Jackets Fall To McMurry 13-37

Abram Choate, SID

BROWNWOOD – The Howard Payne Yellow Jacket football fell to McMurry University 13-37 in American Southwest Conference action Saturday afternoon at Gordon Wood Stadium. 

McMurry had a 71-yard touchdown pass to open the game with 13:13 left in the first quarter. Howard Payne responded with 10 unanswered points, but the rest of the game belonged to McMurry. 

HPU Freshman Mitchell Bailey hit a 41-yard field goal to make it 10:26 in the first.. After the HPU defense stopped McMurry, the Jackets scored on a 9-yard Zach Hubbard pass to Tre Mason with 4:02 left in the first. 

McM scored with 2:18 left in the first quarter on a 22-yard touchdown pass to help McMurry regain the lead for good at 14-10. Then, McMurry regained possession and scored just four minutes later on a short pass in the flat and ran for an 83-yard touchdown.

The Yellow Jackets responded in the second half with a 38-yard field goal to open the third quarter from Bailey. The Jackets were unable to scored again and McMurry secured the win 13-37.

HPU's Brandon Young had 10 carries for 49 yards and Edward Cody led the receivers with eight catches for 91 yards.

Allen Dixon and Lorenzo Green each had 1.5 sacks and Dixon added 6 tackles. Kevin Reyna had a solid game with 10 tackles and one forced fumble. Cole Tarlton and Jordan Pfenenger each ahd seven tackles.

Howard Payne had just 299 yards of total offense while McMurry tallied 466 yards. McMurry's QB Long finished with six catches for 134 yards, WR Diamond had five grabs for 119 yards and Marcus Franklin caught seven passes for 86 yards.

McMurry defensive backs Gavan Bass and Jared Villanueva each had ten tackles apiece and both players had five solo. 

HPU's Hubbard finished with 253 yards passing on 25 of 41 attempts. He found Tre Mason in the first quarter for HPU's only touchdown from nine-yards out.

Howard Payne drops to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in league play, while McMurry improves to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the American Southwest Conference.

Howard Payne travels to Abilene next Saturday to take on Hardin-Simmons University at 2:00 pm.
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