Sept. 15, 2007

Final Stats

McMINNVILLE, Oregon - Hardin-Simmons' football team dropped its second straight game to open the season, falling 52-42 to No.15-ranked Linfield in nonconference action Saturday afternoon at Maxwell Field in McMinnville, Oregon.

The two teams combined for 1,191 yards of total offense in an offensive display for the ages. HSU took the lead on the opening drive when they went 71 yards in six plays. Justin Feaster, making his first start as a Cowboy, hit Mychal Carrillo on a 44-yard pass touchdown pass.

It remained 7-0, through the first quarter and Linfield then scored 26 straight points to take a 26-7 lead. HSU responded with a touchdown drive prior to halftime, going 72-yards in nine plays. Josh Sepeda capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and Mason Ellis made it 26-14 with :43 to go in the second quarter.

Out of the halftime locker room the Cowboys forced a fumble and Quinton Jones took the first play 60 yards, giving a stop and go fake at about the 20-yard line to elude a defender and going the rest of the way for a touchdown.

Linfield was driving again, when the Cowboys forced a fumble with a hit over the middle and the Cowboys took the ball and the momentum and went 88 yards in 10 plays. Feaster hit Carrillo on a 19-yard pass in the end zone, Ellis' PAT gave the Cowboys a 27-26 lead.

Linfield responded with a 30 yard touchdown pass to Josh Vierra from Trevor Scharer. The Wildcats missed a 2-point conversion and it was 32-27 with 4:36 to play in the third quarter.

HSU came right back with a five-play 60-yard drive. Jones scored on a 27-yard run up the middle and Feaster found Travis Watson on a 2-point conversion to make it 35-32. Linfield scored again at the end of the third quarter when Jordan Boustead scored on a 36-yard pass from Scharer as the third quarter expired to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

HSU scored on a Jones two-yard run in the final two minutes. The run capped a 143-yard, three touchdown day. It was the eighth 100-yard game of his career.

Feaster completed 27-of-44 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first 300-yard passing game for a Cowboy quarterback since Jordan Neal in the 2004 playoffs against Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Scharer hit 32-of-45 passes for 511 yards and six touchdowns. Linfield rolled up 629 yards. making it two straight games the Cowboys have allowed over 600 yards. The 511 yards set the school record for an opposing quarterback, surpassing Roy Hampton's 503 yards in the 2000 NCAA quarterfinals.

HSU, who has lost three straight games for the first time since the end of the 1997 season and start of 1998 year, will host Louisiana College in the conference opener next Saturday at 2p.m.