No. 2 UMHB Clinches NCAA Playoff With HPU Win

Blake Jackson and the Cru clinched a playoff berth in the NCAA Division III Championship with their win at Howard Payne.

11/12/2014 12:16:23 PM

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 84, Howard Payne 13 – Box Score

BROWNWOOD, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team used a record-setting performance to clinch a postseason berth as the Cru raced to an 84-13 victory over Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon in Brownwood. UMHB improves to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The Cru also locks up at least a share of the ASC title and guarantees itself the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship with the win. The loss drops the Yellow Jackets to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in ASC play on the year.

Duane Thompson opened the scoring with a 12-yard run to cap the opening possession and make it 7-0 just 1:32 into the game. Trey Thedford's interception set up Malcolm Miller's 13-yard scoring run to push it to 14-0 and Blake Jackson hit Kamray Runnels with a nine-yard touchdown strike in the corner of the end zone to give UMHB a 21-0 edge. Zarron Dove's two-yard run cut the gap to 21-7, but Thompson added a two-yard touchdown run to put the Cru on top 28-7 at the end of the first quarter. Runnels hauled in a ten-yard TD toss from Zach Anderson, Michael Carpenter scored on a two-yard run and Anderson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Damon Thomas to make it 49-7 UMHB at halftime.

The Yellow Jackets scored on the opening possession of the second half to move to within 49-13 and converted an on-side kick. HPU drove inside the Cru ten-yard line, but Eric Allen intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a UMHB touchdown to make it 56-13. Thomas added a ten-yard run, Robby Seybold broke four tackles on a swing pass from Jackson to break loose for a 38-yard TD, T.J. Josey scored on a four-yard run and Carpenter broke free for a 56-yard run to close out the scoring.

UMHB set a new school record and the second highest total in ASC history with the 84 total points and Allen's 100-yard interception return broke another school record and tied the conference mark. The Cru rolled up 580 yards of total offense and held the Yellow Jackets to just 260. UMHB also tied a school single-game record with six interceptions.

Carpenter ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Thompson added 92 yards and a pair of scores. Anderson was 12-of-16 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns while Jackson went 7-of-8 for 106 yards and two scores. Runnels finished with five catches for 80 yards and two scores. Cameron Moore was credited with a career-high 11 tackles to lead the Cru and Allen posted 10 stops to go with his interception return.

HPU quarterback Richard Young was 10-of-24 passing for HPU for 137 yards, but was picked off five times. Colby Mica caught five passes for 110 yards and Eduardo Nunez posted 11 tackles to lead the Yellow Jackets.

UMHB has now won 53 consecutive regular season games and 36 straight ASC contests. The Cru will advance to the postseason for the 11th straight year and UMHB locked up at least a share of its 10h consecutive ASC Championship with the win.

The Cru will return to action to close out the regular season next Saturday with a 1:00 PM kick off at East Texas Baptist (4-5, 1-3 ASC) in Marshall. The 32-team field for the NCAA Division III National Championships will be announced on Sunday, November 16 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

Hardin-Simmons 35, East Texas Baptist 19 – Box Score

ABILENE, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons' football team beat East Texas Baptist 35-19 on Senior Day and Veterans Appreciation Day at Shelton Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Cowboy defense dominated the first half limiting the high-powered Tigers offense to no points and 123 yards as the Cowboys jumped to a 14-0 halftime lead.

Kerry Sloan gave the Cowboys an early lead as HSU took the opening kickoff and drove 82 yards in 11 plays with Sloan scoring from three years out.

Connor Nielsen later sacked Josh Warbington and forced a fumble at the ETBU 21 and the Cowboys scored two plays later on a Weston Garner 21-yard pass to Jessie Ramos to make it 14-0 with 5:10 to play in the first quarter.

The game stayed 14-0 until early in the third quarter. ETBU drove to the HSU five yard line and attempted a field goal that Randy Hirsch blocked and Conlan Aguirre returned it 81 yards for a touchdown to make the score 21-0.

HSU came up with a goal-line stop on the next ETBU possession as well.

The Tigers got on the board with 13 seconds to play in the third quarter on a 19-yard pass to Stephen Alfred from Warbington. The Tigers recovered an onside kick but HSU stopped the drive on downs.

The Cowboys then went 60 yards in 11 plays and Sloan scored on a four-yard touchdown run to make it 28-7 with 8:42 to play.

ETBU drove again and Warbington hit Alfred for a 16-yard touchdown. After HSU was forced to punt ETBU scored again on a 54 yard-pass to Tyler Bates from Warbington to make it 28-19.

HSU answered again with a 57-yard three-play drive all Sloan rushes. Sloan had a 50-yard run and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 35-19 with 2:30 to play.

Sloan, the leading rusher in the ASC, finished the game with 130 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Johnson had 71 yards and Jeremy Harris had 66 yards as the Cowboys had 256 yards on the ground in the contest.

