Box Score
ABILENE, Texas - In a game that was to feature two high-powered quarterbacks it was the Hardin-Simmons defense that stole the show Saturday afternoon as the Cowboys took its 23rd consecutive victory over cross-town rival McMurry by a score of 34-13 at Shelton Stadium.
HSU held McMurry to negative 13 yards rushing and 221 yards of total offense, its lowest output of the season and scored a defensive touchdown and blocked a field goal. On the other side, HSU put up 476 yards of offense and dominated the clock holding possession for 35:47.
Jake Mullin, the highly touted junior quarterback for McMurry led the team to a 10-play 80 yard drive capped by his own 9-yard touchdown run to help McMurry lead 7-0. However, he was held to his lowest passing-yardage total of the season at 180 yards, and was likely lost for the season when he went down with a separated shoulder in the third quarter.
Mullin's 38-yard touchdown pass to
R.J. Long brought the score to 21-13 in favor of Hardin-Simmons. The Cowboys rattled off three-straight touchdown following Mullin's first quarter score including a 32-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown pass and two touchdown tosses from Cowboy quarterback Justin Feaster.
However, HSU held McMurry at13 points, Feaster added his third touchdown pass with 6:08 left in the third before Mullin went down for the remainder of the game.
Stephen Warren filled in for Mullin but threw two interceptions to accompany McMurry's five-turnover effort Saturday.
Feaster threw three interceptions as well, but still passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns including a 76-yard connection to ZaVious Robbins and a 54-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Labian. The Cowboys' final touchdown came with 1:35 to go adding insult to injury when Derrick Grant scored on a 16-yard run.
McMurry dropped to 5-3 overall on the season and moved to 3-3 in league play. The No. 7-ranked Cowboys moved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in ASC competition.
McMurry plays host to Louisiana College Saturday before heading to Clinton, Miss. to play Mississippi College for the season finale Nov. 13. McMurry will need a win in its last two games to ensure its first winning season since 2000, and it will likely have to come without Mullin.
If Mullin's season is in fact over, the junior finished with school records in both passing yards with 2,859 and touchdown passes with 35. He also finished with just two interceptions on the season. His 35 touchdown passes propels him by Braxton Shaver's previous school record of 34 set in 1998 and ties Mullin for the single-season ASC record with HSU's Brad Boyd who also had 35 in 1999.
