The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead, then held off the East Texas Baptist Tigers in the second half en route to a 33-21 American Southwest Conference football victory Saturday afternoon at Gordon Wood Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-0) finished with 425 yards of total offense – 377 passing and 48 rushing – with one turnover, while East Texas Baptist (1-2, 1-1) produced 438 yards – 340 through the air and 98 on the ground, with three giveaways.
HPU quarterback Landon McKinney completed 18 of 29 passes for 377 yards with four touchdowns and one interception and was also sacked six times. Jordan Carroll grabbed five receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while Otis Lanier hauled in five catches for 149 yards with two trips to the end zone.
On the ground, Tauren Bradley rushed for a team-best 38 yards with a touchdown, while Billy Reagins chipped in 35 yards on the ground.
Defensive standouts for the Yellow Jackets included K.C. Cornelious with 8 tackles, including 1.5 for loss; Kyle Bell and Jessie Paris with 7 tackles each; Jarett Brown with 6 and 1 for loss; Jimmy Jakubowski with 6 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception; and Peyton Lowe with 5 tackles. Brevin Wilson added a fumble recovery and Mark Taplette also pounced on a loose ball.
ETBU received 340 passing yards from Cornelius Banks, who completed 26 of 42 attempts with two touchdowns and one pick, while rushing for a team-best 29 yards. Leading receivers included Kaleb O’Bryant with four grabs for 92 yards, Joshua Whitmore with four catches for 72 yards, and Cris Williams with 53 receiving yards on three receptions. Devian Wilson and Coby Walker caught short touchdown passes.
The Jackets grabbed a 6-0 advantage just 3:16 into the contest as a nine-play, 98-yard drive culminated with a 27-yard touchdown pass from McKinney to Lanier.
Howard Payne stretched the advantage to 13-0 at the 8:53 of the opening period as Carroll hauled in a 21-yard scoring toss from McKinney, the final play of five-play, 50-yard trek.
The final points of the first half were tallied with 11:26 left in the second period as Bradley scored on a 3-yard carry, making the score 19-0 and capping a six-play, 69-yard drive.
ETBU closed the gap to 19-14 at the 3:44 mark of the third period, but the Yellow Jackets answered with a 44-yard scoring toss from McKinney to Carroll to extend the advantage to 26-14 with 2:08 left in the third.
The Tigers crept within 26-21 on the first play of the fourth quarter, but HPU added an insurance score with 7:21 to go on a 34-yard scoring strike from McKinney to Lanier.
Howard Payne hits the road at 1 p.m. Saturday as it visits Sul Ross (2-0, 2-2), which defeated Texas Lutheran, 28-14, Saturday night.
