper.

A five-yard connection from junior signal caller and Butler Community College transfer Trae Self to rising senior wide receiver Cody Williams was SFA's second touchdown of the day following a seven-play, 50-yard drive. Rising senior running back Thomas Hutchings took the ball across the goal line from two yards out to cap a 10-play, 50-yard drive before Ruiz nailed a 46-yarder and sophomore place-kicker Alex Schrag knocked through a 29-yard field goal.

"I thought it was a really clean game," commented coach Carthel. "I think there was only the one turnover and it was a terrific play by the defense. We played well, there were some really good plays made by players and there were some we'd like to have back but it was a great game. In a spring game that's how it works, somebody does a good job and that means somebody else missed an assignment. All-in-all I thought it was a really clean game, the guys competed well and it was a great turnout."

In total, the 'Jacks racked up 391 yards on 68 offensive plays from scrimmage, including passing for 303 and rushing for 88. McGowen led the way for SFA on the ground, racking up 47 yards on just three carries as rising senior running back Jamall Shaw gained 23. In the passing game, redshirt freshman quarterback Cam Arnold shone with 11 completions on 15 attempts for 154 yards, which included a 41-yard pass to rising sophomore QuenTyvian "Q" Borders. Self finished the game with 143 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-20 passing.

Borders had perhaps the most impressive offensive performance, accumulating 113 receiving yards on five catches.

Defensively, the 'Jacks were led by redshirt freshman linebacker DaRyan Williams, a Nacogdoches native, who tallied eight tackles with five solo stops. Rising sophomore safety Brody Anderson, rising junior safety Gavin Roland and rising senior linebackers Anthony Jacobs and Quin Jones posted five tackles each. Jones led the way in tackles for loss with one and a half sacks, while rising junior linebacker Kirkland Joseph had the game's lone turnover with a third-and-10 interception deep in the defense's own territory near the goal line.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football.

-SFA-