No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor Wins ASC Championship
11/16/2014 7:15:10 AM
No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 83, East Texas Baptist 19 - Box Score
MARSHALL, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football dominated every phase of the game as the Cru rolled to an 83-19 victory over East Texas Baptist University in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon in Marshall. UMHB wraps up its fifth straight undefeated winning season by improving to 10-0 overall and 5-0 in American Southwest Conference play. The loss ends the Tigers' season at 4-6 overall and 1-4 in the ASC.
ETBU drew first blood when Josh Warbington hit Stephen Alfred with a 31-yard touchdown pass after a roughing the punter penalty wiped out Kamray Runnels' punt return for a score. UMHB answered three plays later when Blake Jackson scored on a 19-yard run, Duane Thompson added a seven-yard scoring run and Jaedon Johnson returned an interception 20 yards for a score to give the Cru a 21-6 lead after one quarter.
Zach Anderson hit Bayley Novak with a 22-yard touchdown pass, Thompson scored on a four-yard run and Michael Carpenter broke off a 53-yard touchdown run to put UMHB up 42-6 at halftime. Teidrick Smith scored on a 36-yard interception return, Runnels had an 81-yard punt return for a score and Kris Brown returned a fumble 65 yards for another score as the Cru took a 63-6 lead after three quarters.
T.J. Josey scored on a 54-yard run, Jon Isom returned a fumble 20 yards for a score and Damon Thomas added a 59-yard scoring scamper as the Tigers also tacked on two fourth quarter touchdowns to provide the final margin.
UMHB finished with 476 yards of total offense to help overcome 12 penalties. ETBU managed 440 total yards, but turned the ball over six times, gave up seven sacks and were held 140 yards under their season average. The Tigers ran 113 total plays in the game.
Anderson was 12-of-20 for 158 yards and a touchdown and Thomas ran for 74 yards on just three carries. Trey Thedford finished with 16 tackles, just two off the school single-game record. Smith finished with 2.5 sacks, eight tackles and his interception return for a score.
Warbington was 28-of-49 for 290 yards and two scores. He was sacked seven times and picked off four times. Tyler Bates caught 10 passes for 158 yards for the Tigers. Caleb Taylor had eight tackles for ETBU.
UMHB stretched its regular season winning streak to 54 consecutive games and the Cru has won its last 37 straight ASC contests. The win also secured the outright ASC title for UMHB, giving the Cru at least a share of ten consecutive league titles and 12 of the last 13 ASC crowns.
The Cru will now advance to the NCAA Division III National Championship starting next weekend. The 32-team field for the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship will be announced via web cast on www.ncaa.com at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 16th.
Louisiana College 42, Hardin-Simmons 35 – Box Score
PINEVILLE, La. - In a season that saw them play the school's hardest schedule ever, the Louisiana College Wildcats survived a fourth quarter Hardin-Simmons comeback to win their season finale, 42-35, and end the season with a four-game win streak.
For the fourth time in five years, the Wildcats finished as the American Southwest Conference runner-up after ending the season with a 4-1 conference record, 6-4 overall.
In holding off the Cowboys, who fell to 3-2 in conference play and 6-3 overall, the Wildcats nearly saw a three touchdown lead disappear in the fourth quarter.
LC broke open what had been a close game in the third quarter, taking a 35-14 lead when Easton Melancon connected with Ladarius Gardner for a 51-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys, who were shut out in the third quarter, finally broke through early in the fourth quarter. On a fourth and one, running back Kerry Sloan broke off a 55-yard touchdown run to cut the LC lead to 14.
The Wildcats seemed to seal the win again, when at the 6:50 mark, sophomore C.J. Hawkins blocked HSU's Nico Francino's punt and LC's Shaq Lewis returned the ball 10 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-28, LC.
The Cowboys, who were fighting for the chance to go to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a win, weren't finished however. On successive possessions, Weston Garner connected with receiver Trei Lewis on 65 and 68 yard touchdown strikes to cut the Wildcats' lead to 42-35 with 3:29 to play.
LC's offense had the chance to run out the clock, but could only run four plays on its ensuring possession before having to punt the ball back with 1:30 left in the game. Garner, who finished 27-of-43 for 397 yards and four touchdowns, moved his team out to its own 45.
But, the Wildcats got a sack from senior Darion Clark and then successive knocked-down pass defenses by senior linebackers Beau Brewer and Grayson Pylant to secure the win. Brewer finished the game with 21 tackles and Pylant with 10.
Melancon capped his season by going 16-of-25 for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored LC's first touchdown of the game on a trick play. It game at the 7:59 mark of the first quarter when receiver Farron Jones took a handoff and passed the ball back to Melancon, who broke a tackle and ran 17 yards for the score to make it 7-0, LC.
