No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 41, Wisc.-La Crosse 22 - Box Score
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team overcame a sluggish first half to pull away in the second as the Cru posted a 41-22 victory over Wisconsin-La Crosse Saturday night. UMHB, ranked No.2 in the country, improves to 3-0 on the season with the win. The loss drops the Eagles to 1-2 on the year.
 
The game was scoreless deep into the first quarter before junior kicker Jacob O'Neill hit a 40-yard field goal to give the Cru a 3-0 lead with 3:03 remaining in the period. Junior running back Malcolm Miller's four-yard scoring run capped a 10-play, 88-yard drive to put UMHB up 10-0 with 11:43 left in the second quarter. UWL kicker Joshua Fischer hit a 30-yard field goal with 6:28 left in the first half to cut the gap to 10-3. That also snapped the Cru's defense 135-minute scoreless stretch. UMHB used the hurry-up offense to drive 49 yards in the final minutes as sophomore quarterback Blake Jackson hit junior tight end Eric Nelson with an 18-yard scoring pass in the back on the end zone to give the Cru a 17-3 lead at halftime.
 
The two teams waited out a 45-minute weather delay before retaking the field for the second half. The Cru drove for O'Neill's 21-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half to push it to 20-3. Freshman wide receiver Duane Thompson broke a 50-yard scoring run with 4:17 left in the third quarter to give UMHB a 27-3 lead and the Cru seemed to have the game under control. But UWL intercepted a Cru pass in their end zone and marched 80 yards before John Tackett hit Tony Bilderback for a 16-yard scoring strike to cut it to 27-9 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Eagles then drove 88 yards before Tackett found Tony Favre in the front corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD to close the gap to 27-16 with 6:40 left to play. UMHB recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt and Miller scored from 19 yards out to push it to 34-16. Senior running back Dustin Frye added a 33-yard scamper to the end zone on the next drive to give the Cru a 41-16 edge. UWL closed out the scoring with Austin Mancosky's one-yard run with 17 seconds left.
 
Frye ran for a career-high 104 yards on 15 carries and Thompson added 56 yards on three totes. Junior quarterback Zach Anderson was 14-of-19 through the air for 143 yards and senior wide receiver Kamray Runnels caught seven passes for 78 yards. Sophomore cornerback Kris Brown had a team-high eight tackles for the Cru.
 
Tackett threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles and Bilderback caught four passes for 94 yards. Shane Rockweiler had 16 tackles to lead the UWL defense.
 
UMHB rolled up 514 yards of total offense with 322 of those coming on the ground. The Eagles finished with 337 yards of total offense with most of that coming in the second half.
 
The Cru has now won 47 consecutive regular season games and will put a 37-game regular season home winning streak on the line next weekend as they host Kean University (0-2) for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Crusader Stadium next weekend.
 
Howard Payne 38, SW Assemblies of God 25 - Box Score
BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Howard Payne football team improved to 3-0 overall after a 38-25 victory over visiting Southwestern Assemblies of God University Saturday afternoon at Gordon Wood Stadium.
 
The Yellow Jackets, who never trailed in the game, are 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2006. Howard Payne racked up 451 yards of total offense with 295 yards through the air. HPU held SAGU to 311 total yards with 177 yards passing.
 
Howard Payne got the scoring started on their first possession when they drove down 62 yards in 13 plays for a Joshua Martinez 37-yard field goal. On their first possession of the second quarter, HPU put together a 12-play 75-yard drive to go up 10-0. Sophomore quarterback Richard Young found junior wide receiver Colby Mica for a 20-yard touchdown at the 11:17 mark of the second quarter.
 
Young finished the game 22-of-34 with 246 yards five touchdowns and no interceptions. Young's five touchdown passes is just one shy of the HPU single game record of six set by former Yellow Jacket quarterback Adam King in 2001 against East Texas Baptist. Mica led with eight catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
 
SAGU would score on the next possession on a James Hopkins one yard run to make the score 10-7 HPU. The Jackets immediately answered back with a four-play 75-yard drive ending in Young's 26-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Tracy Morrison.
 
