SHERMAN, Texas – Ross Hasten rushed for 88 yards and a pair of scores and the Austin College football team scored 27 unanswered points from the second quarter on to run past Southwest Assemblies of God University 34-7 on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Apple Stadium.  The ’Roos avenge last year’s loss to SAGU and are now 1-0 with the victory. 

It took nearly the entire first quarter for either team to get on the board, but with 1:29 on the clock Austin College quarterback Andy Braly found Greg Harrell deep down the sideline for a 59 yard touchdown strike to make it 7-0 after the first 15 minutes. 

In the second quarter the Lions struck back at the 5:39 mark when Jacob Davis capped off a 10 play, 71 yard drive by plunging into the endzone from a yard out to tie things at 7-7.  The ’Roos took advantage of SAGU’s ensuing kickoff going out of bounds to put together a six play, 60 yard drive with Hasten taking it 13 yards for his first score of the day to make it 14-7 with 3:45 on the clock. 

The momentum really shifted in Austin College’s favor on the next SAGU possession when Greg Fife batted down a lateral and Nick Zitaglio scooped up the loose ball and raced down the sideline for the 30 yard touchdown to make it a 21-7 game with 2:45 left in the half, and that would remain the score heading into the locker room. 

The ’Roos got three more points to open the second half when John Reisig connected on a 26 yard field goal with 8:59 remaining in the third quarter, and on the next SAGU possession Matt Finke picked off Torbert and returned it 35 yards down to the Southwest Assemblies 10 yard line.  Two plays later Hasten found the endzone again to make it a 31-7 game with 6:47 showing on the clock.  Austin College put together a 10 play, 62 yard drive culminating in a 28 yard field goal by Reisig to open up the fourth quarter and make it a 34-7 final score. 

Hasten carried 15 times on his way to 88 yards as the ’Roos piled up 241 yards on the ground and 407 total yards of offense.  Braly completed 10-of-17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and carried six times for 35 yards.  Brogan Funderberg had seven carries for 45 yards, and Harrell had three catches for 92 yards.  Phillip Gonzales added five receptions for 39 yards in his collegiate debut. 

Josh Willis led the ’Roos with eight stops, Reed Eichenberger added seven tackles, and Zitaglio had four tackles, including two for loss, to go along with his defensive touchdown.  Chandler Knox and Ben Youngblood each recorded a sack for the ’Roos. 

Torbert completed 20-of-33 passes for 178 yards and an interception and Davis had five carries for 34 yards and a score.  David Howard had a game-high six receptions for 67 yards, and Dario Waits had five catches for 39 yards for the Lions.  Jared Hugdins recorded a game-best 13 tackles, including two for loss, to lead SAGU defensively. 

Austin College is on the road next week when they take on McMurry University in Abilene with game time set for 6:00 p.m. 

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.