BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Howard Payne University football team continued its strong start to the season Saturday night, rolling past Clutch City Prep 59-15 at Gordon Wood Stadium on September 12.

The Yellow Jackets rode a balanced offensive attack that produced 566 total yards, including 273 rushing and 293 passing.

Howard Payne opened the scoring with a first-quarter safety and controlled the game from there. Chance Hehman scored on a 9-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter before Glendon Casas-Willis connected with Blessing Ngene for a 45-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 17-0.

Clutch City Prep got on the board with a fumble return touchdown, but the Yellow Jackets answered quickly. Bryce Still found Hehman for a 32-yard touchdown reception, helping Howard Payne carry a 24-9 lead into halftime.

The Yellow Jackets put the game away in the third quarter. Ngene scored on a 7-yard run, Davyon Mapps added a 3-yard touchdown rush and Hehman hauled in his second touchdown catch of the night on a 28-yard strike from Still. Howard Payne outscored Clutch City Prep 21-0 in the quarter to build a 45-9 advantage.

Howard Payne added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Michael Phillips threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Aiden Manous before adding a 14-yard touchdown run of his own to cap the night's scoring.

Hehman led the offensive effort with three total touchdowns and 165 all-purpose yards. Ngene added 104 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Phillips rushed for 68 yards, while Mapps contributed 46 all-purpose yards and a score.

Defensively, the Yellow Jackets forced three turnovers, spearheaded by two interceptions from Ryan Campbell and Kevin Jacobs, along with fumble forced and recovered by Jordan Dorsey. Howard Payne limited Clutch City Prep to 286 yards of total offense.

Up Next: HPU football hits the road next Saturday, traveling to Plainview, Texas, to face Wayland Baptist on September 19 at 6:00 p.m. Central Time.