ASC Football Recap: HSU, UMHB Dominant in Week One
9/6/2015 10:56:27 AM
Hardin-Simmons 77, Southwestern 6 | Box Score
ABILENE – Hardin-Simmons' football team came out of the gates strong with a 77-6 win over Southwestern on Saturday afternoon at Shelton Stadium.
Jessie Ramos scored four first half touchdowns and the Cowboys scored three special teams touchdowns and added a safety.
HSU led 42-0 at halftime and pushed the lead out to 70-0 at the end of the third quarter.
The Cowboy defense held the Pirates to 230 total yards in the game and forced three turnovers. HSU had 550 yards of offense and did not turn the ball over in the game.
The Cowboys scored first on a 29-yard run by Kerry Sloan in the first quarter, capping a 94-yard drive. After forcing a quick punt, Weston Garner found Ramos for a 53-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-0.
Ramos then returned his first career punt for a touchdown on the next possession going 67 yards for the score. He now has seven return touchdowns in his career.
The Cowboy defense went to work again forced a punt and HSU drove 73 yards in nine plays and Garner found Ramos again for a 13-yard touchdown.
HSU forced another three and out and this time Alex Bell took the punt 51 yards to the end zone to make it 33-0. Randy Hirsch came up with a fourth-down sack on the next drive and Ryan Breton hit Ramos for a 39-yard touchdown to make it 40-0.
Jaelon Collier then blocked a punt for the Cowboys out of the end zone to make it 42-0 at halftime.
HSU forced a punt on the first drive of the second half and then Breton capped off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown to Reese Childress on the next drive.
The Cowboy defense forced another three-and-out and Jeremy Harris blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone to make it 56-0.
HSU forced a fumble on the next defensive possession and Breton found Bell for a 39-yard touchdown to make it 63-0. Justin Woodard scored on a 1-yard run to make it 70-0 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Southwestern got on the board with a 23-yard touchdown pass from A.J. Daniels to Matt Gillen.
HSU capped the scoring when Childress took a swing pass he made several moves broke a couple of tackles and scampered 87 yards for a touchdown.
No. 4/5 Mary Hardin-Baylor 42, Ohio Wesleyan 2 | Box Score
DELAWARE – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team overcame several self-inflicted wounds with just enough offense and a solid defensive effort to post a 42-3 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University Saturday night. UMHB is 1-0 to start the season and has now won 55 consecutive regular season games. The Battling Bishops start 0-1 on the year.
Neither team could generate offense on their first two possessions before UMHB mounted a six-play, 71-yard drive capped by Zach Anderson's 17-yard TD strike to Wykeyhe Walker to give the Cru a 7-0 lead with 3:00 left in the first quarter. Tim Shadoan's kickoff return set up a short field on the next drive for OWU and Shadoan's 40-yard field goal cut it to 7-3 ten seconds into the second quarter. Bryce Wilkerson's punt return to the OWU 23-tard line to set up Anderson's 21-yard touchdown toss to Justin Brumfield with 9:35 remaining in the first half. Wilkerson had a punt return for a score wiped out on the next possession and it would stay 14-3 at the half.
The Cru controlled the second half to pull away from the Battling Bishops. Another Wilkerson punt return set up the first of two Jacob O'Neill field goals to push the UMHB lead to 20-3. The Cru added touchdown runs of 33 yards by Duane Thompson and seven yards by Anderson and Zane Boles to provide the final margin. OWU missed a 34-yard field goal on the only scoring chance of the second half.
The Cru rolled up 372 yards of total offense with 236 of those coming on the ground. UMHB held OWU to 191 yards of offense and forced three turnovers. The Cru did commit seven penalties and turned the ball over once.
Anderson threw for 122 yards and two scores and ran for 51 more and another score. Wilkerson had four punt returns for 91 yards and Walker caught two passes for 50 yards. Raylon Hickey intercepted two passes and John Thorne and Trey Thedford had a team-high nine tackles apiece for the Cru defense.
The Cru will now return home to host Millsaps College (1-0) in a 6:00 PM kickoff next Saturday. That game will be the first of a school-record seven regular season home games for UMHB this year.
McMurry 49, East Texas Baptist 22 | Box Score
MARSHALL, Texas – For the second-consecutive season, the McMurry University football team won its season opener dropping East Texas Baptist University, 49-22, on the road at Ornelas Stadium. A crowd of 2,467 saw the War Hawks jump out to a 21-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the game and never look back.
In his pre-season prognosis, McMurry second-year head coach Lance Hinson called his senior running back Paxton Grayer "the best back in NCAA Division III." Versus the Tigers, Grayer did nothing to change his coach's lofty praise, as he rushed for 157 yards and had another 100 receiving yards for 257 yards of total offense. Grayer accounted for better than half of the War Hawks' 583 total yards.
Grayer also scored all three of his touchdowns to open the game. The former Abilene High School standout scored on a run of two yards, and then caught passes of 26 and 39-yards from quarterback Matthew McHugh to make it 21-0 by the 5:21 juncture of the first quarter.