The Cowboys responded with two straight scores. The first, a nine-yard touchdown catch by Lewis, who finished with six catches, 169 yards and three scores. The other was Garner's 29-yard touchdown pass to Jimmie Simpson to make it 14-7, HSU, with 11:14 to play in the first half.
LC scored the final two touchdowns of the first half, however. Sophomore running back Austin Carlin scored the first on a two-yard run, the other was scored by Gardner on a 16-yard pass from Melancon to make it 21-14, LC at the half.
LC dominated the third quarter, holding the Cowboys scoreless, while getting a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore Aurren Cooksey and Gardner's 51-yard catch. Cooksey's 79 yards rushing on 18 carries led the Wildcats, as freshman Devin Sylve, who injured his hand in last week's game at Sul Ross State, got just two carries in this game. Gardner led LC with six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Shedrick Davis had 110 yards on five catches.
The Wildcats said good-bye to 17 seniors in their annual Senior Day game. Among them, record-setting placekicker Adan Olivares, who added six extra points to his career scoring record that finished at 264. Lewis set a new LC career interception record in the game with his 14th career pick in the first quarter. Defensive back Ira Jewitt also established a new school record with 234 interception return yards, tied the LC record held by Justin Charles for return touchdowns with eight and tied the ASC record for most return touchdowns in a single season with four.
Sul Ross State 60, Howard Payne 21 – Box Score
ALPINE, Texas - Sul Ross State University's football team saved their best for last against visiting Howard Payne in the final game of the season for both teams at Jackson Field Saturday.
In their best performance in the last two seasons, the Lobos scored on each of their first two possessions, built a 33-0 halftime advantage, and went on to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 60-21.
HPU won the coin toss and deferred, and Sul Ross State took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 13 plays, taking a 6-0 lead when freshman quarterback James Davis connected with senior wide receiver Cordrick Mobley from four yards out. A two-point conversion attempt failed.
Following an HPU punt, Sul Ross drove 80 yards in eight plays, doubling their lead when Davis hit sophomore running back Derrick Bernard with an 11-yard scoring pass. Davis hit freshman receiver Steven Savedra with a two-point conversion pass to make it 14-0.
The Lobos scored three times in the second quarter. Davis connected with Bernard on an 82-yard strike with 11:52 left in the first half. Freshman kicker Stephen Slater added the extra point to make it 21-0. Later in the quarter, SRSU took over at the HPU 34 following a short punt and scored in four plays, with Bernard scoring from seven yards out. Slater's kick was blocked. On the Yellow Jackets' next possession, punter Dakota Gibson was hit as he was punting, and his kick sailed out of bounds at the HPU 32. Davis hit Mobley with a 19-yard scoring pass to make it 33-0 at halftime.
Howard Payne got on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Taking over at their own 19-yard line after a SRSU punt, the Yellow Jackets drove 81 yards in 19 plays and got on the board on a two-yard dive by Zarron Dove.
HPU elected to try an on-side kick following their score, and the Lobos covered it at the Yellow Jacket 49. Five plays later, they were in the end zone, with Davis' 12-yard pass to senior wide receiver Xavier Jefferson making it 39-7.
Victor Gonzales took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 99 yards for an HPU touchdown to make it 39-14. An interception by Devin Johnson at the SRSU 43 set up another Howard Payne scoring drive, with Dove scoring from four yards out early in the fourth quarter to cut the Lobos' advantage to 39-21.
Sul Ross State stretched their lead on the next series. They drove 75 yards in seven plays, with freshman running back Ed Williams scored from eight yards out to make it 45-17 with 12:23 left.
An interception by sophomore defensive back Terrelle Owens at the HPU 42 with 11:04 remaining set up a Lobo touchdown, as SRSU went the distance in eight plays, with Davis scoring from 17 yards out and connecting with Mobley for the two-point conversion.
A fumble recovery by junior defensive back Melecio Haro at the HPU 40 on the next series led to the final Lobo score, a nine-yard run by backup quarterback Greyson Secades that accounted for the final score.
For the Lobos, Davis completed 19-of-31 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns, a pair of scores, while rushing 12 times for 111 yards and a score. Bernard rushed nine times for 61 yards and a score and caught eight passes for 136 yards and two more scores. Mobley caught two touchdown passes and Jefferson one. Richard Young was 16-of-30 passing for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Justin Acosta rushed nine times for 44 yards and Colby Mica caught four passes for 34 yards.
Defensively, senior linebacker J.D. May led Sul Ross State with eight tackles, including four solos, and a forced fumble. Jason Disney had eight stops for the Yellow Jackets, all solos, and added two tackles for 14 yards worth of lost yardage.
The Lobos improved to 2-8 and 1-4 in the American Southwest Conference with the victory, while Howard Payne dropped to 4-6 and 1-4 in ASC. Sul Ross' point total was its’ highest since they scored 70 points in a 70-65 win at Texas Lutheran two years ago.
Courtesy ASC Member Sports Information