Hinson Runs for 119 Yards to Reach 1,000 for Year
and lead Greyhounds to 38-10 Win over Mustangs
“Bud” Elliott Concludes Career with 205th Victory

PORTALES, N.M. — Senior quarterback Steven Hinson (Olney, TX/Olney HS) ran 15 times for 119 yards and one touchdown to bring his season rushing total to 1,006 yards, as Eastern New Mexico University defeated Western New Mexico University, 38-10, Nov. 6 at Greyhound Stadium. ENMU improved to 6-5 overall to claim the Greyhounds’ seventh consecutive winning season. The visitors from WNMU ended the year at 2-8.

The Greyhounds earned the victory in the final game for ENMU Head Coach Harold “Bud” Elliott, who is retiring at the end of the fall semester. Elliott finished his 11 seasons at Eastern New Mexico University with a 68-49-2 record (.580). His career record during 37 seasons at a collegiate head coach improved to 205-179-9 (.533). He became the 46th coach in NCAA football history to reach 200 wins earlier this season in Eastern’s 39-0 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Sept. 11.

Hinson became the first ENMU player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Derrick Johnson ran for 1,265 yards in 1995. He reached the 1,000-yard mark on Eastern’s first possession of the fourth quarter, on a short carry up the middle that was reduced to a 1-yard gain by a holding penalty. He added six yards on the final carry of his career two plays later to end the year with 1,006 yards on 175 carries.

Hinson concluded his ENMU career with 2,074 rushing yards on 399 carries. He ran for more than 100 yards four times this season and scored 12 rushing touchdowns this fall. He scored 23 rushing touchdown in his four years at ENMU, with all but two earned the past two years, when he was the Hounds’ starting quarterback. He scored against the Mustangs on an 11-yard run with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.

In Saturday’s win, Hinson completed 9 of 18 passes for 123 yards. He ended the year with a total of 96 completions on 204 attempts. He threw for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns. During his career, he was 168 of 374 passing for 2,384 yards. He accumulated 4,458 yards of career total offense.

Neither team scored on its first possession of the game, but WNMU reached the Eastern 32-yard line before the Mustangs stalled. On first down, Hurtis Chinn was dropped for a 1-yard loss on a draw play. Quarterback Marques Reischl threw an incomplete pass on second down, then was sacked for a 15-yard loss by Courage Idemudia (Sr., LB, Glenn Heights, TX/DeSoto HS). Eastern took over at it’s own 12-yard line following a punt. The Greyhounds drove 85 yards on nine plays to put the game’s first points on the scoreboard.

Hinson opened the drive with a 20-yard pass to Derrick Hunter (Jr., WR, Lamesa, TX/Lamesa HS) and a 37-yard run to the right side. Hinson added a 12-yard carry later in the drive, which culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by J.J. Jennings (RS Fr., FB/RB, Fort Worth, TX/Everman Joe C Bean HS). Lee Price (So., PK, Holliday, TX/Holliday HS) kicked the extra point. Western cut the lead to 7-3 with 0:25 left in the opening quarter. Kevin Hughes provided the points with a 28-yard field goal at the end of a 12-play, 66-yard drive.

ENMU took over at its own 29-yard line following the kickoff and moved the ball 66 yards on 12 plays to extend the lead to 14-3. Two plays supplied most of the yardage, as Tristan Selmon (Jr., WR, Dallas, TX/Richardson HS) hauled in a 28-yard pass from Hinson and Jason Tezeno (Jr., RB, Levelland, TX/Levelland HS) caught a 26-yard pass from the senior quarterback. Tezeno scored on a 6-yard scamper with 10:34 left in the first half.

Price tacked on a 46-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining in the half. His kick completed a 10-play, 26-yard drive that included three holding penalties on ENMU. The field goal tied for the longest in Price’s two seasons at Eastern, equalling the 46-yarder he kicked against Texas A&M University- Commerce in 2003. The kick against WNMU had more than enough length after somehow managing to avoid an onrushing WNMU defender, who missed his block attempt and was charge with roughing the holder. ENMU kept the points and declined the penalty.

