HOUSTON, Texas – Houston Christian University earned a hard-fought win as it held off visiting Northwestern State University 20-17 in Southland Conference action on Saturday evening at Husky Stadium. The Huskies rushed for 242 yards as a team, highlighted by redshirt freshman Xai'Shaun Edwards run at the single-game rushing mark, as he finished with 214 yards and two scores to help HCU snap a four-game losing streak. 
 
The Huskies started the evening by going 92 yards on the opening drive of the contest. After a few short gains, HCU hit paydirt on a huge 52-yard burst up the middle by Xai'Shaun Edwards that handed the hosts an early 7-0 lead.

Northwestern State would then come right back with a long drive of its own, as Abram Johnston capped a 75-yard drive by hitting Brandon Webb on a one-yard reception to knot the game at 7-apiece just over eight minutes into the first half.


 

The two teams would then trade defensive stops as play moved into the second quarter. HCU put together a 13-play, 63-yard drive that consumed just under seven minutes. The drive would yield nothing however, as two costly penalties forced a field goal attempt that was missed, leaving the game deadlocked with 5:20 to play in the first half.
 
Northwestern State would take over and drive right back down the field, eventually settling for a 33-yard field goal by Grayson Lytton that capped off a 10-play, 65-yard drive that gave them the lead 10-7 with 1:53 on the clock before intermission.
 
Maddox Kopp then engineered a two-minute drill that saw the Huskies march down the field in just 1:16 to retake the lead. Kopp hit Braylon Finney for 13-yards on a third-and-nine, and Edwards bolted upfield for 19 more to put HCU at the NSU 33-yard line. Kopp then hit Ja'Ryan Wallace for 33-yards as he tip-toed his way past the pylon to make the score 13-10 heading into the break.
 
The two teams traded three-and-outs to begin the second half. After HCU forced another punt from the Demons, the Huskies would need just four plays to put more points on the board. It would then be Edwards again, and once more it was a bolt of lightning up the middle that mirrored his earlier score, this one from 47-yards to give HCU a two-possession lead, 20-10 with 8:27 left in the third period.
 
NSU would drive down the field on the ensuing drive, but the 59-yard drive stalled with nothing to show after a missed field goal. The Huskies would give the ball over on downs, leaving the Demons just inside midfield heading towards the final quarter. The visitors would take advantage of the short field, capitalizing on a 10-yard touchdown grab by Ty Moore from Johnston to cap the 45-yard drive and cut the lead to three, 20-17 with 12:21 left to play.
 
The two teams would get defensive the rest of the way. Northwestern State would get the ball one last time with 3:18 to play, but a fourth down interception by Jayven Anderson gave the Huskies possession with under two minutes. A few solid runs by Edwards led to a couple of kneel downs as the Huskies held on for a big home victory.
 
HCU rushed for 242 yards on the evening, led by Xai-Shaun Edwards. The redshirt freshman from League City had 30 carries for a career-best 214 yards, as he made a serious go at the single-game rushing mark of 218 yards set by Tony Dawon in 2016. He scored twice on runs of 52 and 47 yards, giving him eight scores on the season, surpassing the single-season mark of seven set by Dreshawn Minnieweather in 2019. It was just the second 200-yard rushing effort in program history and Edwards is now fifth in single-season rushing yardage halfway through the campaign.
 
Maddox Kopp came on at quarterback in the second quarter and finished with 73 yards passing and 25 yards rushing, linking up with Wallace on the 33-yard score that gave HCU the lead for good in the second period. Wallace led HCU with 37 yards receiving while Deuce McMillan had five catches for 29 yards.
 
The defense got a career-high 17 tackles from redshirt senior Zayteak McGhee, eight solo. Thio Georges and Jayven Anderson each had an interception for the Huskies, who lead the Southland Conference with nine.
 
Northwestern State (1-5, 0-2) was led by quarterback Abram Johnston, who three for 124 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 85 on 11 carries. Myion Hicks had 69 yards on 12 carries and Kolbe Burrell had 13 rushes for 58 yards for the Demons.
 
HCU is now 2-4 overall and evens its mark at 1-1 in conference play. The Huskies will return to action next Saturday when they travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana to take on the McNeese Cowboys. Kick-off at Navarre Stadium is set for 6 pm.
 
 
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