ABILENE, Texas – For the second-second consecutive game, the McMurry University defense contributed a pair of scores – with the offense rolling up 456 total yards – in the team's 63-6 thrashing of Texas College at Wilford Moore Stadium.  The non-conference win improved the War Hawks' record to 1-1, while the Steers fell to 0-3.
 
McM built up a 28-0 lead by the end of the first quarter in its home opener. The War Hawks expanded that to 42-0 by halftime and were riding the crest of a 56-0 advantage thru three quarters of play. Texas College scored its lone touchdown – the first in any of the four meetings between the teams in the series – in the fourth period, with McM head coach Lance Hinson allowing the bulk of his depth chart to see action by that time.
 
Already ahead 7-0 in the opening period after a 24-yard touchdown jaunt by Doyle Hughes, sophomore linebacker Patrick Morrison extended that advantage moments later.  Morrison snapped up a mishandled ball by TC at its own 22 and took it all the way back on the "pick-up 6" fumble recovery for a score.
 
It marked the second-consecutive week that Morrison scored a defensive touchdown – and briefly even made him the McM team's scoring leader for the year – after also returning an interception 89-yards for a TD last week.
 
Just for good measure, Morrison helped teammate J.R. Arroyo to a fumble recovery TD return of his own later in the same period. Morrison wrangled Steers' runningback Geangelo Burns and stripped him of the football, with Arroyo on the spot to pick up the loose ball on the Texas College 25-yard line and run it in for the score that put the War Hawks up 28-0 at the time.
 
One by-product of the decisive win was freshman placekicker Tanner Wright tying the McM school record for extra-point kicks made - and attempted - in a game.  Wright went 9-for-9 on PAT efforts against the Steers.  Wright's stuff matched the mark of Jessie Garcia, who was also 9-for-9 in 2019 versus Texas Lutheran.
 
Freshman quarterback B.J. Ross – who played just one half – took control of the McMurry offense in engineering the big first half.  Ross led his team in both rushing and passing, carrying eight times for 98 yards and a touchdown  He also completed 8-of-11 passes for 120 yards and a TD, as well, in his abbreviated stint of the comfortable win.
 
In all, McMurry racked up 279 rushing yards. Besides Ross, Hughes carried seven times for 53 yards, Wade Barthelemy Jr. had four runs for 37 yards, while Dontrell Dock came back from an injury that forced him to miss the opener and registered 33 yards on nine attempts. Kalieb Granger and Amonte Bowen added 32 and 22 yards, respectively.  Hughes, Dock and Bowen each had touchdown runs for the War Hawks.
 
The McM passing game was also efficient, as the McMurry signal callers went a combined 15-of-22 for 177 yards through the air. Xavier Alexander started the second half in relief of Ross and was a near-flawless 6-of-7 for 52 yards. Alexander had a pair of touchdown throws of 8 and 16 yards, both to junior wide receiver Emmanuel Mulumba (to account for all of his receptions for the afternoon.
 
Stone Harris led the War Hawks' receiving corps by making two catches for 60 yards. Among those was a 48-yard aerial from Ross in the second quarter. The catch-and-run with 5:21 left in the period gave McM its 42-0 halftime cushion.
 
Morrison led McMurry's tacklers with six stops on the afternoon, to go along with his fumble return and forced fumble. He had ½ sack and 1 ½ tackles for loss.
 
Dontel Johnson and Isaiah Santos each had a sack, as well. Arian Torres had a shared sack with Morrison. Kyle Peggram added a nine yard interception for McM.
 
McMurry will play at home again next Saturday (6 p.m.), hosting Langston University. It will be Military Appreciation Day at Wilford Moore Stadium, with free admission by showing military identification at the gate.