ETBU, UMHB, HSU 2-0 in Conference Play
10/25/2015 12:27:41 PM
East Texas Baptist 46, Belhaven 13 – Box Score
MARSHALL, Texas – It will be a game to remember for the ages in Homecoming 2015 as East Texas Baptist senior Kendall Roberson rushed for 420 yards and five touchdowns as they battled the rain for a 46-13 victory over Belhaven. Earning their fifth win, ETBU is now guaranteed its first winning season since 2011.
The game was moved up to an 11:00 a.m. start from the original 6:00 p.m. start with the forecast of the inclement weather coming to East Texas. ETBU handled Belhaven and the new starting time well finishing with 594 yards of total offense as 521 yards came on the ground.
Roberson produced the career day with an American Southwest Conference and ETBU single-game rushing record of 420 yards on 33 carries. He also touted the rock into the end zone five times which is second-best in the history of the ASC and the most by a conference player this season.
Roberson’s touchdown runs were of 80 yards, 69, yards, 43 yards, six yards, and three yards. Before halftime, he had two touchdowns and 256 yards rushing. In the last two weeks, he has combined for 584 yards and nine touchdowns.
His first touchdown came in the first quarter with 12:21 on the clock from three-yards out and then with 6:26 left in the second he went 69 yards for a 20-0 lead. In between his two touchdowns his counterpart Jourdan McNeill, who had 96 yards rushing, recorded a two-yard touchdown run.
To finish out the scoring in the first half was Tyler Bates as he returned a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown making it 26-0 with 1:31 left in the half.
Belhaven put a score on the board in the third quarter at the 12:06 mark on a 13-yard pass as ETBU held a 26-7 lead. Less than a minute later, Roberson kicked it into high gear, again, on an 80-yard touchdown jaunt on the second play of the drive as ETBU extended their lead to 25 points, 32-7. Six minutes later Roberson picked up his fourth touchdown from six-yards out at the 5:30 mark and then just before the third quarter ended he found a hole in the defense for a 43-yard dash for his fifth touchdown. That touchdown put ETBU up 46-7. Belhaven added one score in the fourth quarter on a three-yard pass as it became 46-13.
Xavier Davis had a career day with 3.5 sacks, seven tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. It was the second week in a row that ETBU has allowed just 13 points and the team recorded eight sacks and one interception by Sam Williams.
The fifth win of the year ETBU is the most since 2011 and in coach Josh Eargle’s third year it is the most wins in a season. ETBU has not had a winning season since 2005 when the team went 6-4.
ETBU travels to Alpine, Texas, next Saturday, October 31, to face Sul Ross State in ASC play and will put their undefeated 2-0 record on the line at 2:00 p.m.
No. 2 / 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor 48, No. 24 Texas Lutheran 20 – Box Score
BELTON, Texas – Mary Hardin-Baylor used a couple of lightning strikes on special teams to take control of the game and the Cru rolled to a 48-20 victory over No. 24 Texas Lutheran Saturday afternoon in Belton. Second-ranked UMHB improves to 7-0 on the season with the victory. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 5-2 on the year.
Playing in heavy rain in the early going, the Cru dominated the field position and took a 7-0 lead on Malcolm Miller's 11-yard touchdown run with 8:31 left in the first quarter. Teidrick Smith blocked a Texas Lutheran punt in the second quarter to set up a 10-play, 30-yard drive as Miller scored from one yard out to put UMHB up 14-0. Matt Cody's interception and return set up the Cru at the TLU one-yard line on the next possession and Blake Jackson dove in from a yard out to give UMHB a 20-0 edge. Texas Lutheran executed its two-minute offense to near perfection as Trenton White scored on a 24-yard run with 54 seconds left in the first half to cut the Cru lead to 20-7.
A break in the weather provided better playing conditions in the second half, but lightning struck on the opening play. TLU tried a short, directional kickoff, but Jordan Millar hauled it in, broke one tackle and raced down the UMHB sideline for a 69-yard touchdown return. The Cru converted a two-point conversion to make it 28-7. White hit Jekovan Holmes with a 48-yard touchdown pass and Chadd Brown added a 31-yard field goal as the Bulldogs closed to within 28-17, but Zach Anderson found Marcus Wimby for a 56-yard touchdown pass on the first play after Brown's field goal to stretch the lead to 35-17. Brown hit a 23-yard field goal to cut it to 35-20, but Bryce Wilkerson returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for another lightning strike and his first career kickoff return for a touchdown to push it to 42-20 UMHB. The Cru added the final points when Miller broke off a 28-yard touchdown run with 7:46 remaining to provide the final margin.
UMHB was just 4-11 passing in the game for 92 yards and the Cru managed just 138 rushing yards for 230 yards of total offense. Texas Lutheran threw for 246 yards and finished with 333 yards of total offense while controlling the ball for 38:05 of the game.
