NOTES 
Sul Ross and Belhaven University football teams will meet up for the just the fourth time in both schools' football history Saturday night at Jackson Field. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. KVLF AM 1240 will provide Saturday's broadcast with live video on the Sul Ross Sports Network.
Media Information
Quick Hits and Recap
- Texas Lutheran University scored 42 points in the first half and added 21 points for insurance in the second and coasted to a 63-20 ASC victory over visiting Sul Ross in the Lobos' final road game of the season Saturday afternoon.
- The Bulldogs put up a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter before De'Andre Bergen scored on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Fabian Baeza. Julio Azua added the extra point kick as Sully's deficit was cut 14-7 with 7:16 left in the opening period.
- Texas Lutheran then went on a 21-0 scoring drive before Byron Joneshauled in a 65-yard toss from Baeza near the 12 minute mark in the second quarter. Azua's extra point kick was blocked with Sul Ross trailing 35-13 with 12:11 remaining before the half.
- The Bulldogs scored one final time in the second quarter as Austin Mathews converted a 10-yard touchdown run. The extra point kick put the home team ahead, 42-13, with 1:34 left until intermission.
- Mathews struck again in the third quarter on a five-yard scamper covering 11 plays and 53 yards. The extra point by Juan Ocampo gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 49-13 lead with 8:44 left in the third quarter.
- Sully's Williton Grear then scored on a nine-yard run capping a seven-play, 68-yard drive. Azua converted the extra point with the Lobos trailing 49-20 at the 5:39 mark of the third period.
- Texas Lutheran finished off the visitors with a 14-0 attack and sealed the 63-20 win.
Scouting the Blazers (BU Sports Info.)
- The Belhaven University football team suffered a 61-13 loss to the #8 Hardin-Simmons Cowboys Saturday afternoon on Homecoming and Senior Day.
- With the loss, the Blazers slipped to 1-8 overall and 1-7 in ASC play.
- Hunter McEachern completed 9-19 passes for 94 yards through the air and one touchdown of 2-yards to Brad Foley.
- McEachern's leading receiver for the contest was LaMarcus Caradine who had two catches for 33 yards.
- Brad Foley led the rushing attack with 18 rushing attempts for 49 yards. Additionally, he had two catches for six yards and one receiving touchdown.
- On the defensive side of the ball, Denarrius Noel led the way with 11 total tackles, 10 solo, and two assisted. He also had 0.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Justin Percy added six tackles including a forced fumble, while Garrett Osborne had an interception in the game. Belhaven had 3.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss as a team.
Series History
- The Lobos lead the all-time series with Belhaven, 2-1.
- The two teams met for the first time in 2015 when Sully dropped a 12-6 decision to the Blazers.
Last Meeting (Nov. 11, 2017)
- James Davis wrapped up his Sul Ross career with two touchdown runs and threw for two more as the Lobos claimed a 34-27 victory over host Belhaven University in the 2017 season closer.
- For the game, Sul Ross posted 530 yards of total offense including a season-high 294 on the ground.
- Hal Mumme's air raid offense gathered 401 yards through the air as the Blazers finished with 426 yards of total offense.
- Davis completed 13 of 20 passes for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Batson netted 84 yards off of 14 carries while Wilson tallied 76 yards and a touchdown.
- Davis scored twice on the rush with 71 yards and 16 carries. Steven Savedra bagged three receptions for 151 yards and a score.
- Byron Jones totaled 49 yards off of six catches and a touchdown.
- Sarkeithian Thomas led the defense with eight tackles (6 solo, 2 assists). Mike Quinonez, Derrick Winter and Jermaine Stevens, Jr. collected a breakup each in the effort.
Around the ASC (Nov. 10, 2018)
Howard Payne @ La. College- 12:00 PM
McM @ Hardin-Simmons- 1:00 PM
TLU @ SU- 1:00 PM
UMHB @ ETBU- 2:00 PM
Belhaven @ Sul Ross St.- 6:00 PM
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. UMHB / 9-0, 8-0 ASC
2. HSU / 8-1, 7-1 ASC
3. TLU / 7-2, 6-2 ASC
4. ETBU / 6-3, 6-2 ASC
5. SWU / 5-4, 4-4 ASC
6. La. College / 4-5, 4-4 ASC
7. McM / 2-7, 2-6 ASC
8. Belhaven / 1-8, 1-7 ASC
9. HPU / 1-8, 1-7 ASC
10. Sul Ross St. / 1-8, 1-7 ASC
CONFERENCE REWIND
No. 2 UMHB– 80, La. College-7
BELTON, TX– The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team started slowly but turned it on over the final three quarters as the Cru rolled to an 80-7 victory over Louisiana College Saturday in Belton. UMHB clinches at least a share of the American Southwest Conference Championship with the win and also locks up the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships.
