GEORGETOWN, Texas — Offense, defense, and special teams struggled in a second half in which the Southwestern University Pirates surrendered five touchdowns to lose 49-23 to the East Texas Baptist University Tigers.
Turnovers reared their ugly head once again, albeit in a different fashion from a week ago, with three interceptions spoiling the return of starting quarterback Austin Emery.
Emery returned to action for the first time since the season opener and immediately provided Southwestern with a different look, showing a firmer grasp of the nuances of the Southwestern rushing attack with a six and 17-yard gain in his first two snaps.
His experience in the offense was evident from the start in the quality of his fakes, cutbacks, and decision-making on pitches, giving Southwestern a glimpse of its familiar offense between the 30-yard lines in the first half.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, the rust accumulated during a few weeks out was also evident in the passing game, overthrowing receiver David Brandenburg and taking a sack to stall out the Pirates' first possession.
East Texas Baptist capitalized immediately, marching 81 yards in 11 plays, alternating Jeremiah Robertson runs and Brian Baca passes, finishing with a 28-yard touchdown run by Robertson for a 7-0 lead after the extra point.
Robertson did the heavy lifting in the Tigers' first two series, carrying nine times for 51 yards, but Baca kept drives alive with three completions of 20-plus yards on three third-and-long snaps in the first two East Texas Baptists possessions.
Baca found Davion Carter on third-and-14 from the ETBU 27 and Jalen Blanton for 22 yards on third-and-10 from the 50. In the second series, Baca hit Carter for a 44-yard reception on third-and-9 from the ETBU 15, sustaining another drive capped off by a Robertson 13-yard touchdown run.
Another sack and an incomplete pass gave the Pirates a three-and-out possession on the ensuing drive but Southwestern got a big play in special teams, forcing a fumble and recovering at the Southwestern 46.
Emery accounted for 39 of the Pirates' 44 yards in nine plays on the drive, getting on the scoreboard with a 27-yard Wil Herbst field goal.
The defense responded by holding East Texas Baptist to a three-and-out possession to get the ball back on a short field, driving 32 yards on three plays with Brandenburg scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run to pull within 14-10 after the extra point.
Southwestern forced another punt and drove 53 yards on 10 plays but ETBU defensive back KJ Kelley made his first of three interceptions on the day, picking off Emery at the ETBU five-yard line.
The defense forced another punt, giving the Pirates the ball at the East Texas Baptist 44-yard line with 39 seconds remaining, giving Emery enough time to find Brandenburg for a 23-yard touchdown to take a 16-14 lead at the half after a missed extra point.
East Texas Baptist set the tone on its first drive of the second half, opening with a 42-yard run by Justin Ward, a 15-yard pass to Tariq Gray, and a 12-yard run and one-yard rushing touchdown by Gray.
After a Pirate three-and-out, Baca made two more big completions on third-and-long and Keshoyn Alexander capped an 11-play, 65-yard drive off with an 11-yard rushing touchdown for a 28-16 lead after the extra point.
Austin Castilleja gave the Pirates life on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 36 yards to the 50 to setup an eventual Elijah Smith 38-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 28-23 after the extra point.
The momentum was short-lives as Alexander returned the Southwestern kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown return, blowing the game open at 35-23.
Southwestern drove inside the ETBU 20 at the start of the fourth but Kelley intercepted Emery at the 10, leading to an eight-play, 74-yard touchdown drive capped off by Baca's 39-yard pass to Jake Smith.
Another Emery interception led to a Bailey Badeaux 43-yard touchdown run for the 49-23 score.
Emery led the Pirates with 111 yards rushing on 28 attempts, reigniting the Pirates rushing attack with Elijah Smith playing off him for 72 yards on 10 carries. But Emery completed just 5-of-19 passes for 54 yards with one touchdown and three picks.
Baca was an efficient 13-for-19 for 212 yards and a touchdown while the Tigers' War (110) and Robertson (104) each rushed for more than 100 yards.
With the loss, the Pirates drop to 4-4 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. With two games remaining, Southwestern will host Howard Payne on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1:00 p.m.