GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Southwestern Pirates football team surrendered three touchdowns to the East Texas Baptist Tigers in the second quarter, dropping the season opener 28-17.
Southwestern looked sharp in its opening drive, with sophomore quarterback Landry Gilpin leading a 12-play, 68-yard drive, completing 4-of-5 passes for 36 yards, and drawing a 15-yard pass interference penalty that eventually set up a Wil Herbst 35-yard field goal.
The Pirates seized the momentum on the ensuing defensive possession, stuffing East Texas Baptist quarterback Aaron Brown and forcing a fumble recovered by Ben Brockman at the Southwestern 45-yard line.
Starting running back Brady French carried the load on the Pirates' second drive, carrying the ball five times for 18 yards before leaving the game with an injury after being stopped for no gain on the East Texas Baptist 34-yard line. Gilpin carried the offense the rest of the way, running for 14 yards on three carries and delivering a 16-yard pass to freshman Adrian Garza, who had a solid collegiate debut with four receptions for 34 yards. The Pirates took the 10-0 lead after the extra point.
East Texas answered with a 9-play, 68-yard drive orchestrated by Brown and running back Bailey Badeaux, ending with a 21-yard touchdown pass to DeCarl Frazier on third-and-10.
After shutting the Pirates down in five plays on the next drive, Brown caught his rhythm, completing 4-of-5 passes capped off by a 10-yard touchdown to Tariq Gray for the 14-10 lead with 9:35 remaining in the half.
The wind became a factor early in the second quarter, carrying three consecutive East Texas Baptist kickoff attempts out of bounds, backing them up to their own red zone. Elijah Norris took advantage, returning the eventual kickoff 44 yards to the East Texas Baptist 31.
On the second play of the drive, the Pirates ran a beautifully executed reverse flea-flicker with Gilpin delivering a perfect pass to Austin Castilleja for a 33-yard touchdown, putting Southwestern back on top 17-14.
Brown completed five consecutive passes, and Badeaux ran untouched for a 10-yard touchdown on the next drive, scoring in under four minutes for the 21-14 lead.
Southwestern got within striking distance on the next possession, but the drive fizzled out at the East Texas Baptist 29-yard line on an incomplete pass to turn the ball over on downs at the end of the half.
Southwestern picked Brown off twice in the third quarter but failed to capitalize, ending the following drives with a punt and missed field goal from 47 yards out.
The East Texas Baptist defense sealed the game early in the fourth quarter when Justice Henson picked off Gilpin at the Southwestern 37 and returned it for the touchdown with 908 remaining.
Southwestern threatened one final time on a 12-play, 67-yard drive that began at the 4:42 mark, but a dropped pass at the two-yard line ended the possession on downs, allowing East Texas Baptist to run out the clock after picking up one first down.
Gilpin finished 18-for-39 for 212 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Castilleja led the Pirates in receiving with four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. Ben Brockman had a team-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery for the Pirate defense.
Brown threw 17-for-26 for 160 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions for the Tigers. Badeaux carried the ball 12 times for a game-high 53 yards with a touchdown. Henson led East Texas Baptist with nine tackles and the interception for a touchdown.
Southwestern led the game in total offense (336-271) and time of possession (33:40-26:20), but committed seven penalties for 75 yards and turned the ball over three times on downs.
The Pirates will hit the road next week to face Louisiana College on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m. for their season opener. Southwestern won last season's contest 50-3.
For more SU Pirate photos, please see Carlos Barron Photography.