Jacobs, Williams lead offense to victory in Blue-Black game
Sophomore Jurell Williams shines in Blue-Black game (file image)
March 14, 2009
It was billed as Faulkner's annual Black and Blue game, and the hitting and intensity certainly lived up to its name. The Eagles' offense got big days from sophomore quarterback T.J. Jacobs and sophomore H-back Jurrell Williams to outscore the defense 44-37 and win the spring game Saturday at Cramton Bowl.
In the unique scoring format, the offense got points for first downs, long plays as well as in traditional ways, while the defense scored for forcing three-and-out possessions, any stops, turnovers and turnovers for touchdowns. The game consisted of three 20-minute periods.
A Jacobs-to-Williams 80-yard touchdown pass with 3:12 remaining in the game brought the offense back from a 37-34 deficit.
"I'm extremely pleased with the progress we've made this spring, considering we've basically started over on offense and have put in an entirely new defense,'' Faulkner head coach Gregg Baker said. "There was a lot of hard hitting out here today, and I was happy with the effort and enthusiasm. Our goal this spring was improving our fundamentals, and I think we're on the right track headed into fall practice.''
Jacobs completed 12 of 19 pass attempts for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Backup Nick Garrett was 17 of 15 for 151 yards. Williams caught four passes for 111 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He also carried the back twice for 17 yards. A.J. Yelder had two catches for 37 yards, including a 31-yard strike from Jacobs for the offense's first touchdown. Lincoln Taylor scored from 1-yard out for the offense's other touchdown. Wideout Luther Burton had four catches for 91 yards, while Steven Johnson had five receptions for 35 yards.
The defense was led by Roger Barker, who recorded three sacks in the game. Quintory Braswell, Emanuel Godfrey and Anthony Haywood each had four tackles. Justin Gomez, Zach Peppers and Ryan Gunn each recovered fumbles, with Gomez returning his 48 yards to the 1-yard line, just missing a touchdown that would have potentially won the game for the defense. Leroy Whitner also scored points for the defense, intercepting a Garrett pass in the second period.
"We feel really good with where we are,'' Baker said. "With the guys we're still recruiting, and the class we've already signed, I feel confident that our new guys that will be coming in in the fall will help us immediately. We're looking at some JUCO guys who are a bit more mature and have a little better understanding of the college game.''
Faulkner opens its season Aug. 29 in Orlando, Fla., against Webber College.