LAKE CHARLES - Texas Wesleyan University (0-2) lost to McNeese State University (1-1) 52-0 on Saturday.
Texas Wesleyan was held to 14 first downs, 74 rushing yards and 113 passing yards, with its only red-zone trip ending in a blocked field-goal attempt.
Texas Wesleyan answered McNeese's 7-0 lead with a sustained late drive, moving from its own 25 to the McNeese 22 before the first quarter ended. Earlier, the Rams' defense forced punts on McNeese's first two possessions, including a shared sack by Jemari Seals and Easton Shultz and a third-down stop by
Ryan Seymour and
Jace Hill-Douglas on the opening series.
Texas Wesleyan's first three possessions ended in
Max Luna punts, with a false start and a 10-yard sack slowing a drive that had started at the McNeese 49. After Devin Lippold's 22-yard touchdown pass to Solo Lewis gave McNeese the lead,
Charlie Adamoli completed passes to
Maurice Griffin and Makhi Whitney, Griffin added a 4-yard first-down run, and Adamoli converted twice with his legs and arm as Texas Wesleyan closed the first quarter trailing 7-0.
Texas Wesleyan began the second quarter at McNeese's 22 and reached the 10 on Adamoli's completion to Whitney, but
Christian Munguia's 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Javon Davis and Safir Stills-Bey returned it 70 yards for a touchdown at 11:48, with the PAT making it 14-0.
The Rams answered by driving from their own 25 to the McNeese 36 behind completions to
Sean Smith, Whitney and
Terrill Curtis, plus a Griffin third-down conversion, before Adamoli was intercepted at the McNeese 8 with 7:48 left.
McNeese turned that possession into a touchdown for a 21-0 score, and Texas Wesleyan's next series avoided a turnover when review changed a Whitney catch-and-fumble into an incomplete pass before a blocked
Max Luna punt gave McNeese the ball at the Texas Wesleyan 40.
Texas Wesleyan's defense limited that short-field chance to a 41-yard field goal, with
Micario Brackens breaking up a pass and Hill-Douglas pressuring a third-down incompletion, and the second quarter ended with McNeese ahead 24-0 after Texas Wesleyan took over at its own 13 in the final seconds.
Texas Wesleyan's defense kept McNeese off the board late in the third quarter, finishing an 11-play drive when
Luke Johnson broke up Brady Barrier's fourth-and-8 pass at the TXW18 with 2:01 left.
Earlier, McNeese scored on consecutive possessions to move the score to 38-0, while Texas Wesleyan's first two drives after halftime ended in
Max Luna punts despite a 6-yard Adamoli completion to
Ronnie Schneider and a McNeese pass-interference penalty that produced a first down.
The late stop gave Texas Wesleyan possession at its own 18, and the offense responded with
Ian Jernagin's 6-yard run, Adamoli's 8-yard third-down keeper and a 12-yard completion to Whitney. Jernagin added a 2-yard run on the final play, sending Texas Wesleyan to the fourth quarter with the ball at its own 46 and trailing 38-0.
Texas Wesleyan was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, while McNeese scored on its first two full possessions of the quarter and finished a 52-0 result.
Earlier,
Max Luna's 44-yard punt pinned McNeese at its 15, but the home team drove for a touchdown and later added another after Texas Wesleyan's next series ended in a punt. Defensively,
Luke Johnson was involved throughout the quarter, and Brackens stopped Marquez Davis for a 3-yard loss inside the Texas Wesleyan 20 before McNeese scored on third down at 4:07.
Texas Wesleyan put together its best late possession from its 25, with Adamoli completing a 10-yard pass to Whitney,
Wasaidi Saidi moving the chains on the ground and a McNeese pass-interference penalty advancing the ball to the McNeese 37, but the drive ended on downs at the 31 with 57 seconds left.
Whitney caught six passes for 67 yards. Adamoli completed 14 of 33 passes for 113 yards and rushed eight times for 5 yards. Griffin carried eight times for 27 yards and added two receptions for 4 yards. Seals recorded 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Devin Lippold completed 15 of 20 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Elisha Edwards caught five passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Davis rushed nine times for 67 yards and a touchdown. Sentario Willis recorded two tackles and an interception.
The Rams will open Sooner Athletic Conference play in September 12 at Crowley Multi-Purpose Stadium against Texas College at 6 p.m.
