Box Score
SHAWNEE, Okla. – Seven turnovers by Wayland Baptist – including five interceptions – helped Oklahoma Baptist as the first-year Bison saddled the Pioneers with their seventh loss of the season here Saturday afternoon, 37-10.
"You don't give yourself a real opportunity to win" with seven turnovers, WBU coach Butch Henderson said, adding that many of the giveaways were double-whammies as they came when either the Pioneer offense was on the move and prevented a Wayland score or set up OBU in prime scoring position.
"We had some of those at key times when we were moving the ball, and that kills you," Henderson said. "It kills your momentum."
The Pioneers fell to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the Central States Football League. OBU, which like Wayland last season is in its first year of football after a seven-decade hiatus, won its second straight game and improves to 2-5 and 1-1.
Wayland's first turnover of the game resulted in a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown by OBU's Eugene Estes with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
The Pioneers, who missed a 22-yard field goal on their first possession of the game, also turned it over on three of their next possessions, once more on an interception and twice on fumbles.
OBU took advantage of the first of those fumbles by Pioneer quarterback Josh Houghtaling, making it 14-0 on a one-yard TD run by Jordan Barnes less than a minute into second quarter.
Two plays after that, Houthaling threw his second interception of the game at the Wayland 25-yard line, and on OBU's next play the Bison scored on a pass that made it 21-0.
"Defensively, we played well enough that it kept us close for awhile, but you can't do that time after time," Henderson said of turning the ball over deep inside your own territory. "We gave them a touchdown on that first one, and then I think three other times they got it in scoring position off of turnovers.
"Besides losing momentum, you really put your defense in a bind."
The Pioneers got on the board on a 5-yard TD run by Kendall Roberson, and a pass from Braden Hudson to Stephen Malouf on the PAT made it 21-8 with 4:30 remaining before halftime.
Wayland threatened to score late in the first half but couldn't, and the Pioneers trailed by 13 at the break.
OBU struck first in the second half on a 45-yard TD pass from Grauer to Symonds that made it 27-8 with 4:05 left in the third.
The Pioneers got in on the turnovers when Jon-Lucas Poe stole the ball from an OBU ball carrier. A 28-yard pass from Hudson to Chris Acosta set Wayland up with a first down and goal at the 5, but the Bison held on four downs and the OBU offense took over inside its own 1. On the next play, the ball was snapped over the Bison quarterback's head, giving Wayland a safety and making the score 27-10.
An interception, this one by Hudson, led to a 22-yard field goal and a 30-10 lead before another pick from Hudson's hand set up the Bison at the Wayland 10. After a Pioneer penalty, OBU scored its final TD on a 5-yard run with 5:42 left in the game.
The final interception from Hudson led to a 21-yard field goal and the final points of the game with 6:48 left.
"The kids played real hard, especially defensively, and the special teams did a good job again. Plus we did some really good things at times offensively," Henderson said. "Those phases were good, but we have to put all of it together for a full ballgame."
Wayland held the edge in first downs (21-16) and total yards (328-309), but the Bison committed six fewer turnovers.
Roberson ended with 136 yards rushing on 21 carries. Hudson completed 17-of-36 passes for 167 yards and four picks while Houghtaling was 4-of-8 for 29 yards and one INT. They completed passes to nine receivers, led by Acosta's four catches for 57 yards and Josh Bailey's five grabs for 41 yards.
Henderson said Saturday's loss to Wayland's Sooner Athletic Conference rival in its first-year playing football was tough to swallow, mostly because the Pioneers didn't play their best football.
"It's hard losing to anybody," he said. "When you do like we did today and give them opportunity after opportunity, and they're a pretty good football team.
"But it's just like the other ones we've lost. We have to get to where we're making plays. That's why we're not winning: We're not making plays."
The Pioneers take next week off before hosting Southwestern Assemblies of God University at 2 p.m. Nov. 2. SAGU, which fell 27-17 to Austin College on Saturday, is 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the CSFL, having beaten OBU, 21-10.
Henderson said the Pioneers will use their bye week to heal, both physically and psychologically, before strapping it on for the home stretch.
"We have a ton of them out with little injuries," the coach said. "This will give us time to lick our wounds and get healthy and make a run at the last three" games.
After SAGU, Wayland hosts McMurry on Nov. 9 before ending the season Nov. 16 at Langston.
