Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team used a couple of lightning strikes on special teams to take control of the game and the Cru rolled to a 48-20 victory over Texas Lutheran University Saturday afternoon in Belton. Second-ranked UMHB improves to 7-0 on the season with the victory. The loss drops the 24th-ranked Bulldogs to 5-2 on the year.
Playing in heavy rain in the early going, the Cru dominated the field position and took a 7-0 lead on Malcolm Miller's 11-yard touchdown run with 8:31 left in the first quarter. Teidrick Smith blocked a Texas Lutheran punt in the second quarter to set up a 10-play, 30-yard drive as Miller scored from one yard out to put UMHB up 14-0. Matt Cody's interception and return set up the Cru at the TLU one-yard line on the next possession and Blake Jackson dove in from a yard out to give UMHB a 20-0 edge. Texas Lutheran executed its two-minute offense to near perfection as Trenton White scored on a 24-yard run with 54 seconds left in the first half to cut the Cru lead to 20-7.
A break in the weather provided better playing conditions in the second half, but lightning struck on the opening play. TLU tried a short, directional kickoff, but Jordan Millar hauled it in, broke one tackle and raced down the UMHB sideline for a 69-yard touchdown return. The Cru converted a two-point conversion to make it 28-7. White hit Jekovan Holmes with a 48-yard touchdown pass and Chadd Brown added a 31-yard field goal as the Bulldogs closed to within 28-17, but Zach Anderson found Marcus Wimby for a 56-yard touchdown pass on the first play after Brown's field goal to stretch the lead to 35-17. Brown hit a 23-yard field goal to cut it to 35-20, but Bryce Wilkerson returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for another lightning strike and his first career kickoff return for a touchdown to push it to 42-20 UMHB. The Cru added the final points when Miller broke off a 28-yard touchdown run with 7:46 remaining to provide the final margin.
UMHB was just 4-11 passing in the game for 92 yards and the Cru managed just 138 rushing yards for 230 yards of total offense. Texas Lutheran threw for 246 yards and finished with 333 yards of total offense while controlling the ball for 38:05 of the game.
Miller and Duane Thompson both ran for 52 yards for the Cru and Wimby caught two passes for 93 yards and a score. He became just the third player in UMHB history to reach 100 career receptions in the game. Trey Thedford led the Cru defense with 15 total tackles and Baylor Mullins added ten more. UMHB recorded four sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in the game.
White was 19-35 passing for 228 yards and a touchdown and he ran for 37 yards and another score. Marquis Barrolle was held to just 34 rushing yards on 19 carries in the loss, but he did catch seven passes for 36 yards. Holmes had four grabs for 83 yards and a score for the Bulldogs. Darian Candler had a team-high eight tackles and both of TLU's sacks in the game.
UMHB will return to action with a key American Southwest Conference showdown at Hardin-Simmons next Saturday in Abilene. The Cru and Cowboys will kick off at 1:00 PM at Shelton Stadium in a battle of teams with 7-0 overall records and 2-0 marks in ASC play on the season.