SAGU would draw within four points (17-13), 12 seconds before halftime on a one yard run. HPU junior defensive tackle Austin Williamson blocked the extra point.
 
Howard Payne would take advantage of receiving the ball to open the second half scoring on a one yard touchdown catch by junior tight end DeAndre Walker to make the score 24-13 with 11:41 on the clock in the third.           
 
SAGU then pulled within five on the next possession (24-19) with a five-yard touchdown run but failed to convert the extra point.
 
Young would throw two more scores in the fourth quarter with the first score caught by senior wide receiver Kevin Domingue on a 47-yard pass with 12:19 left in the game (31-19). Young later connected on a five yard score to Walker that capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive. It was HPU's largest lead of the game at 38-19.
 
SAGU would score with 3:30 left in the game on a 12-yard pass to bring the game to its final 38-25 score.
 
Junior free safety Jordan Shaw led all defenders with 20 tackles (10 solo) and one pass breakup. Sophomore linebacker Jason Disney had eight tackles and one sack. Junior linebackers Christopher Hickey, Adrian Hopkins and junior defensive end Will Locke added seven tackles each. Freshman running back Brandon Simpson had a breakout game for the Jackets rushing for 118 yards on 23 carries.
 
CJ Collins was 19-of-27 passing for 177 yards and one touchdown for SAGU.
 
Howard Payne improves to 3-0 overall while SAGU falls to 0-2 on the year. The Jackets will travel to Austin College next week for a non-conference match-up starting at 1:00 pm.
 
East Texas Baptist 58, Southwestern 34 - Box Score
MARSHALL, Texas – It was a dominant third quarter that was the difference in the game as East Texas Baptist held Southwestern (1-1) to no points en route to a 58-34 win.
 
Taking just a 31-27 lead into the locker room, ETBU scored 20 points in the third quarter and held the Pirates scoreless for a 51-27 lead.
 
With 8:05 left in the second quarter, Southwestern took a three-point lead (27-24) and the momentum as it looked like they were starting to control the game. ETBU had two three-and-outs on their next two possessions handing the ball back to Southwestern with 3:31 left in the half. The defense stepped up and sacked Southwestern’s quarterback on a third-and-four along with a penalty making the Pirates punt.
 
After Southwestern got the ball off for a 32-yard punt it was called back due to a holding penalty. The next snap changed the way the game would go as a bad snap landed the ball on the one-yard line where senior linebacker Hunter Jameson recovered it and fell into the end zone for a touchdown pushing ETBU ahead, 31-27, with just 1:27 left in the half. That quick change shifted the momentum ETBU’s way for good.
 
ETBU produced 480 yards of total offense as 294 yards came on the ground. Senior running back Toi Glover rushed for 126 yards on just five carries recording one touchdown. Eight different players touched the ball for ETBU as sophomore running back Jourdan McNeill had 10 carries for 80 yards. Junior quarterback Josh Warbington was 12-of-25 for 186 yards and one touchdown to junior wide receiver Tyler Bates who finished with 95 yards receiving. Senior wide receiver Stephen Alfred also added 91 yards receiving.  
 
Freshman cornerback Hardy Hill provided another strong performance on defense leading the team with 10 tackles. It was an all around defensive team effort as ETBU recorded five sacks, two interceptions, forcing five fumbles and recovering four. Freshman defensive lineman Desmond Oliver grabbed three of the five sacks while junior cornerback Dominque Bailey went 40 yards on an interception return for a touchdown and freshman safety Dylan Bowman had the other interception.
 
Freshman kicker Ryan Travis booted a 44-yard field goal just under three minutes into the game for a 3-0 lead.  On the kickoff, Bowman forced a fumble that he recovered at the Southwestern 41-yard line. Two plays later, McNeill scored on a four-yard run after going 37 yards the previous play. Southwestern struck back with 7:37 in the first quarter to pull within three but ETBU made it 17-7 on a Warbington one-yard run.
 
