STANDINGS


No. 2-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor eased to victory against old foe Trinity on the road to improve to 3-0 on the season, while Louisiana College dropped a close contest at home between fellow top-25 team Wesley – its first loss of the season. Meanwhile, Texas Lutheran prevailed on the road to bump its record up to 2-1 entering conference play next weekend during Week 4 of American Southwest Conference football on Saturday (Sept. 22). It was a light week in the league, as five teams were idle.
 
(Game recaps courtesy of sports information departments)
 
No. 2/2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 49, Trinity 28
 
Box Score
 
San Antonio, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team dominated the first half and the 2nd-ranked Cru eased to a 49-28 victory over Trinity University Saturday night in San Antonio. UMHB improves to 3-0 on the season with a win that wasn't nearly as close as the final score might indicate. The loss drops the Tigers to 2-2 on the year.

The Cru would take the opening kickoff and march 67 yards in nine plays before Stephen Salinas scored on a two-yard run to make it 7-0 UMHB with 11:37 remaining in the first quarter. The Cru defense would stuff a Trinity fourth-and-one attempt on the next drive and LiDarral Bailey scored on a 36-yard run three plays later to give UMHB a 14-0 lead. The Cru defense would force a fumble on the next offensive play and Marc Perez recovered at the Tiger 15-yard line. Bailey found a wide-open Keith Reineke for a score on the next play to push the lead to 21-0 with 5:47 left in the first quarter. Trinity would close to 21-7 early in the second quarter, but UMHB answered with a 75-yard drive capped by Elijah Hudson's 36-yard TD dash. Trinity threatened on the next possession, but Eric Allen intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 70 yards to the Tiger 30-yard line. Bailey hit Geoff Myles for a 30-yard score on the next play to make it a 35-7 Cru lead. Bailey added a nine-yard TD run on the next series as the Cru would stretch the lead to 42-7 at halftime.

UMHB would rest the starting offense in the second half and Trinity closed the gap against the Cru reserves. Nyk McKissic scored on a seven-yard run to cut it to 42-14, but Jake Sims led the Cru on a 12-play, 92-yard drive, covering the last 18 yards himself to take the UMHB advantage to 49-14. The Tigers would score two late touchdowns on a long pass and an interception return to cut it to the final margin.

Bailey finished 14-16 through the air for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first 10 passes of the game and added 43 yards and two scores on the ground. Myles caught a career high eight passes for 111 yards to post his first career 100-yard receiving game. Michael Carpenter led the running game with 79 yards on 17 carries as the Cru rested leading rusher Darius Wilson in the game. Alex Kemp had three sacks for the UMHB defense and Andy McAteer had a team-high eight tackles.

The Cru rolled up 509 yards of total offense and gave up 374 yards to the Tigers, but most of those yards came well after the game had been decided. UMHB also forced two turnovers while giving the ball away just once.

McKissic was 17-29 passing for 178 yards and a score for the Tigers. Hagen Kattner caught five passes for 119 yards and a score and Patrick Granchelli ran for 49 yards on 12 carries. Tom Puskarich had 11 tackles to lead the Trinity defense.

The Cru has now won four straight over Trinity to even the all-time series at 4-4. It was the first regular season trip to San Antonio for UMHB since the program's inaugural game in 1998. The Cru will return to action with the American Southwest Conference opener at Sul Ross State next Saturday in Alpine. The Lobos are 1-2 on the season and were open this week after beating Trinity 62-35 two weeks ago in Alpine.

No. 7/6 Wesley 25, No. -/25 Louisiana College 22
 
Box Score
 
PINEVILLE, La. – It was being touted as the biggest non-conference home game since the rebirth of Louisiana College football in the year 2000. The results of Saturday's thriller may not have been exactly what the Wildcats were looking for, but their performance against perennial Division III powerhouse Wesley College, ranked #6 in the nation, certainly proved that they belong in any discussion of the nation's premier teams.
 
Playing in front of the largest crowd in Wildcat Field history, LC took an early 3-0 lead on an Adan Olivares field goal. The game would then switch leads four times before the 4th quarter, highlighted by Kyle Galyon's first career touchdown on a 29 yard strike from Jamie Bunting just before halftime.
 
However, with LC leading 22-14, Wesley was able to put together a 9 play, 77 yard drive to tie the game at 22, as Wesley quarterback Justin Sottilare hooked up with Matt Barile for a 33 yard touchdown and then with Steve Koudossou to complete the pending 2-point conversion. 
 
