Panthers 16 Texans 13: Preseason ends on a high note

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

First Quarter

If you thought a game in the rain featuring no starters was going to be a slog to watch offensively, you were right. Though there were moments to enjoy from a defensive perspective.

Trevis Gipson and Trevin Wallace each registered a sack to force a punt on the Texans’ first drive. The offense didn’t do anything and punted right back, but the defense got the ball right back with an interception by Lathan Ransom that was aided by more good pressure up front.

The Panthers at least got a couple of first downs on their next drive, but Kenny Pickett wasn’t able to find anyone on a 4th and 4 and the Panthers turned the ball over. DeVonta Smith broke up a couple of passes to get the ball back to the home team.

Pickett found Ja’seem Reed over the middle for a 17 yard gain as the first quarter came to a close.

Second Quarter

A false start by John Metchie III put the Panthers behind the sticks, and they couldn’t catch up. A Sam Martin punt downed the Texans at the 10.

The defense held up again and forced another punt. Kyle Trask checked in at quarterback and promptly through a very poor interception. That gave the Texans the ball in scoring range, so they were able to put a field goal on the board despite another stop by the defense.

The Trask-led offense picked up one first down before punting once again, but the defense got the ball back a couple plays later after a botched exchange was picked up by Cam Gill. Just like with the Texans, the offense couldn’t punch it in and settled for a field goal.

The Texans put together a decent drive in the two minute, but Brett Rypien overthrew a receiver and had his pass intercepted by Cam Miller. Trask strung together a couple of nice passes to get the Panthers into field goal range, where Ryan Fitzgerald knocked in his second kick of the night.

Third Quarter

The Panthers got the ball first and Ja’Seem Reed caught another 20 yard pass from Trask to get the offense moving. The drive stalled at midfield, and Sam Martin punted away. The Texans muffed the punt and recovered it inside their own five, but it was all moot as a flag for too many players on the field gave the Panthers a first down. Jimmy Horn Jr. had a nice run on a screen pass, but it was called back. Still, Trask was able to connect on a couple of passes to keep the drive alive into the red zone, though it wouldn’t make it to the end zone. Ryan Fitzgerald field goal number three put the Panthers up 9-3.

The Texans responded with a field goal drive of their own. There weren’t any explosives, but they nickel and dimed their way to a field goal to make it 9-6.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter with a couple of quick passes to move the Panthers out past midfield. Trask seemed to have found a rhythm and was delivering his passes on time and on target. He worked the team into the red zone, then Miles Davis picked up a hard two yards on a 4th and 2. On the next play, he battered his was through the defense for what was almost a 10 yard touchdown. A review took the touchdown off the board. It took a couple more tries, but Davis eventually got his touchdown.

The Texans marched back down the field in response as they went into chase mode. They picked up a bunch of small gains and capped off the drive with a touchdown to Zay Jones.
The Panthers couldn’t put together a drive to clinch the game and had to punt back to the Texans with a little over two minutes to play.

It looked like the defense had done their job and gotten off the field with a fourth down interception, but the game was extended by a pass interference penalty. All that did was gave the Panthers a chance to rack up two more violent sacks from Elijah Garcia and Jeremiah Moon. The latter jarred the ball free, and Cam Gill pounced on it for his second fumble recovery of the game.

Overview

There’s not a whole lot to glean from a preseason game in which none of the starters played, but the defense showed out and a number of players put plays on film that are going to have the coaches talking.

Rosters have to be finalized by Sunday, and then the regular season kicks off two weeks later.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos