HOUSTON, TX - Texas Wesleyan Football (0-2) got off to a fast start Saturday night down in southeast Houston with a Chance Carroll 90-yard interception return for a touchdown on the Huskies second drive of the game. But Houston Baptist (1-1) found its footing often after the wake-up call and tallied 624 offensive yards in a 58-13 victory.

For Carroll, it was the longest interception return by any Ram since the program re-launched three years ago. In fact, since 2017, the team has 19 other interceptions for only a combined 95 return yards. It was the second collegiate career interception for the sophomore out of New Orleans, Louisiana - getting his first in the third quarter against Lyon College as a freshman, helping give the Rams some momentum in an eventual 21-20 victory.

After the initial fireworks, the Rams offense sputtered. Houston Baptist, like Kanas Wesleyan, was able to win the line of scrimmage up front, holding TXWES to 2.5 rushing yards per attempt. Quarterback Donavan Isom was sacked six times and the Rams only managed 130 total yards of offense. Backup quarterback Keaton Huebner was a brightspot, using his legs to scramble for 72 yards on 14 carries. Jermarcus Jones rushed for 45 yards on 11 attempts. 

Defensively, the Rams got home just as much as the Huskies did. The front seven earned four sacks, including 1.5 from Devin Griffin. The Rams also nabbed two picks after Carroll's 90-yard stunner. In fact, Tarik Davis intercepted HBU quarterback Bailey Zappe on the Huskies first drive in the red zone, helping keep the Huskies off the board until a 7-play, 63-yard drive on the Huskies third possession. Davis also recovered a fumble for the Rams in their only second-quarter stop. Houston Baptist scored five touchdowns on their next seven drives after tying the game at seven.

Elijah Hall flew all over the field supplying nine assisted tackles for a total of 13, to lead all players in action Saturday.

The Rams will get a much-needed bye in the midst of a brutal four-game road trip that will send Texas Wesleyan to two new states in the next three weeks when the Rams face Ottawa (Arizona) and Lyon (Arkansas) to start Sooner Athletic Conference play.

It was the first time the Rams played an opponent of the second-highest level of collegiate football in the country, NCAA FCS. TXWES hasn't shied away from competition higher than the NAIA level. The program faced Texas A&M-Kingsville (NCAA Division II) in 2018.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE:
University of Science and Arts got thrashed 77-0 at Sam Houston State, a fellow Southland Conference member with Houston Baptist. while Wayland Baptist took a similar beating against Texas-Permian Basin, 60-7. No. 14 Langston got a scare, but survived McPerson 21-20.while Hendrix College topped Lyon 28-20.