LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Wayland Baptist football extended its winning streak to five games Saturday afternoon with a commanding 45–8 road victory over Arkansas Baptist at Quigley Stadium. After falling behind early, the Pioneers dominated both sides of the ball, scoring 45 unanswered points to improve to 5–2 overall and 4–2 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
The Pioneers relied heavily on their powerful rushing attack, piling up 195 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Keamodre Horace and
Damon Ford combined for five of those scores, leading a Wayland offense that broke open a tight first half with a 30-point surge after halftime.
Arkansas Baptist scored first midway through the opening quarter on a six-yard run, but the Pioneers quickly responded. Early in the second quarter, Horace punched in a 10-yard touchdown run to tie the game, and Ford followed just over a minute later with a 37-yard scoring dash to give WBU a 15–8 lead heading into the break.
Wayland wasted no time putting the game away in the second half. Horace ripped off a 40-yard touchdown run on the first offensive play of the third quarter, sparking a dominant stretch in which the Pioneers scored on five straight possessions.
Maddox Plazek added a two-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation, and Horace capped off the third quarter with his third score of the day, a 19-yard burst that pushed the lead to 35–8.
The Pioneers added a 25-yard field goal from
Trent McLemore and a 10-yard touchdown run by Ford in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.
Defensively, Wayland was relentless, forcing six turnovers — including three fumble recoveries and an interception by
Tyrone Morgan.
Isaiah Brooks anchored the defense with 13 tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles, while
X'Zavion Williams added a sack and forced fumble of his own. The Pioneers tallied four sacks and 12 tackles for loss, stifling the Buffaloes after the opening quarter.
Despite controlling the ball for less than 24 minutes, Wayland's efficiency and explosiveness proved decisive. The Pioneers averaged 5.7 yards per play and capitalized on nearly every red-zone opportunity, scoring on five of six trips inside the 20.
With the victory, Wayland Baptist has now won five straight games, only one win away from tying their longest winning streak in program history – winning six in row back in 2016.
The Pioneers will return home for Senior Day on Saturday, November 1
st when they host the Lions of Nelson University. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.
