NOTE: This game was forfeited by Wayland Baptist on Nov. 21, 2017.
FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University Football team (0-9, 0-6 CSFL) suffered a 54-24 loss as Wayland Baptist University (4-5, 4-3 CSFL) put points on the board in bunches at Farrington Field on Saturday.
The Pioneers jumped on the Rams early, scoring 14 points in the game's first 32 seconds. Devonte Hayden returned the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown. After a Texas Wesleyan fumble, Caleb O'Conor hit Ben Owens from 32 yards out for another quick score.
The Rams came up with a big answer on their next possession, going 62 yards in five plays. A 35 yard kick return from
Anthony Caston followed by a 25 yard run from
Jermarcus Jones set the tone for the drive.
Erik Richards found
Cole Maxwell from 23 yards out, and the Rams cut the score to 14-7.
Texas Wesleyan had momentum on their side when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty erased a Wayland Baptist touchdown. The Rams eventually stopped the Pioneers on 4th and goal at the 1 yard line. WBU put a safety on the board, but
Parrish Dixon-Smith nabbed the first of his two interceptions on Wayland's next drive.
Wayland put a 28 yard touchdown pass from Mitchel Parsley to Malik Sims on the board, but Dixon-Smith recorded the first pick-6 of Texas Wesleyan's modern era to cut the score to 23-14.
Nearing the end of the half, a Texas Wesleyan drive stalled with 2:30 to play and Wayland made the most of the opportunity, putting 10 more points on the board in the last 1:20 of the half.
The third quarter started with a 27 yard field goal from
Bryce Nye, but was all Wayland the rest of the way. The Pioneers added three more touchdowns in a span of less than four minutes culminating with a defensive score from Jeremiah Eaton after a Texas Wesleyan fumble with 1:42 to play in the quarter.
Maxwell hauled in his second touchdown of the game on a 33-yard pass from
Erik Richards to cap the scoring at 54-24 with 7:27 to play.
The Pioneers posted 255 yards on the ground and 318 through the air for 573 yards of total offense. The Rams notched 335 yards of offense. Texas Wesleyan had three interceptions on the day, two from Dixon-Smith and one from
Ja'Rod Bedford, but the Pioneers forced three fumbles
Jermarcus Jones recorded his second consecutive 100 yard gain with a career-high 125 yards on 21 carries. Jones ripped off large chunks with runs of 45 and 25 yards in the game.
Erik Richards was 18-of-34 passing for 183 yards and two scores while adding 28 yards on the ground.
Cole Maxwell caught both touchdown passes, picking up 92 yards on seven catches.
For the Pioneers, Michael Romero ran for 143 yards and a score on 14 carries. WBU scored touchdowns through the air, on the ground, on special teams, and on defense.
The Rams will host their final home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 4, when No. 23 Arizona Christian University visits Historic Farrington Field. That game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Ramblings
- The Rams and Pioneers played in four different sports on Saturday. The two schools split the day with the Rams posting a 3-0 win in Volleyball and 6-1 win in Women's Soccer. WBU took the football game 54-24 and won in men's soccer 4-1.
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Jermarcus Jones ran for 104 yards last week. On the season, he leads the Rams with 618 yards and 3.9 yards per carry.
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Parrish Dixon-Smith was the first Ram to record a pick-6 and the first Ram to have multiple interceptions in a game.
