LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- McMurry University scored 20 unanswered fourth-quarter points to pull off a miraculous 27-19 come-from-behind victory over Texas Lutheran University Saturday night in the SCAC Football Championship title game at War Memorial Stadium. Official Championships Website | Photo Album | Interview with McMurry Head Coach Jordan Neal, defensive lineman Jackson Harris and quarterback Dylan Plake
After TLU's Kibreante Williams scored from seven yards out to take a 19-7 lead (the attempt for two failed), the Bulldogs were 12:48 away from earning their second consecutive SCAC football title and fifth in program history. But the War Hawks put together a 13-play, 77-yard drive - culminating with a one-yard TD plunge by Nyles Hullaby - to cut the TLU lead to 19-13 with 7:35 remaining.
Pinned deep after being tackled at their own 10-yard line on the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs fumbled on the second play of the drive as McMurry's Bryce Neves recovered the loose ball in the end zone and Jax Rodriguez's extra point gave the War Hawks their first lead since the first quarter at 20-19 with 7:27 remaining.
A second fumble by TLU, forced and recovered by McMurry's Brayden Youree, set the War Hawks up at the Bulldog 30 yard line with 6:51 remaining. From there, McMurry put together a five play, 30-yard drive when Tedrick Williams scored from nine yards out to extend the lead to 27-19, which would prove to be the final margin.
20 UNANSWERED POINTS.
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TLU had two more changes to score and convert a two-point conversation to force overtime, but an interception by the War Hawks' Dylan Davis and and another fumble recovery by Neves on back-to-back possessions clinched the game and the conference crown for McMurry.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- McMurry got on the board first as first-year quarterback Dylan Plake hit sophomore running back Tedrick Williams, who danced and darted into the end zone from 11 yards out to give the War Hawks a 7-0 lead with 5:46 remaining in the first quarter. A 61-yard completion from Plake to junior receiver Thomas Chandler set McMurry up for the score two plays later.
- Texas Lutheran responded on its ensuing drive as first-year quarterback Reece Deitrick, facing third and 17 from the War Hawks' 42-yard line, found senior Caleb Camarillo with an arching spiral over triple coverage for the touchdown. The PAT evened the score at 7-7 with 2:16 remaining in the opening quarter.
- A muffed punt return by McMurry set TLU up at its own 39-yard line and the Bulldogs turned the takeaway into points after a six-play, 38 yard drive stalled and first-year kicker Caleb Schuetze nailed the field goal attempt from 40 yards out as TLU took its first lead of the game at 10-7 with 11:11 remaining in the first half.
- Schuetze hit from 37 yards out with 12 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs the 13-7 halftime lead.
- After a scoreless third quarter, TLU appeared to have put the game out of reach when Williams scored from seven yards out to give the Bulldogs the 19-7 lead. But fourth quarter chaos would ensue and McMurry took advantage of four consecutive Texas Lutheran turnovers to secure the win.
MCMURRY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Tedrick Williams: 12 rushes, 31 yards, 1 TD
- Dylan Plake: 17-36 for 234 yards and 1 TD
- Thomas Chandler: 3 receptions for 106 yards
- Jadyn Pruitt: 6 receptions for 49 yards
- Brayden Youree: 12 tackles (8 solo), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups
- Zach Mitchell: 10 tackles (6 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup
- Bryce Neves: 8 tackles (4 solo), .5 sacks, .5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles
- Jackson Harris: 5 tackles (4 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss
TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Tory Brooks: 17 rushes for 55 yards
- Kibreante Williams: 16 rushes for 51 yards and 1 TD
- Reece Dietrick: 16-31 for 200 yards and 1 TD, 1 interception, 10 rushes for 34 yards
- Lavonta Henry: 4 receptions for 50 yards
- Caleb Camarillo: 2 receptions for 75 yards, 1 TD
- Malik Johnson: 7 tackles (5 solo)
- Travonne Woodley: 6 tackles (5 solo), 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss
- Owen Garcia: 6 tackles (4 solo), 2 tackles for loss
NOTABLES
- TLU had eight fumbles, losing four of them, and was intercepted once. McMurry lost one of its two fumbles.
- Texas Lutheran outgained McMurry, 312 to 270, and the Bulldogs held the War Hawks to just 36 yards rushing, their second-lowest output of the season.
- This was the inaugural SCAC Football Championship weekend, with Austin College (fifth place), Hendrix College (third place) and McMurry University (champions) picking up victories in Saturday's tripleheader at War Memorial Stadium.
- McMurry, which shared last year's conference championship with Texas Lutheran, exits the SCAC with two football titles in two years.
- The championship game was the only one of the three contests where the team that had won the regular season matchup did not win again on Saturday.
- Texas Lutheran had defeated McMurry, 42-13, on Nov. 1 in Abilene.
- Both McMurry and TLU end their seasons with 6-4 overall marks. The SCAC does not have an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament and no SCAC school was high enough in the NCAA NPI rankings to qualify for an at-large bid.
