Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team put together its most complete performance of the season as the Cru rolled to a 65-0 victory over Howard Payne University Saturday night in Belton. Top-ranked UMHB improves to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops the Yellow Jackets to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the ASC on the year.
UMHB scored on the game's opening possession with a five-play, 72-yard drive, keyed by Jefferson Fritz's 36-yard run on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. Brenton Martin scored on a 30-yard run on the next play to give the Cru a 7-0 lead 1:49 into the game. Luke Poorman hit Tavion Page with a 74-yard touchdown pass on the next UMHB possession to stretch the lead to 14-0. Robert McGrue added a three-yard scoring run to make it 20-0 Cru after the first quarter. Jase Hammack sandwiched touchdown passes of 51 and 27 yards to Ernest Musue around touchdown runs from Jo'Vel McDaniel and Tommy Bowden to give UMHB a 48-0 halftime lead. McDaniel added a six-yard scoring run on the Cru's first possession of the second half following a Howard Payne turnover and UMHB added Olan Vining III's three-yard TD run and Brandon Cunningham's 18-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
The Cru rolled up a season-high 557 yards of total offense in the contest with 288 of those coming on the ground. UMHB's defense held a Yellow Jackets offense that was averaging 41.3 points per game going into Saturday to just 80 yards of total offense on 56 offensive plays. Howard Payne was held to 57 passing yards on the night and only had six total first downs. The Cru shut out the Yellow Jackets for the third consecutive season.
Eight players ran for 15 or more yards for the Cru with McDaniel leading the way with 59 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Hammack was 11-16 passing for 139 yards and two scores in his first game of the season and Musue caught three passes for 101 yards and two scores. Poorman added 129 yards and a TD on 5-7 passing. Tevin Jones had a game-high eight tackles and moved into UMHB's top ten all-time with 237.
Jeric Smith played the second half at quarterback for Howard Payne and was 10-15 through the air for 20 yards. Caleb Estes was 7-12 for 37 yards in the first half. Cameron Keener ran for a team-high 14 yards on five carries and Jake Parker caught three passes for 35 yards. Zeno Barnum had a team-high five tackles for the HPU defense.
The Cru will now hit the road for the first time this season with a trip to Abilene next Saturday. UMHB will take on McMurry University (0-4, 0-3 ASC) in a 1 pm kickoff at Wilford Moore Stadium. The War Hawks lost to Belhaven University 46-18 Saturday.