Athletic Report
September 28, 1998

FOOTBALL (4-0, 2-0 LSC, Ranked #14 - NCAA Div. II)

A sellout crowd of 6,127 fans at Greyhound Stadium saw Eastern New Mexico take a 30-13 Homecoming victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State, Sat., Sept. 26. It was the first ever home sellout in the history of ENMU football.

The win kept ENMU ranked #14 in the NCAA Division II Poll. The Greyhounds also remained 4th in the West Region.

Sophomore tailback Dennis Beard (Albuquerque, NM/NM Military Institute) rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries and scored 2 touchdowns, as Eastern overcame an early 7-0 deficit. The win improved the Greyhounds to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Lone Star Conference. SE Oklahoma dropped to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the LSC.

ENMU fell behind early when a turnover gave the Savages the ball at Eastern’s 18-yard line. Mitch Reed scored for SE Oklahoma five plays later on a 4-yard run.

The Greyhounds responded by scoring on their next possession, an 80-yard drive that took 16 plays and used 8:06 off the clock. Beard completed the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:52 left in the first quarter.

After stopping the Savages at their own 29 yard line, the Greyhounds received great field position on a 25-yard punt return by Tony Cavalier (Sr., FS, Pampa, TX/Pittsburg State). Beard scored from the 5 yard line on the fifth play of the drive. ENMU led 14-7 with 6 seconds left in the first quarter.

The score increased to 16-7 with 8:46 remaining in the half, when a SE Oklahoma snap in shotgun formation sailed over quarterback Chris Enloe’s head from the SE 22 yard line. Enloe retrieved the ball in the end zone, then tossed it over the end line, giving ENMU the safety.

A blocked punt led to Eastern’s final score of the half. Linebacker Floyd White (Jr., Pampa, TX/Pampa H.S.) moved through the line and blocked Enloe’s kick. The ball was recovered by Brian Hulett (Sr., FS, Earth, TX/Cisco J.C.) at the SE 35 and returned two yards.

Wide receiver Terrance Smith (Jr., Miami, FL/Tennessee-Martin) hauled in a 20-yard pass from Bobby Rodriguez (So., QB, St. Teresa, NM/Las Cruces H.S.) with 0:50 remaining in the half, giving ENMU a 23-7 halftime edge.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Southeastern Oklahoma scored its second touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 40-yard pass from Enloe to Anthony Terrell on 4th-down-and-7. The Savages failed on a 2-point PAT.

Rodriguez crossed the goal line on a 20-yard run with 10:56 left to close out the scoring. The Greyhounds almost earned another touchdown on an 81-yard punt return by Brian Weimer (So., WR, Clovis, NM/Clovis), but an illegal block near midfield negated the score.

ENMU gained 327 total yards, while limiting SE Oklahoma to 222 yards. The Greyhounds gained 251 yards on 53 carries on the ground, and added 76 yards through the air (7 of 13). The Savages gained just 66 yards on 29 carries, and completed 9 of 32 passes for 156 yards.

SE Oklahoma’s Terrell led all receivers with 3 catches for 75 yards. Weimer and Josh Lynn (So., TE, Eunice, NM/Eunice H.S.) each caught 2 passes for ENMU.

SELLOUT '98 IS A SUCCESS
The ENMU athletic department, along with community leaders in Portales and Clovis, organized the first ever sellout at Greyhound Stadium when Eastern hosted Southeastern Oklahoma as part of Homecoming, Sept. 26. Attendance at SELLOUT ‘98 was 6,127 (Capacity is 6,078).

Athletic Director Rosie Stallman and Events Manager Jennifer Poyer oversaw efforts to sell out the event. Kevin Kaplan, a 1985 graduate of ENMU and president of Promotion Dynamics International, coordinated the promotion.

The SELLOUT ‘98 Committee was co-chaired by Portales Mayor Don Davis and Clovis Mayor David Landsford. Teams of ENMU boosters helped sell tickets.

Approximately 4,200 tickets were sold in advance, with students, parents and alumni rounding out the attendance figure. The Greyhounds are averaging 4,300 in attendance this season.

RODRIGUEZ PROVIDES RUSHING, PASSING
Quarterback Bobby Rodriguez (So., St. Teresa, NM/Las Cruces H.S.) has provided the Greyhounds with 707 yards of total offense. He has rushed for 232 yards on 48 carries (4.8 avg.), and has thrown for 475 yards, while completing 33 of 65 passes (50.8%). He ranks 4th in the Lone Star Conference in total offense, with 176.8 yards per game. He has been named LSC South Division Offensive Player-of-the-Week twice this season.

SMITH LEADS LSC IN KICKOFF RETURNS
Terrance Smith (Jr., RB, Miami, FL/Tennessee-Martin) is the top kickoff returner in the LSC, with 152 yards on 4 kickoff returns. He is averaging 38.0 yards per return. Smith scored on a 97-yard return against Western New Mexico in the season opener.

WALTON TOPS LSC IN TOTAL TACKLES
Junior linebacker Michael Walton (Earth, TX/Texas Tech) leads the LSC in tackles. He has 47 total tackles on 25 solos and 22 assists. Walton led the Conference in tackles last year, finishing with 155. He was named 3rd Team All-America by Football Gazette.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico opens LSC South Division action Sat., Oct. 3 at Abilene Christian University. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. (MST). Last year, ACU defeated the Greyhounds, 40-7, at Greyhound Stadium.

ENMU plays at Angelo State on Sat., Oct. 10 (6:00 p.m. MST), before returning to Portales to host Tarleton State on Sat., Oct. 17 (6:00 p.m. MST).