Posted: Feb 06, 2021
Texas Lutheran rallies for 39-38 road victory over Howard Payne
Texas Lutheran
(1-0)
39
Howard Payne
(0-1)
38
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas Lutheran (1-0) | 0 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 39 |
|
Howard Payne (0-1) | 0 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
BROWNWOOD, Texas -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs shrug off a more than five-month delay to their football season and overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit to defeat the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets 39-38 at Gordon Wood Stadium on Saturday.
"Well our kids were very resilient," said Ricky Matt, TLU's first-year head coach. "They pull for each other. They love each other. They never got down. They stayed in the game."
"They knew that if we just kept playing, because we have been there before the last three years several times, we could do it again."
Seth Cosme scored on a one-yard run with 1:47 to play, and then Cosme kept the ball again for the go-ahead, two-point conversion to give TLU its first lead of the game.
The TLU defense took care of the rest, never letting HPU get past midfield. The Bulldogs stopped HPU on a fourth-down incomplete pass.
The Bulldogs improved to 1-0 overall and to 1-0 in the ASC West Division. HPU fell to 0-1 and 0-1 in the ASC West.
TLU defeated the Yellow Jackets for the ninth consecutive time and for fifth straight time at Gordon Wood Stadium.
The victory was the first at TLU for Matt, who waited more than 400 days since being named head coach to collect his first victory and coach his first game. Matt was the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator the previous three seasons.
Cosme, the sophomore signal-caller, threw two TD passes and rushed for two more. Cosme made his first career start. TLU All-Conference QB Wade Freeman was ruled out for the game due to a non-COVID related medical issue.
"Seth has done a great job for the last three weeks in practice," said Matt. "We knew he was coming on. I kept telling our offense that he was going to be (very) good and that he was going to carry this team. And he did."
Cosme hit Mason Perkins for a 49-yard score at the 12:47 mark of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31.
After HPU took the lead back, on a two-yard run with 8:35 to play, Cosme and the Bulldogs marched 53 yards in seven minutes for the touchdown.
Cosme went up the middle on a quarterback sneak to score and bring TLU within one.
TLU place-kicker Juan Ocampo started to trot onto the field for the extra-point, but he made it just a few steps before he and the special teams unit were called back.
On the two-point play, Cosme kept the ball around the left-side of the line and ran untouched into the endzone. Freshman running back DaKory Willis provided a key block.
The Bulldogs return to Seguin for next Saturday's 6 p.m. home game against McMurry University. No fans will be allowed at Bulldog Stadium. TLU will have live video and live stats on tlubulldogs.com.
The Bulldogs return to Seguin for next Saturday's 6 p.m. home game against McMurry University. No fans will be allowed at Bulldog Stadium. TLU will have live video and live stats on tlubulldogs.com.
