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University of the Incarnate Word Athletics

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McCarthy-Reeves 1
Mark Walton

Football

Cardinals Roll Over Steers

Box Score SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – In a record-setting performance, the University of the Incarnate Word rolled over visiting Texas College on Saturday night, 69-0 at Benson Stadium for football program's first win as a member of NCAA Division I.

The Cardinals (1-1) scored a touchdown on eight of their first 10 possessions en route to a school-record 69 points while also posting the first shutout in school history.  Senior fullback Matt Bass led the scoring with three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.  UIW racked up 525 total yards of offense and held the Steers (0-2) to just 71 total yards.

The game began well for the Cardinals as they kicked off and forced a quick punt by the Steers.  UIW blocked the punt and Michael Allen recovered at the 1-yard line setting up Bass' touchdown run on first down.  On the next possession, Adrian Norwood, Jr. intercepted a pass and returned it 34 yards setting the Cardinals up with another short field.  Six plays later, Trent Brittain passed to Bass who rumbled 16 yards for a second touchdown less than seven minutes into the game.

In the second quarter, the Cardinals scored 28 unanswered points.  Brittain hit freshman Daryl Brooks for a 31-yard scoring strike 32 seconds into the period.  UIW quickly forced a 3-and-out getting the ball back at the TC 47-yard line.  It only took five plays to score as Broderick Reeves coasted into the end zone on a 5-yard run with 11:29 to play in the quarter.

After the teams traded punts, the Cardinals drove 70 yards in eight plays for another score.  Brittain connected with Casey Jennings three times on the drive for a total of 58 yards.  The drive ended with Johnny Sessions scoring on a 6-yard run with 4:10 remaining in the half.

The Cardinals got the ball back one more time before halftime with 1:40 to play.  Reeves picked up a quick 30 yards on two carries and then Brittain connected with Jennings for 10 more yards to get into the red zone.  After a penalty, a 22-yard strike to Jennings gave UIW first-and-goal at the 3-yard line.  On third down, Brittian hit Cole Wick with a 2-yard touchdown pass with only eight ticks left in the half to make it 42-0 at the break.

The Cardinals received the ball to start the second half and went 56 yards in seven plays to score again.  Bass capped off the drive with a 2-yard scoring plunge while Brittain connected with Kent Hadnot on a 31-yard gain for the big play of the series.

Brittain would take the rest of the game off, but not before finishing 15-of-18 passing for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

On the next drive, quarterback Taylor Woods led UIW to a score.  Reeves scored on a 22-yard run that was set up by Woods' 18-yard scamper on the previous play.

The Cardinals would settle for Jake Wilcox field goals on their next two drives making the score 62-0.  The final scoring drive was set up by a 0-yard punt from the Steers giving UIW possession at the TC 22-yard line.  Woods hit Jordan Hicks for a 20-yard pass play and then John Oglesby scored on a 2-yard run.

The Cardinals had a balanced offensive attack gaining 267 yards rushing on 51 carries and passing for 258 yards.  They accumulated 26 first downs and averaged 7.1 yards per play.  Three different freshmen running backs each gained at least 70 yards on the night.  Reeves led the way with 88 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.  Sessions was next with 76 yards and a score on 13 carries while Oglesby finished with 13 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown.

In addition to Brittian, Woods went 3-of-5 for 47 yards passing.  Jennings led the team with five catches for 90 yards and nine different players had at least one reception.

In the kicking game, Wilcox was a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals connecting from 35 and 39 yards, respectively.  Punter Emmanuel Nunez averaged 47.0 yards on his two punts.

Defensively, the Cardinals had five sacks, 14.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions.  Joel Higgins led the team with six tackles, including a half sack.  Corey Lee, Josh Esukpa and Robby Horton each had 1.5 sacks on the night.  Kielyn Lewis and Norwood were credited with the interceptions.

The Steers were limited to just seven yards on 29 carries.  Quarterback Vincent McNeil gained over 100 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in a Week 1 loss at Belhaven, but was limited to zero yards rushing on nine carries and a 10-for-22 performance passing that netted 64 yards and two interceptions.  Ja'Marius Allen led the team with two catches for 23 yards.  One of the lone bright spots was Brad Lewis who picked up 139 kickoff return yards on seven returns.

The closest the Steers were to scoring came in the third quarter when they crossed over midfield for the first time in the game, but Lewis' interception put an end to that hope.  The UIW defense forced eight three-and-out drives for the Steers in the contest.

Charles Jones led the TC defense with 13 tackles while Kelvin Whitmill and Luis Castro each recorded a sack.

The game between the Cardinals and Steers was a rematch of last year's home opener when the Cardinals won 19-12.

The Cardinals are back in action next Saturday at home at 6 p.m. against Langston University. 
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