Hounds erase 23-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat ASU 38-35

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Senior quarterback Steven Hinson’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Hunter with 1:03 left capped a fourth-quarter rally from a 23-point deficit, lifting Eastern New Mexico University to a 38-35 win over Angelo State Saturday night in a Lone Star Conference South Division football game.

The play completed a seven-play, 77-yard march that took just 57 seconds left after the Greyhounds (3-3, 2-0 South) forced a Rams punt.

Hinson rushed for 181 yards on 19 carries and completed 13-of-33 passes for 227 yards, including seven for 133 yards and two touchdowns to Hunter. The Hounds outgained Angelo for the game 480-414.

The winless Rams (0-6, 0-2) opened a 35-12 lead when sophomore quarterback Sol Southall, who had previously thrown three touchdown passes, scored on a one-yard run on the first play of the final period.

Hinson countered with TD runs of 5 and 14 yards only 13 seconds apart, pulling the Hounds to 35-18.

The latter score came on the first play after ASU’s Brandon Covington fumbled on the kickoff return, with ENMU’s Will Smith recovering the ball.

The Hounds then got field goals of 34 and 26 yards from sophomore Lee Price, who kicked four in the game and tied the school record he already shared with Bob Gilbreath. Price did it previously last season at Adams State, while Gilbreath’s outing was also against Angelo State at Blackwater Draw in 1987.

Eastern then forced another punt and took over at its own 23 with two minutes to go.

Price kicked field goals of 36 and 44 yards, the latter on the final play of the first quarter, to stake the Hounds to a 6-0 lead. But the Rams went ahead 14-6 in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the half when Wesley Lambert returned a fumble 25 yards for a score and Southall threw a 35-yard TD strike to sophomore wide receiver Lamar Hickey.

Southall tossed two more scoring passes late in the third quarter before the Hounds closed to 28-12 in the final minute of the period on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hinson to Hunter.

On the second play following ENMU’s kickoff, ASU senior running back Alexis Cooper rambled 67 yards to the ENMU 1, setting up Southall’s short scoring run to start the final quarter.

Lone Star Conference South

Saturday at San Angelo, Texas

ENMU 38, Angelo State 35

ENMU 6 0 6 26 — 38

Angelo State 0 14 14 7 — 35

Scoring summary

First quarter

ENM — Lee Price 36-yard FG, 6:45

ENM — Price 44-yard FG, :00

Second quarter

ASU — Wesley Lambert 25-yard fumble return (Bryan Hepler kick), 5:39

ASU — Lamar Hickey 35-yard pass from Sol Southall (Hepler kick), 2:51

Third quarter

ASU — Alexis Cooper 11-yard pass from Southall (Hepler kick), 5:20

ASU — Travis House 86-yard pass from Southall (Hepler kick), 2:24

ENM — Derrick Hunter 10-yard pass from Steven Hinson (run failed), :57

Fourth quarter

ASU — Southall 1-yard run (Hepler kick), 14:54

ENM — Hinson 5-yard run (pass failed), 12:06

ENM — Hinson 14-yard run (kick blocked), 11:53

ENM — Price 34-yard FG,k 6:43

ENM — Price 26-yard FG, 4:12

ENM — Hunter 31-yard pass from Hinson (Hinson run), 1:03

A — 6,400.

Team statistics

ENM ASU

First downs 21 15

Rushes-yards 47-253 39-189

Passing yards 227 225

Total yards 480 414

Comp-att-int 13-33-2 11-26-1

Punting 4-35.0 7-38.4

Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1

Penalties-yards 2-15 6-60

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Eastern New Mexico, Hinson 19-181, Christian Coronado 15-34, Jason Tezeno 5-32, Patrick Hemphill 5-16, Tony Naccarato 1-5, team 2-minus 15. Angelo State, Cooper 13-104, Mathus Gill 11-78, Southall 11-15, Jason Neyland 1-2, Bill Renfro 2-minus 2, Trey Weishuhn 1-minus 8.

PASSING — Eastern New Mexico, Hinson 13-32-2-227, Price 0-1-0-0. Angelo State, Southall 9-18-0-202, Weishuhn 2-8-1-23.

RECEIVING — Eastern New Mexico, Hunter 7-133, Tezeno 3-83, Coronado 3-11. Angelo State, House 4-110, Brandon Covington 3-54, Cooper 2-12, Hickey 1-35, Justin Carter 1-14.