STEPHENVILLE - The Tarleton football team wrapped up their fall camp with a Purple and White Scrimmage at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in front of 1,500 fans looking to see where the team is two weeks prior to the season.

The Texans seperated into two teams with the "Purple" squad being the offense and the "White" squad being the defense.  The two sides went head-to-head for a pair of 15 minute quarters as the sun set over Stephenville.  Both the offense and defense were vying for bragging rights and it gave the players an opportunity to play with real officials watching over.

It was a game-day atmosphere on the campus of Tarleton with Texan Alley taking place prior to the game, while the band, cheerleaders, and the Texan Stars were all on hand to perform.

The scrimmage got underway right at 7 p.m. with the first team offense going up against the first team defense.

On the first drive of the scrimmage, junior quarterback Aaron Doyle hit sophomore wideout Clifton Rhodes III for a 30-yard gain up the middle.  The defense quickly settled in though and held the offense scoreless on the first possession.

The second drive was short but effective as senior quarterback Jake Fenske hooked up with freshman receiver Andre Plata fora 60-yard touchdown that got the crowd excited and on their feet. 

That set up an opportunity for the kickers to showcase their talents as well.  Freshman Blake Barnes and sophomore Isaac Arellano both converted their extra points before head coach Cary Fowler moved them back.  The duo again connected from 45 yards out before Arellano capped things off with a 50-yard field goal that easily cleared the uprights.

From there, Doyle and Rhodes kept their connection going with a series of short passes for Rhodes to get out into space.  That was all the offense could get going as the defense eliminated any ground game early on.  The bigs up front for Tarleton's defensive line did an excellent job of filling the gaps.

The next few series were controlled by the defense that used a combination of different players to keep the offense off balance.  The first quarter ended with another stand by the Texan defense.  Veteran leadership both up front and in the secondary limited what the offense was able to get going early on, despite the occassional first down by the first team offense.

As the second quarter got underway, Tarleton's running game picked up, thanks to sophomore back Jerome Regal.  It would eventually be redshirt-freshman quarterback Collin Strahan though that would punch it in from a few yards out.

Next was freshman quarterback Matt Bishops turn to control the reigns of the offense.  He led his team down the field for a score, including a 50-yard completion to Le'Nard Meyers that set up a Vaughn Smith rushing touchdown.  Smith went on to add another touchdown the next drive, this time from 30-yards out.

Overall, the offense showed explosiveness and discipline with the "Air-Raid Attack" entering its second full season at Tarleton.  The defense was able to win a lot of battles up front and escaped the scrimmage without any further injuries.  It was a success in Coach Fowler's eyes as the players got live-action reps and made it through two quarters with very few penalities.

"We did some good things and the defense got some quality reps," said Fowler.  "It's been a long camp.  There were a couple of good series, defense got to the quarterback, offense had some big gashes.  That's where the air-raid comes in.  Every quarterback got in tonight and moved the ball down the field.  It was fun to watch.  We got wore down a little bit, but we had them going a lot more reps.  That is what you want to see.  How they handle that.

"There was success on offense and on defense," Fowler added. "We caught the ball really well too.  I'd have to look at the film but I don't think we had one drop all night."

Coach Fowler also talked about the progress the team has made in its second year of the Air-Raid.

"We are two springs and two fall camps into (the Air-Raid) now," said the third-year coach.  "We still have two weeks before the first game.  They say the third year is the magic year.  The quarterbacks are so comfortable and they get rid of the football. They know where the reads are.  The point is to make the defense in the wrong place no matter what they are in.  We have 4,000 yards of receiving back and their are five backs that we really like.  The quarterbacks just need to get the ball in their hands."

Finally, Coach Fowler talked about what has to happen in order to be ready for the first game, which is just two weeks away.

"To get ready for September 8, we need to focus on two things: school and Mustangs," said Fowler.  "We have to be focused on starting the right way in school on Monday.  That we are in class, we are at study halls, and that we are putting in quality work Monday through Friday. That reflects on how successful we will be on Saturday."

The Texans will host Midwestern State for the season-opener on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.

For more information regarding the 2012 Tarleton football season, check out TarletonSports.com.