Box Score MARSHALL, Texas – It was one half that made a difference in an NCAA Division III top 15 showdown as #15 East Texas Baptist University's second half scoring stopped dropping an American Southwest Conference game to #3 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 59-22. The two teams were tied at 14 at the half before UMHB scored 38 straight points to take a hold of the game. ETBU falls to 5-1 on the year and 1-1 in the ASC while UMHB goes to 6-0 and 2-0.
ETBU's offense produced 358 yards of total offense with 238 yards in the air as Dru Smith passed for 202 yards. Chase Sojka was the leading receiver with 71 yards on 11 receptions. Jourdan McNeill led the ground attack with 36 yards and two touchdowns. UMHB finished with 494 yards of total offense. Defensively, ETBU was led by Ty Parsons and Caleb Taylor who each had 11 tackles. Verry Jackson had nine tackles, eight solo, and an interception. Grant LaPoint-Teat also had an interception. The defense also forced two fumbles recovering both of them.
On their second possession of the game, ETBU drove 80-yards in 16 plays to take an early 8-0 lead. The balanced drive ended at the 7:04 mark when McNeill bulled his way in from four yards out. ETBU then converted the two-point conversion to Jerry Villela. UMHB didn't score until the 12 second mark in the first quarter on a 47-yard pass to pull within one, 8-7. Day'Lonzo Freeman extended ETBU's lead to seven, 14-7, at the 13:12 mark on a six-yard run. That score resulted from ETBU's defense forcing a turnover in the series before. ETBU's offense went just 27-yards for the score on three plays with a big 21-yard pass to Xavier Gray. Then, just before halftime, UMHB had a 74-yard shuffle pass that tied the game up at 14.
The second half began with both teams punting the ball but then UMHB responded. UMHB took control of the game by scoring on their next five possessions and seven out of eight possessions in the half. ETBU's lone score came with 2:07 left in the game on McNeill's second touchdown run of the game from four-yards out.
ETBU hosts Howard Payne University on Saturday, October 22nd, at 6:00 p.m. for Homecoming.
