‘Jacks Rout Huskies 42-14 in Houston

Saturday, October 20

Houston, Texas / Husky Stadium

6 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

2-5 , 2-4

Houston Baptist

1-6 , 0-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Stephen F. Austin

HBU

Photo by: SFA Athletics

‘Jacks Rout Huskies 42-14 in Houston

10/20/2018 9:16:00 PM | Football

Box Score

SFA scores most points in a game since 2016, racks up eight sacks on defense and 492 offensive yards in win

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Photos

HOUSTON, Texas – Behind eight sacks and 492 yards of total offense, the Stephen F. Austin football team routed Houston Baptist 42-14 on the road Saturday night for the Lumberjacks' second Southland Conference victory of the season. Scoring its most points in a contest since 2016, SFA (2-5, 2-4 Southland) got 132 yards on the ground from sophomore running back Josh McGowen and 273 yards through the air from junior quarter Jake Blumrick, who passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another.

The Lumberjack defense, who claimed its most sacks in a single game since 2011, held the host Huskies (1-6, 0-5 Southland) to just 255 yards of total offense.

"I'm pleased with the effort, obviously, we talked about being able to run the football for several weeks," coach Jeff Byrd commented after the win. "Most importantly, we rushed for 219 yards which gave us an opportunity to throw it. I'm really proud of Jake (Blumrick) and how he played and managed the game. I can't say enough about the offensive line this weekend, it's what we've been looking to do and hopefully we're moving more toward that track."

"Just great effort plays, they got off the line and made the play," added coach Byrd about SFA's eight sacks on the night. "It was a great team effort and that's what we're looking for."

"Obviously, we went back and made it a priority in practice and challenged them a little bit and tried to be a little more physical," coach Byrd continued about the Lumberjacks' ground game Saturday. "We had a lot of rain during practice so that forced us to work on the run some more. As we ran the football tonight and were able to stay ahead of the chains, we were then able to throw the ball down field a few times to open receivers. All of those things go hand-in-hand. When you can run it, you've got a chance and we ran it tonight and gave ourselves a chance."

Quick Strike
The 'Jacks wasted no time in scoring on their first offensive possession of the night. After forcing a three-and-out punt by the Huskies on the opening drive of the game, it took just two plays and 40 seconds for SFA to go 30 yards. Following a short, 10-yard punt by HBU, junior running back Thomas Hutchings ran into the end zone from five yards out after a 25-yard scamper for his first career touchdown. The score gave the 'Jacks an early 7-0 lead after just 2:06 of play.

Knotted Up at 7-7
The Huskies went 82 yards on nine plays on their ensuing drive, scoring on a 40-yard pass from HBU starting quarterback Bailey Zappe to Jerreth Stearns. The touchdown knotted up the score at 7-7 after just under five minutes of action. The game would remain tied for the remainder of the quarter after a 38-yard field goal attempt was missed by the Huskies.

Slow Second Quarter
The second quarter saw just 75 yards of combined offense by the two teams as SFA scored the lone points of the quarter on Hutchings' second touchdown run of the night. Hutchings ran into the promised land from three yards out to cap a nine-play, 54-yard scoring drive at the 13:42 mark of the second quarter, giving the 'Jacks a 14-7 lead that would hold until the half.

At the Half
SFA had just 146 yards of total offense at the break and was outgained 116-92 in the first quarter. HBU claimed 137 first-half offensive yards as the first 30 minutes of play had a combined 10 punts, five by each team.

'Jacks Take 28-7 Lead
A big third quarter by the 'Jacks yielded two touchdowns and 180 yards of offense, while SFA's defense held the Huskies to just 11 yards on 12 offensive snaps. Blumrick found speedy McGowen on a screen pass for a 61-yard touchdown a little over four minutes into the second half, increasing the Lumberjack advantage to 21-7. Later in the third, a 24-yard connection from Blumrick to junior wide receiver Tamrick Pace completed an eight-play, 57-yard touchdown drive and gave SFA a commanding 28-7 lead with 2:30 to go in the quarter.

Huskies' Final TD
Following a 78-yard kickoff return by HBU's Gamar Girdy Brito, the Huskies got an eight-yard touchdown pass from Zappe to Terry Tillmon with 90 seconds remaining in the third.

SFA Tacks on Two More
The 'Jacks scored another pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and continued to pour on their offensive onslaught with 166 yards. Blumrick kept the ball himself and ran it into the end zone from 16 yards out, capping a five-play, 87-yard drive and increasing SFA's lead to 35-14 after four and half minutes of fourth-quarter play. The Lumberjacks' final score of the night came with two minutes left, a one-yard rush by junior running back Jamall Shaw. The touchdown completed SFA's most productive drive and sealed the game as the 'Jacks went 94 yards on nine plays and used nearly five and a half minutes of clock.

The Bottom Line
Scoring 28 second-half points, SFA accumulated 346 yards in the second 30 minutes of action after claiming seven of its eight sacks in the first half. Blumrick completed 20-of-29 passes for 273 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns, while the 'Jacks racked up a season-high 219 yards on the ground behind a career-high 132 from McGowen. Senior wide receiver Terian Goree posted his second consecutive 100-yard game with a game-high nine catches for 109 yards as sophomore wideout Remi Simmons tallied 65 yards on five receptions and McGowen picked up a career-best 66 receiving yards. Holding the Huskies to just 118 yards in the second half, SFA made 11 tackles for a loss of 50 yards led by sophomore defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols, who claimed a season-high seven total tackles and had a career-best 2.5 sacks. Senior wide receiver Ryan Woods also claimed seven total tackles, while junior linebacker Anthony Jacobs posted a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss with a pair of sacks. Senior defensive tackle Demetrion Amie finished with five total tackles and a career-best 2.5 sacks.

Of Note
With Saturday night's victory, SFA improves to 4-1 all-time against HBU. The 'Jacks picked up their first win in the Bayou City since Oct. 18, 2014, when SFA also defeated the Huskies in Houston, 59-27. After throwing for 273 yards, Blumrick needs just 216 more passing yards to become the 13th Lumberjack to pass for 3,000 yards in his career. He has accumulated 2,784 yards through the air in just two seasons behind center and ranks 15th on SFA's all-time career passing yards list. Prior to tonight, the last time the 'Jacks had eight or more sacks in a game was on Nov. 19, 2011, in a 33-0 shutout of Northwestern State. McGowen's 132 yards on 16 carries are the most by a SFA rusher since Kijana Amous' 142 yards on Oct. 14, 2017, at then sixth-ranked Central Arkansas. Furthermore, McGowen's 202 all-purpose yards are the most all-purpose yards in a game by a Lumberjack since Loren Easly's 214 on Oct. 3, 2015, in the 90th Battle of the Piney Woods against Sam Houston State. Hutchings' first-quarter run into the end zone was his first career touchdown.

Up Next…
The 'Jacks will return to the comforts of Texas' oldest town next weekend for Homecoming 2018, taking on the Cardinals of Lamar Saturday, Oct. 27. Presented by Pilgrim's, kickoff from inside Homer Bryce Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, available everywhere on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the 2018 season.

-SFA-