W axahachie, Texas- September 20, 2015- The Southwestern Assemblies of God University football team came out on top yet again, after a 38-24 victory over Howard Payne University (0-3).  The Lions are off to a 3-0 start to the season.

Going into the fourth quarter the game was tied at 17-17.  The Lions were able to score 21 points in the fourth quarter to come out with the victory.

“I was very happy with our overall effort but especially in the fourth quarter.  I thought our mental toughness and conditioning made a difference in the outcome,” says head coach Frank Tristan , “Our guys were able to create turnovers and convert turnovers into points at the end of the game.”

The Lions were the first to put up points on the board when kicker Chadd Dearen made a 42-yard field goal.

At the end of the first quarter freshman running back Chris Jenkins had 46-yard touchdown run.  The extra point was good by Dearen and the Lions were up 10-0.

Howard Payne was able to come back with 14 unanswered points on two SAGU turnovers.  The first touchdown came after a fumble recovery by J. Longoria.  The second came off a blocked punt by J. Estes which was recovered by Xavier McFalls.

Going into halftime, SAGU was down 14-10.

In the third quarter, SAGU’s CJ Collins passed to sophomore Toras Hill for a 75 yard touchdown.

A SAGU turnover resulted in the Yellow Jackets getting the ball on the SAGU 20 yard line.  SAGU defense came up big, forcing HPU to a 26-yard field goal, once again tying the game 17-17 going into the fourth.

The Yellow Jackets had a 14-play, 80-yard drive for their final score of the night.  HPU took the lead 24-17 when Colby Mica scored.

The momentum of the game completely switched to SAGU’s favor in the fourth quarter.  Collins completed a six-yard long touchdown pass to Jeremy Carr .  Dearen’s kick was good and the Lions tied 24-24.

On the Lions next possession Collins connected with senior Caleb Shelly on a 20-yard touchdown pass, taking the lead, 31-24.

To seal the win, senior Senior Shakeem Taylor intercepted a ball for a touchdown, making the final score 38-24.

Collins had another strong game, passing for 245 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Chris Jenkins had 11 carries for 62 yards.  Senior Caleb Shelly had five receptions for 53-yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Jeremiah Maat and Marquise McCormick led the Lions.  Maat had 11 tackles and McCormick had 10. D’Vonn Brown had six tackles,  three for a loss and one sack.  Sophomore Carl Morgan had two interceptions.  Senior Trevor VanKempen had one interception and a forced fumble and Shakeem Taylor had one interception for a touchdown and one fumble recovery.

The Lions will take on Texas Lutheran University on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 6:00pm.  TLU is currently 3-1.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.

By: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]