BROWNWOOD, Texas - In a game that took nearly five-and-one-half hours to complete due to a lightning delay, did not have a traditional halftime due to the aforementioned weather issue and spanned two calendar days, it seemed somehow appropriate that the McMurry University football team took Howard Payne University to double overtime before losing by a 37-31 score at Gordon Wood Stadium. The setback dropped the War Hawks to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the American Southwest Conference, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 1-1 and 1-0 in league.
It was the second time in the series history – led by HPU, 46-29-2 – that these teams have gone to double overtime (the other was a 26-23 McM win in 1997). The Jackets win also snapped a five-game losing streak to the War Hawks in the series.
A 43-yard return of the opening kickoff by HPU put the hosts in McMurry territory early. But the Yellow Jackets netted just seven yards on four plays – thanks to a par of stops each from linebackers
Josh Smith and
Dakota Russell-David – and gave the ball over to McM on downs.
A one-yard loss brought up a second-and-11 from its own 39 for the War Hawks. Junior quarterback
Xavier Alexander found junior wide receiver
Spencer Knox streaking up the far sideline for a 61-yard touchdown aerial.
Tanner Wright's extra point kick made it 7-0 with 12:34 left in the opening period.
That advantage proved to be short-lived. Just over a minute later, HPU knotted the game on a five-play, 75-yard series. An eight-yard run by quarterback Gage McClanahan capped the set at the 11:28 mark.
Midway through the second quarter, Wright nailed his first field goal of 2018. The 48-yarder – which split the uprights with room to spare – put the visiting McM squad on top, 10-7, with 5:28 left until halftime. But just three plays later, HPU utilized a 58-yard pass to take its first lead of the night with 4:25 left until the intermission.
Immediately after the PAT kick was good – putting the Jackets ahead 14-10 – lightning put a halt to action for better than two-and-one-half hours, with the play finally resuming around 10:30 p.m. When matters got underway again with the kickoff, McM was unable to move the ball and had to punt. Three plays later, the Yellow Jackets punched it into the end zone to lead, 21-10, heading into the abbreviated "halftime."
Midway through the third quarter, McMurry cut into the deficit after Alexander and Knox worked their magic again. This time, the 46-yard pass-and-run and extra point got the War Hawks to within a single score, 21-17, with 5:27 left in the stanza. The Jackets added a field goal of their own with 11:36 left in regulation to lead by seven, 24-17.
On the ensuing possession, Alexander and Knox added some lightning of their own to the evening. Alexander found Knox in perfect stride and the junior sprinted 80 yards for the score to knot the contest at 24-24, as it stood through the balance of regulation.
Heading into the first overtime segment, HPU had the ball first and tallied the touchdown and PAT. With
Kevin Hurley Jr. taking over at quarterback after Alexander was injured near the end of the fourth quarter, McM matched the Jackets. Hurley threaded the needle to
Trevion Harris that – with Wright's PAT kick – made it 31-31 and necessitated the second OT period.
McMurry went first this time, but was saw its drive stall. An errant snap on a field goal try on fourth down halted the War Hawks series. On its second play, HPU scored on a 22-yard TD pass to hand the War Hawks the tough loss.
Alexander finished the night completing 21 of 33 passes for 339 yards and the three touchdowns (all to Knox). Knox's only catches in the game were the three TDs, adding up to 187 receiving yards.
Defensively, Smith – a sophomore - shared game-high tackle honors with 13 total stops. Freshman Russell-David, a former Abilene Cooper High School product, rolled up 12 tackles and had an interception to his credit.
McMurry will look to get on track next Saturday at home, hosting Sul Ross State University at Wilford Moore Stadium.
