Hounds rout OPSU, 53-10

PORTALES — It’s always good for teams to be able to change things up heading into the final leg of competition and the Eastern New Mexico football team showed it doesn’t always have to rely on the running game to find success.

After a two and a half hour weather delay, the Greyhounds (6--4, 5-3 LSC) put it on the Aggies (2-8, 1-7 LSC) despite the soggy conditions, winning 53-10.

Staff photo: Matthew Asher

ENMU’s Johnny Smith stiff-arms a defender during the first quarter of the Greyhounds’ home finale on Saturday against Oklahoma Panhandle State at Greyhound Stadium.

The win guarantees the Hounds a winning season and the timing couldn’t be better heading into the season’s final matchup with Midwestern State.

Head coach Josh Lynn said, “This isn’t the season we wanted it to be, but it gives us a winning season, our fourth straight. We have a big one next week and we need to prepare and go after those guys.”

ENMU put up 645 yards of total offense, 163 through the air and 482 on the ground. Quarterback Wyatt Strand went 5-for-10 passing, putting up some big numbers on very few attempts.

One of the major takeaways from this contest was ENMU’s ability to not only get a lot of yardage out of the play action, but to be able to score out of it, finishing the night with three passing touchdowns.

“It’s big. If you look at the first part of the year, our play action game was very limited, nonexistent in some games. It’s good to develop that, because we are really only as good as our play action can take us,” said Lynn.

While next week’s contest against the Lone Star’s number one Midwestern may not have much of an impact on the current season, to see the Greyhounds’ offense firing on all cylinders with so many young players bodes well for the future.

Kamal Cass finished with 16 carries for 157 yards and two scores, while Strand added 95 yards and score on the ground. Larry Baker-Bruce finished with a game-high three scores and 132 receiving yards.