MARSHALL, Texas - The McMurry War Hawks put on an offensive clinic Saturday afternoon, amassing 533 yards of total offense to overpower East Texas Baptist 59–38 at Ornelas Stadium.
Carson Roper accounted for four total touchdowns, the ground game tallied four scores, and an opportunistic defense made key stops to secure an emphatic conference road victory.
The War Hawks set the tone immediately on their opening drive. Moving 69 yards in four plays, Roper connected with
Thomas Chandler on a 14-yard touchdown strike just under two minutes into the game.
Owen Painter converted the extra point for a quick 7–0 advantage. After East Texas Baptist answered to level the score, McMurry struck right back on a 7-play, 75-yard march highlighted by a 31-yard completion to
Jadyn Pruitt, which Roper capped with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Pruitt.
Jax Rodriguez tacked on the PAT to make it 14–7. When the hosts tied the game again late in the period, the War Hawks reached into their bag of tricks. Running back
Corey Layne took a handoff and fired a deep 46-yard touchdown strike to
Drake Grimes. Although ETBU returned the ensuing kickoff for a score to tie it 21–21, McMurry's high-octane attack was just getting started.
McMurry seized control in the second quarter, engineering an 11-play drive that ended with Roper pushing across the goal line on a 1-yard quarterback keeper on fourth down. Following an opponent field goal that trimmed the margin to four, the War Hawks struck in the blink of an eye. Roper connected with Grimes on a 46-yard gain before
Tedrick Williams took the very next snap 29 yards to the house, extending the lead to 35–24. The McMurry defense followed up with major momentum-swinging plays before the half. After stopping ETBU on fourth down, the defense forced a turnover with one second left when
Ryland Hurst pounced on a loose fumble at the 30-yard line. Rodriguez stepped up and drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired, sending McMurry into halftime with a 38–24 cushion.
East Texas Baptist scored early in the third quarter to cut the deficit to one possession, but the War Hawks answered with their ground attack. Sparked by a 53-yard kickoff return from
Marcus Maple, McMurry put together an 11-play, 82-yard drive featuring explosive runs from Layne, Roper, and Chandler. Williams capped the marathon drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, restoring a 45–31 lead.
The defense set the tone early in the fourth quarter when
Dolyal Bickham delivered a third-down sack to force a punt. Starting at their own 10-yard line, the War Hawks methodically marched 90 yards in 11 plays. Roper found Maple on three separate completions and connected with Chandler for 22 yards before finding Chandler again on a 12-yard touchdown dart to stretch the lead to 52–31. After the Tigers found the end zone on a quick strike, McMurry slammed the door shut. Roper caught a 37-yard pass from Pruitt to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Layne, pushing the tally to 59–38.
Eric Tonche put an exclamation point on the win by intercepting an ETBU pass in the end zone with 29 seconds remaining, sealing the road triumph.
Roper finished 17-of-26 for 301 yards and three touchdowns, adding 68 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Chandler caught seven passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, while Grimes (92 yards, TD) and Pruitt (80 yards, TD) provided major firepower through the air. Williams led the rushing efforts with a pair of touchdowns, while Layne contributed both a passing and rushing touchdown. Defensively,
Bryce Neves paced the War Hawks with 12 total tackles, while
Jackson Harris added nine stops.
Next week, the War Hawks return home to host Howard Payne for homecoming on November 7th with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
