Starters posts 24 points in shortened intrasquad

Box Score
 

---

ABILENE - When it comes to plotting the script for an intrasquad scrimmage, Abilene Christian head football coach Adam Dorrel likes to take the 'David v. Goliath' route by pitting the travel roster vs. the up-and-comers, and Saturday night his band of underdogs got in some licks despite being on the wrong end of a 24-7 score at Wildcat Stadium.

"This is best Purple team performance I've seen in my nine years as a head coach," said Dorrel. "They competed hard, and did a phenomenal job emulating the North Texas offense and defense. I'm very proud of those kids and their effort.

"The White team, though, also was ready to go even though there were some players who mentally made some real big mistakes tonight. These are the things we've got to get cleaned up, but certainly I'm still confident in this team and the whole body of fall camp work shouldn't be diminished by what we saw tonight."

Lightning delayed the start by 15 minutes but the starters moved the ball down to the Purple nine-yard line on nine plays thanks in part to a seven-yard completion by junior quarterback Luke Anthony to Justus Lee on a third and four coupled with a personal foul that followed an 11-yard rush from wide receive Kobe Clark.

The self-inflicted penalties then started to stack up against White, and four flags on five plays pulled the Wildcats into a first and goal scenario from the 29-yard line. Anthony again hit Clark for a 12-yard gain on third down, but the starters had to settle for three points via Oscar Hernandez' 23-yard field goal.

"I think we were being a little complacent against the young guys (on that first drive)," said Anthony, "but we can use it as a learning experience. Being focused is the main thing for our offense, and I could see the offensive line develop more consistency as the game rolled on.

"Our offensive line is the best since we've gotten here," added Dorrel. "I've got several guys here who can play multiple positions along the line and I'm probably going to travel eight or nine of them to North Texas. I'll keep them rotating. I like their energy and I'm proud of their consistency."

With the defensive stop in its pocket, Purple punched back on offense as Conrad Perry bolted down the far sideline for 72 yards on the team's second play from scrimmage in taking a 7-3 lead.

Perry is in his third year with the Wildcats, plays special teams, and travels as the fourth running back. Dorrel defined him as a, 'hard-nosed kid with a high football IQ."

The White team's running backs helped propel the offense during its second drive as Billy McCrary followed a 12-yard run with a 58-yard reception from Anthony that brought the ball to the 13-yard line. Anthony connected with Clark to set up a first-and-goal, and Tracy James punched the ball in from two yards out to give White the lead for good.

Clark was the Wildcats' leading receiver, racking up 44 yards on five catches, while McCrary and James combined for 108 all-purpose yards. 

Tyrese White began running the ball on White's third series, gaining 27 yards on his first two touches. He then ran the ball three-straight times from inside the seven-yard line to put the starters ahead, 17-7. 

From there the two sides exchanged several punts and a pair of interceptions. Freshman safety Gage Graham undercut a Remington Lutz route to pick off Anthony at the home 45-yard line, running the ball out at the 33 for a 12-yard gain, but on the very next play senior Brandon Richmond won a Andrew Stripling jump ball at the goal line and brought it back out to the home 17.

Anthony completed his first pass after the pick for 22 yards to James, but finished the series 0-for-3 to finish the contest 11-for-17 with 189 passing yards.

His backup, Sema'J Davis, meanwhile, connected on 9-of-11 attempts for 106 yards and gained 23 yards on the ground. On Davis' final drive of the night he hit Clark for a 12-yard gain, watched White total 25 yards on consecutive rushes, and then found newcomer L.J. McConnell over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown pass. 

Purple was given the ball for two consecutive series to end the game. The first series ended with a Gabriel Ortega punt and the second on a sack by Bright Ihegworo, who twice reached Stripling on that drive.

ACU practices again late Sunday, is off Monday for the first day of classes, and then holds three-straight late afternoon practices before hitting the road Friday for Denton, Texas.