Lions travel to play Howard Payne

Game kicks off at 6pm in Brownwood

Follow the play-by-play, audio (links posted here)

WAXAHACHIE, Texas  --  The last time the Southwestern Assemblies of God University football team travelled 170 miles southwest to play Howard Payne University, lightning filled the air.

The Lions led 7-0 into the second quarter when a thunderstorm rolled into Brownwood. After the skies turned electric the game was delayed two hours. When play resumed it was the host Yellow Jackets who lit up the night, erupting for a 32-7 win over SAGU.

Saturday the Lions return for a 6:00pm clash in a battle of two teams with 0-1 records. It is the fourth straight year the teams have met. Each time SAGU entered the game after dropping their season opener.

The Purple Pride claimed a 21-15 triumph last season when QB Reid Golson (Grandview, Tx / Howard Payne Univ, Grandview HS) provided the flash of fulmination.

He led the Lions 63 yards in seven plays, 'bolting' the final three yards for the winning touchdown with twenty-one seconds remaining. Golson hit Nick Morphew (Grandview, Tx / Grandview HS) twice in the final drive.

SAGU held a 14-3 lead until the Yellow Jackets roared back in the fourth quarter.

Howard Payne won the first game in the series; 23-17, holding off a frenzied SAGU rally in the rain.

Southwestern fell to #24 ranked Bethany College (Ks) last week, 13-12. The Swedes scored in the closing minutes on a 32-yard pass to rally past the Lions.

Meanwhile, Howard Payne dropped their debut in San Antonio, 56-7, to Trinity University. The Tigers brought a #18 national ranking in the NCAA’s Division III. Both Payne and Trinity are from the American Southwest Conference.

Follow and Listen to SAGU Football

The Lions vs. Jackets game will be available for fans to follow on-line via LiveStats as well as the audio which can be heard on a smart phone. They can be accessed at:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/hpu.portal#

LiveStats is a digital play-by-play account of the game. The screen will include the score and game clock as well as current team and player statistics.

The contest will be played at Gordon Wood Stadium (3206 Milam Drive, Brownwood, Tx 76801). Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, $2 for kids ages 12-18 and kids under 12 are free.

Named after Brownwood’s legendary high school coach, the stadium seats about 8,000 and has an artificial playing surface.

Coach Wood had a career record of 396–91–15 and won nine state championships. The facility is next to the Camp Bowie Memorial Air Park.

The Jackets had a 1-9 record in 2011, 2-8 in 2010 and were 4-6 in 2009.

Thomas Head starts at quarterback. He connected on 18 of 28 passes against Trinity for 136 yards. He had an interception and one touchdown pass.

Tyson Swanner was his primary target, reeling in six receptions for 44 yards. Zarron Dove was tops in rushing with 61 yards on 12 carries (5.1 per carry).

Team Buzz totaled 233 yards, 97 of it on the ground. They held the Tigers to 97 rushing, though Trinity found success through the air for 381 yards.

Howard Payne turned the ball over four times, which the Tigers parlayed into 28 points.

SAGU was led by Golson, who transferred to the Lions a year ago from Howard Payne. The junior was 12 of 24 for 178 yds. His top targets were Trevor McKinley (Arlington, Tx / Seguin HS) and Jeremy McDonald (San Antonio, Tx / Cornerstone), who snared five and three receptions.

Cade Lueschner (Waco, Tx / Robinson HS) rushed for 67 on 19 totes (3.5 avg).

The squad will have senior halfback Sean Haynes (Katy, Tx / Univ of Houston, Katy HS) healthy after sitting out last week.

Defensively, SAGU ranks #8 nationally after yielding only 238 yds to Bethany. The Lions allowed just 80 on the ground, just 1.8 per attempt.

MLB Kendal Evers (Danbury, Tx / Danbury HS) led the unit with five tackles and an interception. Redshirt freshman cornerback Shakeem Taylor (Mesquite, Tx / Poteet HS) picked off a pair of passes, both in the red zone.

Junior place-kicker James Gish (Waxahachie, Tx / Waxahachie HS) had a super debut, making all four of his field goal tries.

SAGU plays host to Austin College (Tx) next Saturday, September 15. Kickoff is slated for 7:00pm.

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.