No. 8 Hardin-Simmon-61, Belhaven-13
JACKSON, MS- Hardin-Simmons' eighth-ranked football team moved to 8-1 with a 61-13 win over Belhaven in American Southwest Conference action, Saturday afternoon at the Belhaven Bowl in Jackson, Miss.
Texas Lutheran-63, Sul Ross St.-20
SEGUIN, TX- Texas Lutheran's Austin Mathews rushed for a school-record five touchdowns and added 225 rushing yards as the Bulldogs won their seventh game of 2018 with a 63-20 Senior Day victory over the Sul Ross State Lobos.
ETBU-62, McMurry-7
ABILENE, TX- Guaranteeing a fourth straight winning season, East Texas Baptist University earned their sixth win, 62-7, routing McMurry University in American Southwest Conference play. ETBU's offense finished with 793 yards while the defense only allowed 98 yards rushing and one score.
Southwestern-54, Howard Payne-17
BROWNWOOD, TX- he Southwestern University Pirates football team hit Howard Payne with one big play after another, scoring 20 points in the first quarter and winning 54-17.
QUOTES FROM COACH JOHN PEARCE
OPENING COMMENTS
Another rough outing for our young players especially going in against a 7-2 team. Texas Lutheran didn't do anything fancy. I think our team just wasn't ready to play. They ran the ball on us and we couldn't really stop them on defense. Our offense had some success early then things just started to fizzle. We have a lot of our team that are not playing because they're injured. We're spread very thin right now and we're trying to hold it together for one more game.
ON IMPROVED OFFENSIVE OUTPUT SINCE ETBU AND TEAM EFFORT
Fabian [Baeza] is getting better. He has a long way to go but he had a better game this week than he did in Marshall. I would say he has come a long way since the beginning of the season and that's really all you can ask from these guys. But I told the team on Sunday that, yeah, we might be out-manned in certain spots but we need to see effort. I thought there were times that some of our players, including a few of our older players, did not exhibit that effort the way they should have. To me that was the disappointing aspect of this game. You hate to see guys shut it down. I know things are difficult right now but that's when players need to grow up and develop character. That usually only comes in the face of adversity. There are things that will carry over with these kids, for better or worse, after football. You have to play hard.
ON BATTLING THROUGH A DIFFICULT SEASON
The players that have stuck with the program, especially the younger players, are getting some valuable reps that will pay dividends down the road. But they have to keep working and striving to get better. My hope is that they can see that they are able to compete. It may not be for four quarters. I don't think we're at that conjuncture yet conditioning-wise. But we have proven that we can be competitive. We proved that at Hardin-Simmons albeit was a first half game for us. I don't believe we had that same drive against Texas Lutheran . We were able to squeeze out a win against Howard Payne. It was a game where two teams are struggling. They just were not able to capitalize on a big play like they needed to and we were able to step up towards the end and finish the game out.
ON WORKING THROUGH INJURIES
We lost a defensive lineman who a suffered a torn meniscus and a cornerback with a blown knee. We have a defensive end, who could potentially be the best end we've seen in a while, out with and banged up shoulder. Most of our injured personnel could be impact players but hopefully they'll use the offseason to rehab. Again, we're playing with guys who didn't even play on the JV squad but they're getting some quality reps against some very good teams.
ON THIS YEAR'S SENIORS PARTICIPATING IN THEIR LAST GAME
I told our seniors they'll always remember their last opponent. Whether it's middle school, high school or college, you may not remember the season or the outcome but you'll always remember your last game. I told them they need to lay it all on the table this Saturday.
THOUGHTS ON BELHAVEN
Despite their record, they're not a bad football team. They have a new coach that loves to run the ball which is polar opposite of Hal Mumme's Air Raid offense. That's a little worrisome because we haven't defended the run well in the past two games. Offensively they run a three-three stack which nobody else in the conference runs. It will be a challenge to our defense. Hopefully we can pick those guys up and have some success on offense.
