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ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' football team
has done all it can do and now they sit a week and wait to see if
their 9-1 record was enough to put them into the NCAA Playoffs.
The Cowboys started off slow but rebounded for a 45-20 win over
crosstown rival McMurry to retain the Wilford Moore Trophy for the
11th straight year. HSU has now won 21 straight over
McMurry.
The Cowboys came out uncharacteristically sluggish in the first
quarter. Anthony McKnight picked off a Blaine Moore pass on the
third play of the game to give the Cowboys the ball, but HSU
returned the favor with a Steven Rockwell fumble.
McMurry failed to convert on fourth down and HSU took over at
its own 31, but on the first play of the series Derrick Grant
fumbled and McMurry's Chris Kelly ran it back 27 yards for a
touchdown.
HSU drove it to the McMurry 4-yard line on the next possession,
but settled for a Matt Fields 21-yard field goal. After a stop on
defense the Cowboys drove the field again, but had to settle for
another field goal attempt that Fields missed from 32 yards.
The defense forced another three-and-out and HSU drove 62 yards
in 10 plays for a Grant 1-yard touchdown run. Another three-and-out
by McMurry resulted in the Cowboys driving for another touchdown to
make it 17-7 when Justin Feaster found Mychal Carrillo on a 9-yard
touchdown pass.
The teams then traded turnovers on consecutive plays for the
second time in the game. McMurry then went 51 yards in five plays
and Keenan Alford capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. HSU
came right back and went 63 yards in five plays with Feaster
finding ZaVious Robbins on a 24-yard post route for a score to make
it 24-14 at halftime.
Feaster was intercepted to lead off the third quarter and then
the Cowboys forced two straight two-and-outs and converted them
both to touchdowns. Feaster found Carrillo between two defenders on
a 23-yard touchdown and Josh Stephens scored from 1-yard out to
make it 38-14.
Evan Hearn scored a touchdown with :14 to play in the third
quarter for McMurry and the Cowboys capped their scoring with a
Feaster quarterback sneak with 11:17 to play.
Carrillo caught 10 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He
now has 1,002 yards for the season. Feaster became the Cowboys
all-time leader in 300-yard games with nine as he went 26-for-38
for 305 yards and three TDs and two interceptions.
HSU turned the ball over four times, but still managed 516 yards
of offense. The defense held McMurry to 322 yards in the game. Matt
Warnasch had eight tackles to give him 100 for the season and
Michael Tracy had 10 tackles to lead the defense.
HSU is 9-1 overall and 7-1 in ASC play. McMurry fell to 0-9
overall and 0-7 in ASC play. HSU hopes to receive one of six Pool C
bids to the NCAA Playoffs.
--- HSU ---