Both of the McHugh-Grayer TD passes were set up by interceptions from Desmond Guy and Ryan Williams, respectively.
ETBU finally got off the deck and made it 21-7 early in the second quarter. However, on the ensuing drive McMurry embarked on an eight-play, 78-yard drive to answer the hosts. Dontrell Dock, making his debut as a War Hawks, capped the series with a three-yard run. Joey Silva's extra point made it 28-7 with 11:23 remaining until the half.
The Tigers added another pair of scores late in the second quarter and all of a sudden things were at an uncomfortable 28-22 margin for McMurry. But Matthew McHugh was quick to silence the ETBU crowd.
Starting matters with just 1:02 left on the clock until intermission, McHugh deftly moved McMurry down the field, completing a nine-yard strike to Grayer. A 17-yard Grayer run moved the ball across midfield and was followed by an 18-yard pass from McHugh to Tyreace House. With just eight seconds left until halftime, McHugh found Emmanuel Mulumba on a 27-yard touchdown strike that made it 35-22, as the teams went to the locker rooms.
As wild as the first half was in terms of offensive action, the second half appeared downright sedate by comparison. ETBU was held scoreless by the War Hawks' defense, while McHugh had TD aerials to Charles Agugua for 29 yards in the third quarter and a 36 yarder to twin brother David McHugh in the fourth, accounting for the 49-22 final score.
For the evening, Matthew McHugh had a McMurry career best 390 yards through the air. McHugh completed 26-of-38 passes, good for five TDs. Her was not intercepted and was sacked twice.
In addition to Grayer, McHugh's other favorite targets were Agugua and Mulumba. House had five grabs for 49 yards and David McHugh two catches for 47 yards.
Defensively, Williams had a game-high 11 tackles with nine solo and had two interceptions. Jordan Washington also pilfered a pair of passes from ETBU and Guys pick gave the War Hawks five interceptions, in all.
Linebackers Chase Franklin and Marlon Jackson each had seven tackles, with Guy adding six stops. Demonte Byrd and Ashton Hooks each had 1.0 sack to their credit.
Trinity (Texas) 23, Howard Payne 16 | Box Score
BROWNWOOD, Texas - A Howard Payne late game push came up short in a Yellow Jacket loss to Trinity University 23-16 in their 2015 season opener Saturday evening at Gordon Wood Stadium.
Howard Payne pulled within a touchdown with 20 second remaining in the game when Richard Young found Colby Mica on a 24 yard strike. With the score 23-16, the Joshua Martinez extra point capped a six play 68 yard drive for the Jackets. The Jackets onside kick attempt failed and Trinity ran out the clock to gain the win.
The Jackets would get on the scoreboard first in the game after blocking a Trinity punt and Joshua Martinez connecting on 36-yard field goal. 3-0 Jackets with 13:28 left in the first quarter.
Trinity answered with two TD runs by Jeremy Simmons in the quarter, one from 10 yards and one 64 yard run. Extra failed on the second to make the score 13-3 Trinity with 7:06 left in the first. Simmons finished the game with 183 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns.
Howard Payne answered late in the second quarter when Richard Young ran it in from six yards out (extra point pass failed) to make it 13-9 Trinity with 4:50 left in the half. Young would finish the game 25-of-47 passing for 235 yards, one TD passing and one rushing with one interception.
Trinity answered right before the half with a 25 yard field goal by Miguel Mendiola to make the halftime score 16-9 Trinity.
Trinity pushed its lead to 23-9 with a Jeremy Simmons TD, his third of the game, from 10 yards out.
The Jackets defense played solid in the fourth and the offense was able to score on the Mica TD reception with 20 seconds remaining but the team would fall in the end 23-16.
Trinity QB Mason Blaschke was 8-of-17 passing for 146 yards. Julian Turner led the Trinity defense with a game high 16 tackles.
Colby Mica had 10 catches for 111 yards and the TD. Fred Pitts had 52 yards on 12 carries for the Jackets. Jason Disney led the Jacket defense with 13 tackles, five solo. Jordan Longoria followed with 11 in his first game as a Jacket. Gage Smith added nine tackles with two pass breakups in the secondary.
The Jackets will be at home again next Saturday versus Wayland Baptist University, with a 1:00 pm kickoff time.
Millsaps 52, Belhaven 23 | Box Score
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven Blazers Football team dropped its season opener Thursday night, falling to Millsaps College 52-23 in the sixth edition of the Riverside Rumble.
The rivalry matchup, which has been dormant since 2009, is now tied at 3-3, with the Blazers winning the first three meetings before Millsaps answered back with the last three victories.
The Blazers never led in the game, but it was a close contest heading into the halftime break, with Millsaps holding a slim 18-16 margin.
Darien Thomas caught the first touchdown of the season for the Blazers, a 10-yard strike from Clayton Webb.
Following a 38-yard field goal by Alonso Acosta as the first quarter expired, Thomas and Webb had another touchdown connection, with the second coming via an eight-yard pass play late in the second half to cut the deficit to 18-16.
Thomas finished the game with four grabs and 26 yards to go along with the two scores.
