Defense sets tone as WBU returns to winning ways with 40-18 triumph over Texas College

Defense set the tone as the Wayland Baptist Pioneers returned to their winning ways with a convincing 40-18 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over Texas College on Saturday afternoon at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.
 
"The kids played really well," Wayland coach Butch Henderson said. "After getting beat like we did last week, it's nice to come back and put together a win like that."
 
The Pioneer special teams, with a big assist from the defense, put up the first points of the day with a safety, and the defense got the last points with a pick-six to help Wayland (2-3, 1-2 SAC) snap a three-game skid. In between, the WBU offense provided three touchdowns, and Kaleb Thornton kicked three field goals toward the Pioneers' season-high point total against the winless Steers (0-4, 0-3).
 
"That win was important," Henderson said.
 
The win leaves the Pioneers with a pleasing taste in their mouths going into the last of their two open weeks before returning to play Oct. 19 at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The Lions (0-3, 0-1) were looking for their first victory of the season on the road against Texas Wesleyan on Saturday night in Fort Worth.
 
"We've got a week to put things together, rest up and get ready to make a run and go win five more," Henderson said.
 
Against Texas College, Wayland's win was never really in doubt after the Pioneers jumped out to a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter, then stretched it to 30-6 midway through the third. The Steers did close to within 30-18 early in the fourth, but Wayland put it away with a 19-yard field goal followed by a 35-yard pick-six by freshman linebacker Jordan McDavis, who jumped an out-route and went untouched into the end zone with 1:55 left in the game.
 
"We played extremely well defensively all the way through, and moved the ball offensively," Henderson said.
 
The Pioneers got their day started when the WBU defense – on the game's opening series – recorded the first of its five sacks (and 13 tackles for loss) by Jaden Farmer, who dropped the Steer quarterback on his own 9-yard line. On the next play, the Texas College punter couldn't handle the snap, and sophomore Trace Richey and a handful of teammates brought him down in his own end zone.
 
Wayland made it 10-0 when Mitchell Parsley, alternating at quarterback with Nick Quinones, found Brayln Kirby on a 40-ard pass. Kirby hauled it in at the 15-yard line then shook a defender for the first touchdown of the day. Wyatt Edwards caught a pass from Caden Bailey for the 2-point conversion.
 
After a 3-and-out for Texas College, the Pioneers put together a 7-play, 65-yard drive capped when Quintero hooked up with Daniel Hurn for a 3-yard TD pass in the flat.
Thornton then booted his first field goal, a 31-yarder, to make it 20-0 just over five minutes into the second period.
 
It took the Steers just four plays and 98 seconds to march 66 yards for their first points of the day on a 25-yard pass from Derrick Cooper to Keysh Henderson. The low PAT kick was blocked by Gerrick McKinney.
 
Thornton missed a 46-yard field goal, but after the Steers were called for being offside he got to try it from 41 yards and was good, making it 23-6 with 2:02 left before halftime.
 
After the teams traded possessions to start the second half, Wayland went up 30-6 when Parsley threw his second TD of the game, a 19-yarder to Hurn. After making the grab at the 15, Hurn spun out of a tackle then picked up a freeing block from fellow receiver Evan Gonzales in order to score.
 
The Steers scored on their next possession and again early in the fourth to pull to within a dozen points with 13 minutes still left in the game.
 
The Steers' offense got the ball back, but after back-to-back sacks by Justin Wheeler and Casey Buck, Buck forced a fumble that Manny Arguijo recovered at the Texas College 2. That resulted in Thornton's final field goal of the day and a 33-18 lead.
 
McDavis's pick-six came two series later to end the scoring.
 
Wayland's defense – led by Buck and Arguijo with seven tackles each – allowed Texas College just 64 rushing yards on 30 carries. "I'll take that any day of the week," Henderson said.

Three Steer quarterbacks combined to complete only 12-of-34 passes with three interceptions, and Texas College converted only 1-of-11 third downs and 0-of-5 fourth downs.
 
Henderson said a position switch helped solidify the defense.
 
"We took two of our more experienced safeties – Derrick and David Garza – and moved them out to corners. That helped, but mostly the defense just played well and tackled well."

The Pioneers did most of their damage offensively in the air as Quintero and Parsley combined to completed 17-of-38 for 279 yards and the three TDs. Michael Ve'an caught five passes for 87 yards while Hurn had four for 92 and two scores and Kirby four for 67.