TEXAS COLLEGE GETS SECOND VICTORY OF THE SEASON IN OVERTIME

TYLER, TEXAS (September 22, 2007)

The Texas College Steers obtained their second victory of the year in a dramatic fashion by defeating a well-coached and determined Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Texas) Yellow Jacket football team in overtime by a score of 33 to 27.

The game was a hard-fought affaire from the beginning during which the lead changed hands in four different occasions.

Howard Payne University opened up the scoring during the first quarter when Yellow Jacket QB Johnatan Haddock connected from 19 yards out with WR Nice Sellers, capping a 7-play drive that gave Howard Payne their first lead of the afternoon.

After this first Howard Payne touchdown the Steer offensive unit came to life and managed to move the football 89 yards on the ensuing drive, punching the ball into the end zone via a 39-yard pass from X’Zavier Bloodsaw to Curtis Shaw, which tied game at 7-7.

At this point, the momentum shifted in Texas College favor and the Steer defensive unit created a turnover when Jr. defensive back Cedrick Gillum picked up Yellow Jacket QB Johnatan Haddock on the Howard Payne 40-yard line. It only took the Steers 4 plays to capitalize on this Yellow Jacket mistake. QB X’Zavier Bloodsaw ran the ball in from 5 yards out and gave the Steers their first lead of the afternoon (13-7) right before going into the locker room for the intermission.

The second half had a thrilling start for everyone in the stands when Steer WR Nolan Williams caught the opening kickoff of the half and ran the ball back 94 yards for another Texas College touchdown, increasing the Steer lead to 20-7.

What seemed to be a definitive lead for the Steers proved to be only a mirage since the Yellow Jackets never gave up and battled their way back into the game by consistently running the football and converting first downs time after time during crucial situations. The Steer offense did not manage to put anymore points on the board during the third quarter while Howard Payne slowly cut down Texas College’s lead. The Yellow Jackets were able to score 17 unanswered points and regained the command of the game by mid-fourth quarter.

However, Steer WR Nolan Williams had other plans and gave Texas College the lead for the second time in the afternoon by returning another kickoff all the way into the Yellow Jacket end zone (89 TD return). Williams’ two touchdown kickoff returns and 3 extra points earned him regional and national recognition since he was named Central States Football League (CSFL) special teams’ and offensive player of the week as well as NAIA National special teams’ player of the week.

Senior WR Nolan Williams was a key ingredient for the Steers success on Saturday, contributing with 15 points of its own (2 TD kick off returns and 3 extra points) as well as throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass during the overtime series that gave the Steers their second victory of the season. For his efforts Williams was named NAIA National Special Teams player of the week and CSFL Offensive/Special Teams player of the week.

When everything seemed to be under control for the Steers the Yellow Jackets offensive unit engineered a 6.00 minute, 13-play drive that covered 51 yards and was capped by a Jordan Bullard 25-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining on the clock, sending the game to overtime. The Yellow Jackets got the first offensive series on the overtime and failed in their attempt to regain the lead when Steer Sr. linebacker Bryan Williams picked up Yellow Jacket QB Johnatan Haddock, putting an end to Howard Payne's offensive drive. The Steers' offensive unit took the field and went to work right away. Once again, WR Nolan Williams was part of the equation. This time around he was on the delivering end of a pass play and threw a 25-yard TD strike to Curtis Shaw, giving the Steers their second victory of the year by a final score of 33-27. The Steers record improved to 2-3 heading into their open week which will be used to prepare for the beginning of conference play. The Steers will take the field again on Saturday, October 6, 2007 in Langston Oklahoma when they will face their first conference opponent, the Langston University Lions.