Price opened the second half with an onside kick that rolled straight down the field and went untouched until he recovered the ball himself at the Eastern 48. The Hounds failed to take advantage of the kick and were forced to punt four plays later. Western’s Jonathan Garza blocked the punt by Price. Anthony Harris recovered the ball for the Mustangs at the ENMU 20.

WNMU earned 1st-and-goal at the Eastern 8-yard line, but failed to score. Holding on first down moved the ball back to the ENMU 15. Chinn caught a screen pass for a 10-yard gain on the next play, but two incomplete passes ended the threat. The Greyhounds then drove 94 yards on 14 plays, with Tezeno scoring his second rushing touchdown of the game and seventh of the season on a 3-yard run with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

Hinson added his 11-yard touchdown run just over three minutes later, as Eastern’s lead increased to 31-3. The scoring jaunt followed a 32-yard run by Ty Touchstone (Sr., FS, Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) on a fake punt from the Eastern 45. A penalty against WNMU brought the ball to the ENMU 11.

Western New Mexico scored its only touchdown of the day with 6:06 left in the game. Jonathan Schaeffer recorded the touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Tate Gunning. The drive covered 38 yards on six plays after Steve Terrill intercepted a pass by ENMU’s backup quarterback, Michael Benton (RS Fr., Everman, TX/Everman Joe C. Bean HS), and returned it 20 yards.

Benton had more success on Eastern’s next possession, as the Hounds needed just two plays to score following an onside kick recovery by J.J. Ortiz (So., FS, Moriarty, NM/Moriarty HS). Running back Zach Gerleve (RS Fr., Truth or Consequences, NM/Hot Springs HS) provided a nifty 32-yard run down the WNMU sideline to open the drive, then Benton threw an 18-yard scoring strike to Hunter. Price kicked the conversion to reach the final score of 38-10.

Hinson’s 242 yards of total offense set the Greyhounds on track for 444 yards overall. The Hounds rushed for 303 yards on 48 carries (6.3 avg.) and passed for an additional 141 yards. Hinson led all runners in the game with his 119 yards. He was followed on Eastern’s rushing chart by Tezeno, with 40 yards on 10 carries, and by Gerleve with 36 yards on two attempts. Fide Davalos (So., RB, Portales, NM/Floyd HS) gained 32 yards on five carries.

Hunter paced the passing attack with five catches for 74 yards. He concluded the season with 51 receptions for 829 yards and eight touchdowns. Tezeno caught two passes against WNMU for 33 yards.

Kasey Young, a huge defensive lineman, who ran with the ball on offense 14 times, gained 63 yards for the Mustangs. Western managed just 33 yards on 33 carries overall.

Reischl was 5 of 16 passing for 73 yards. Gunning completed 10 of 18 passes for 144 yards. The top receiver for the Mustangs was Jason Allison, with five catches for 76 yards. Billy Varner grabbed four passes for 92 yards.

The game was the final contest for 21 seniors on the ENMU roster. Most provided key plays during the game, with three — Touchstone, Idemudia and linebacker Jeff Howard (Portales, NM/Portales HS) leading the way on defense. All three players recorded nine tackles apiece, with Touchstone earning nine unassisted stops. The three seniors also combined for 4.0 tackles for losses and 2.5 sacks. Another senior, Adrian Quigley (SS, Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) provided seven tackles, including 2.0 sacks.

Junior cornerback Corey White (Lubbock, TX/Estacado HS) intercepted a pass by Gunning with 9:45 left in the fourth quarter. The pick-off gave him a team-high four interceptions this season. Earlier in the quarter, Touchstone partially blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Hughes. It was the third field goal blocked by Touchstone this year.

J.B. Kellogg led Western’s defense with nine total tackles (six solo). Terrill added eight tackles to go with his interception and a pass break-up. Three of his tackles were for losses.

Eastern increased its lead in the all-time series with the Mustangs to 32 wins and just seven losses. The Hounds have won the last 10 games with WNMU and have not lost to the Mustangs since 1993.