ETB
2008 GAME RECAPS game seven
game eight
Oct. 25, 2008 • Robinson-Hale Stadium • Clinton, MS
Nov. 1, 2008 • Ornelas Stadium • Marshall, TX
ETBU 24, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 21
ETBU overcame a fourth-quarter deficit on the road and turned back Mississippi College, 24-21, at Robinson-Hale Stadium. The Tigers (4-3 overall, 4-2 in the American Southwest Conference) solidified sole possession of third place in the league with the victory, which spoiled homecoming for the Choctaws (2-5, 2-3). It also snapped a two-game losing streak by ETBU while giving the Tigers a fourgame winning streak against Mississippi College in Clinton. ETBU rushed for 257 yards against the Choctaws, with sophomore tailback Jair Stover doing most of the damage with a season-high 159 yards on 24 carries. Stover scored the game’s go-ahead touchdown for ETBU with a 46-yard scamper to paydirt with 12:29 remaining in the game. Freshman Trevor Cavness saw his most extensive action of the season and finished with 88 yards on just eight carries, including a 51-yard dart on a 3rd-and-11 play with 2:05 remaining, that provided the game-winning points for ETBU. In all four of ETBU’s conference wins, the Tigers had rushed for 200 yards or more following the win over Mississippi College. The passing game wasn’t exactly non-existent for ETBU, however. Sophomore quarterback Stephen Oehlschlaeger turned in his second straight solid performance by completing 12 of 22 passes for 150 yards and a big touchdown, a 44-yard strike to sophomore Jari Brooks with 4:53 to go in the first half. That score helped the Tigers move to within 14-10 at halftime after falling behind 14-3 in the first half. Brooks had his most productive day of the season, catching five passes for 74 yards. ETBU took a 3-0 lead late in the first half when Kyle Pope connected from 27 yards out, capping a 5-play, 16-yard drive that was set up when Tigers linebacker Michael Uvalle recovered a Desmond Mays fumble at the Choctaw 25. Mississippi College then scored the game’s next 14 points, first on a 5-yard touchdown run by Kevin Robinson and then 40-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Reyer to Renard Ellis. Trailing 14-3, ETBU took over at its own 18 with 7:49 left in the half. Oehlschlaeger connected with fullback Tyler Simmons twice on passes that covered 39 yards, setting the Tigers up at the Choctaw 44. Oehlschlaeger then hit Brooks for ETBU’s first touchdown of the game. The teams played a scoreless third quarter before things got interesting the fourth. Stover gave ETBU the lead at 17-14 with his long touchdown run, and Mississippi College came right back with a drive deep into ETBU territory. On fourth down from the 24, Reyer’s pass was picked off at the Tiger 5 by Anquanius Frazier, preserving the lead. ETBU moved the ball out near midfield on runs by Stover and Cavness, but the drive stalled to force a punt. MC got the ball back with 8:23 remaining, but Reyer fumbled on a 4th-and-1 from midfield. Two plays later Cavness sprinted ahead with the Tigers’ final touchdown of the night. MC added a quick score three plays after the ensuing kickoff, however, on another pass from Reyer to Ellis. ETBU recovered the onside kick, though, inside the final minute to seal the win. ETBU’s defense kept the Choctaws in check most of the night, allowing 369 yards of total offense but forcing three huge turnovers. Uvalle led the unit with eight tackles, with Austin Sturrock and Brandon Stumon adding six stops apiece.
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR 27, ETBU 6
Ninth-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor outscored ETBU 17-0 after halftime and held the Tigers to just 19 yards rushing on the way to a 27-6 victory in Ornelas Stadium. The game was the home finale of the season for ETBU (4-4, 4-3), with the Tigers set to close the season with two road games in the next two weeks. UMHB (7-1, 6-0) was coming off a 40-28 non-conference loss to Southern Oregon, but the Cru jumped back into ASC play by winning their 27th straight conference outing. After beating the Tigers, UMHB hadn’t lost a game to an ASC opponent since the first month of the 2005 season. The Cru defense totally snuffed out an ETBU running game that had posted 200 rushing yards or more in each of its four victories on the season. The Tigers actually gained 56 yards on the ground, but a net loss of 37 yards – mostly coming on three big sacks – put the net total at 19. However, the ETBU defense kept the Tigers within striking distance by forcing turnovers. UMHB put the ball on the ground a total of seven times on the day, and the Tigers came away with four of them. But UMHB scored two touchdowns in the second half off two ETBU turnovers to pull away to the victory, its fifth straight and eighth in nine tries against the Tigers. ETBU didn’t get a first down in the game until nearly eight minutes remained until halftime. The Tigers finished with a season-low six first downs on the day. UMHB, without the services of Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Quincy Daniels at running back since an injury ended his season in week two, went with a back-by-committee approach that saw nine different players attempt at least two carries. Bryson Tucker, a starter on defense through the first seven games, got the start at tailback and churned out 138 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown to lead the charge. Overall, UMHB rushed for 298 yards on the day, to finish with 410 yards of total offense. ETBU was held to just 140. The Cru got on the board first with a 45-yard field goal with 4:24 left in the first quarter by Alan Munoz. Matt Hurst tacked on a 4-yard touchdown run on third down with just under 10 minutes to go in the half, giving UMHB a 10-0 lead. The Tiger offense put some points on the board with 1:23 remaining, as Kyle Pope drilled a 37-yard field goal to pull within 10-3. Tucker fumbled the ensuing kickoff and gave the ball to ETBU at the UMHB 18, but a three-and-out forced the Tigers to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Pope that made it 10-6 at intermission. UMHB took control of the game in the first five minutes of the second half. Quarterback Josh Saenz, who didn’t start the game but entered to start the third quarter, broke free on the second play of the quarter for a 59-yard run to set up Josh Landrum’s 3-yard burst for a 17-6 lead. The Cru’s Ben Beckworth then picked off a Stephen Oehlschlaeger pass on the Tigers’ second play of the half, returning it inside the ETBU 10. The Tiger defense stiffened and held the Cru to just a 22-yard field goal from Munoz, but the lead had ballooned to 20-6 with 10:55 to go in the third. UMHB put the game away in the fourth quarter when Tucker sprinted 18 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 8:35 remaining.
The 2008 Tiger seniors lead the team out for the coin toss in the home finale against Mary Hardin-Baylor.
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