Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team dominated the second half and rolled to a 67-14 win over Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon in Belton. The Cru improves to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops the Yellow Jackets to 1-8 overall and 1-3 in ASC play on the season.
UMHB scored on its opening possession when Zach Anderson hit Wykeyhe Walker with a 14-yard touchdown strike. The Cru missed the extra point and settled for a 6-0 lead. Anderson hooked up with Walker again, this time from 50 yards out to stretch the lead to 13-0 with 5:03 to go in the first quarter. Jacob O'Neill's 33-yard field goal made it 16-0 and DeNerian Thomas scored on a two-yard run on the first play of the second quarter as UMHB opened up a 23-0 lead. Howard Payne wrapped one-yard touchdown runs from Ja'Von Dickson and Patrick Hernandez around Bryce Wilkerson's fumble recovery in the end zone as UMHB took a 30-14 edge into halftime. Jordan Millar hauled in a nine-yard TD toss from Blake Jackson on the opening drive of the second half, Malcolm Miller scored on a 14-yard run and Duane Thompson scored on a 40-yard scamper to give the Cru a 50-14 lead at the end of the third quarter. Thomas caught an 18-yard TD pass from Jackson, O'Neill kicked a 40-yard field goal and Michael Carpenter closed out the fourth quarter scoring with a 40-yard touchdown run to provide the final margin.
UMHB finished with 663 yards of total offense with 354 of those coming through the air. Howard Payne finished with 309 yards of total offense, but managed just 27 of those yards in the second half. The Cru also forced four Yellow Jacket turnovers while not giving the ball away. UMHB also attempted a school record 51 passes in the game.
Anderson was 13-33 for 244 yards and two scores and Jackson hit 4-9 for 72 yards and two TD's. Walker caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns and Thomas had eight grabs for 73 yards and a score to go with three rushes for 20 yards and another touchdown. Thompson ran for 114 yards on just eight carries. Matt Cody topped the Cru defense with 13 total tackles and Tommy Brown added a career-high three tackles for loss.
Richard Young was 15-31 for 196 yards for HPU but threw two interceptions. Colby Mica caught five passes for 91 yards before leaving the game with an apparent injury. Fred Pitts had 40 yards on two rushes to lead the Yellow Jacket ground game. Jason Disney had a team-high nine tackles for Howard Payne.
The Cru will close out the regular season with a school-record seventh home game next Saturday. UMHB will welcome East Texas Baptist (7-2, 4-0 ASC) to Crusader Stadium for a 1:00 PM kickoff. The Cru needs a win in that game to keep its hopes for a bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships alive and could claim a share of the ASC title with a victory over the Tigers.