WONDER BOYS OFFENSE PERFORMS WELL IN SATURDAY'S
GREEN AND GOLD SPRING GAME

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Football wrapped up its 13th practice of spring football here Saturday morning as the Wonder Boys held its annual Green and Gold Spring Game in front of almost 600 fans in Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.

Saturday’s Green and Gold Game featured the Green team (No. 1s) going up against the Gold team, which consisted of the rest of the team, in a game that featured four 10-minute quarters.

The Green team amassed 354 yards of total offense and scored 17 of its 19 points in the first half, while the Green team’s defense limited the Gold squad to 132 total yards, including limiting them to minus-36 yards rushing on 19 carries. The Gold team’s lone touchdown came in the third quarter on an 11 play, 60-yard drive that was completed by a 10-yard pass from junior Robert Sagerian (Ramona, Calif.) to sophomore receiver Darryl Adams (Warren, Ark.).

“I was pleased with the effort today and I was excited to see a large crowd,” Tech Head Football Coach Steve Mullins said. “I was disappointed that we allowed too many deep balls to be completed. That is one area we’ll need to shore up before next season.”

The Green team opened the scoring with a 28-yard field by sophomore kicker Travis Cockerham (Bryant, Ark.) on its first possession after the drive stalled on the 11-yard line. Cockerham and the Gold team tied the game with a 47-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter.

“I was pleased with the way Travis kicked today,” Mullins said.

In the second quarter, the Green team’s offense exploded for 173 yards as it scored on two of its three possessions in the quarter. The Green’s first score came on a five-yard pass from junior Cole Barthel (Decatur, Ala.) to redshirt freshman receiver Jarrod Martin (Crossett, Ark.) just a little less than two minutes into the quarter. The Green’s second score came on a 5-yard pass from Barthel to sophomore receiver Rolaundo Wright (Sulphur Springs, Ark.) with 2:10 remaining in the first half.

The Gold team pulled within 17-9 midway through the third quarter on Sagerian’s pass to Adams, but the two-point conversion attempt failed. Adams finished the game with five catches for 88 yards to lead the Gold offense. The Green team’s final score came in the fourth quarter as redshirt freshman linebacker Danny Martin (Tulsa, Okla.) blocked a punt by junior Michael Podobnik (Franfort, Ill.) for a safety.

Barthel, who played only two quarters, finished 15-for-23 through the air for 158 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, Sagarian and freshman Nick Petrino (Fayetteville, Ark.) each took turns under center with the Green team. Petrino finished 5-for-7 through the air for 34 yards, while Sagerian played in the fourth quarter and was 1-for-6 passing for 13 yards.

Wright caught three passes for 74 yards, while junior receiver Tracey Stiger (Russellville, Ark.) caught a team-high six passes for 34 yards. Sophomore running back Cody Burns (Pine Bluff, Ark.) carried the ball 12 times for 75 yards, while sophomore running back Tim Childress (Batesville, Ark.) toted the ball 10 times for 70 yards.

“I was pleased with the way our offense played, especially the Green team,” the 12th-year Tech coach said. “In addition, I thought our Green team’s defense did a good job too.”

In addition to Sagerian, redshirt freshman Cody Alexander (Gravette, Ark.) and Petrino all shared snaps under center for the Gold team. Alexander was 5-for-11 with 56 yards, while Sagerian and Petrino went a combined 7-for-11 for 87 yards and one touchdown.

One positive aspect of Saturday’s Green and Gold Game was that there was just turnover in the  nearly two hour scrimmage, a fumble by junior receiver Landon Turner (Destrehan, La.).

The Wonder Boys will return to practice with a non-pad workout on Monday, before completing spring drills with the Senior Bowl on Tuesday. Kickoff for the Senior Bowl is set for 7 p.m. at Thone Stadium.

Scoring Summary

Green -        3        0        6        0 – 9 

Gold -          3        14      0        2 – 19

Att: 550.

1st Quarter

Green – Travis Cockerham 28-yard field goal, 5:45

Gold – Cockerham 47-yard field goal, 1:36

2nd Quarter

Green – Jarrod Martin 5-yard pass from Cole Barthel (Cockerham kick), 8:27

Green – Rolaundo Wright 5-yard pass from Barthel (Cockerham kick), 2:10

3rd Quarter

Gold – Daryl Adams 10-yard pass from Robert Sagerian (McCaskill run failed), 4:29

4th Quarter

Green – Team Safety, 4:21

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Green – Cody Burns 12-75; Tim Childress 10-70; Tracey Stiger 1-5; Tyler Morton 1-3; Barthel 2-1;Petrino 1-0; Robert Sagerian 1-(-5). Total – 28-149. Gold – Darnell O’Neal 6-14; Jonathan Tuesno 3-2; C.J. Davis 1-(-3); Sagerian 2-(-5); Courtney Greer 3-(-7); Petrino 2-(-18); Alexander 2-(-19). Totals – 19 (-36).

Passing – Green – Cole Barthel 15-23-0-2-158; Nick Petrino 5-7-0-0-34; Robert Sagerian 1-6-0-0-13. Gold – Cody Alexander 5-11-0-0-56; Sagerian 5-8-0-1-60; Petrino 2-3-0-0-27.

Receiving – Green – Tracey Stiger 6-34; Justin Ray 4-44; Rolaundo Wright 3-74; Jarrod Martin 3-25; Landon Turner 3-8; Childress 1-12; Morton 1-8. Gold – Darryl Adams 5-88; Davis 2-14; Logan Britt 2-11; Greer 1-13; Eric Taylor 1-12; Justin Bennett 1-5.

Box Score

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