ABILENE, Texas – In front of an energized crowd of around 4,000 fans for their first conference game of the season, the McMurry War Hawks gave crosstown rival and No. 7-ranked Hardin-Simmons all they could handle through two quarters before falling 48-17 in Saturday afternoon's conference showdown at Wilford Moore Stadium. McMurry took a 10-7 halftime lead behind an aggressive defense and explosive plays, but second-half miscues and big plays by the Cowboys proved too much to overcome.
The War Hawk defense set the tone early, holding firm on their own 7-yard line to deny Hardin-Simmons on fourth down during the opening drive. Although the Cowboys found the end zone late in the first period to take a 7-0 lead, McMurry struck back early in the second frame. Quarterback
Jess Hoel orchestrated a quick 3-play, 53-yard drive, connecting with
Xavier Williams over the middle for a 37-yard touchdown.
Jax Rodriguez added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
McMurry's defense continued to create havoc for the remainder of the second quarter.
Brayden Youree stripped the ball loose on the ensuing Cowboy drive, and
Tre Sharp scooped up the fumble and returned it 32 yards into enemy territory. On the next defensive series,
Maurice Campbell leaped to intercept an errant pass and returned it 36 yards to the visitor 24-yard line. The offense capitalized on the turnover, with Rodriguez knocking through a 22-yard field goal to give the War Hawks a 10-7 lead. With seconds remaining before halftime and the visitors threatening at the goal line, defensive back
Bryce Neves delivered a clutch play, jarring the football free at the 5-yard line and recovering it himself to preserve McMurry's 10-7 lead at the break.
Hardin-Simmons seized momentum in the third quarter, turning two early McMurry turnovers into 10 points and later tacking on a 75-yard punt-return touchdown to build a 24-10 cushion. Down 27-10, the War Hawks answered with an impressive 9-play, 75-yard drive. Quarterback
Carson Roper ignited the passing attack, hitting
Jadyn Pruitt for a 32-yard gain and finding
Kason O'Shields to push inside the red zone. Running back
Leroy Rodriguez finished off the march, bouncing outside for an 11-yard touchdown run. Rodriguez's extra point brought McMurry within ten at 27-17 heading into the final frame.
A blocked punt early in the fourth quarter set up a short touchdown for Hardin-Simmons, and despite Roper marching McMurry deep into scoring position on back-to-back drives with completions to
Corey Layne, Pruitt, and
Thomas Chandler, a 97-yard interception return and a goal-line turnover kept the War Hawks from closing the gap. Roper finished the afternoon completing 20 passes for 255 yards, while Hoel added 79 passing yards and a touchdown. Pruitt led all receivers with 83 yards on four receptions, Williams hauled in five passes for 62 yards and a score, and O'Shields corralled a team-high eight catches.
Defensively, Neves delivered an exceptional performance with a game-high 15 tackles (13 solo), a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
The War Hawks return to Wilford Moore Stadium next Saturday, October 17th, to host Westgate Christian in a non-conference matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
