The Pirate faithful were treated to another exciting game at Birkelbach Field on Saturday when they took on the McMurry War Hawks. Both teams were desperate to get in the win column. Southwestern came in on a two-game losing streak after two big losses to Belhaven University and Mary Hardin-Baylor, and McMurry came to Birkelbach on a three-game losing streak to start off their season. It was evident at the start of the game that the teams were evenly matched and it would take a battle to the end for the Pirates to secure the victory.
The Pirates received the kickoff to start the game, but a quick three and out gave the War Hawks the ball at their own 20-yard line after a fifty-yard punt from ASC Special Teams player of the Week, Benjamin Lancaster.
McMurry's offense started the game off with a long nine play eighty-yard drive capped off with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Andrew McBride that gave them a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Similar to the Pirate's last outing at Birkelbach, the offense struggled in the first few possessions, Lancaster would come on again to punt for the second drive. Lancaster flipped the field for the War Hawks, forcing them to start their drive from their own 18-yard line.
McMurry scored with ease this time around, scoring on an 80-yard touchdown pass giving them a quick 14-0 lead. With the pregame jitters out of the way, the Pirates settled in on offense and began driving the length of the field. On the McMurry 27-yard line, ASC Offensive player of the week Landry Gilpin fired a long throw to the endzone and found JoJo Wilson, who made a circus catch, falling on his back in mid-air for the touchdown.
A stalled McMurry drive ended the first quarter with a score of 14-7. The Pirates started off the second quarter with the ball and again put themselves in scoring position. With the ball on the 10-yard line going in, Gilpin caught the snap, rolled to his right, and found a wide-open Joey Robinson who bulled his way through McMurry defenders for the Pirate's second touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.
McMurry scored two field goals on the following possessions giving them a 20-14 lead with six minutes remaining in the half. On the ensuing Pirates' possession, their drive was cut short on a fumble that was recovered by the War Hawks, giving them excellent field position and a chance to extend the lead.
McMurry did just that, scoring on a long touchdown pass on the second play of the drive giving the War Hawks a 26-14 lead going into halftime. With McMurry receiving the ball to start the half, it was crucial that the Pirate's defense get a stop early and give the ball back to their offense.
The Pirate defense held their ground and a bad punt by McMurry gave the Pirates great field position. The next possession was dominated by Landry Gilpin, who rushed for over forty yards and a touchdown on the single drive. Following the point after by Charlie Fournier, the Pirates were now only down 26-21.
Another strong stand by the defense gave Southwestern another chance to close the gap. On a long third down and five, Gilpin dropped back to pass and hit senior wide receiver Ethan Powell for a 73-yard Southwestern touchdown handing the Pirates the first lead of the ball game, 28-26.
The Pirates had completely flipped the script on the War Hawks in the second half with the Southwestern defense only allowing one touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Pirates continued to extend their lead in the third, putting up another touchdown thanks to hard running on the goal line from running back Jaquon Marion.
A long drive to start the fourth quarter, ending in a field goal from Fournier, just about put the Pirates out of reach from the War Hawks, extending their lead to 38-26 with eight minutes remaining. The Southwestern defense held true for the rest of the fourth quarter only allowing one touchdown and denying the War Hawks any points on their last drive of the game, securing the Pirates a 38-33 victory.
Photo by Carlos Barron