Abram Choate, SID
Turnovers Cost Jackets Season Opener
BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Howard Payne University Yellow Jacket football team committed 5 turnovers and lost 14-42 in their 2007 season opener versus the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm Saturday night in Gordon Wood Stadium.
The Crimson Storm found the endzone the first two times in the game scoring on a 50-yard run by Branden Smith with 5:00 left in the first and a Tyler Schneider 15-yard pass to Greg Oswald at the 10:52 mark in the second quarter.
The Howard Payne offense answered back just 1:23 later on a Nice Sellars 26-yard TD pass from Jonathan Haddock with 9:35 to play in the first half. That was as close as the Jackets would get as SNU adding one more score just :27 seconds before the half on a 4-yard TD pass to Brandon Smith.
In the second half it was more SNU offense as they added scores on runs from 3 and 5 yards, a 20-yard pass, and a blocked punt returned for a TD. HPU did find the endzone one time in the 4th on a 3-yard run by Jeff Jefferson with 5:00 to play in the game.
SNU Branden Smith led all rushers with 109 yards and one TD. Jeff Jefferson led HPU with 44 yards on 9 carries and one TD.
HPU's Jordan Beard led all receivers with 62 yards on 5 catches. Jonathan Haddock saw most of the snaps for HPU, 14 of 26 for 136 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT. SNU's Tyler Schneider was 14 of 25 for 154 yards, 3 TD, and 1 INT.
The game was delayed 40 minutes do to a lighting delay in the second quarter.
The Jackets will have an open week next week but will return to action on the road on September 15 at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas at 2:00 p.m..
