MARSHALL, Texas – Back in the familiar confines of Ornelas Stadium, the East Texas Baptist University football team returns home for their annual homecoming game against Texas Lutheran University. ETBU will battle it out for TLU to stay in second place in the American Southwest Conference as both teams are currently 3-1.
Last week, ETBU traveled to Brownwood, Texas, and came away with a 57-7 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Despite a slow start, quarterback
Dru Smith was able to lead his offense with 326 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-32 passing.
Xavier Gray and
Richard Johnson were the two primary targets for ETBU as Gray caught one touchdown and had three receptions for 111 yards while Johnson had three touchdowns on seven receptions for 164 yards. On defense, ETBU was led by
Caleb Taylor (16 tackles) and
Ty Parsons (11 tackles). Parsons was also named ASC Defensive Player of the Week when he added a pick-six of 49 yards in the game.
Head coach
Scott Highsmith was thrilled that his team was able to rebound from a difficult loss the week prior.
"Any win is a big win for me," said Coach Highsmith. "Anytime you can win on the road against a conference opponent, that's just an additional plus. I thought our kids played hard. We went into the game saying we're going to be coachable, we're going to be fundamentally sound, and we're going to make plays. We were looking for a few playmakers and we found a few. It was a good win for us."
Now the Tigers will face-off against a familiar foe, who returns back to the ASC. ETBU battles with 3-2 (3-1 ASC) opponent Texas Lutheran this week. Coming off a 47-30 win over Louisiana College, TLU is led offensively by a team that is averaging 30 points per game while giving up 27.8 points per game. Quarterback Kyle Grona has become a dual threat as he has thrown for a team-leading seven touchdowns and 821 yards while leading in rushing with 356 yards. Running back J.C Garcia is second in rushing with 253. Logan Thompson expects to be the top receiver as he has 200 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Defensively, TLU is led by Adairus Norwood, who has 37 tackles total. Manny Longoria leads with 4.5 sacks while James Bell has picked off two passes.
"They're a good-solid well-coached football team," said Coach Highsmith. "They have some tradition in recent years. They have good intelligent, high character kids. They don't make many mistakes offensively or defensively. They don't give games away. So you just have to go out there and beat them."
Last season, ETBU made a big statement when they upset then #21 ranked Bulldogs 44-20 in Seguin. As of right now, the all-time series is tied. But when there is a game between two teams with the same record and no separation in wins overall between them, head coach Highsmith knows this game with TLU will be a thrilling game for homecoming. "They're 3-1 in conference play and we're 3-1 in conference play," said Coach Highsmith. "Obviously, from a mathematical standpoint and a standing standpoint, it's a pivotal game for both teams. We always play them tough. They always play us tough. I anticipate a great game."
Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. in Ornelas Stadium.
