BATESVILLE, Ark. – In a balanced attack on offense combined with a stingy defensive performance, East Texas Baptist University opened the 2026 season with a 58-7 victory in Arkansas over Lyon College. It is the third year in a row that ETBU has opened up their season with a victory.
ETBU finished with 513 total yards of offense as 231 yards were on the ground and 282 yards in the air.
Paul Woodard led the ground attack with 95 yards rushing on 10 attempts and three touchdowns. Ja'Michael Cooper added 65 yards and one touchdown.
Jack Crawford threw for 215 yards and three passing touchdowns in his first start.
Holding Lyon College to just 202 yards of total offense, ETBU held the Scots to just 53 rushing yards and 149 yards passing. The defense also had two interceptions and sacks.
Adrian Porter led the team with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss as
Kylevon Morrow and
Rayvon Sauls added six tackles.
ETBU started off slow not scoring until the 2:02 mark in the first quarter on a Woodard 13-yard rush. Five minutes into the second quarter, Crawford hit
Brandon Kennedy on a 15-yard pass for a 15-0 lead with a two-point conversion. Less than two minutes later, after ETBU's defense forced a turnover, Woodard ran in from 12-yards out to make it 21-0.
EJ Stovall finished the scoring in the first half for a 28-0 lead at the half.
Scoring 30 points in the second half, ETBU's offense found their rhythm scoring 16 points in the third quarter. Woodard picked up his third touchdown of the game at 12:06 on a 33-yard run and
Mitchell White connected on a 19-yard field goal for a 38-0 lead. Crawford found
Christopher Moore at 4:58 from six-yards out as ETBU pushed the lead to 44-0. At the 12:45 mark in the fourth quarter, Jaylon Spriggs had his first touchdown throw of the day to
Jordan Jones as the Tigers took a 51-point lead. Lyon scored at 6:58 to go in the game and then Cooper finished off the scoring for ETBU at 2:53 on a 16-yard rush.
ETBU will travel to Mississippi next Saturday to face Belhaven University at 7:00 p.m.
