The Wildcats are through three weeks of fall camp and now have two scrimmages under their belts. Head Football Coach Adam Dorrel said the offense impressed him in the first scrimmage, but it was the defensive that left a lasting impression this time.

“Last Thursday I thought the offense had a great scrimmage and the defense we were a little disappointed in, and tonight it was entirely opposite. And that’s good to see cause our guys are learning from their mistakes, they’re taking pride in what they’re trying to do,” Dorrel said.

In the first scrimmage it was the offense who put up three field goals and three touchdowns, but this time the defense forced a number of three and outs, and even came up with two interceptions. Dorrel said aside from the elevated play, his team is beginning to band together.

“So far what I’ve seen is I have seen a group that’s starting to care about each other,” Dorrel said. “They are learning how to be Wildcats the way we want to do that, through their accountability to each other, through the way they practice, the way they’re learning to play the game with good fundamentals. And so we’re moving in the right direction and it’s good to see.”

It’s been just a half a year since Dorrel arrived in Abilene and from the start he has emphasized to his team the importance of the older players leading the team on and off the field. Through three weeks of practice, he said the team has made great strides in improving the energy, but still has work to do.

“We’re gonna come and go as our seniors come and go. And to really break it down that simplistically, to get them to buy into that, on the energy that they bring to the locker room, that they bring to the practice field, that’s going to translate on Saturdays. We’re not fully where we want to be yet, but I think we’re gonna get there.”

The football team’s next scrimmage will take place Saturday, Aug. 26 and will be the final game-like tune-up for the Wildcats before they head to New Mexico, Sep. 2 to open the season.