Garner was 18-of-28 for 157 yards. Warbington completed 37-of-56 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Bates had 12 catches for 172 yards for ETBU and Alfred added 11 catches for 126 yards.

James Place had 18 tackles for the Cowboys in the Contest and Matthew Hawkins had 16, both were career highs. Dylan Bowman had 12 tackles to pace the Tigers.

HSU is now 6-2 on the year and 3-1 in ASC play. ETBU fell to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in conference action. HSU will close the regular season at Louisiana College next week. It was the final home game for 23 Hardin-Simmons seniors.

Louisiana College 26, Sul Ross State 25 – Box Score

ALPINE, Texas –What could have been a long bus ride home got a whole lot better for the Louisiana College Wildcats when a late defensive stop allowed LC to survive Sul Ross State, 26-25, Saturday in Alpine, Texas.

The Wildcats, now 5-4 on the season, 3-1 in conference play, trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but got a game-saving play with 20 seconds left when senior linebacker Beau Brewer sacked the Lobos' Derrick Bernard at the LC 14-yard line. Bernard fumbled on the play, and Brewer also recovered the football to ensure the Wildcats' victory.

That win looked very much in doubt for the Wildcats midway through the fourth quarter. Sul Ross, which trailed 14-13 after three quarters, took a 19-14 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when James Davis hit Steven Savedra with a three-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 80-yard drive. The two-point conversion pass by Davis failed, however.

The Wildcats appeared to be driving for their own score on the next series, but LC's Easton Melancon was intercepted in the flat by the Lobos' Earl Hines at the Sul Ross 20-yard line. Sul Ross, with the help of two LC penalties, converted that turnover into points when Bernard hit Cordrick Mobley with a 33-yard touchdown pass with9:12 left in the game to take a 25-14 lead. This time, the Wildcats blocked the extra point - their second blocked PAT of the game.

Needing some kind of spark, the Wildcats got one from their senior kick returner Ira Jewitt. Jewitt, who has proven to be one of the most valuable players in the American Southwest Conference this season, took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to pull the Cats back to within five, 25-20, as LC's two-point attempt failed.

For Jewitt, it was the eight touchdown return (punt, kickoff, interception) of his career, tying him with current co-defensive coordinator Justin Charles for the LC career mark in that category. It was also his fourth such return of 2014 and puts Jewitt in a tie with Charles and former Mary Hardin-Baylor linebacker Javicz Jones for the ASC single-season record in that category.

Special teams would again play a big factor later in the quarter. Following an LC possession ending in Tim Willett's 46-yard punt to the 11-yard line, the Wildcats' defense forced a three-and-out for Sul Ross. But while standing at his own five-yard line, Lobos punter Stephen Slater attempted to field a low snap and dropped his knee to the ground while trying to gain possession. He was ruled down at the five-yard line with 3:06 left to play.

The Wildcats needed just one play to take the lead for good when receiver Shed Davis took the end-around for a 5-yard touchdown run. The Cats tried for two again, but Melancon's pass was incomplete, so LC's lead stood at 26-25 with 3:01 to play.

Sul Ross, which dropped to 1-8, 0-4 in the ASC, seemed poised to pull off the upset on its final drive as the Lobos marched from their own 13-yard line to the LC 14 before Brewer's game-deciding sack. As he has done many times this season, Brewers led with Wildcats with 11 tackles. Hall added 10.

In the second quarter, LC finally tied the game after some help from its defense. LC's Richard Jefferson stripped Bernard of the football at the LC 31-yard line and teammate Trent Hall returned it to the Sul Ross 13. Melancon found Davis for the first of his two touchdowns on the day, a three-yard strike to tie the game at 7-7 heading into halftime.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter. The key play on their scoring drive that started at their own 12 was a 77-yard pass from Melancon to Cole Crook that took the ball to the Sul Ross 6-yard line. Two plays later, Melancon found Sylve on a quick route out of the backfield for a 5-yard touchdown pass to put LC ahead for the first time, 14-7, with 6:39 to play in the third

The Wildcats won the game despite being out-gained by Sul Ross, 359-253 in total yards. Most of those yards for the Lobos came through the air as Davis finished 19-of-35 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Bernard was 2-for-2 for 78 yards and another score. Meanwhile, Melancon finished 17-of-31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns on an extremely windy day in West Texas. He was also sacked six times.

On the ground, the Wildcats got 95 yards on 22 carries from Sylve, the freshman who had gained more than 100 yards in his past two games. Of concern for the Wildcats, the fact that Sylve had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent hand injury.

For the Wildcats, the win improved their all-time series record against Sul Ross to 14-1. LC will close its season Saturday, Nov. 15 when Hardin-Simmons visits Wildcat Stadium for a 1 p.m. matchup that should decide second place in the ASC. The Cowboys also won Saturday, 35-19 over East Texas Baptist.

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