East Texas Baptist, Louisiana College, Mississippi College and third-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor all got their conference slates started on the right note by collecting road wins on Saturday (Sept. 19). Howard Payne also picked up a victory in the non-conference variety. All five American Southwest Conference squads that prevailed did so by at least two possessions.
East Texas Baptist (1-2) got its first victory of the season of any kind with a 33-20 win against host Sul Ross State (0-3). The Tigers never trailed as Corey George ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns and Raefe Jenkins caught two balls for 100 yards. George, a junior, now has eight career TDs against the Lobos. SRSU quarterback Dominique Carson ran for a score and threw another.
Louisiana College (2-0) went into Abilene, Texas, and defeated No. 15-ranked Hardin-Simmons for the first time, 28-7. It was also the first win over a nationally-ranked team in program history for LC, which has won seven straight games dating back to last year. The Wildcats had three different players score touchdowns, while Taylor Cottano (13 tackles) and Ty Webb (two sacks) paced the defense to shock the Cowboys (1-2). Steven Rockwell had a 5-yard run in the second quarter for HSU’s only score.
Mississippi College (2-1) bounced back from a non-conference defeat last week to cruise to a 61-14 victory at McMurry (0-3). Quarterback Adam Shaffer threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns without an interception and wide receivers Bernard Ellis and Brian Richardson each eclipsed the 100-yard mark to pace MC, which also got two sacks and a forced fumble from Brad Holt. McMurry quarterback Jake Mullin threw for 173 yards, but was held without a TD pass for the first time in his collegiate career.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-0) built up a 45-point lead heading into halftime and eased to a 59-7 road victory over Texas Lutheran (0-2). The Cru got touchdowns from six different players and racked up 614 yards of total offense to win its 30th straight conference game. Running back Quincy Daniels averaged 22 yards on five carries, while linebacker Jerrad Jefferson led UMHB’s defensive effort with 13 tackles and a sack. TLU’s only score came on a Jonathon Randle 43-yard reception as time expired.
Howard Payne (2-0) remained perfect on the season with a 56-7 win over Bacone in its home opener. Quarterback Zach Hubbard threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns to four differenct receivers, while Lance Dickey rushed for two scores to lead the Yellow Jackets. Zach Dauer had two interceptions to spearhead HPU’s defensive unit that held the Warriors to only 41 yards rushing.
All of the league’s nine teams are in action again next week as conference play continues.