GREEN OFFENSE SCORES FOUR RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
IN SATURDAY'S GREEN AND GOLD SPRING SCRIMMAGE

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Football wrapped up its 13th practice of spring football here Saturday afternoon in less than ideal conditions as the Wonder Boys held its annual Green and Gold Spring Game in front of 125 rain-soaked fans in Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.

Saturday’s Green and Gold Game featured the Green team (No. 1s) going up against the White team, which consisted of the rest of the squad in a game that featured two 10-minutes quarters in the first half and two eight-minute quarters in the second half.

The Green team amassed 269 yards of offense in sloppy field conditions and scored 20 of its 26 points in the first half, while the Green team’s defense limited the White squad to 50 total yards and no points, including limiting them to three yards rushing on 18 carries.

“I enjoyed our effort and our attitude today,” Tech Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Steve Mullins said. “The weather was certainly not conducive to throwing the ball, but I thought we moved the ball well at times.”

The Green team’s rushing attack was paced by senior running back Tim Childress (Batesville, Ark.) and sophomore Joby Hills (Carencro, La.). Both of them combined to carry the ball 19 times for a 171 yards and scored all four touchdowns in the nearly two-hour scrimmage.

“Tim and Joby did a good job today, so too did our first team offensive line,” Mullins said. “We are still continuing to develop and build depth along the offensive line.”

Early in the scrimmage, it looked like the White team was going to get on the scoreboard first as senior defensive back Eric Taylor (Chicago, Ill.) took the opening kickoff 72 yards before being tackled at the 5-yard line. Three plays later, senior defensive back Adrian Holiday (West Helena, Ark.) picked up a pass from redshirt junior quarterback Robert Sagerian (San Diego, Calif.) in the end zone for the game’s first turnover.

The Green team took advantage of that turnover as they drove 80 yards and opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 6-yard run by Childress with 5:41 left, but the ensuing extra point attempt by senior kicker Travis Cockerham (Bryant, Ark.) was missed. On the scoring drive, Childress carried the ball six times for 48 yards, while the other big plays were a 14-yard pass from senior quarterback Nick Graziano (Moraga, Calif.) to senior receiver C.J. Hunter (West Helena, Ark.) and a 11-yard run by Hills. Graziano, who is a transfer from the University of Nevada, only played the first half for the Green team.

“Nick is our starting quarterback. We wanted to continue developing confidence in both Kevin (Puckett) and Robert (Sagerian) in the second half,” Mullins said.

In his limited duty, Graziano finished the game 6-for-16 passing for 65 yards and had one interception, which came late in the final minute of the second quarter as the Green team was driving in for another score.

The Green team added another score with 2:50 left in the first quarter on a 6-yard run by Hills and Cockerham tacked on the extra point to make the score 13-0.

Childress added his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter as he scored on an 11-yard run with 3:29 left in the half to push the Green team in front 20-0. Following a three-and-out by the White team, the Green team moved the ball down the field and was within field goal range with less than a minute remaining when sophomore defensive back Joe Means (Memphis, Tenn.) picked off a Graziano pass to end the scoring threat.

In the third quarter, the Green team added its fourth touchdown of the scrimmage on a 6-yard run by Hills to give the Green team a 26-0 lead as redshirt freshman kicker Matt Johnston (Russellville, Ark.) missed the extra point. Late in the third quarter, the White team had another scoring opportunity, but Cockerham missed a 25-yard field goal attempt.

Hills finished the game with eight carries for 88 yards, while Childress toted the ball 11 times for 83 yards. The other offensive star for the Green team was junior receiver Jarrod Martin (Crossett, Ark.), who caught a game-high five passes for 43 yards.

In the second half, the Green team’s two quarterbacks (Puckett and Sagerian) combined to go 4-for-7 through the air for 30 yards. On the afternoon, Puckett was 4-for-6 passing for 16 yards, while Sagerian was 4-for-11 for 40 yards. The fourth Tech quarterback, redshirt freshman Mike Shouse (Owasso, Okla.) played under center for the White team in the fourth quarter and was 3-for-4 passing for 21 yards.  

          The biggest offensive play for the White team during the scrimmage came late in the game as Shouse connected with sophomore receiver Logan Britt (Pocahontas, Ark.) for a 15-yard completion.

          Tech will return to practice with a non-pad workout on Monday morning, before completing spring drills with the Senior Bowl on Tuesday, April 21. Kick-off for the Senior Bowl is set for 4 p.m. on the practice field adjacent to Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.

          “The seniors will get together tomorrow night, draft the players and then hold a practice on Monday before Tuesday’s game,” the Tech coach added. 

Scoring Summary

Green – 13  7  6  0 - 26 

White -  0    0  0  0 – 0

Att: 125.

1st Quarter

Green – Tim Childress 6-yard run (Travis Cockerham kick failed), 5:41

Green – Joby Hills 6-yard run (Cockerham kick), 2:50

2nd Quarter

Green – Childress 11-yard run (Cockerham kick), 3:29

3rd Quarter

Green – Hills 6-yard run (Matt Johnston kick failed), 6:13

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Green - Tim Childress 11-83; Joby Hills 8-88; Nick Graziano 4-2; Gionni Harris 2-1. White - Cody Burns 6-3; Tavin Davis 4-2; Trent Davis 3-0; Robert Sagerian 3-6; Josh Strong 1-(-2); Mike Shouse 1-(-6).

Passing - Green - Nick Graziano 6-16-0-1-65; Kevin Puckett 2-3-0-0-3; Robert Sagerian 2-4-0-0-27. White - Mike Shouse 3-4-0-0-21; Robert Sagerian 2-7-1-0-13; Kevin Puckett 2-3-0-0-13.

Receiving - Green - Jarrod Martin 5-43; Gionni Harris 3-31; C.J. Hunter 1-14; Tim Childress 1-7. White - Trent Davis 2-12; Roger Jackson 1-11; Dwight Brooks 1-3; Logan Britt 1-15; Jeremy Haynes 1-9; Cody Burns 1-(-3).

Interceptions - Green - Adrian Holiday 1-0. White - Joe Means 1-0.

Fumbles – None.

-- Tech Athletics --