Athletic Report
October 5, 1998

FOOTBALL (5-0, 3-0 LSC, Ranked #13 - NCAA Div. II)
The Eastern New Mexico football team rushed for 289 yards on 60 carries, as the Greyhounds improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Lone Star Conference with a 35-21 road win at Abilene Christian University, Oct. 3. The defeat dropped ACU to 2-2 on the season, 1-2 in the LSC. ENMU moved up one spot to #13 in this week’s NCAA Division II Poll.

Sophomore tailback Dennis Beard (Albuquerque, NM/NM Military Institute) scored 2 touchdowns while rushing for 52 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore halfback Scott Schroeder (Fairacres, NM/Las Cruces H.S.) scored once, and added 71 yards on 11 carries. Junior fullback Bruce Hatch (Bloomfield, NM/Bloomfield H.S.) earned 60 yards and 1 TD on 5 carries.

ENMU fell behind 7-0. ACU drove 53 yards in 3 plays on its opening drive, with Cody Walton scoring on a 5-yard run. The Wildcats gained only 153 yards the rest of the game. Eastern pulled to within 7-6 just 3:10 into the second quarter when Beard scored on a 1-yard run. Holder Aaron Montano was sacked following a high snap on the extra point.

Hatch gave the Greyhounds the lead on a 40-yard rush with 9:24 remaining in the first half. Quarterback Bobby Rodriguez (So., Santa Teresa, NM/Las Cruces H.S.) lunged into the end zone for a 2-point conversion.

Wide receiver Brian Weimer (So., Clovis, NM/Clovis H.S.) reached the end zone on a 23-yard pass with 6:45 left in the half. The touchdown gave ENMU a 21-7 lead.

Junior linebacker Floyd White (Pampa, TX/Pampa H.S.) played a key role in the first half scoring. He blocked a punt to set up ENMU’s first score, then forced a fumble that led to the Greyhounds’ third score.

ACU took advantage of a turnover at the ENMU 27-yard line to pull within seven points at halftime. After an incomplete pass on first down, David Bennett rushed for the TD on second down. Michael Freeman kicked the PAT.

Eastern solidified its hold on the game with a 12-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter. Schroeder completed the drive with a 10-yard run at the 9:50 mark. Beard added another rushing touchdown with 6:57 left in the game, as ENMU built its lead to 35-14.

The Wildcats concluded the scoring with a 6-yard pass from Cody Cox to Casey Whittle with 1:53 remaining. The TD was set up by an ENMU fumble at the Eastern 25-yard line.

Danny Cummings (Sr., SS, Raton, NM/Raton H.S.) grabbed ACU’s onside kick and returned it 32 yards.

ENMU kept the ball the remainder of the game. ENMU gained 405 yards on offense. Rodriguez completed 7 of 16 passes for 116 yards, and Weimer caught 4 passes for 55 yards. ACU gained just 79 rushing yards and 127 passing yards.

WHITE CHOSEN LSC PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK
FOR 2ND GAME IN A ROW
ENMU junior linebacker Floyd White (6-1, 220 lbs., Pampa, TX/Pampa H.S.) has been named Lone Star Conference South Division Defensive Player-of-the-Week for the second consecutive game. This week’s honor was for his performance in Eastern’s 35-21 win at Abilene Christian, Oct. 3.

White had 4 solos and 4 assists for 8 total tackles. He had 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack. White blocked a punt for the second consecutive week, and also forced a fumble. The blocked punt led to ENMU’s first score and the fumble led to Eastern’s third touchdown and a 21-7 halftime lead.

The ENMU defense limited ACU to 79 rushing yards on 31 carries and 127 passing yards (10 of 25). ACU gained only 61 yards in the 2nd half.

For the season, White has 23 solo tackles and 11 assists (34 total tackles). He has 5 tackles for losses and 3 sacks.

ENMU RUNNING BACKS PILE UP THE YARDS
ENMU’s starting running backs have gained 717 yards on 110 carries. Leading the way has been tailback Dennis Beard (So., Albuquerque, NM/N.M. Military Inst.) with 334 yards on 48 carries (7.0 avg.). Fullback Bruce Hatch (Bloomfield, NM/Bloomfield H.S.) has added 256 yards on 41 carries (6.2 avg.). Halfback Scott Schroeder (Fairacres, NM/Las Cruces H.S.) has gained 127 yards on 21 carries (6.0 avg.). Eastern leads the LSC with 256.2 rushing yards per game.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico plays at Angelo State University (2-2, 2-1 LSC) on Sat., Oct. 10 at 6:00 p.m. MST. The Greyhounds return to Portales to host Tarleton State University (0-5, 0-3 LSC) on Sat., Oct. 17 at 6:00 p.m. MST.