Pulling to within four, Southwestern’s Tucker tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass pulling within four (17-13) with 2:50 left in the first. At the 13:30 mark in the second quarter, Southwestern scored on a 51-yard touchdown pass to take the lead (20-17). Giving the ball back to ETBU on the kickoff, Glover needed just two plays to put ETBU back in front (24-20). Glover had two rushes of 56 yards and 28 yards after Warbington was sacked. Southwestern retook the lead (27-24) at the 8:12 mark but it didn’t last long after a bad snap on a botched fake punt as Jameson recorded his first career touchdown.
 
That momentum fell over into the second half as Bates shined in the quarter for two of the three touchdowns. Warbington found him from 17-yards out to make it 38-27 at the 13:04 mark and then Bates returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown just two minutes later pushing the lead to 44-27. Junior running back Billy Hashaway scored his first collegiate touchdown on a three-yard run to end the third quarter (00:03) as ETBU took a 51-27 lead.
 
Southwestern punched into the end zone one last time with 11:58 left in the game making it 51-34. On their next possession, Bailey grab the pass from Hicks going 40-yards for ETBU’s final touchdown, 58-34.
 
ETBU will host Millsaps College at 6:00 p.m.  Saturday, September 27, in Ornelas Stadium.
 
Hardin-Simmons 37, Wayland Baptist 23 - Box Score
PLAINVIEW, Texas - The Hardin-Simmons' football team got in the win column Saturday with a 37-23 win over Wayland Baptist in front of a homecoming crowd in Plainview, Texas.
 
HSU jumped on the board in the first quarter when senior running back Bryce Johnson scored on a 20-yard touchdown run with 8:00 to play in the first quarter. HSU forced a quick punt and then sophomore quarterback Weston Garner found senior slot back Jimmie Simpson on a 69-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 with 5:10 to play in the first quarter.
 
WBU cut into the deficit with a nine-play 75-yard drive that resulted in an Evan Hearn five-yard touchdown run with 1:36 to play in the first quarter.
 
Sophomore punter Nico Francino had a huge play for the Cowboys early in the second quarter when he fielded a snap that was over his head, fended off a defender and unleashed a 51-yard punt to the WBU three yard line. The Pioneers then drove the field and junior free safety James Place laid a stick on Hearn at the three yard line and junior defensive end Ryne Lewis picked it up and raced 97 yards for a touchdown.
 
WBU made it 21-14 when Mikorban Fields scored on a two-yard run capping a 65-yard drive, with 23 seconds to play in the first half.
 
The Pioneers tied it in the third quarter on a Fields one-yard touchdown run after a short punt. The Cowboys answered right back with a 75-yard 15-play drive to retake the lead 27-21 with 5:04 to play in the third. Senior running back Kerry Sloan capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown.
 
Wayland Baptist recorded a safety when another punt went over the head of sophomore quarterback Ryan Breton and out of the end zone with 12:53 to play.
 
WBU drove to the HSU 21 yard line but the Cowboys came up with a fourth-down stop. HSU responded with a 10-play 55-yard drive that took 4:18 off the clock and ended in a 39-yard Francino field goal. HSU forced another stop and Sloan added a 13-yard touchdown run.
 
Garner completed 16-of-32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown. Johnson had 80 yards rushing and Sloan had 56 yards rushing for the Cowboys. Junior slot back Jessie Ramos had eight catches for 115 yards and Simpson had five catches for 105 yards. It was the Cowboys first 100-yard receiver in 12 games.
 
The Cowboy defense tied a school record with nine sacks in the game. Lewis tied the school record with four sacks of his own to go along with a team-best 11 tackles and the 97-yard fumble return. Place had 10 tackles and junior defensive tackle Korey Zavala had nine stops with 1.5 sacks. Senior cornerback Keaton Trinkle had a pair of interceptions.
 
 The Cowboys are 1-1 on the year and Wayland Baptist fell to 1-3. HSU will return home to face Langston next week at 1 p.m.
 
