WEEK ONE / Games Sept. 6-7

Summaries provided by ASC sports Information staffs.
 

September 6 (Friday)
 
Willamette 64, Hardin-Simmons 34
SALEM, Ore. — Willamette jumped out to a 29-0 first quarter lead and never looked back in a 64-34 win over Hardin-Simmons in the football season opener for both teams.

The Bearcats' Terrell Malley took the opening kickoff 94 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown and Willamette (1-0) converted a two-point conversion to make it 8-0. WU added scores on drives of 94 yards (33-yard run, plus two-point conversion); 68 yards (21-yard run, conversion failed); and 54 yards (3-yard pass) in the opening quarter to set the tone.
 
HSU (0-1) got on the board at the 11:43 mark of the second half when Tevin Mitchell scored from eight yards out and again 2:21 later on a 5-yard Bryce Johnson run. Willamette put 17 more points on the board in the second quarter -- courtesy of an 85-yard kickoff return, a 1-yard run and a field goal -- to lead 46-13 at the half. The Cowboys totaled 287 yards in the first half, including 183 yards on the ground, behind Mitchell’s 16 carries for 109 yards. WU had 325 yards in the opening half.
 
Jarvas Morris cut the Willamette lead to 49-34 with a 4-yard touchdown run with 9:09 left to play, but that was as close as the Cowboys could get as the Bearcats scored twice on pass receptions in the final 7:41.
 
Josh Christian was 15-for-37 for 167 yards and a touchdown in his debut as the Cowboys' starter. HSU rushed for 344 yards in the game and outgained the Bearcats, 534-506. Johnson had 173 yards and two scores and Mitchell had 169 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Wilder led the Cowboys defense with 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss.
 

 
September 7 (Saturday)
 
Texas A&M Commerce 51, Sul Ross State 6
COMMERCE, Texas – Texas A&M-Commerce spoiled the college head coaching debut of Sul Ross State’s John Tyree as the Lions dominated from the opening whistle, rolling the Lobos in the 51-6 season-opener.
 
Lions junior QB Tyrik Rollison completed 25 of 38 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns in his TAMUC debut, spearheading an offense which racked up 493 yards of total offense. The Lions’ defense held Sul Ross State in check, allowing just six points on 106 total yards, while the defensive unit combined for 22 tackles for loss on the evening, including eight sacks.
 
Texas A&M-Commerce (1-0) took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a field goal and 21-yard touchdown reception. The Lion defense then put the team in prime position as Sul Ross State was set to punt out of its own endzone early in the second half. But the snap was fumbled by punter Logan Fox and pounced on by Davarus Shores, putting TAMUC up 17-0 with 7:38 remaining in the half.
 
Sul Ross State (0-1) would respond on its next possession, using a 60-yard kickoff return to set up great field position, then punched it into the endzone seven plays later on a Derrick Bernard-to-Cordrick Mobley 4-yard pitch-and-catch reception to cut the deficit to 17-6 – a score that would hold through the remainder of the half.
 
After exchanging drives early in the third quarter, A&M-Commerce found its groove, scoring three touchdowns in a five-minute span to break the game open at 38-6 late in the third quarter. On the first play of Sul Ross' ensuing drive, C.J. Johnson recorded an interception and scampered 29 yards into the endzone to put A&M-Commerce in cruise control at 45-6. The Lions scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter for the 51-6 final score.
   
 
Trinity 47, Howard Payne 29
BROWNWOOD, Texas — Host Howard Payne matched Trinity point-for-point in the first quarter and outscored the Tigers 22-19 in the second half, but it was a three-touchdown, 21-point second quarter that the Jackets could not overcome, falling 47-29 to the Tigers in the season opener.
 
Trinity (1-0) scored with 8:20 on the clock in the first quarter. The Jackets answered right back, capping a nine-play, 65-yard drive on a 23-yard Richard Young pass to Tristian Fuentes with 4:44 remaining in the first. Then came the three straight second quarter Tiger scoring drives that put HPU behind 28-7 at the half.
 
