RUSTON, La. – HBU senior quarterback
Bailey Zappe completed 37-of-58 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns, three to junior
Jerreth Sterns and two to senior
Ben Ratzlaff, but Louisiana Tech pulled away for a 66-38 victory in non-conference football Saturday night at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Zappe threw for the fifth-most yards and recorded the second five-touchdown performance of his career for HBU (0-3).
Jerreth Sterns made 14 catches, the second-most of his career and program history, for 138 yards, the fourth-most in school history and the sixth 100-yard effort of his career. Ratzlaff had 10 receptions for 137 yards, his eighth 100-yard performance. Freshman
Josh Sterns added two catches for 52 yards. Junior
Ean Beek rushed six times for 35 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards.
Senior safety
Patrick Wolfe and junior linebacker
Brennan Young led the Huskies with 13 tackles each, while senior linebacker
Caleb Johnson also reached double figures with 11 stops. Freshman safety
Isaiah Cash made eight and senior defensive lineman Greg Vicent recorded a sack. Senior cornerback
Delon Smith came up with his first interception this season.
Luke Anthony was 17-for-30 for 314 yards and five touchdowns and an interception and added a rushing touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-0). Wayne Toussant made three catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns, Isaiah Graham caught three passes for 36 yards and two touchdowns, while Kyle Maxwell and Jawaun Johnson each had a touchdown catch. Justin Henderson rushed 11 times for 77 yards and a score, Israel Tucker rushed nine times for 63 yards and Greg Garner had a rushing touchdown.
Tyler Grubbs made 12 tackles and Trey Baldwin had nine for LTU. Milton Williams, Levi Bell and Tristan Allen each had a sack and Bee Jay Williamson had an interception.
The two teams combined for 1,043 yards of total offense, 542 for LTU and 501 for HBU. The Bulldogs outrushed the Huskies, 182-95, while HBU had 46 more passing yards. LTU had a 46-second edge in time of possession and each team turned the ball over once, both on interceptions. HBU was penalized 16 times for 147 yards, while LTU was only penalized five times for 45 yards.
LTU got on the board first on a 51-yard field goal by Jacob Barnes. LTU had taken possession back at the HBU 34 after
Jerreth Sterns was run into by a Bulldog defender, muffed the fair catch, and LTU recovered. No penalty was called on the play.
HBU answered right back as Zappe went 5-for-7 for 67 yards on the Huskies opening drive. He hit
Josh Sterns for a 39-yard gain and found Ratzlaff for an 11-yard completion to set up first-and goal at the four. On the next play, Zappe swung a pass to
Jerreth Sterns on the left side, then tip-toed the sideline for a touchdown.
The Bulldogs did not waste any time regaining the lead, as Anthony hit Toussant for a 44-yard touchdown to make the score 10-7 with 7:24 to go in the first quarter.
The Huskies marched down the field, 82 yards in 12 plays, as Zappe was 5-of-9 for 38 yards and capped it with a 6-yard touchdown toss to Ratzlaff. Prior to the score, Beek had an 18-yard run to the 17 and Zappe completed an 11-yard pass to Ratzlaff down to the six.
LTU struck back with another deep ball as Anthony found Toussant again, this time from 43 yards out for a touchdown as the Bulldogs led 17-14 after the opening frame. After HBU's first punt of the game, Henderson broke a 34-yard run to the 15, setting up Anthony's touchdown pass to Graham.
Williamson picked off Zappe, his first interception of the season, and returned it 27 yards to the HBU 3. Henderson ran it on the next play to give the Bulldogs a 31-14 lead with 12:01 remaining in the half. Anthony added another touchdown pass, another 15-yarder to Graham, as LTU took a 38-14 lead.
Sophomore
Gino Garcia made a 42-yard field goal for HBU with 15 seconds left to trim the deficit to 38-17 heading into halftime.
Harris returned a punt 35 yards and a face mask penalty tacked on to the end gave LTU the ball on the HBU 16. After another face mask penalty on the Huskies, the Bulldogs looked poised to open with a score, but Anthony was picked off by Smith in the endzone and he returned it 45 yards.
The Huskies faced a second-and-20 after an intentional grounding call, but Zappe completed a 14-yard pass to
Jerreth Sterns, then the same duo hooked up for a 47-yard reception on the next play. Freshman
Tyson Thompson made an eight-yard catch and a targeting foul gave HBU first-and-goal at the four. Zappe threw a two-yard touchdown to
Jerreth Sterns to make the score 38-24.
The Bulldogs used another big play to keep the Huskies at bay, with Anthony throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass to Juwaun Johnson. LTU used its running game on its next drive, with Israel Tucker opening with a 31-yard carry, then got the next four carries as well, totaling 24 yards to get the Bulldogs down to the three. The Huskies stiffened up for three downs, but Anthony finally plunged in on fourth-and-one as the Bulldogs extended their lead to 52-24.
Zappe led the Huskies on a 14-play, 75-yard drive, beginning with back-to-back 14-yard completions to Ratzlaff. Zappe completed a 13-yard pass to
Jerreth Sterns, then scrambled eight yards to the LTU 1, before hitting Ratzlaff on a slant for a touchdown.
Fluellen intercepted Allen, but was called for pass interference, then Allen scrambled for a 16-yard gain down to the HBU 5 to set up Garner's two-yard touchdown run.
Zappe completed a 38-yard pass to Ratzlaff to set the Huskies up at the LTU 13, then hit Ratzlaff for a 12-yard gain on fourth-and-10 down to the one. Sterns caught his school-record tying third touchdown reception from one yard out.
Westin Elliott found Maxwell for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:15 left for the final score of the game.
The Huskies wrap up their four-game, abbreviated fall schedule when they travel to face fellow Football Championship Subdivision opponent Eastern Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. CDT in Richmond.