Texas Lutheran 38, Louisiana College 32 – Box Score
PINEVILLE, La. - Two years ago, the game between Louisiana College and Texas Lutheran ended with one of the more dramatic moments in recent Wildcats history. Jamie Bunting's last-second touchdown pass to Cortland Bell tied the game and sent the Wildcats on to an overtime victory. It came after the Bulldogs' placekicker missed a field goal that would have clinched the win.
 
Fast-forward to Saturday's LC-TLU game Saturday, and the game set up to have an eerily similar end. After Texas Lutheran's Tyler Brandenburg missed a 43-yard field goal with 3:32 left in the game and the Bulldogs leading 38-32, the Wildcats had the opportunity to repeat history.
 
LC sophomore quarterback Easton Melancon led the Wildcats on a drive that started at their own 26 and had them to the TLU 12-yard line with 30 seconds left. But on a third-and-10 play, Melancon, facing pressure, dumped the ball to freshman running back Aurren Cooksey who took on a tackler before being brought down at the two-yard line.
 
As seconds ticked off the clock, confusion took over to spoil the Wildcats' comeback bid. With Melancon trying to get his team set to run a play, LC coach Dennis Dunn – thinking Melancon might try to spike the ball to kill the clock – left the sideline to try to get Melancon's attention.
 
Dunn was flagged for sideline interference. With just six seconds on the clock, the five-yard penalty brought with it a 10-second run-off. Game over. Wildcats lose 38-32. TLU players rushed the field to celebrate a second straight win over LC. Several LC players dropped to their knees in stunned disbelief.
 
That misunderstanding cost the Wildcats the chance to avenge last year's bitter loss to TLU and dropped the Wildcats to 1-2 on the season ahead of their next three games, all on the road, including games at Bacone, No. 4 Wesley College and No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Bulldogs, similar to the Wildcats, have received votes in the recent D3football.com Top 25 poll. Though the game was nonconference, it could eventually decide which of these teams makes the NCAA Division III Championship, should it come to that.
 
Senior linebacker Landon Henry was part of an LC defense that was shredded for 559 yards, including 345 in the first half, alone. In that half TLU ran 49 plays and dominated time of possession to build a 28-17 halftime lead.
 
The Bulldogs' little keg of dynamite, sophomore Marquis Barrolle, all 5-4, 150-pounds of him had three of those touchdowns on a combined 143 yards. He finished the game with four touchdowns, 179 yards rushing and 64 receiving, thought the Wildcats did slow him some in the second half.
 
TLU did get out to a quick start in the game. Two first quarter touchdown runs by Barrolle put the Bulldogs up 14-0.
 
The Wildcats bounced back with two scores – the first coming late in the first quarter when Melancon hit junior wide receiver Ladarius Gardner on a four-yard score to cap a two-play 29-yard drive set up by freshman Jacoby Davis' 68-yard kickoff return.
 
LC tied the game just a few minutes into the second quarter with a flea flicker when senior running back Brandon Smith tossed the ball back to Melancon and hit sophomore receiver Shed Davis for a 46-yard score.
 
TLU answered with Barrolle's third touchdown of the half, a six-yard run to cap an impressive 17-play, 86-yard drive that chewed 6:46 off the clock and put the Bulldogs up 21-14. Texas Lutheran dominated time of possession in the first half, finishing with a nearly 2-to-1 advantage.
 
After senior kicker Adan Olivares got the Wildcats back to within four on a 37-yard field goal, TLU quarterback Trenton White guided his team on another long drive for 78 yards in five plays, capped by White's 29-yard pass to Dustin Hannon to put the Bulldogs up 28-17 at the half. White finished 24-of-36 for 269 yards and rushed for 29 more.
 
To their credit, the Wildcats' defense did slow TLU much more in the second half and did not allow any points in the third quarter. The only score of the quarter came when Gardner capped LC's best drive of the game, 11 plays and 88 yards, with a four-yard touchdown run on a handoff from Smith on a reverse play. That brought LC to within four, 28-24, heading to the fourth quarter.
 
