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A 30-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Sam Kellogg at the final gun lifted the Gold team past the Purple team, 9-7, in the first-half regular-game portion of the 2017 Purple & Gold Spring Game on Saturday (April 22) night at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field.
Saturday's action included a regular game for a half, a 7-on-7 format in the third quarter and a "rookie bowl" for the fourth quarter.
Gold took a 6-0 lead with 3:44 left in the first quarter when redshirt freshman quarterback John Davies found freshman wide receiver Justin Davis for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Purple countered a little more than three minutes later on a rumbling 11-yard touchdown run by sophomore fullback Logan Vandemark.
Trailing 7-6 on the game's final drive, Gold moved the ball down to the Purple 13-yard line, then Kellogg hit the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock.
Davies was 8-of-16 for 135 yards and a touchdown, while fellow redshirt frosh pivot David Murray passed for 69 yards and ran for a team-high 36 for Gold.
"John, he was our No. 2 guy last year and played pretty well. I thought he played pretty well tonight," said Ashland head coach Lee Owens.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Stanley Jackson Jr. led all receivers with four catches for 80 yards.
Defensively, Gold sophomore linebacker Cameron Barker had a game-high five total tackles, while Purple freshman defensive end Eric Pickering recorded the game's lone sack.
Vandemark (offense) and Barker (defense) were named the Gridiron Club Players of the Game.
Prior to the game, there was a Hall of Fame Dedication Ceremony outside of the stadium, where pillars honoring Ashland's two College Football Hall of Famers – head coach Dr. Fred Martinelli and defensive end Bill Royce – were unveiled.
"Tonight was about the Hall of Famers," Owens said. "Having our players there, just to get a feel for that was so significant to our team, and to our coaches. To be able to feel why we're here, you need those 'feel it' moments, and I think tonight was a 'feel it' moment."
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