Tyler Junior College head football coach Tanner Jacobson at the TJC spring game on Friday.

Tyler Junior College hosted its annual Black & Gold Spring football game Friday night at Pat Hartley Field earlier than expected due to weather. Starting an hour and a half early due to rain, the effects were felt mostly by the Apache offense, which struggled throughout the night, losing 53-19 to the Apache defense.

The defense, donning all black uniforms, had plenty of room to shine. It was all over the Apache offense from the jump, forcing turnovers and never letting head coach Tanner Jacobson’s offensive game plan get into a rhythm.

This was the second spring game for Jacobson, who enters his second season on the sideline. He has an optimistic aura about him and the upcoming season, and said he feels his program is making big improvements.

“The biggest thing from Year 1 to Year 2 is that you can implement your culture,” Jacobson said. “I feel like the guys here want to do the right things for the right reasons and I feel like there’s a lot of guys buying in.”

Jacobson’s message is being well-received not only on the field but off of it as well.

“Where we are as a team, it’s such a blessing,” Jacobson said. “We want our school to be happy there is a football program here at Tyler Junior College. I feel like we’ve made our biggest strides off the field and in the classroom.”

Although Jacobson and his staff only have these young men for a short amount of time, he embraces the challenge of building a strong base, athletically and academically, to help the Apaches succeed wherever their journey takes them.

“The thing I’m most excited about is the foundation that we’ve built,” Jacobson said. “We’ve got great players in the right spots, we’ve got a lot of talent coming in and we will see who emerges.”

The Apaches had flashes of brilliance last season, knocking off the No. 1 ranked and defending national champion New Mexico Military Institute in a 20-12 stunner in October. The question of if the defense can be as consistent as it was that October night and this spring night will be answered this fall.

Head coach Jacobson’s staff includes offensive coordinator Brady Davis, defensive coordinator Elven Walker, wide receiver coach Terrance Louis, offensive line/tight end/running backs coach Jacob Donohoe, defensive line coach Ono Tafisi, defensive backs coach Isaac Warren, assistant offensive line coach Kris Weeks and assistant coach Greg Padgitt Jr.