BELTON, Texas -- Two kickoff returns for touchdowns and a blocked punt to set up a score carried No. 2/No. 3-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders to a 48-20 home win Saturday over No. 24 Texas Lutheran.
Jordan Millar took the opening kickoff of the second half 69 yards for a touchdown to push the UMHB lead to 28-7, and Bryce Wilkerson scampered 86 yards for a kickoff return score in the fourth to put the Cru up 21, 41-20, with 10:52 to play.
The blocked punt early in the second quarter led to a short TD drive of 30 yards, capped by Malcolm Miller's 1-yard score. Miller completed a 10-play drive that gave UMHB a 14-0 lead.
TLU trailed 20-7 at the half after senior quarterback
Trenton White gave TLU some life late in the second quarter. White scrambled 24 yards for a touchdown with 54 seconds to play in the first half.
After Millar took the second-half opening kickoff back, TLU made it a two-score game again when White found
Jekovan Holmes, the freshman from San Antonio, for a 48-yard TD strike. Holmes, third in NCAA DIII in total receiving TDs entering the contest, secured his 12th receiving TD of 2015. Holmes is one shy of tying Cameron Peavy's single-season TD receiving record of 13.
TLU scored again late in the third with a
Chadd Brown 31-yard field goal, but UMHB answered immediately with a 56-yard TD pitch-and-catch from
Zach Anderson to Marcus Wimby. That TD extended the UMHB lead to 35-17.
Another Brown FG (28 yards), following a 12-play drive that covered 61 yards, led to the kickoff that UMHB took the distance on the 86-yarder from Wilkerson.
Miller closed out the game's scoring with his third TD of the afternoon at the 7:46 mark of the fourth quarter. Miller scored on a 28-yard run. He opened the contest's scoring with an 11-yard run in the first quarter.
TLU led in first downs (20 to 10), in total offense yards (333 to 230), and in time of possession (38:05 to 21:55), but UMHB took full advantage of its kickoff returns, the blocked punt, and Matt Cody's interception of White in the second quarter. Cody intercepted the pass at the TLU 29 and returned it to the TLU 1. Two plays later, UMHB was in the endzone with Blake Jackson.
The TLU Defense dealt with short fields against The Cru for most of the day and held UMHB to 3-for-12 on third down and to 4-of-11 in total pass attempts.
Bulldog junior linebacker
Darian Candler recorded eight total tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. His tackles for loss resulted in losses of 14 yards.
Jake Bahr and
Brandon Stephens each recorded six tackles, and
Dominick Stives had five total tackles with a tackle for loss.
White finished the day 19-for-35 with an interception and a touchdown. He was sacked four times. He rushed 17 times for 37 yards and had the one score.
Marquis Barrolle was held to 34 yards on 19 rushes, with a long carry of 11.
TLU averaged just 2.2 yards per carry.
The Bulldogs open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday with a 1 p.m. road game against Trinity University.
