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BROWNWOOD- James Davis (Houston/South Houston) threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns as Sul Ross wrapped up the 2015 season with a 35-23 victory over Howard Payne Saturday in Brownwood.

Davis connected on 11 of 19 attempts for the afternoon while Byron Jones (League City/Clear Springs) grabbed four of those passes for 117 yards and a score.

On the ground Williton Grear (Austin/Del Valle) posted a team best 21 carries netting 113 yards and a score.

Both teams combined for 896 yards of total offense as Sully pounded out 446 of those yards.

The Lobos outran their Howard Payne counterparts 211-165 in yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets won the passing battle outpacing the Lobos 285-235.

Defensively Fernie Gonzalez (El Paso/Canutillo) totaled a team high 12 tackles while Mike Quinonez (El Paso/El Dorado) and Zack Roberson (Houston/Cypress Ridge) recorded 10 stops in the victory. Roberson had a sack for a loss of ten and an interception which was returned for four yards. Jermaine Stevens (Houston/South Houston) saddled four breakups against HPU.

"It was just a great effort all around," said coach John Pearce. "We showed up today and played with a lot of energy. I was a little nervous and not sure how our guys would respond after last week at Belhaven but they put that behind them and just found ways to win."

Pearce noted the quick turnaround of Davis from last week's performance against the Blazers.

"He looked a lot more composed today," the coach said. "He had one interception but his recovery was what helped push us through the game. That's part of what makes a good leader is the ability to rebound after errors, gather themselves and carry their teammates through the rest of the game."

Pearce said the defensive unit continues to be a bright spot heading into 2016.

"I think the ETBU game was a wakeup call for the defense," he said. "Although they didn't get the win last week, they still stayed mentally strong and that effort carried over to today. I'm really looking forward to what our guys will be able to accomplish next season."

The Lobos dominated the first half putting up 21 unanswered points.

Following a dormant first quarter of play, Sul Ross turned up the heat just seven seconds in the second period as Davis connected with Jeremy Reed (Grandview, MO/GHS) on a 23-yard touchdown pass following nine plays and 80 yards. Eddie Oakley (Uvalde/UHS), who was perfect on PAT kicks for the afternoon, nailed the first of his five extra point tries giving Sully a 7-0 advantage.

Davis then scored at the 1:21 mark on a 14 yard rush capping  five plays and 76 yards. Oakley's kick was good as the Lobos posted a 14-0 lead.

Davis then found Jones on a 24-yard scoring strike. Oakley converted the PAT with 21 seconds to spare before the break and Sully up 21-0.

The Yellow Jackets lit the board at the 10:37 mark in the third quarter as Ja'Von Dickson reached pay dirt on a nine-yard run. Eric Martinez booted the extra point kick as HPU narrowed its deficit trailing the visiting Lobos, 21-7.

Sul Ross spread the gap at 6:15 as Davis found Steven Savedra (El Paso/Del Valle) from 11 yards out topping a nine-play, 66-yard drive. Oakley's kick cleared the uprights as the Lobos sat with a 28-7 favor.

HPU's Richard Young then went deep as the Jacket quarterback hit Blayne Parisher for a 67-yard touchdown pass. Martinez's PAT was good as Howard Payne crept closer and cut the SRSU lead in half down 28-14 with 11:46 left in the closing quarter.

The Lobos scored for the final time of the afternoon as Grear entered the HPU end zone on a 10-yard run. Oakley finished the day with his fifth converted PAT kick and gave Sul Ross a commanding 35-14 lead with 8:44 remaining in regulation.

HPU caught the Lobos in their own end zone for a safety at 2:28 then recovered a fumble also in the Sul Ross end zone  at 1:11. Martinez's extra point kick sailed through but it was too little, too late as Sul Ross ran out the clock to claim the 35-23 victory.

Sul Ross finishes the season at 3-7 and 1-4 in conference play while the Yellow Jackets end up at 1-9 and 1-4.

The Lobos have won two out of their last three outings against Howard Payne.