If the Wayland Baptist football team defeats Howard Payne University on Saturday afternoon, there might not be the kind of jubilation that there was two years ago when the Pioneers beat the Yellow Jackets to mark the program's first victory in 72 years.
Then again, there just may be. Every victory for the Pioneers these days is special.
Wayland will line up to give it a shot beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium against a team that has provided the Pioneers with down-to-the-wire contests the past two years.
Back on Sept. 15, 2012, Wayland prevailed over Howard Payne in just its second official game since 1940, scoring with 47 seconds left to take a 27-23 victory in front of 3,000 exuberant fans in Bulldog Stadium. Then last year in Brownwood in a game that featured 30 penalties and seven interceptions, the Pioneers almost did it again, overcoming a 31-8 deficit to assume the lead early in the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets – on a 78-yard fluke touchdown – scored to secure a 38-34 victory.
While he'll likely never forget the resuscitated program's very first victory two years ago, and last year's thriller is still very vivid, Wayland head coach
Butch Henderson and the Pioneers are focused on the future, and most immediately that means Saturday afternoon's game against the NCAA Division III Yellow Jackets.
"I thought we made a good jump in many areas last week," Henderson said in comparing the Pioneers' performance from their season-opening 28-21 road win over Arizona Christian to last Saturday's 38-21 home loss to Western State Colorado.
"We need to (make that same improvement each week) for the next month, until we get down into conference play," Henderson added. "That's when we need to be hitting on all cylinders."
Saturday's game – the second of a three-game home stand and designated as Parent's Day – will be preceded by a tailgate party hosted by Happy State Bank. Free food and drinks, while it lasts, will be available beginning around 12:30 p.m. The tailgate party also will feature music and giveaways and performances by the WBU band and spirit teams.
As players head to the field for warm-ups just before 1 p.m., fans are invited to greet Pioneer players as they make their way through the tailgate area on the south side of the home (west) parking lot. Also, a car caravan will leave from the Laney Center at 12:15.
Howard Payne comes to Plainview sporting a 1-0 record, having squeaked out a 30-27 win over fellow D-III Trinity University last Saturday in San Antonio. The Yellow Jackets scored with 2½ minutes left in the game to take the lead then recovered a fumble at their own 37-yard line to secure the victory.
Henderson pointed out that the Yellow Jackets came up with four of the nine Trinity fumbles they created in the game. That's cause for concern for a Wayland team that last week struggled with giving the ball – and points – away against Western State Colorado.
"They have a well-coached 3-4 defense. Their coaches put them in position to be able to make plays, and they play hard," Henderson said of Howard Payne.
Junior linebacker Christopher Hickey led the Yellow Jackets with 11 tackles. Four others were credited with nine tackles each, including the player who caught Henderson's eye the most in Nigel Deas, a 5-foot-8, 210-pound sophomore linebacker from Killeen.
"He seems to be their big leader in the linebacking crew," Henderson said. "We have to block him."
The coach also is impressed with 5-11, 235-pound junior Donald Preston of Tomball, Texas.
"They had him at noseguard last year and he gave us fits. They have him at defensive end now," Henderson said. "He can move, which is why we had trouble with him. He's the whole key to their defensive front."
On offense, Howard Payne prefers to put the ball in the air, doing it 51 times last week. Sophomore quarterback Richard Young (6-0, 180) of Gunter, Texas, completed 36 of his passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns against Trinity. Last year against Wayland, Young completed 20-of-35 for 340 yards, although the Pioneers picked him off four times.
On the receiving end of 14 of Young's completions for 145 yards last week was Colby Mica, a 6-2, 185-pound junior from Flatonia, Texas.
"He's a key guy, although they really do a good job of spreading the ball around," Henderson said.
Against Trinity, Young completed passes to 11 different receivers, including Zarron Dove. Wayland fans may remember Dove as the running back who last year caught a short pass and was seemingly thrown to the ground by the Pioneers, only to roll off a Wayland player without being downed. He then raced 78 yards to the end zone for the winning touchdown.
As for Howard Payne's rushing game, Wayland kept Dove and the rest of the Yellow Jackets bottled up last year with just 84 yards on 41 attempts. HPU rushed 35 times for 115 yards against Trinity last week, with Dove getting 73 yards and a touchdown.
"They'll get in some real heavy sets and run at you some, but they're most effective throwing," Henderson said.
While Wayland is looking to make inroads toward a winning season in its third year back on the field, so is Howard Payne. The Yellow Jackets, who ended last year 4-6, haven't had a winning season since going 7-3 in 2005.
Henderson is optimistic that the Pioneers' arrow is pointing up, and he hopes it continues in that direction.
"Defensively we're playing really well, and our kicking game is solid in all phases. And we're developing a personality to be able to score from anywhere on the football field.
"Now we just need to win again."
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