Box Score
Winning is always nice, and winning while shutting out your opponent makes it even sweeter. The Wayland Baptist Pioneers experienced that thrill for the first time since the football program was restarted four years ago as the Pioneers blanked Texas College on Saturday afternoon in Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium, 24-0.
In snapping a three-game losing skid, the Pioneers evened their overall record to 3-3 while also leveling their record in Central States Football League play to 1-1. Texas College fell to 0-5, 0-2.
A week after sitting out with concussion-like symptoms, Wayland sophomore quarterback
Payson Bain threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with
Trey Rowe on a 38-yard score,
Devonte Hayden on a 39-yard strike, and with
Chris Acosta on a 16-yard point-producer.
Daniel Martinez completed the scoring for the Pioneers with a 31-yard field goal.
In a game that saw 18 punts, Wayland scored its first points midway through the second quarter to culminate an impressive 98-yard, eight-play drive that began following a clutch interception on fourth down by WBU linebacker
Alden Mann at the Texas College 2-yard line.
Wayland slowly began marching the other direction, the lengthy drive kick-started by a nifty 27-yard quarterback draw by Bain that helped the Pioneers recover from a holding penalty. The 38-yard TD strike saw a streaking Rowe catch the ball over his shoulder just outside the goalline.
The Pioneers' second score came on the heels of Martinez's first missed field goal of the season. After nine makes, Martinez finally missed on a 37-yarder that the left-footer pushed.
After the WBU defense forced a three-and-out and after a shanked punt, the Pioneer offense was back on the field with 1:06 left before halftime but just 39 yards away from paydirt. It took just two plays and 21 seconds to get the job done, with Hayden hauling in a Bain aerial by outjumping a Texas College defender at the 7-yard line and then hurrying to the end zone. Hayden ended with 99 yards receiving.
After a scoreless third quarter, Wayland put the game out of reach by scoring on its first possession of the fourth period. An eight-play, 63-yard drive was capped when senior Acosta caught a touchdown pass in his third straight game.
Although Wayland punted eight times, Texas College ended with minus-four yards in returns, due in part to effective directional punting by
Caleb O'Connor that resulted in only two returns.
As he has for much of the season, Mann again led the Pioneer defensive charge by racking up 13 tackles (nine solo, eight assists). He also recorded a sack and 1½ tackles for loss. Senior defensive tackle
Reggie Pierce had five solo and three assisted stops, including three tackles for loss.
It marks the second time this season Wayland has won entering a bye week; the Pioneers also had a bye following their 42-5 season-opening win over Southwestern College (Kan.) Wayland is next in action on Oct. 24 in Waxahachie against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (5-1, 2-0 CSFL), which drilled Lyon College on Saturday, 47-7. The Lions defeated Texas College in their other conference outing, 49-10.
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