ABILENE, Texas — Southwestern University Pirates cornerback Dameon Dawson scored a defensive touchdown and the defense made a key goal line stand in the fourth quarter to overcome seven turnovers and preserve a 29-25 win over the McMurry University War Hawks.
"We fumbled 10 times and lost seven. A win is a win and we'll take it any way we can, but our defense and punter really bailed us out," Head Coach Joe Austin said. "They won the game. They kept us in it, they scored themselves. Our defense won it because our offense put the ball on the field 10 times."
In a sign of things to come, quarterback Coleman Kerr fumbled on the second play of the game's opening drive, giving McMurry the ball on the Southwestern 38-yard line.
On a short field, McMurry's offense turned to running back Kameron Session for three consecutive carries, punching the ball into the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown run for the 8-0 lead after quarterback Hagen Garvin connected on a pass to Kevin Hurley for the two-point conversion.
The Pirates put the ball on the ground again on their second drive, giving McMurry the ball at the McMurry 36-yard line.
Southwestern defensive end Nicholas Smith made two big plays in the defensive series, stuffing Session near the line of scrimmage on first down and breaking up a pass on 3rd-and-10 to force a three-and-out.
The Pirates took advantage with a four-play, 65-yard drive with alternating carries between Kerr and Austin Castilleja punctuated by Castilleja's 40-yard run to bring the Pirates within 8-7 after the extra point.
After the Pirate defense forced a punt to give Southwestern the ball at their own 31, the offense put the ball on the ground two more times on the drive, recovering the first fumble and losing the ball at their own 26.
Session capitalized again, scoring on a nine-yard run to give McMurry a 15-8 lead after the extra point.
After a Southwestern punt, the defense put matters into their own hands when Dawson picked off Garvin's pass and raced down the field for a 59-yard return to bring the Pirates within one at 15-14 after the extra point.
The Pirates fumbled thrice more in the first half, losing two, but the defense held its ground, holding McMurry scoreless the rest of the half.
"We told them you can't let if affect you the rest of the game," Austin said. "If a guy fumbles, you have to shake it off."
McMurry struck first in the second half, scoring on their second drive of the third quarter when Garvin found Hurley for a 45-yard touchdown reception for the 22-14 lead after the extra point.
The Pirate offense responded immediately, finding its footing with a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Kerr found a rhythm in the passing game, completing 3-of-5 passes for 66 yards and scoring on a one-yard run. Backup quarterback J.J. Slack tied the game on a run for the two-point conversion.
"[Coleman Kerr and J.J. Slack] are fighting hard, doing a great job," Austin said. "They both made mistakes today but also made some really big plays, led the second-half drives, made some really nice throws. They're young."
Another Pirate fumble at the end of the third quarter put McMurry in great field position at the Southwestern 28 but the defense held with defensive tackle Grant Mitchell holding McMurry to a three-yard run on first down, defensive end Garrett Womack hurrying Gavin into an incomplete pass on second, and an incomplete pass on third; limiting McMurry to a 42-yard field goal for the 25-22 lead.
The Pirates seized the momentum, opening the following drive with a 14-yard run by Castilleja and a pair of runs by Kerr for 14 yards before wide receiver Anfernee Stephens induced a pass interference and Kerr found Devin Shaw for a 24-yard touchdown pass and a 29-25 lead with 12:38 remaining.
Southwestern was its own worst enemy again on its next possession, fumbling at the McMurry 36 with 9:23 remaining.
The War Hawks march 46 yards on 13 plays, getting down to the Pirates two-yard line before linebacker Major George sacked Garvin for an 11-yard loss to force the turnover on downs with 4:27 remaining.
The Pirates' offense couldn't gain any traction, however, going three-and-out and forced to punt on 4th-and-6 from their own 22. Punter Victor Windfeld came through in the clutch, booming the ball 53 yards to flip the field to the McMurry 25.
"I knew they were coming fast, they came fast the whole game," Windfeld said. "I just knew I had to get it off fast, flipped the field and gave the defense a good field position to finish the game."
The Pirate defense bent but didn't break with 1:59 remaining, forcing the War Hawks to use 10 plays to drive 41 yards before the game ended on a bad snap on 3rd-and-three from the Southwestern 28.
Southwestern moved the ball for 363 yards on 60 plays, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, but allowed McMurry 27 more offensive snaps due to the seven turnovers.
Kerr was 8-for-15 for 132 yards and one touchdown, rushing for 46 yards on 18 carries and another score. Castilleja led the Pirates' offense with eight carries for 88 yards and one touchdown.
Defensive Ends Smith and Womack led the Pirates with 11 tackles each, including a combined 15 solo tackles. Womack had two tackles for losses, including a sack for a loss of five yards and two quarterback hurries.
With the win, the Pirates improve to 4-3 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. Southwestern will return home to play East Texas Baptist University next week on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m.