ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Football threw for 461 yards in a high-scoring battle against Howard Payne in Abilene, but fell short in Saturday's American Southwest Conference home opener at Wilford Moore Stadium, 42-36.

Although Howard Payne (2-0, 1-0 ASC) took the lead two plays into the game and stayed ahead the entire way, McMurry (0-1, 0-1 ASC) remained within one possession for most of the contest. Passing offense was a key contributor in that effort for both teams.
 

Summary

Sophomore quarterback Ritchie Luna engineered the McMurry offense and went 25-for-45 passing with 415 yards and three touchdowns – all career highs. The 415 yards are the most by an individual passer since Kevin Hurley Jr. did so in 2018.

Total yards were nearly even, as HPU finished with 560 in a balanced attack. McMurry ended up with 545 yards, most of which were through the air. Both teams moved the ball well with 55 combined first downs – 29 from HPU and 26 from McM.

Junior Jermond Lovely had a strong day at wide receiver, leading the corps with seven catches for 146 yards. Fellow junior Zachary Wood had two catches for 88 yards – both of which resulted in touchdowns.

Sophomores Kristopher Martin and Nicholas Kuykendall also added touchdown receptions, as Martin finished with four catches for 76 yards. Kuykendall had three catches for 54 yards – including a touchdown pass from junior Carlos Garibay as time expired.

On the ground, McMurry totaled 81 yards, led by junior running back Dee Robinson with 15 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown score.

For HPU, reigning ASC Co-Offensive Player of the Week Landon McKinney went 13-for-25 for 309 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Four different receivers caught a touchdown pass, led by senior All-American Jake Parker with five catches for 179 yards and a TD. Tauren Bradley proved to be a workhorse in the backfield, leading the rushing attack with 24 carries for 136 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Josh Smith had a game-high 10 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack late in the fourth quarter. He also forced a fumble near the end of the half with HPU threatening to score at the goal line.

Devin Nixon finished with nine tackles, a pair of QB hurries and 2.0 tackles for loss, while Xavier Nuells added nine and 1.0 TFL. Xavier Gayle also made an impact with seven tackles and recovered fumble before halftime.
 

First Quarter – HPU 14, McMurry 3

HPU scored on the second play from scrimmage, as McKinney hooked up with Parker on a 73 yard touchdown pass for the early 7-0 lead. McMurry drove down on its next possession and would pick up three points on a successful 42-yard field goal from Jared Mendoza. A 29-yard catch by Lovely set up the kick.

McMurry looked to be in business following a clutch interception by junior transfer Brenden Torrence, as he returned it from midfield to the six yard line before being forced out of bounds. Unfortunately, the War Hawks could not capitalize as a fumbled option pitch resulted in a red zone turnover.

The Yellow Jackets took over on the nine yard line and had a momentum-swinging drive, using 15 plays to go 91 yards for a touchdown while taking 6:32 off the clock. HPU made two fourth down conversions on the drive and found Selah Smith for a four yard catch in the end zone to make it 14-3.
 

Second Quarter – HPU 21, McMurry 16

The War Hawks began driving before the end of the first quarter and came out of the break in good position – 2nd and 9 and 19 yards from the end zone. On the very first play of the second quarter, Luna connected with Wood for the score. The Mendoza PAT made it 14-10.

Prior to the play, McMurry used its quarter break to honor former coach Spud Aldridge, who passed away this summer. His family was in attendance to accept a special gift from McMurry – a helmet with commemorative stickers honoring "Coach Spud" to be worn by McMurry players all season.

Following McMurry's touchdown, the teams traded punts thanks to tightened defensive play up front. Nixon and Nuells were the main characters, as Nixon had a third down QB hurry to force a punt, while Nuells had three tackles over the course of two three-and-out drives.

Eventually, HPU broke through with 5:15 to go in the half, as Hunter Cheek caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-10. A fumble by McMurry put the Yellow Jackets back in the driver's seat at the opponent's 43 yard line.

The War Hawks' defense came through again with HPU threatening near the goal line, as an incomplete pass on 4th and 3 gave the ball back to McMurry on its own nine yard line.

It took McMurry just three plays to drive back down the field and score a touchdown, as Luna found Wood ahead of the defense for a 69-yard touchdown. A dropped two-point conversion kept the score at 21-16 with 1:55 to go in the half.

HPU began moving the ball with under two minutes to work with, as McKinney hit Parker for a 30-yard pass to once again put his team in the red zone. After a timeout with under 30 seconds to go, HPU ran for six yards and was stripped by Zacchary Pomele right before scoring. Xavier Gayle made the recovery to end the threat. Luna then ran out the halftime clock by thrusting forward, unable to kneel standing near his own end zone. Successful forward progress ended the half with McMurry gaining added confidence.
 

Third Quarter – HPU 35, McMurry 22

Both teams utilized long drives in the third quarter, but HPU would reap the benefits with two touchdowns and a two possession lead. McMurry started with the ball and had a strong drive to start the quarter, running 10 plays for 52 yards, but could not score as Mendoza's field goal attempt bounced off the right upright.

HPU scored after the missed field goal, using a long drive of its own to get down field and score a 38-yard touchdown from an Otis Lanier catch.

The teams traded scores the rest of the quarter, as McMurry used over 5:00 to run 13 plays to drive 75 yards and make it 28-22. Dee Robinson and Luna worked together on this drive, with Robinson attempting six carries and scoring on his final one on 3rd-and-goal just one yard out. Another failed two-point conversion kept it a six-point deficit.

HPU ended the quarter with a touchdown drive, using three first downs and a short run from backup QB Nick Infante to take a 35-22 lead with six seconds to go in the quarter.
 

Fourth Quarter – HPU 42, McMurry 36

The War Hawks mounted a valiant comeback attempt in the final 15:00, scoring within a minute on a 30-yard catch from Kristopher Martin. Martin had two long catches on the drive – one for 36 yards and one for 30 yards. Mendoza's kick made it 35-29.

Things were looking up for McMurry after a bad snap put HPU back 22 yards away from the first down marker, forcing a punt following an incompletion and a pass-breakup from freshman Timothy Leatherman.

A three-and-out gave HPU the ball back at its own 17-yard line, but the Yellow Jackets had two long carries from Tauren Bradley to get closer to midfield. The next three plays were for lost yardage, as Josh Smith made a stop at the line of scrimmage and a 10 yard sack on third down to force a punt. Senior Jalen Gomez also had a second down sack.

With momentum wearing Maroon, McMurry got the ball near midfield and went to work, down one score. Unfortunately, Howard Payne had perhaps its biggest play of the game to stop a drive near the red zone. Otis Lanier picked off Luna for the QB's only mistake of the game, giving the ball back to HPU.

HPU scored on the ensuing possession, putting the game seemingly out of reach at 42-29 with 1:20 to go.

But McMurry did not lie down.

Luna completed three passes in an attempt to score, but was unsuccessful on fourth down with :21 remaining in the contest. McMurry used three timeouts to get the ball back with minimal time, summoning Carlos Garibay to take over at QB for the final two plays. Garibay found Nicholas Kuykendall as time expired for a touchdown in the corner, ending the game at 42-36 following a PAT.
 

Up Next

McMurry travels to East Texas Baptist next Saturday, Sept. 18 for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Marshall, Texas.