Sept. 17, 2005

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' fourth-ranked football team had a bittersweet day as they rolled through Louisiana College 51-13 in the American Southwest Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Shelton stadium

The Cowboys set a school record for rushing with 385 yards and had three backs go over 100 yards, but the biggest running play of the game came on a Jordan Neal scramble in the middle of the first quarter.

Neal a three-year starter at quarterback, who was poised to break all of the school's passing records this season, broke his collarbone on the play and will miss a significant amount of the season. The good news for the Cowboys was backup Jordy Bernhard came in and ran the offense effectively.

Bernhard finished the day 17-for-25 for 270 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys on the day rolled up 703 yards of total offense. The downside was a school-record 16 penalties for 189 yards. The game had 26 penalties for 284 yards between the teams and last 3:31.

The Cowboys got on the board first with a 34-yard field goal at the 7:39 mark of the first quarter and made it 10-0 when Bernhard found Matt Epperson on a 38-yard pass over the middle with :45 to go in the quarter.

Quinton Jones had a 47-yard run in the second quarter and after Billy Major scored on a 10-yard pass from Wesley Cooper for the Wildcats, Brad Clark went 32 yards for another HSU touchdown to make it 23-7 with 4:11 to go in the second. LC scored late in the half on a Justin Johnson pass from Cooper and the PAT failed making it 23-13 at the half.

The Cowboys marched down the field in the first drive of the second half and Bernhard found Jared May for a 36-yard TD to make it 30-13. Clint Pace took an inside pitch from Bernhard at the 10:50 mark 12 yards for a TD, making it 37-13 with 10:50 to go in the third.

Thurston Ashley scored on a nifty 4-yard run and then broke a school-record 86-yard touchdown run with :20 to go in the third making it 51-13. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats Wesley Cooper fumbled and the Cowboys punted and the Wildcats had a 9:29 drive to close the game that ended a KeKe Sims interception of a Kris Lee pass in the end zone.

The Cowboys defense was opportunistic as the Wildcats had 427 yards turned the ball over seven times, including five interceptions.

HSU is 2-0, 1-0 and will play at Mississippi College at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24. LC's schedule does not get any easier as it plays No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor in Pineville.