Collegio Online

Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Brett Armbruster Rusty Morgan, No. 41, adds to the PSU pile on top of Texas running back Eddie Moss at the opening football game against Texas A&M Commerce.

Media Credit: Brett Armbruster Nick Delasega rests after the defense held the Lions to a turnover on downs late in the game.

Media Credit: Brett Armbruster Mark Smith is congratulated by Marques Nelson after scoring the touchdown that put PSU ahead of Texas A&M Commerce.

Media Credit: Brett Armbruster Lions quarterback Terry Mayo is stopped by Pitt State's Jeremy Jackson.

Media Credit: Brett Armbruster After a Pitt State kickoff, cheerleader Ashley Taylor, junior in psychology, jumps off the wall on the east side of Carnie Smith Stadium into the arms of Ryan Shumaker.

Questions were thoroughly answered on Saturday.
Junior Mark Smith is back where he belongs, junior Caleb Farabi is, in fact, a formidable replacement for Germaine Race, and the revamped defense held a potent Commerce offense to 14 points.
The Gorillas started off quickly by setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mark Smith, with a 46-yard Caleb Farabi rush.
While the first series lasted a mere 3:20, it was something Mark Smith had been waiting for, since missing the remainder of the previous season with a broken arm.
"I was just ready to get out there and help the team," said Smith. "There were a couple plays when I was worried to get tackled, but once I got hit a few times, I was just happy to be out there again."
Texas A&M-Commerce quarterback Terry Mayo then led the Lions on their opening possession 76 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a completion to senior wideout Meldrick Grice with 7:02 left remaining in the first quarter.
Pitt State answered with a 34-yard touchdown strike to sophomore tight end Martin Burke at the hands of Smith, ending the first quarter with Pitt State leading by 7, 14-7.
With 2:08 left in the half, Mayo completed a 71-yard pass to senior JaMichael Palmer to even the score at 14 heading into halftime.
As a scoreless third quarter came to an end, the numbers were stacked against the Gorillas historically.
Since 2000, Pitt State has been 5-12 when the offense scored fewer than 24 points, but the offense kicked into gear with help from the defense.
Shortly after the fourth quarter began, Mark Smith rushed from seven yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the day.
In the middle of a 67-yard push by the Commerce offense, senior strong safety Adam Contreras intercepted Terry Mayo's 13-yard pass to JaMichael Palmer, setting up the offense's final touchdown of the day.
Backup quarterback Chadd Snyder kicked off the drive with a 12-run, which then gave way to a Brandon Clark 35-yard breakaway.
Closer to the goal line, the offense failed to score on its first three attempts and faced a pivotal fourth and goal.
A personal foul on Commerce junior defensive end Marcus Smith placed the Gorillas halfway to the goal line with a fresh set of downs.
Capping off the drive was Mark Smith with a 13-yard run for his third rushing touchdown, putting the Gorillas up with the final score of 28-14.
Smith finished with 214 total yards (144 passing, 70 rushing) and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing), but said the 28 points were not nearly as high as expected.
"I thought we were going to score 50-60 points today," said Smith. "Their defense played well, but we didn't finish on all of our drives, so we'll work on correcting a few things for the rest of the season."
Most important, the defense finished with four sacks and one interception, and allowed only 80 yards rushing.
Junior linebacker Jason Northern said it was all about proving a point, and building on last year.
"We wanted to make a statement and show teams we're not just going to be pushovers anymore," said Northern, who finished with three tackles and one sack. We're not going to rely on our offense scoring as many points."
Junior linebacker Jeremy Williams, who totaled nine tackles and two sacks, said the improvement was evident, but the defense's progression isn't over.
"There was a lot of talk to ensure that our defense wasn't like last year's, and I think we've done that, but we still have a ways to go," said Williams.
The Gorillas' defense allowed a total of 340 yards, but only 80 yards rushing, and held the Lions to six of 15 on third down conversions.
Junior running back Caleb Farabi says he hopes his 153 yard performance would show fans that the running game will still be dangerous, even without Race.
"Hopefully I answered them (doubters), but that's up to the media and the fans," said Farabi. "I know the coaches and the players believe in me, but the fans still question, so hopefully I went out there and proved a point."
The Gorillas rushed for a total of 278 yards on 52 carries, a trend that the Gorillas quarterback hopes continues.
"We haven't run that much option since I've been here, but I hope we continue to run it and continue to keep it successful," said Smith. "The coaches just didn't like what they were seeing from their defense, and the rushing attack was working so we stuck with it."
While the offense was having slight trouble getting in the end zone, it was the defense and halftime changes that ensured the victory.
"The Commerce defense had taken away possessions from us, and it got to the point where we were a little frustrated," said head coach Chuck Broyles. "We had gone four (offensive) series where we didn't do anything, then we came back in the second half and put together two nice drives for touchdowns."
Despite both the offense and defense clocking in good performances, the players said this is just the tip of the iceberg.
"We're looking to get better every game, and to start off with a talented team like Commerce, we were just pretty happy to get the win," said Farabi.
Smith says he just hopes the offense will catch up with the defense to create the complete package.
"For these next couple weeks, hopefully our defense can carry us and the offense will catch up and really put it all together."

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