ALPINE, Texas- East Texas Baptist put up 658 yards of total offense on their way to a to a 61-21 conference victory over Sul Ross spoiling the Lobos' homecoming Saturday.
The Tigers did the lion's share of the damage through the air with 445 passing yards.
"They ran a very good up tempo offense against us and we just couldn't respond," said coach John Pearce. "We didn't tackle well either which makes it even more difficult to stop guys like (Kendall) Roberson."
As a team ETBU finished 27 of 40 in passing attempts and Pearce said the defense was not able to click.
"We ran man. We tried zone," Pearce said. "They just seemed to have an answer to everything we tried to throw at them. Everything about their offense is fast paced and they don't give opposing teams a lot of time to respond."
East Texas Baptist was perfect inside the Lobos' red zone at seven for seven while Sully finished at two for five.
"Like I said earlier, we have to tighten up our play inside the red zone," Pearce said. "We have to finish drives and not waste opportunities down close to the goal line."
Sul Ross finished the day with 375 yards of total offense and netted 268 yards on the ground outpacing ETBU by 55 yards off the rush.
Hasan Lipscomb (Houston/Cypress Ridge) ran for 176 yards off of 12 carries and a touchdown while Williton Grear (Austin/Del Valle) rushed 18 times for 102 yards and a score.
Jordan Reyes (El Paso/Hanks) completed seven of 18 passes for 70 yards but was picked off twice. Paul Rodriguez (Weslaco/WHS) threw for 37 yards including a scoring strike to Calvon Henderson (Cameron/Yoe).
ETBU's Kendall Roberson scored three times including the opening touchdown on a six-yard run just 51 seconds into the game. The extra point kick by Ryan Travis was good giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead with 14:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers put up the second of their three touchdowns in the opening period as Roberson scored again, this time from three yards out capping a 10-play, 81-yard scoring drive. The PAT kick by Travis was good as ETBU posted a 14-0 lead at 7:37.
Sul Ross pounced on a three-yard scoring run by Grear at 4:51. Eddie Oakley (Uvalde/UHS) converted the extra point kick with Sully trailing 14-7.
A five yard run at 2:48 by the Tigers' Jourdan McNeill finished off a five-play, 57-yard march. The kick by Travis cleared the uprights as ETBU sported a 21-7 lead to end the first quarter.
East Texas Baptist would go on a 26-point barrage through the second period and led 47-7 at the half.
Lipscomb scored early in the third quarter on a 57-yard haul after three plays and 65 yards. The Lobos completed a two-point pass to Byron Jones (League City/Clear Springs) as Sully narrowed the deficit down 47-15 with 13:28 remaining in the third.
McNeil scored at the midway point of the period on a three-yard hopper finishing a 15-play, 85-yard drive. Travis booted the extra point kick giving the Tigers a commanding 54-15 lead at the 7:57 mark, third quarter.
Quarterback Josh Warbington then completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Cam Peters to begin the final quarter. The PAT by Travis was good as ETBU put up a 61-15 advantage over the home team Lobos with 14:31 left in the contest.
Sul Ross answered on the ensuing possession as Rodriguez found Calvon Henderson from 10 yards out. The two-point PAT failed followed by a scoreless remainder of the ball game as the Tigers went on for the 61-21 victory.
"The loss hurts and we'll have to refocus before the trip to Jackson," Pearce said. "The bright side is our fan support. We're very pleased with how the Alpine community has come out and supported us this season. The atmosphere at our home games this year has just been electric," he said.
The Lobos fall to 2-6 and 0-4 on the season while ETBU moves to 6-2 and 3-0.
Sul Ross will make their longest trip of the season as the Lobos trek east to face Belhaven next week in Jackson, Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
