Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team scored the first three times it touched the ball and the Cru never looked back in a 55-14 pounding of Sul Ross State University Saturday afternoon in Belton. UMHB, ranked #3 in the country in both current national polls, improves to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops the Lobos to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the ASC.

UMHB took a 7-0 lead when Quincy Daniels returned the game’s opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. After a Lobos punt, Josh Welch hit Patrick Oliver for a 79-yard touchdown pass on the Cru’s first offensive play. Brett Parker then intercepted an Austin Davidson pass for the Cru and returned it to the Lobo 17-yard line. Welch hit Cole Smith with a 17-yard TD toss on the next play to give UMHB a 21-0 lead just 3:17 into the game. It would stay that way until Jarvis Thrasher scored from six yards out with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter to give UMHB a 28-0 lead. Daniels added a 14-yard run and Thrasher went two yards for another score as the Cru stretched its lead to 42-0 late in the second quarter. Davidson then hit Joc Quise Brown with a 10-yard scoring strike with just eight seconds remaining in the first half to make it a 42-7 game at halftime. Welch scored on an 11-yard run with 6:55 left in the third quarter and Tommy Vadell added a two-yard scoring run with 15 seconds left in the third to put UMHB on top 55-7. T.J. Barber broke away for a 68-yard touchdown run with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter to provide the final score for Sul Ross State.

UMHB finished with 482 yards of total offense with 289 of those coming on the ground. The Lobos managed just 206 yards of offense, with 122 of those coming in the air. Thrasher ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and Daniels added 74 yards rushing and a TD on 11 carries. Welch hit 4-11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Welch broke Cody Fredenburg’s UMHB career record for touchdown passes by pushing his total to 41, topping Fredenburg’s mark of 40. Twelve different players carried the football for UMHB, three different quarterbacks threw passes and six different players caught a pass for the Cru. Barber finished with 96 yards rushing on 18 carries and Davidson went just 9-27 passing for 122 yards and he was picked off three times. Brown finished with four catches for 27 yards. Brett Parker had two interceptions for the Cru and Jerrell Freeman finished with 11 total tackles and three tackles for loss.

Mike Flynt, Sul Ross State’s 59-yard old linebacker, suited up for the first time this season. He did not play in the game, despite several members of the national and regional media travelling to the game to cover his appearance.

The Cru will return to action with the first road game of the season next weekend. UMHB will travel to Seguin to take on Texas Lutheran University in a 1:00 PM kickoff at Matador Stadium.