Stephen F. Austin Holds Off Incarnate Word, 28-26, to Stay Unbeaten
Incarnate Word scored a touchdown with 22 seconds left, lined up for two, and missed. That is the whole difference between a 28-28 tie and a 28-26 loss, and it is why Stephen F. Austin is still 5-0.
Gavin Rutherford was the story for the home team. He threw touchdown passes of 45 yards to Jaylen Jenkins in the first quarter, 8 yards to Preston Alford in the third and 8 yards to Clayton Wayland early in the fourth, and Stephen F. Austin led 14-6 at one stage and 28-20 at another. JT Kitna added a 2-yard run for the home team. Incarnate Word's other first-half scoring was a pair of Nick Rigas field goals (39 and 43 yards) and a 10-yard Brown touchdown pass to Isaiah Champagne. In between, Incarnate Word took the lead at 20-14 on a David Rasor 1-yard run, which meant Stephen F. Austin had to dig out of a six-point hole to win.
After Wayland's score, nothing happened on the board for nearly the whole fourth quarter. Then Emmett Brown threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Emmers with 0:22 left, and the failed two-point try left it at 28-26.
The yardage tells a different story from the score. Incarnate Word outgained Stephen F. Austin 470 yards to 426, with Brown throwing for 372 on 27 of 52, but he also threw two interceptions to Rutherford's one. The visitors rushed for just 98 yards on 27 carries, while Stephen F. Austin ran 38 times for 135. Incarnate Word drops to 1-2.
For fantasy, both quarterbacks had a big day: Rutherford with 31.9 Promethium points and Brown with 30.3, each a season high.