Miller and Duane Thompson both ran for 52 yards for the Cru and Wimby caught two passes for 93 yards and a score. He became just the third player in UMHB history to reach 100 career receptions in the game. Trey Thedford led the Cru defense with 15 total tackles and Baylor Mullins added ten more. UMHB recorded four sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in the game.
White was 19-35 passing for 228 yards and a touchdown and he ran for 37 yards and another score. Marquis Barrolle was held to just 34 rushing yards on 19 carries in the loss, but he did catch seven passes for 36 yards. Holmes had four grabs for 83 yards and a score for the Bulldogs. Darian Candler had a team-high eight tackles and both of TLU's sacks in the game.
UMHB will return to action with a key American Southwest Conference showdown at Hardin-Simmons next Saturday in Abilene. The Cru and Cowboys will kick off at 1:00 p.m. at Shelton Stadium in a battle of teams with 7-0 overall records and 2-0 marks in ASC play on the season.
No. 12 / 14 Hardin-Simmons 63, Howard Payne 7 – Box Score
ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons moved to 7-0 with a 63-7 homecoming and American Southwest Conference win over Howard Payne on Saturday afternoon at a soggy Shelton Stadium.
The Cowboys had a complete performance in all three phases. HSU rolled up 525 yards of offense, held the Yellowjackets to 265 yards and returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns.
Reese Childress put the Cowboys on the board when HSU took the opening drive and went 63 yards in nine plays. Childress scored from nine yards out on a run. HSU forced a quick punt and Jessie Ramos scored on a 64-yard pass from Ryan Breton.
Another punt by the Jackets gave HSU the ball back and Ramos scored on a 14-yard pass from Breton to make it 21-0 with 1:15 to play in the first quarter.
Kerry Sloan made it 28-0 with a nine-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Ramos struck again as he and Breton hooked up on a 72-yard touchdown pass. On the ensuing possession, Kylon Mills intercepted a Richard Young pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-0 just before halftime.
Ramos scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Breton early in the third quarter to end his day with seven catches for 193 yards and a career-best four touchdowns.
Reggie Davis made it 56-0 with a 67-yard interception return. Luke Bishop scored on a 13-yard run to make it 63-0 with 41 seconds to play in the third quarter. HPU scored its lone points on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Caisson Montieth to Colten Harrell with 9:35 to play.
Breton hit 11-of-21 passes for 248 yards and four scores. Matthew Hawkins led the defense with 11 tackles.
HSU improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in ASC play. HPU fell to 0-7 and 0-2 in conference action. The Cowboys will host No. 2 / 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor in a matchup of two nationally-ranked unbeaten teams October 31 at 1:00 p.m.
Sul Ross State 13, McMurry 7 – Box Score
ALPINE, Texas- Jermaine Stevens picked off a pass in his own end zone and carried it 100 yards downfield as part of a 13-7 Sul Ross victory over visiting McMurry on a chilly Saturday evening at Jackson Field.
Stevens' pick-six came midway through the opening period as the Lobos and War Hawks slugged out Saturday's affair combining for 539 yards of total offense.
McMurry finished the night with 315 yards of offense with 262 of those coming through the air. Sul Ross mustered 224 but outpaced the War Hawks in ground yardage by a 90-53 yard margin.
Jordan Reyes played most of the evening at quarterback and completed 14 of 26 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while Williton Grear netted 58 yards on the ground with a game long 16 yard carry.
Fernie Gonzalez tallied a team best 10 tackles while Zack Roberson and Robbie Garcia notched a sack each in the victory.
McMurry suffered three fumbles, two of which were recovered by the Lobos.
Stevens' interception return came with 8:17 remaining in the first quarter. Eddie Oakley nailed the extra point kick putting Sul Ross up, 7-0.
The War Hawks fired back in the second quarter as Matthew McHugh found Charles Aququa on a 22-yard scoring strike. The extra point kick sailed through the uprights setting the game at a 7-7 stalemate.
Reyes then connected with Calvon Henderson from seven yards out capping a seven-play, 70-yard drive. Oakley's PAT kick was blocked but the Lobos held on to a 13-7 lead all the way to intermission and through a scoreless second half.
McMurry leads the all-time series against the Lobos by just nine games, 45-36-2 in a series that dates back to 1923. Sul Ross snaps a three-game skid against the War Hawks as the Lobos improve to 2-5 on the season.
McMurry is a provisional member of the ASC as Saturday's victory does not count as a conference game.
The Lobos will celebrate homecoming next weekend as Sully hosts East Texas Baptist in a 1:00 p.m. conference game at Jackson Field.
Kentucky Wesleyan 49, Louisiana College 22 – Box Score