KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – A high-scoring first half quickly developed into a battle of field position in the second half as torrential rains hit Javelina Stadium at the start of the third quarter.  Through it all #8 Texas A&M-Kingsville held tight to the lead over visiting #24 University of Central Oklahoma in a 46-17 win in front of 11,078.  (box score)

The star of the game for the Javelinas (3-0) was junior running back Connell Davis (Portland/Gregory-Portland HS) who scored on the team’s initial drive and then scored twice more in the second half through the rain and the slop.  He finished the game with a career high 138 yards on 11 carries and added two catches for 23 yards.

Hoggie senior quarterback Billy Garza (Brownsville/Porter HS) got off to a fast start as well.  He scored on a 70-yard jaunt down the sidelines after faking out the entire Broncho (1-2) defense on a naked bootleg.  On his next offensive play, he connected with red-shirt freshman Sherman Batiste (Fort Bend/Marshall HS) for an 88-yard touchdown pass, the third longest in school history.  He finished the game with 208 yards on 13-of-21 passing.  He compiled 284 yards of total offense.

The first quarter took 55 minutes to play as the two teams scored a total of 42 points.  The Javelinas struck first when Jonathon Woodson (Houston/Fort Bend Marshall HS) returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to the UCO 33-yard line.  Seven plays later, Davis bulled over the goal line from the 1-yard line on a fourth-and-goal situation.

On the ensuing possession, the Bronchos drove into Javelina territory and faced a third-and-4 at the 38 yard line.  UCO quarterback Brandon Noohi had his pass intercepted by DeIra Glover (Hempstead/Hempstead HS) who streaked down the field 65 yards for the touchdown.

UCO came back quickly and scored to cut the lead to 14-7 when Noohi found Ryan Gallimore open on a crossing pattern and he outraced the Hoggies to the goal line.

On the first play of the next drive, Garza pulled off his magic act and ran in from 70 yards out to make it a 21-7 game with 7:49 still left in the first quarter.

After the Hoggie defense stopped the Bronchos they took possession of the ball at their own 12-yard line.  On the first play, Garza evaded the rush and found Batiste open deep down the field and he raced to the end zone with his first career touchdown.

The Bronchos did not wilt and continued to put the pressure on the Javelina defense.  Before the first quarter ended they drove 74 yards in 10 plays and Noohi found pay dirt on a 29-yard scramble.

The damage after one quarter showed the Javelinas with 207 total yards of offense and the Bronchos with 178.

In the second quarter, both defenses stepped up their play and neither team found the end zone.  The Javs tacked on three points after a drive stalled out at the 14-yard line.  Christian Brom (McAllen/McAllen HS) drilled the 31-yard field goal to make it 31-14.

The Bronchos came back and drove 44 yards before being stopped at the Hoggie 19-yard line.  Ross Weaver calmly split the uprights with a 36-yard field goal with 6:39 remaining in the first half to cut the lead to 14, but that would be as close as it would get the rest of the game.

The Hogs added a Brom 31-yard field goal just before the half and went into the break with a 34-17 lead.

The heavens opened up at the start of the third quarter and torrential rains soaked the field slowing both offenses considerably.  The only person who seemed to be able to get any footing was Davis.

First, he scored on a 41-yard run with 1:54 left in the third quarter and then after a bad punt by the Bronchos, he scored again from 28 yards out.  The score at the end of the third quarter was 46-17 and it would stand up the rest of the way as the two teams combined for total of 33 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

The Javelina defense limited the Bronchos to 52 total yards in the second half and 301 in the game.  Glover was the star of the defense with a team high eight tackles and the interception for a touchdown.  Marcus Sanders (Houston/Westfield HS) had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.  Dustin Appling (El Campo/El Campo HS) was the special teams leader with one blocked punt and a tip on another one.

The Hoggie offense racked up 448 yards in just 57 plays, good for 7.9 per play.  In addition to Davis and Garza, Fred Winborn (North Hollywood, CA/College of the Canyons) added 26 yards on five carries.  Batiste led the receivers with two catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.  Junior Ryan Lincoln (Bastrop/Bastrop HS) saw his streak of 100-yard receiving games end at three after the rains put an end to the passing game.

The Bronchos came into the game as the top rushing team in the Lone Star Conference and they showed why with 177 yards on the ground.  Jason Palmer carried 13 times for 78 yards.  Noohi added 49 yards on the ground and Ben Birmingham had 39 yards on 14 carries.  Noohi finished the game 16-for-29 for 122 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Matt Jackson had six catches for 45 yards while Gallimore finished with five catches for 50 yards and a score.

The Broncho defense had a number of stalwarts.  Prentise Muse and Terrence Hill each made 10 tackles, Giorgio Durham had an interception and two pass breakups and Freddie Harris had a game high three tackles for loss.

The Javelinas remain at home next week when they host another LSC North rival in Northeastern State, a team the Hogs are 10-1 all-time against.
####
 pr09244-smm