UMHB Football Crushes Howard Payne 57-6
Brownwood, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team set the tone with a touchdown on the first offensive play of the game and the Cru would stretch it to 19-0 after UMHB's second offensive play on the way to a 57-6 victory over Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon in Brownwood. The fourth-ranked Cru improves to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The Yellow Jackets fall to 1-8 overall and 1-6 in ASC play with the loss.
After a 43-yard return of the opening kickoff set up the Cru with great field position, LiDarral Bailey hit Damian Davis with a 37-yard touchdown pass on the game's first play. UMHB missed the extra point, but led 6-0 just 22 seconds into the game. The Cru would force a punt on the first HPU possession, but Cote Schacherl fumbled the snap and Javicz Jones scooped it and took it back 25 yards for another score to make it 12-0 after another missed extra point. After another HPU punt and a nice return from Geoff Myles, Bailey hit Davis with a 44-yards TD toss to push the lead to 19-0 with 10:00 remaining in the first quarter. UMHB added a 10-yard scoring run from Darius Wilson four minutes later to open the lead up to 26-0. Chad Peevey would add a 25-yard field goal and Caleb Moore scored on a seven-yard run to give the Cru a 36-0 halftime lead.
Moore added third quarter scoring runs of three and five yards to stretch the UMHB lead to 50-0. Jake Sims closed out the Cru scoring with a five-yard TD run with 11:13 left to play and Howard Payne averted the shutout when Adrian Lighteard scored on a 15-yard run with 4:46 remaining.
UMHB rolled up 440 yards of total offense in the game with 243 of those coming on the ground. The Cru held Howard Payne to just 20 yards rushing and 122 yards of total offense with over half of those yards coming on the scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. UMHB also forced two turnovers, pulled its starters with 11:20 left in the first half and played every player who made the trip.
Bailey finished 5-7 passing for the Cru for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Moore led the team with a career-high 72 yards and three touchdowns on 14 rushes. Wilson added 57 rushing yards and Davis caught three passes for 89 yards and two scores. Andy McAteer led the UMHB defense with seven tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss. Jones added five tackles, a tackle for loss and the fumble return for a touchdown.
Lighteard had 45 rushing yards on 12 carries and Thomas Head was 8-15 passing for the Yellow Jackets for 102 yards. Manuel Garza caught three of those passes for 54 yards. Tyler Jones topped the HPU defense with nine total tackles.
The Cru will now return home to host Sul Ross State for a 1:00 PM kickoff in the regular season home finale. UMHB can clinch at least a share of the ASC title and lock up the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships with a victory over the Lobos. The Cru leads the all-time series with Sul Ross State 13-0. The Lobos are 2-6 overall and 1-5 in ASC play after stunning Mississippi College 49-42 in overtime today.