But, the Bulldogs put some distance between themselves and the Wildcats early in the fourth quarter. Barrolle's fourth touchdown of the game – a seven-yard run – made the score 35-24, TLU.
 
A Melancon 35-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jake Dunbar bought LC to within one score again (35-32) after the Wildcats converted the two-point conversion on Melancon's pass to senior wide receiver Kyle Galyon.
 
Melancon finished 25-of-46 for 377 yards and three touchdowns despite being harassed much of the game by TLU's defense, which got to Melancon for five sacks.
 
TLU upped the lead to six when Brandenburg connected on his only field goal of the game from 37 yards out with 9:03 to play.
 
LC had two chances to take the lead. The Wildcats' second to last drive, which started at their own 31-yard line, ended eight plays later when Melancon's pass to freshman running back Devin Sylve on fourth-and-two at the TLU 27 resulted in no gain and a turnover on downs.
 
The Bulldogs would drive from their own 27 to the LC 26 before Brandenburg's field goal miss would set up the final drive for LC, a drive that ended with the sideline interference penalty that ended the game.
 
The Wildcats next game is Saturday, Sept. 27 when they travel to Muskogee, Oklahoma to play at Bacone. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
 
Trinity (Texas) 14, Sul Ross State 6 - Box Score
ALPINE, Texas - Sul Ross State saw their game against Trinity go down to the wire in the Lobos’ home opener at Jackson Field Saturday.
 
SRSU cut into the Tiger lead in the fourth quarter, and it wasn’t until Trinity held on downs on the Lobos’ final drive with 1:45 remaining that they were able to clinch a 14-6 victory.
 
The Lobos got on the board after junior linebacker Casey Sonier forced and recovered a fumble by Trinity running back Travis Williams at the TU 26 yard line with 12:16 left to play. Sul Ross covered the distance in nine plays with senior running back Brian Thomas covering the final yard to cut Trinity’s lead to 14-6. The extra point was blocked, but a penalty against the Tigers gave SRSU another chance, and senior running back Otis Edwards was stopped on a try for a two-point conversion.
 
The Tigers took the kickoff, and ran nine plays that gained 32 yards and consumed 5:50 before Davis King’s punt gave the ball back to the Lobos at their own 14-yard line. Freshman quarterback James Davis gained 11 yards on a keeper on the first play of the drive, but Sul Ross State was unable to pick up another first down and Trinity took over with 1:45 left and ran out the clock.
 
Trinity drove 63 yards in 13 plays on their first possession, but the Lobo defense held at the SRSU 14 yard line and Payton Kisor’s 31-yard field goal attempt missed wide to the left. The Tigers took the lead when they drove 69 yards in six plays and score on Williams’ two-yard run with 12:51 left in the first half.
 
Trinity increased its lead when Jai Boatman intercepted a Davis pass and went 54 yards for a touchdown with 7:50 remaining in the first half. At halftime a thunderstorm descended on Jackson Field, and the game was delayed for 90 minutes.
 
Davis rushed 14 times for 79 yards, and completed 4-of-12 passes for 26 yards. Slater punted nine times for a 40-yard average, including a 59-yarder in the third quarter. Williams rushed 22 times for 96 yards for TU, while quarterback Mason Blaschke carried the ball 16 times for 91 yards and completed 9-of-20 passes for 93 yards. King punted seven times for a 47.1 average for the Tigers, including a 74-yarder.
 
Sonier made 12 tackles, including six unassisted stops, for the Lobos, while senior linebacker Earl Hines had nine stops, including five solos, and one of the Lobo’s three sacks. Connor Yorloff led Trinity with 13 tackles, including seven solos, while Julian Turner had nine.
 
The Tigers improved to 1-2 with the victory, while the Lobos fell to 0-3 with the defeat. Sul Ross State will return to action when they host Wayland Baptist next Saturday. Trinity will host Pacific Lutheran.