BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin Baylor football team came back from a two-score deficit to put up 59 unanswered points on Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon in Belton. UMHB improved to 9-0 on the season and 8-0 in American Southwest Conference action while the Yellow Jackets fell to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in league play.
 
Howard Payne scored on the first offensive play with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Landon McKinney to Jake Parker. The Yellow Jackets forced punt on UMHB's first offensive drive then capitalized on their second drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-0 lead.
 
UMHB took over from there, scoring 35 points in the first half. Brandon Jordan caught a 26-yard pass from Ryan Redding before Aphonso Thomas evened the contest at 14 with a four-yard punch. Kenneth Cormier Jr. closed the first quarter with a three-yard touchdown run, putting UMHB up 21-14. UMHB added two more scores on a Ryan Redding 26-yard run and Brandon Jordan 30-yard pass for a 35-14 halftime lead.
 
The Cru defense held in the second half and did not allow the Yellow Jackets another score. Aphonso Thomas, Kenneth Cormier Jr. and Ryan Redding all ran in for touchdowns while Brandon Cunningham knocked in a 33-yard field goal to seal the 59-14 UMHB win.
 
UMHB totaled 616 yards of offense in the contest. Ryan Redding threw 21-for-28 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Redding also led UMHB's rushing game with 98 yards and two scores, followed by Thomas with 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns. K.J. Miller's 12 receptions set a new UMHB record for catches in a single game. Miller totaled 165 yards receiving with a 39-yard long.
 
Jacob Mueller led UMHB's defense with eight tackles, followed by Keith Gipson with six tackles. Gipson and Akeem Jackson both recorded interceptions in the contest while UMHB's defense combined for three sacks. UMHB limited the Yellow Jackets to just 15 first downs in the contest, totaling only 333 yards of offense. The Crusader defense allowed the Yellow Jackets a red zone appearance just once, limiting their third-down conversion rate to just 4-of-16.
 
UMHB closes out the regular season with a 1 p.m. contest at McMurry University in Abilene on Saturday, November 13^th. The win clinched the Cru the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs and a share of the 2021 American Southwest Conference title.