Statement games in conference play
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at Howard Payne 58, East Texas Baptist 45: The Yellow Jackets (2-0, 1-0 ASC) wasted no time putting a disappointing 2003 conference season behind them. The same could be said for Howard Payne quarterback Adam King. The D3football.com preseason All-America pick exploded for 512 yards and three touchdowns on 37-of-58 passing, and added 83 yards (and a score) on the ground to account for nearly 600 yards of total offense.
The Tigers were hurt by five turnovers, including an uncharacteristic four interceptions from quarterback Phil Van Cleave (22-of-44 for 406 yards, three TDs). East Texas Baptist (0-2, 0-1) led 38-35 midway through the third quarter, but was outscored 23-7 down the stretch.
No. 7 Mary Hardin-Baylor 36, at Texas Lutheran 27: For the second straight week, the Bulldogs (0-2, 0-1 ASC) stayed close to one of the nation’s top teams, but the Crusaders (2-0, 1-0) were equal to the challenge. Mary Hardin-Baylor running back Justin Bryson had his second consecutive big week, rushing for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Crusaders piled up 509 total yards. Sean Salinas continued to impress; the Bulldog signal-caller had his second consecutive 300-yard game on 23-of-39 passing, but two interceptions hurt the home team’s chances. As was the case last week, a last-second Texas Lutheran score made the game seem just a bit closer than it actually was.
at Austin College 20, McMurry 3: The Kangaroos (1-1, 1-0 ASC) might have turned in their best overall performance since Aaron Kernek’s years in Sherman in upsetting the visiting Indians (1-1, 0-1), who may have been caught coasting after last week’s easy win at Colorado College. Wide receiver Ross Reedy accounted for both Austin scores, on catches of 6 and 39 yards; the ’Roos held McMurry under 200 yards of total offense and 72 yards rushing on 41 carries.
at Rhodes 42, Centre 19: In a must-win situation, the Lynx (2-1, 1-1 SCAC) evened up their conference record by dominating the visiting Colonels (1-2, 0-1). Centre held an early 10-0 lead, but Rhodes put five unanswered touchdowns on the board before the Colonels could answer. By then it was too late, and the Lynx held on for the easy win. Running back Tyler Lee scored on runs of 11, 13, and seven yards; Rory Favor added two rushing scores for Rhodes. Lee’s 94 yards on 22 carries led all ball carriers; Centre’s Brian Behrendt had 269 yards on 26-of-47 passing, but the Colonels only managed 55 yards on the ground.
at No. 12 Trinity 51, Redlands 27: The SCIAC champions looked tired and were picked apart by the Trinity offensive line and quarterback Dan DesPlaines. DesPlaines completed 18 of 20 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in slightly over one half of play. In the same amount of time, running back Jerrold Jones had 219 yards and two scores, including a 90-yard scamper which set a school record for longest run from scrimmage. By halftime, Trinity (3-0) had piled up 425 yards of offense while holding the visitors to 135. Redlands’ points came only after Trinity led 37-0 and made wholesale substitutions on both sides of the ball.
Don’t try this at home — or on the road
Citing budgetary pressures, Redlands was forced to leave town at 4 a.m. Saturday prior to its game against Trinity. The team flew to Houston from the west coast, then boarded buses for the three-hour trip from Houston to San Antonio. As one might expect, the team looked tired and allowed the record-setting performances noted above. It’s simply unfair to expect any athletes to perform near their potential under such circumstances. Kudos to Redlands for scheduling a tough non-conference opponent outside their region, but next time, find the money to do it right. Your players and supporters deserve it.
Players of the week
American Southwest Conference
Offense: Adam King, senior quarterback, Howard Payne. Threw for four TDs, ran for a fifth in HPU’s 58-45 upset of then-ranked East Texas Baptist. King completed 37-of-56 for 512 yards and ran for 83 yards, scoring once. On the day, King completed passes to 11 different receivers.
Defense: Blake Mock, senior defensive back, Austin. His interception on the first play from scrimmage set the tone for the game, as Austin upset McMurry 20-3. Mock had nine tackles (five solo) including one for loss. His interception return of 24 yards set up AC on the McMurry six, and it took just one play for the Kanagroos to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Special Teams: Jared May, junior kick returner, Hardin-Simmons. For the second straight game, May returned a kick for touchdown. His 70-yard return for score in late in the Cowboys’ 47-14 win at Louisiana College gave him three for his career, establishing a school record. He leads the nation in kick returns, at 61.0 yards/game.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Offense: Trinity offensive line (Billy Moran, junior tackle; Brandon Spencer, junior guard; Tommy Ford, senior center; Ben Prater, senior guard; Corey Grant, junior tackle). The Tiger offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, leading Trinity to 425 yards of offense in the first half alone as the Tigers defeated Redlands 51-27. Trinity averaged 8.8 yards per rush, and Redlands was only able to make two plays behind the line of scrimmage — no sacks or quarterback hurries — all night. Trinity’s 701 yards established all-time school and conference records for total offense.
Defense: Matt Jackson, senior linebacker, Rose-Hulman: Jackson personally outscored Concordia (Ill.) in the Fightin’ Engineers 23-3 victory. His first score, a 77-yard interception return on Concordia’s initial possession, staked Rose-Hulman (2-1) to an early 14-0 lead. He then recorded a safety for the initial points of the second half, boosting the lead to 16-3. Jackson recorded a game-high nine tackles (five solo) including two for loss.
