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Smith bounces back, shows maturity
Gerry Dickert 05/25/2012 11:49 PM
With all eyes on newcomer quarterback A.J. Smith, the senior-to-be signal-caller might well have wished the sizable crowd at The Reservation would have collectively looked the other way for just a moment. After throwing his first pass incomplete, the heir-apparent to the Port Neches-Groves QB spot tossed an interception that w 5thas taken back for a touchdown in Friday night’s Purple and White spring game. In spite of the early mistake, the White team came away with a 20-7 win over Purple in the annual spring matchup. This past season, Smith watched from the sidelines as now-graduated Travis Miller led the Indians at quarterback. Now Smith has a taste of what it’s like to take a snap in a live-game situation and learned that sometimes it’s a bit bitter. “It’s unfortunate that he had an interception like that but it was a good experience and it was good to see him come back from that and lead the offense on a touchdown drive afterwards,” PN-G Coach Brandon Faircloth said. “It shows some maturity and growth from where he was at the beginning of spring practice. As quarterback, you have to shake off that sort of thing and move forward. That’s what he did.” Smith, who led the White team offense, settled in for a strong performance after the initial pick. Much of that success came from sure-handed receiver Logan Chipman as he hauled in several passes. Much of Chipman’s production came in yardage after the catch as he found open lanes to move the ball through the Purple defense. He got a lot of help from his backfield at times, particularly Spencer Wommack, a running back diminutive in size but certainly not in strength or ability. “He’s hard running and hard hitting and he moves the ball forward for us when we need him to,” Coach Faircloth said. “When he gets the ball, he makes things happen and that’s what you have to have when you’re facing those big down situations.” On more than one occasion, Wommack pushed the ball over for a first down for the White team, picking his way forward as his beefy linemen led the way. Ty Walker, who shared snaps with Smith on Friday night, showed some real spark at QB, throwing for more than 100 yards, hitting receivers for several double-digit gainers. He led the White team to two drives that resulted in touchdowns. It appeared that Smith was not the only player inspired to overcome the initial TD interception. After Caleb Clark picked Smith for 30 yards and six points in the first quarter, the White offense settled down with Diego Medina accounting for the first TD on a 3-yard run. The PAT failed to leave Purple up 7-6. That lead wouldn’t last long with Corbin Coy crossing into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 13-7 White lead. At the buzzer ending the first half, Brandon Bryan skirted the Purple defense on the left side, edging his way into the end zone for the final 20-7 decision. “There weren’t any real surprises because we’ve had 17 practices to get ready for tonight,” Faircloth said. “The defense was strong and we were expecting that. With so few returning starters on offense, we knew from the beginning that we had a lot of work to do there.” The defense certainly did its job, limiting the Indians’ talented quarterback tandem of Smith and Walker for most of the second half. “I’m pleased with where we are at this point and how we did tonight,” Faircloth said. “We showed a lot of consistency; there was a lot of toughness and a lot of effort. It was PN-G football ... and that’s what we’re looking for every time we come out here.”
Gerry Dickert 05/25/2012 11:49 PM
With all eyes on newcomer quarterback A.J. Smith, the senior-to-be signal-caller might well have wished the sizable crowd at The Reservation would have collectively looked the other way for just a moment. After throwing his first pass incomplete, the heir-apparent to the Port Neches-Groves QB spot tossed an interception that w 5thas taken back for a touchdown in Friday night’s Purple and White spring game. In spite of the early mistake, the White team came away with a 20-7 win over Purple in the annual spring matchup. This past season, Smith watched from the sidelines as now-graduated Travis Miller led the Indians at quarterback. Now Smith has a taste of what it’s like to take a snap in a live-game situation and learned that sometimes it’s a bit bitter. “It’s unfortunate that he had an interception like that but it was a good experience and it was good to see him come back from that and lead the offense on a touchdown drive afterwards,” PN-G Coach Brandon Faircloth said. “It shows some maturity and growth from where he was at the beginning of spring practice. As quarterback, you have to shake off that sort of thing and move forward. That’s what he did.” Smith, who led the White team offense, settled in for a strong performance after the initial pick. Much of that success came from sure-handed receiver Logan Chipman as he hauled in several passes. Much of Chipman’s production came in yardage after the catch as he found open lanes to move the ball through the Purple defense. He got a lot of help from his backfield at times, particularly Spencer Wommack, a running back diminutive in size but certainly not in strength or ability. “He’s hard running and hard hitting and he moves the ball forward for us when we need him to,” Coach Faircloth said. “When he gets the ball, he makes things happen and that’s what you have to have when you’re facing those big down situations.” On more than one occasion, Wommack pushed the ball over for a first down for the White team, picking his way forward as his beefy linemen led the way. Ty Walker, who shared snaps with Smith on Friday night, showed some real spark at QB, throwing for more than 100 yards, hitting receivers for several double-digit gainers. He led the White team to two drives that resulted in touchdowns. It appeared that Smith was not the only player inspired to overcome the initial TD interception. After Caleb Clark picked Smith for 30 yards and six points in the first quarter, the White offense settled down with Diego Medina accounting for the first TD on a 3-yard run. The PAT failed to leave Purple up 7-6. That lead wouldn’t last long with Corbin Coy crossing into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 13-7 White lead. At the buzzer ending the first half, Brandon Bryan skirted the Purple defense on the left side, edging his way into the end zone for the final 20-7 decision. “There weren’t any real surprises because we’ve had 17 practices to get ready for tonight,” Faircloth said. “The defense was strong and we were expecting that. With so few returning starters on offense, we knew from the beginning that we had a lot of work to do there.” The defense certainly did its job, limiting the Indians’ talented quarterback tandem of Smith and Walker for most of the second half. “I’m pleased with where we are at this point and how we did tonight,” Faircloth said. “We showed a lot of consistency; there was a lot of toughness and a lot of effort. It was PN-G football ... and that’s what we’re looking for every time we come out here.”
