SPRINGFIELD – Jordan Pachot passed for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jacardia Wright added 53 yards on the ground to help the Maroon squad to a 37-17 win in Saturday’s spring intrasquad game at Plaster Stadium.
The game was delayed over an hour due to hail and lightning, but when the weather cleared, both sides showed impressive drives with individual standout plays on both sides to set a blistering tone.
In the first half, Jacob Clark’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Wood put the White squad ahead 10-2 midway through the second quarter before the Maroon side reeled off 14 unanswered points to lead 16-10 at the half.
A 16-yard TD rush from Wright and a 74-yard fumble return from Caleb Blake was enough to give Maroon the narrow lead at the midway point.
Maroon added to its advantage in the third with Pachot connecting on a 42-yard pass to Jmariyae Robinson, then pulled away early in the fourth with Pachot’s 7-yard strike to Stetson Moore.
Connor Lair ended the 28-point run from the Maroon side midway through the final quarter, finding paydirt on a four-yard touchdown run to get the White side within 30-17.
But Ahmias Hart’s 47-yard TD pass to Liam O’Reilly on the final play of the game added to Maroon’s margin and put the game on ice.
For the White squad, Clark finished 26-of-36 for 314 yards with Wood hauling in 12 passes for 141 yards, and D’Vontae Key snagging 7 passes for 122 yards. Celdon Manning also contributed 47 rushing yards.
Defensively, Von Young and Dwight Jacobs Jr. each tallied 6 tackles for White with Jacobs breaking up three passes in his return to the squad.
Robinson had 4 receptions for 85 yards to lead the victorious Maroon team with O’Reilly collecting 67 yards on a pair of catches. Defensively, Maroon was paced by J.J. O’Neal’s 9 stops with Donovan Clark adding 8 tackles, and Tahj Chambers adding 7 with three break-ups.
First-year head coach Ryan Beard will now have the opportunity to assess his team’s performance ahead of the off-season months ahead. The Bears will kick off the 2023 season on Aug. 31 at Kansas.
#BearsUnite