Notes from around the South
Hardin-Simmons (2-0) continued to roll with a 47-14 win at Louisiana College (1-1) … Sul Ross State (0-2) almost got its first win in two years, falling 24-20 at Mississippi College (1-1) after leading at the half … Millsaps (1-1) led at Emory and Henry going into the fourth quarter, but surrendered two touchdowns to lose by four; the Majors had the ball late at the E&H 12, but three incomplete passes and a sack ended the final drive … Sewanee (1-2) was held to just 5 yards rushing (in 44 attempts) in their 12-0 loss to Washington and Lee.
Games of the week (all Sept. 27, times local)
This is a light week in the ASC, as all the contenders face lower echelon teams. Likely the most competitive game of the bunch will be Texas Lutheran (0-2) at McMurry (1-1), 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this year, and will see if their competitiveness extends to teams outside the top 20. McMurry will try to rediscover the form they showed in week two, when they put 52 points on the board. A key challenge for the Indians will be to contain TLU’s Sean Salinas, one of the nation’s top-rated quarterbacks, and by far the most dangerous quarterback they have seen this season.
It’s also a light week in the SCAC, where non-conference play continues, except for No. 12 Trinity (3-0) at DePauw (2-1/1-0 SCAC), 1:30pm. An early season “must win” for both teams, the loser will not only fall out of first place but lose the tiebreaker. The best chance for the home standing Tigers would seem to be to get the ball to Jamarcus Shephard, who has given Trinity fits in the past. DePauw has so far been primarily a rushing team, led by freshman running back Jeremiah Marks (302 yards, 39 carries, two TDs) and quarterback Ross Weithoff (217 yards, 49 carries, one TD). Wiethoff averages only 120 yards per game in the air; Shephard has more than two-thirds of that, with 16 receptions for 250 yards. Rushing defense is one of Trinity’s strengths (97.3 yards allowed per game), so DePauw head coach Bill Lynch may have to change up his game plan to have the best chance for a win. Trinity averages over 550 yards per game, but DePauw will represent the best defensive challenge the visitors have seen to date.
National offensive leaders
As might be expected from the results so far this season, there are a number of ASC and SCAC players among the national leaders in various offensive categories. Courtesy of the NCAA, here are the players who are ranked in various offensive categories through Week 3:
Rushing: 10. Justin Bryson, UMHB, 158.5; 20. Jerrold Jones, Trinity, 139.7; 29. Lance Moore, Hardin-Simmons, 132.5.
Passing efficiency: 1. Dan DesPlaines, Trinity, 237.2; 9. Jordan Neal, Hardin-Simmons, 174.0; 22. Adam King, Howard Payne, 155.7; 31. Sean Salinas, Texas Lutheran, 144.7.
Total offense: 2. King, HPU, 425.0; 3. Phil Van Cleave, East Texas Baptist, 411.5; 4. Salinas, TLU, 345.5; 6. Wesley Cooper, Louisiana College, 336.5; 20. Daniel Swanstrom, Rhodes, 256.0; 23. Brian Behrendt, Centre, 252.0; 24. DesPlaines, Trinity, 251.7; 27. Neal, Hardin-Simmons, 241.0.
Receptions per game: 8t. Earl Morris, East Texas Baptist, 8.0; 35t. Dexter Falgoust, Louisiana College, and Michael Hatcher, Rhodes, 6.0.
Receiving yards per game: 2. Morris, ETBU, 167.5; 21. Jason Trahan, Texas Lutheran, 104.5
Scoring per game: 3. Lance Moore, Hardin-Simmons, 18.0; 13t. Van Cleave, ETBU, 12.0.
All-purpose yards: 28t. Morris, ETBU, 167.5
Punt returns: 28t. Bryce Beckstrom, Rose-Hulman, 12.5
Kickoff returns: 1. Jared May, Hardin-Simmons, 61.0; 3. Brandon Kyle, Texas Lutheran, 44.8, 15. Gilbert Amanza, Sul Ross, 31.6; 26. Tyson Roy, Millsaps, 27.5; Jamarcus Shephard, DePauw, 27.2; 32t. Phillip Givens, Sul Ross, 26.8; 34t. Cory Schnieder, Texas Lutheran, and George Twitty, Sewanee, 26.4.
Field goals per game: 1t. Zach Newcomb, Mary Hardin-Baylor, 2.5; 6t. Drew McMaster, Howard Payne, 2.0; 12t. Clint Wren, Austin, 1.5; 17t. Todd Canion, Trinity, and Chris Thompson, Centre, 1.3; 22t. Kirk McGinty, McMurry, and Holt Storrie, Texas Lutheran, 1.0.
Punting: 12t. Chris Luna, McMurry, 41.0; 24. John Kelly, Sewanee, 39.2; 28. Clint Rushing, Austin, 38.6
We’ll list defensive leaders (yes, there are some!) after week 4.
Next week
This column is a bit shorter than usual — and while there’s more than one reason, a major contributing factor is a lack of information coming in to us here at D3football.com. As always, we’ll cover the key games and the stories that are brought to our attention. Your comments and suggestions are invited; send your thoughts and story ideas to me at ron.boerger@d3football.com.