Game Week Notes 
KICKOFF
Sul Ross State and Howard Payne will gather for their 66th meeting on Saturday at Brownwood's Gordon Wood Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and be heard live on KVLF AM 1240 and at www.bigbendradio.com.
MEDIA INFORMATION
QUICK HITS AND RECAP
- Sul Ross State University (3-3, 2-3) was unable to overcome an early deficit and fell to No. 5/8 Hardin-Simmons by a 35-10 count Saturday night at Jackson Field.
- The Cowboys put up 21 unanswered points in the first quarter.
- Howard Payne (1-5, 1-4) dropped a 65-0 decision to No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton Saturday.
- The Yellow Jacket offense struggled to move the ball all game with 110 yards of total offense, 89 rushing and 21 passing.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor ended with 421 yards of offense, 267 passing.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS (from HPU sports info.)
- The Howard Payne offense would struggle to move the ball all game with 110 yards of total offense, 89 rushing and 21 passing in a 65-0 loss to UMHB.
- The Yellow Jacket defense played solid in the first few Mary Hardin-Baylor possessions.
- HPU's Hunter Batten had 46 yards on 11 carries.
- Caisson Montieth had 12 punts for 308 yards and Diondrae Williams had six kickoff returns for 92 yards.
- Tevin Dawson led HPU with six tackles, one for loss.
- Jake Wright had one sack along with four tackles. Elijah Washington picked off one pass for the Jackets.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series, 46-19
- The Lobos defeated the Yellow Jackets, 27-13, in the very first game of the series in 1958.
LAST MEETING (Nov. 5, 2016)
- In the final home game of the season the Sul Ross Lobos cruised by Howard Payne University, 42-8 at a cool and windy Jackson Field in 2016.
- For the game the Lobos outpaced the Jackets in total offensive yards by a 424-232 margin.
- James Davis completed 27 of 36 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Savedra grabbed seven catches for 105 yards and a score.
- Zack Roberson led the defense with eight tackles including a pair of sacks for a loss of 16 yards.
- Quinton Jackson and Jacob Castaneda posted interceptions for returns of 30 and 24 yards respectively.
SUL ROSS TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL NOTES (from HSU)
- The Hardin-Simmons Cowboys outpaced Sul Ross in total offensive yardage, 500-230 in a 35-10 victory over the Lobos Saturday.
- Hardin-Simmons posted 371 yards on the ground while the Lobos mustered 127.
- Individually, Davis completed 11 of 23 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
- Jordan Batson netted 57 yards off of seven carries.
- Jones led Lobo receivers with three receptions for 72 yards and a score.
- Defensively, Mike Quinonez recorded a team-high 13 tackles including 11 solo.
- Sarkeithian Thomas secured 12 stops with 10 solos.
- Thomas posted a sack for a loss of nine yards while Zack Roberson (Houston/Cypress Ranch) notched a pair of sacs for losses of 11.
- Sir Daniel Turner also recorded a sack for a loss of five yards.
AROUND THE ASC (Oct. 21, 2017)
Hardin-Simmons at Texas Lutheran, 1 PM-Seguin*
Belhaven at No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 1 PM-Belton*
Louisiana College at East Texas Baptist, 2 PM-Marshall*
Sul Ross St. at Howard Payne, 4 PM-Brownwood*
*ASC game
CONFERENCE RECAP
Texas Lutheran– 41, ETBU-34
MARSHALL- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs rallied from deficits of 14 in the first quarter and 13 in the third quarter, using another dominant performance from the running game and timely defensive plays, to secure a 41-34 road victory Saturday over East Texas Baptist.
No.1 Mary Hardin-Baylor-65, Howard Payne-0
BELTON- The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team took some time to get rolling before turning it on in the middle two quarters as the top-ranked Cru cruised to a 65-0 win over Howard Payne University Saturday in Belton.
Louisiana College-42, McMurry-34
PINEVILLE, La– The Wildcats soared to a 42-14 halftime lead and coasted to a 42-34 American Southwest Conference victory over McMurry University in Louisiana College's homecoming.
Southwestern– 60, Belhaven-31
JACKSON, Ms.– Southwestern and Belhaven tied and swapped leads throughout the first half but the Pirates took a 21-14 lead to the break an pounced with a second half attack for a 60-31 victory over Belhaven Saturday.
QUOTES FROM COACH JOHN PEARCE
THOUGHTS ON TRYING OVERCOME A DEEP, EARLY DEFICIT: We fell very far behind way too early. You have to be on point when you play a team like Hardin-Simmons. They are similar to Mary Hardin-Baylor in that they will capitalize on any mistake you make. If there is any miscommunication or your team is not on the same page, they'll make you pay for it.
ON MISSED OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PASSING GAME: We had some chances to make really big plays which might have put an additional 14 points on the board for us. Our receivers did an outstanding job of providing looks and getting open but we just didn't see them.
ON KEEPING AND MAINTAINING TEAM GOALS: Our guys do a great job of bouncing back. Two losses in a row are disappointing but we held a conditioning practice on Sunday and I really liked the spirit of the players. We just need to remain focused but also look for ways to make our guys better football players. As I've said before, our goal each week is to finish at 1-0. We're a good football team and we are improving in a lot of areas but we also need to improve in a lot of areas.
ON THIRD QUARTER ADJUSTMENTS: We changed some things defensively at halftime. We were able to slow their running game down until the fourth quarter. We moved the ball much better in the second half. Wesley [Moss] had a big punt return for us but we just were not able to build opportunities to score like we needed to.
THOUGHTS ON HSU'S RUNNING GAME: They have a very good offensive line with a lot of depth and maturity. What helps them a lot is they have an eight-game JV schedule so some of those younger players are getting some experience which primes them to play at the varsity level. They're just very well coached and structured and they have some very talented backs who have a good eye for spotting holes and making some really big gains. I was more disappointed in the number of yards we gave up on the run. As a defensive line coach, a former defensive lineman and a head coach, I need to find ways for us to stop the run and we were not able to get that done on Saturday.
ON RECOVERING FROM A TWO-GAME SKID: Again, we tell the guys are weekly goal is to go 1-0. We learn from our errors in the previous game but we can't get caught up in the bitterness of a loss. It hurts for a while and it should. But we have to move ahead and focus on the next opponent and continue to grow as individuals and as a team.
ON SCOUTING HOWARD PAYNE: They are a young but an improved program. They're under a new head coach this year but they do a lot of things well. They have a strong and active defensive front so our offensive line is going to have to step up and provide James [Davis] the protection he needs especially in the passing game. They have a tall quarterback who throws the ball really well. So it's going to be a challenge and we have to be prepared. I've told our team from day one that we play in the SEC of Division III football and every opponent is dangerous. Every program is playing with Texas high school football players who are arguably the best in the nation.
INJURY REPORT: No sit outs this week. We're mending some bumps and bruises. Health-wise we've been dealing with some strep throat but we're on the downhill side of that. Also, for some of our freshman, it's like hitting a brick wall at this point of the season. In high school you have a rest day on Sunday but it's different at the college level. They have a shorter time to heal and they have to grow up quick. It's imperative that we, as coaches, keep them on as consistent routine as possible in terms of getting treatment and whatever rehab they need.
