ASC has three unbeatens
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Rose-Hulman SID
Hardin-Simmons, McMurry and Howard Payne each moved to 3-0 in the American Southwest Conference and atop the league standings with convincing league victories this weekend.
Hardin-Simmons handled Austin College 50-14 to remain undefeated at 6-0 on the season. McMurry scored 59 points in a convincing victory over Sul Ross State to improve to 4-1 on the season. Howard Payne moved to 3-2 on the campaign with a 42-7 victory against Texas Lutheran.
Trinity University vaulted into first place in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings without taking the field. Rhodes defeated Sewanee 23-21 in dramatic fashion to give the Tigers their first SCAC loss of the season, making Trinity the only undefeated team in the conference.
Last weekend's key South Region games:
HARDIN-SIMMONS 50, AUSTIN 14: Hardin-Simmons (6-0, 3-0 ASC) jumped out to a 43-0 lead after three quarters to improve to 6-0 on the season against Austin (1-5, 0-3 ASC). Quarterback Brad Boyd completed 19 of 28 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including two second quarter strikes to Kirk Rogers. The Cowboys rolled up 446 yards of total offense and gained 22 first downs in the victory.
MCMURRY 59, SUL ROSS STATE 16: McMurry (4-1, 3-0 ASC) senior running back Jeramie Ellison ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns to propel the Indians to a convincing win over Sul Ross State (1-5, 0-3 ASC). Ellison was named the ASC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the contest. The Indians lead the ASC in scoring offense with a 43.4 point average and travel to Mississippi College next weekend.
HOWARD PAYNE 42, TEXAS LUTHERAN 7: Howard Payne (4-2, 3-0 ASC) rolled to an easy victory against Texas Lutheran (2-4, 1-2 ASC), a program that will achieve NCAA Division III status in 2000 but is playing in the ASC this fall.
RHODES 23, SEWANEE 21: Rhodes (4-2, 3-1 SCAC) knocked Sewanee (4-2, 3-1) from its perch atop the SCAC standings with a come-from-behind victory in Memphis. The Lynx rallied to within 21-20 on a fourth-quarter touchdown run, only to have the extra point blocked with 6:30 remaining in the game.
Rhodes forced a Tiger punt and drove to the four-yard line, where placekicker Andy English booted a 21-yard field goal in the final minute to lift the Lynx to victory and a tie for second-place honors in the league.
Other south region games
MILLSAPS 35, ROSE-HULMAN 28: Millsaps (2-4, 1-1 SCAC) and Rose-Hulman (1-6, 0-4 SCAC) combined for over 700 yards of total offense in a 35-28 Majors victory. Millsaps freshman running back Brent LeJeune rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown in his first college start, while senior Mike McKenzie rushed for 103 yards in the victory. Senior Brian Goldman paced Rose-Hulman's rushing attack with 112 yards on 21 carries.
CENTRE 30, MARYVILLE 23: Centre (4-2) defeated Maryville (4-2) by a touchdown in a homecoming thriller at Danville, Ky. Centre sophomore quarterback Drew Mildren was named the SCAC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 34 of 51 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the contest.
MARY-HARDIN BAYLOR 30, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 27 (OT): Mary-Hardin Baylor (3-3, 2-1 ASC) booted an overtime field goal to send Mississippi College (3-3, 0-3 ASC) home with their third consecutive conference defeat at Belton, Texas.
WASHINGTON U. 41, ROCHESTER 7: Washington University (5-2, 2-0 UAA) moved into a tie for first place in the University Athletic Association standings with a convincing victory against Rochester.
This weekend's key games
The key showdown takes place in the ASC, where No. 8 HARDIN-SIMMONS (6-0) battles HOWARD PAYNE (3-3) in a battle for first-place in the league standings. The home team has won the last five meetings in this rivalry, which bodes well for Howard Payne. Hardin-Simmons can tie a school record by achieving its 16th victory if the Cowboys buck the current trend... McMURRY (4-1) continues the fight for its slice of the ASC pie, traveling to MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (3-3)... No. 2 TRINITY (6-0, 2-0 SCAC) returns to league action by hosting CENTRE (4-2, 3-1), one of two teams tied for second behind the Tigers.