A Ruff End to a Exciting Game
“Can’t blame the defense,” Abilene coach Rodney Blackshear said. “Obviously, our offense is still a work in progress. We dropped too many balls. Their pass rush, to be honest, was the difference in the game. I knew it would be. At the same time, our pass rush was good, too. We just have to correct some protection problems and get better as a team.”
The Ruff Riders (1-6), who scored a season-high points in a 48-31 victory over Corpus Christi in Blackshear’s debut last week, had a chance to ice their second-straight win when Nich Pertuit tried a 36-yard field goal with less than a minute to play. But Pertuit’s kick missed the mark, and the Diamonds got the ball at their own 5 with 36 seconds left.
Jones answered quickly, throwing a 40-yard pass to Ricardo Lenhart down to the Abilene 5. After losing two yards on a keeper, Jones scrambled on a second-and-goal play and ambled into the end zone.
The Riders had a chance to send the game into overtime but Pertuit missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired.
The loss spoiled the debut of Robert Kent, a former Jackson State quarterback who Abilene signed earlier in the week. Kent got the start over Bart Gloyd. After throwing two interceptions on Abilene’s first two possessions, Kent threw two touchdowns passes, both to Robert Gill.
He engineered two drives to start the second half that produced touchdowns, giving the Riders a 23-12 lead.
“He knows my offense,” Blackshear said. “He made a bunch of throws, and guys dropped some balls when we needed the catches.”
Blackshear said he made the decision to start Kent, since he played two seasons for Blackshear with Lubbock in the af2.
The Abilene defense provided an early spark when it sacked Jones in the end zone on the game’s opening drive.
The Riders had three sacks for a loss of 24 yards on that opening drive — the last when Jones was called for intentional grounding in the end zone under heavy pressure.
The Riders had a chance to jump on the Diamonds quickly, too, when they started the ensuing drive after the free kick at the Arkansas 10. But on fourth-and-goal from the 4, Kenneth Fontenette picked off Kent in the end zone and raced the distance of the field for the touchdown.
On the next play from scrimmage, Steven Savoy picked off a Kent pass at his own 16 and returned the ball to the Abilene 7. The Diamonds had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Brian Umstead for a 10-2 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter.
Kent came back to throw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gill with 4:10 remaining in the quarter. Pertuit’s PAT made it a one-point game (10-9).
There would be no more scoring in the half, until the Diamonds got a safety — blocking Pertuit’s 50-yard field goal attempt in the end zone 1:03 before halftime for a 12-10 lead.
Kent got off to a better start in the second half, throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gill on the opening possession of the half.
The Riders pushed their lead to 23-12, when Trae Ivory capped a seven-play, 30-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run on Abilene’s next possession. Pertuit’s PAT gave Abilene a 23-12 lead.
Arkansas got field goals of 34 and 27 yards for Umstead to get within five.
Diamonds 26, Ruff Riders 23
Arkansas 10 2 0 14—26
Abilene 9 0 14 0—23
First quarter
Abi — Safety. Brian Jones sacked in end zone, 12:49
Ark — Kenneth Fontenette 50 interception return (Brian Umstead kick), 10:05
Ark — Umstead 22 FG, 7:26
Abi — Robert Gill 33 pass from Robert Kent (Nich Pertuit kick), 4:10
Second quarter
Ark — Safety. Blocked field goal in end zone, 1:03
Third quarter
Abi — Gill 30 pass from Kent (Pertuit kick), 11:16
Abi — Trae Ivory 7 run (Pertuit kick), 2:23
Fourth quarter
Ark — Umstead 34 FG, 9:15
Ark — Umstead 27 FG, 4:09
Ark — Jones 7 run (A.J. Harris run), 0:16