A big issue for the Blazers in the game was turnovers, and it came back to haunt the Green and Gold as Millsaps turned Belhaven's four fumbles and one interception into 34 points.
Webb, who made his first-ever collegiate appearance, flirted with a pair of school records Thursday night, as he finished the game with 47 completions on 72 attempts and 525 yards through the air. The school records for a game were 54 completions, 75 attempts and 612 yards.
Deon Richardson led the Blazers in receptions with eight, totaling 50 yards on the night.
Marquis Hedge finished with the most yards on the night, catching five passes for 130 yards.
Shaquan Holmes had the other touchdown grab for the Blazers, a 24-yard catch and run in the third quarter.
Defensively, Stefon Hayles, Alvin Vaughn and Alonzo Peavy led the way for the Blazers. Hayles and Vaughn each contributed on 11 tackles in the game and Peavy had 10. Hayles had two tackles for a loss in the game.
Maurice Stewart picked up his first interception as a Blazer in the contest and also contributed on five tackles.
Belhaven will have an extra two days rest and preparation heading into next Saturday's home opener against the defending National Champion Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The game is set for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at H.T. Newell Field.
Huntington 56, Louisiana College 35 | Box Score
MONTGOMERY, Alabama - The Louisiana College football team got their season started Saturday afternoon as they fell to the Huntingdon Hawks in a 56-35 shootout at Samford Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.
Things looked good for the Wildcats early on, as they got on the board first in their first possession when Easton Melancon connected with Ladarius Gardner for a 42 yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
But the Hawks would answer in a huge way, scoring the next 21 points to take a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter when John Iwaniec scored on a three yard touchdown run with nine minutes left before the half.
LC appeared to gain some momentum on their next possession when Melancon hooked up with Gardner again, this time from seven yards out, at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter to draw closer at 21-14.
But that was as close as the Wildcats would get the rest of the day, as Huntingdon scored twice in the final five minutes of the half, both on long touchdown passes from quarterback Luke Bailey, to take a 35-14 lead into the locker room.
While the Cats would score three times in the second half on touchdown receptions from Devin Sylve, Gardner, and Zac Barrient, the Hawks offense, who rolled up 652 total yards of offense on the afternoon, including 392 yards on the ground, was simply too much for LC to overcome.
Melancon finished with 230 passing yards and four touchdowns while Gardner tied a single game school record with three touchdown receptions, as he racked up five catches for 64 yards and three scores.
The Wildcats will get an early season bye week next week before returning to action on September 19 in Seguin, Texas against Texas Lutheran at 6:00 p.m.
No. 21 Texas Lutheran 44, Sul Ross State 27 | Box Score
ALPINE, Texas-For the first three quarters, Sul Ross State University's football team gave No. 21 Texas Lutheran all they could handle before a good crowd in the 2015 season opener for both teams at Jackson Field Saturday evening.
Then the Bulldogs outscored the Lobos in the fourth quarter, 17-0, and pulled away for a 44-27 victory.
TLU took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on a 14-yard pass from senior quarterback Trenton White to freshman wide receiver Jekovan Holmes then taking advantage of a kickoff the Lobos didn't cover to score on senior running back A.J. Saucedo's one-yard run and grabbed a 13-0 lead.
The Lobos came back, scoring midway through the second quarter on a three-yard run by freshman receiver James Wells to cut the lead to 13-6.
White's five-yard scoring pass to Holmes put the Bulldogs ahead, 20-7, with 2:48 left in the first half. But sophomore SRSU quarterback James Davis connected with freshman receiver Byron Jones on an 89-yard scoring play with 1:14 left in the first half to cut TLU's halftime advantage to 20-14.
Hasan Lipscomb broke away for a 58 yard scoring run in the third quarter that allowed the Lobos to tie the game. But their two point conversion attempt failed, and the score remained tied at 20-20.
White connected with junior receiver Caleb Oliver on a 43 yard scoring play to make it 27-20, TLU. Sul Ross State cane right back, with Davis hitting sophomore tight end Josh Lopez with a four-yard touchdown pass with 6:08 left in the third quarter. Freshman kicker Eddie Oakley's extra point tied the game for the final time.
"They're a good football team," said Sul Ross State Head Coach John Pearce. "You can't give them too many opportunities. We battled hard, James Davis played well, and Hasan Lipscomb had a big run. Defensively, we played a lot of plays, and when that happens, that's not good. We had some turnovers, and they capitalized, and that's why they're ranked No. 21 in the country. We have a good team, we're young, and we played a very good team. I'm proud of my team, they're much improved."
Pearce liked the game's atmosphere. "Fan wise, that was one of the best football games we've had," said Pearce. "The atmosphere was great, the crowd was loud, and they did a great job supporting our players."
Lipscomb carried the ball 16 times for 98 yards, and Davis completed 15-of-27 passes for 274 yards for the Lobos. White completed 24-of-40 passes for347 yards for the Bulldogs, while junior running back Marquis Barrolle rushed 18 times for 126 yards.
The Lobos fell to 0-1 with the defeat, while TLU improved to 1-0. SRSU will be idle next week and will visit Trinity September 19.