April 11, 2008

NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack football team is in the process of installing a new offense, and with the new look it is going to take some time. So the important thing for SFA is to see signs of improvement from day-to-day. SFA head coach J.C. Harper got what he was looking for in Friday's scrimmage.

"I thought we saw some definite improvements tonight," said Harper. "The offense came out and looked more in sync. We have a long way to go, but you can see it coming along. We did a great job of spreading it around and getting plenty of players involved. We had some guys step up and make some big plays, and most importantly they looked like they were having fun."

Sophomore-to-be Jeremy Moses completed 38-of-62 (61.2 percent) passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but surrendered two picks on the night. Moses did an excellent job of spreading the ball around connecting with eight different receivers.

The receivers were led by senior-to-be Dominique Edison who caught six passes for 78 yards, and two touchdowns. Edison hauled in scoring strikes of 18 and 10 yards from Moses. Transfer Tyrone Ross caught eight passes for 34 yards, while freshman Marcus Taylor grabbed four passes for 28 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass.

The Lumberjacks carried the ball nine times for 48 yards. Ross led the way with seven carries for 29 yards. Sophomore-to-be Barlow Reed had only one carry, but evaded would-be tacklers for a 15-yard gain. He also hauled in three passes for 25 yards.

The Lumberjack defense once again showed the ability to make big plays. The defense intercepted two passes, and forced two fumbles on the night, including one that was recovered by Cory Barlow who returned it for the touchdown.

Garrison, Texas, native Jabara Williams led the purple shirts with nine tackles, including four solo stops, and one pass deflection. Sophomore-to-be Nolan Loflin made five stops, broke up three passes and was credited with a sack. The defense finished the night with three sacks, and 10 pass deflections.

-SFA-