The Austin College football team held off a second half charge by Howard Payne and came away with a 34-27 victory over the Yellow Jackets, improving to 3-1 for the first time since the 1992 season. The 'Roos got four touchdown passes from Cooper Woodyard in the victory.
Austin College got on the board first when Woodyard found Brennan Ellis for a 13-yard touchdown pass five minutes into the game, and after a field goal for the Jackets, Woodyard and Kevin Ray connected on a 26-yard strike to make it a 14-3 game with 39 seconds left in the opening quarter. HPU answered back with a touchdown to cut it to a four point game, but a 34-yard Javi Reynoso field goal sent Austin College into halftime leading 17-10.
Woodyard tossed his third touchdown pass of the game in the third, finding Kyle Mucerino for a 28 yard score, and after HPU answered back with a touchdown pass of their own the junior quarterback found Mucerino again, this time from 19 yards out to make it 31-17 with 5:51 left in the third quarter.
Howard Payne got a touchdown pass from Richard Young to DeAndre Walker to end the third, and a field goal by Joshua Martinez cut it to a 31-27 game with 10:41 left to play, but Brett Vaughn forced a fumble and Brooks Ward scooped it up and returned it 52 yards. Reynoso knocked home a 30-yard field goal to make it a 34-27 final.
Woodyard finished the game completing 16-of-28 passes for 206 yards with four touchdowns and one pick, and Madison Ross rushed 25 times for 118 yards. Mucerino had a career day with three catches for 54 yards and two scores. Hayden Schilling and Stevie Reyna each had eight tackles for Austin College.
The 'Roos return home next weekend when they host Southwestern University at Apple Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff on October 3.