Howard Payne came out of the break and put together a 10-play, 93-yard drive capped by a 27-yard scoring strike from Young to Sayvon Young-Cormier. HPU made good on a two-point conversion to move within 13 points, 28-15. Trinity came back with two scores in the third on a 3-yard run and 11-yard pass to cushion a 41-15 lead.
 
The Jackets would score on two Young passes in the final quarter. The sophomore found Fuentes for a 1-yard TD reception at 12:22, then connected with Colby Mica on a 3-yard scoring strike with 48 seconds left in the game. Young completed 24 of 40 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Trinity put its final seven points on the board, courtesy of a 7-yard TD reception with 2:53 remaining.
 
Trinity gained 457 yards of total offense, 241 yards on the ground. Howard Payne held the aerial advantage, 274-216, but only managed 90 yards on the ground.
 
 
Millsaps 52, Mississippi College 19
CLINTON, Miss. — Mississippi College opened the 2013 season with a 52-19 loss to crosstown rival Millsaps in the 13th "Backyard Brawl" at Robinson-Hale Stadium on Saturday night.
 
The Choctaws (0-1) got on the board first when sophomore Hunter Estess nailed a 35-yard field goal with 4:44 to go in the first quarter. On the night, Estess was 2-for-3 on field goals. MC was able to get into the red zone in its first three possessions, but the Majors' defense only allowed six points.
 
After the opening MC score, Millsaps got a touchdown pass from Zak Thrasher to Trevor King on the next drive and never trailed again after taking the 7-3 lead. Thrasher threw for 171 yards and two scores while Mike Barthelemy ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries to lead the Majors (1-0).
 
Junior QB Jonathon Redd went 15-of-28 for 213 yards and a touchdown. Mike Johnson caught four passes for 78 yards, while Kris Sanders had four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. Alex Archer caught two passes for 47 yards, including a 36-yard score.
 
Freshman Ashford Ashiofu led the Choctaws with nine tackles and two tackles for loss. Jake Weddle collected eight tackles for the Choctaws.
 
 
#3 UMHB 34, Redlands 13
REDLANDS, Calif. --- The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team controlled the first half and used a dominating performance from Elijah Hudson to post a 31-13 victory over the University of Redlands Saturday night in the season opener for both teams. UMHB has now won 35 consecutive regular season games following the victory.

Hudson ran for 184 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries to lead the Cru. Jake Sims threw for 209 yards in his first collegiate start at quarterback for UMHB. Baylor Mullins intercepted two passes and Teidrick Smith had 11 tackles to lead the Cru defense. Hudson, Sims, Malcolm Miller and Caleb Moore all ran for touchdowns to lead a UMHB offense that rolled up 604 total yards. The Cru also held Redlands to 35 rushing yards and 308 yards of total offense in the win.


Louisiana College 38, Belhaven 7
PINEVILLE, La. --- Louisiana College jumped out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back in cruising to a 38-7 win over Belhaven in the Wildcats' season and home opener.
 
Preston Thibeaux and Daniel Hebert each recorded two sacks to lead a quarterback-hawking Wildcat defense that harassed Belhaven's quarterbacks to the tune of 10 sacks and held the Blazers to just 94 yards passing. On offense, LC got a nearly flawless first half from first-year starting quarterback junior Alonzo Bellamy who led the Cats to four scoring drives in the first two quarters while finishing the game 15-of-18 for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
 
LC scored 11 minutes into the game when Bellamy found Kyle Galyon open for a 14-yard touchdown strike, then scored three times in the second quarter for a comfortable 28-0 halftime lead. Running back Ryan Montague ran for 3-yard and 8-yard touchdowns, while the defense provided points via an interception and 50-yard return from linebacker Dominic Graham. In the third, Ladarius Gardner scored on a 27-yard pass from freshman quarterback Easton Melancon. Adan Olivaras drilled a 21-yard field goal midway through the fourth for the final points.
 
The Wildcats allowed the Blazers’ only score on a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third, and outgained Belhaven 400-228 in combined offense yards.


IDLE: East Texas Baptist