On LC's final possession of the game, the Wildcats were able to drive the ball into Wesley territory before Jamie Bunting was picked off by Luke McGinnis with just over a minute left to play in the 4th quarter.  This set the Wolverines up with great field position in LC territory, and they certainly took advantage, with Dan Tryon drilling home the game winning as time expire to down the Wildcats 25-22.
 
Missed opportunities were the theme of the game for Dennis Dunn's squad, as three key turnovers and dropped passes negated the Wildcats chances of finishing off several drives with touchdowns. The Wildcats came up short despite outgaining Wesley College in total yards by a tally of 444 total yards to 370.
 
Ryan Montague, who finished the night with his third consecutive 100 yard performance with 32 carries for 129 yards, carried the workload for an LC ground attack that has become a focal point of Dunn's usually pass-happy offense.
 
Despite the loss, the Wildcats season and hopes of making the Division III national playoffs are still well intact. Sitting at 2-1, they open up American Southwest Conference play next Saturday against Howard Payne, who they have defeated by a combined score of 104-42 the last two seasons.

Texas Lutheran 43, Southwestern Assemblies of God 35
 
Box Score
 
WAXAHACHIE, Texas – Texas Lutheran thwarted Southwestern Assemblies of God's final pass into the endzone with less than a minute to play and came away with a 43-35 non-conference win Saturday at Lumpkins Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs, playing in the NCAA Division III, moved to 2-1 overall. SAGU, out of the NAIA, dropped to 1-3.
 
TLU took a 43-28 lead with 5:37 to play on a Brent Peavy (Houston/St. Pius X) to Lewis Williams II (Houston/Klein Forest) 36-yard TD pass. The TD grab was Williams' second of the game and the final reception of his six-catch, 121-yard night.
 
SAGU answered the Bulldogs' score with a nine-play, 95-yard drive that took just 2:03 off the clock. The Lions forced a TLU punt on the Bulldogs' next possession, and SAGU drove to the TLU 17 after a 42-yard pass from Reid Golson to Jeremy McDonald.
 
The TLU defense forced Golson into four straight incompletions, ending the SAGU comeback bid. On 4th-and-10, Golson was pressured by TLU's James Fowler III and sent a pass high out of the endzone. The pass was intended for receiver Trevor McKinley.
 
TLU never trailed in the game and had double digit leads on the Lions on four occasions.
The Bulldogs received another record-setting performance from All-American field goal kicker Allen Cain (San Antonio/Stevens). The senior tied his American Southwest Conference and TLU record for single-game field goals, with five. Cain connected from 41, 29, 48, 50, and 30 against the Lions. He accounted for 19 of TLU's 43 points.
 
TLU controlled the action for much of the first half. The Bulldogs led 13-0 after scoring on their first three possessions of the game.
 
The Bulldogs took the opening drive and went 68 yards in 12 plays. TLU capped the drive with a 12-yard shuffle pass from Peavy to Casey Davis (Spring/Spring).
The TLU lead hit 13-0 at the 12:50 mark of the second quarter after a pair of Cain field goals. Cain hit from 41 and 29 yards and then made a 48-yarder into the wind with 1:29 to play in the half.
 
SAGU responded to the 13-0 deficit with a 57-yard TD pass from Golson to McDonald at the 12:13 mark of the second quarter.
 
Peavy threw three touchdown passes and for 269 yards. Dominique Hardaway (Lockhart/Lockhart) led TLU with 82 yards rushing and a long run of 46. Hardaway scored on a 23-yard run in the third quarter.
 
TLU rushed for 204 yards on 44 carries and threw for 277.
 
The Bulldogs converted on a fake punt in the fourth quarter. Adrian Moya (Brownsville/Porter) completed an eight-yard shuffle pass to Adam McGuire (Houston/Cypress Falls). The play kept alive a drive that resulted in a Cain field goal.
Drake Dowling (Katy/Katy) intercepted Golson in the fourth, and TLU scored one play later on the 36-yard strike from Peavy to Williams.
 
TLU returns home to Seguin's Matador Stadium next Saturday for a 4 p.m. conference game with East Texas Baptist University. The game is the Homecoming contest for the Bulldogs.

 
Idle: East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, Mississippi College, Sul Ross State
 
 


Be notified of Weekly Previews, Final Scores, Weekly Recaps and ASC Players of the Week all season long on Twitter: @ASC_sports or #ASCfb