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Abilene, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team used a smothering defensive effort and a punishing ground game to post a 23-7 victory over Hardin-Simmons University Saturday afternoon in Abilene. The Cru improves to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in American Southwest Conference. The third-ranked Cru also stretches its ASC winning streak to 32 games in a row. The loss drops Hardin-Simmons to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the ASC. The Cowboys have now lost four straight games for the first time under head coach Jimmie Keeling.
The Cru took the game's opening kickoff and drove 64 yards in 15 plays before Alan Munoz hit a 23-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Cru. After forcing a punt on Hardin-Simmons opening possession, UMHB marched 84 yards in 12 plays before Kyle Noack hit Pi'Dadro Davis with a 10-yard TD pass to make it 10-0 UMHB with 11:43 remaining in the first half. The Cru defense would force a turnover and downs, sandwiched around a UMHB interception before the Cru went 43 yards in seven plays. Munoz hit a 51-yard field goal to give UMHB a 13-0 lead at halftime.
UMHB would stretch the lead to 20-0 when Quincy Daniels broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run on the Cru's opening possession of the second half. Hardin-Simmons would cut it to 20-7 when Taylor Byrd hit Justice Baker with a 28-yard touchdown pass with 6:36 left in the third quarter. UMHB would add a 22-yard field goal with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter and neither team would score again. Ryan Metcalf iced the game for the Cru with a goal-line interception with 1:06 left to play and UMHB ran out the clock from there.
Cru reserve quarterback LiDarral Bailey had a huge game for UMHB, rushing for 151 yards on 15 carries and going 6-9 passing for 61 more. Quincy Daniels added 145 yards and a TD on 23 carries and Kyle Noack was 5-6 passing for 64 yards and a score. Davis caught five passes for 50 yards for the Cru and Javicz Jones had a game-high 13 tackles for UMHB. Byrd was 7-20 passing for HSU for 130 yards and a touchdown and Daniel Lofton caught three passes for 40 yards. Derrick Grant ran for 39 yards on 13 carries for the Cowboys and Steven Rockwell added 34 yards on 13 attempts.
The Cru rolled up 327 rushing yards and finished with 452 yards of total offense. Hardin-Simmons managed just 105 rushing yards and finished with 235 yards of total offense. UMHB turned the ball over three times and was penalized seven times for 59 yards.
The Cru will now return home to host Louisiana College next Saturday. That game will kick off at 1:00 PM at Tiger Field.
