BACONE CAPS OFF HOMECOMING 34-0 AGAINST SAGU

Bacone quarterback Kyle Kuban gains rushing yards while SAGU linebacker (No. 18) Dalton Snyder attempts to pull him down. Kuban rushed for 59 yards in Saturday's 34-0 homecoming game win. (Baconian Online photos by Jasmier J. Jones)

Besides racking up 425 yards total offense, Bacone's defense also came through in Saturday's 34-0 Southwestern Assemblies of God win with the Lions turning over the ball seven times.

The homecoming game resulted in a second straight week the Warrior defense performed a shutout.

SAGU lost six fumbles and Lion quarterback Reid Golson threw three interceptions, two landing in the hands of senior defensive back Isaac Twenty.

“Plays happen kind of fast on the field,” the Miami, Fla. native said. “I was just playing deep, read my keys and good things happened.”

Bacone Head Football Coach Trevor Rubly said his team is “finally coming together.”

“Offensively, defensively, and special teams we are starting to figure it out,” the second year coach said.

From kickoff the Warriors strengthened that claim.

	Warrior running back Aron McCoy finds holes in the Lions' defense. The Tulsa junior finished Saturday's game as Bacone's leading rusher with 76 yards and two first half touchdowns.

Compared to Bacone's 425 offensive yards, SAGU put up 196 total yards, including 137 from Golson’s 28 rushing attempts -  too many for Rubly.

“The guy is a tough runner,” said Rubly. “That is the one thing we gave up more so than I liked. Other than that we played a great defensive game.”

Golson had nowhere to throw the ball, he added.

“We were around the ball,” Rubly said, “which gave our D-Line and people coming after the quarterback [Golson] great pursuit.”

Senior running back Tyler Thomas returned Bacone's opening kickoff 58 yards to the SAGU 32 yard line, a strategy that worked according to script, he said.

“I said, 'I’m going to get you guys a good return so we can get a good start to the game',” the Jackson, Miss. native added. “I went out there and made the play and did what I had to do.”

Thomas’ return set up Tulsa junior running back Aron McCoy’s one yard plunge to gave Bacone a 7-0 lead, 9:35 into the first quarter.

SAGU’s attempt to tie the game resulted in Twenty’s first interception.

“I played great today,” he said. “I had my legs under me, and it was just all around 100 percent fun today.”

Temple, Texas sophomore Kyle Kuban fired a 54-yard pass to Oklahoma City freshman wide receiver Kenneth Price to set up McCoys’ second score 1:16 until intermission.

Thomas and McCoy combined for 147 yards on 32 rushes with two scores.

McCoy credited the Lions in Saturday's 34-0 win.

“They [SAGU] were tough," he said, "and I was just trying to find a gap to squeeze through.”

Going into the homecoming game, Bacone wanted to “pound the ball,” said McCoy.

“That’s what we have been doing all season,” the Tulsa junior said. “We challenged them to stop our run. They couldn’t get a hold on us the whole game.”

SAGU ended the game with six fumbles and lost possession of four.

Leicestershire, U.K. junior place kicker Jamie Moore’s 19 yard field goal, the only second quarter points, gave Bacone a 17-0 halftime advantage.

SAGU’s defense stiffened in the third, and allowed only a 29 yard Moore field goal.

In the final quarter, Bacone ran nine plays before Kuban hit Thomas for a touchdown.

The junior quarterback finished the day 13 of 22 for 170 yards, a touchdown, and added 59 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Thomas called Saturday's 34-0 win "probably our best game all season."

“We played solid all day,” he said. “We came out with another shutout, and most of all we stuck together as a team.”

Bacone held Cole College scoreless in a 42-0 romp Sept. 29.

Following the SAGU homecoming win, Rubly said he is "really proud" of his team.

"The way that they fought, the way they keep fighting for 60 minutes,” he said. “We never gave them [SAGU] anything.”

Bacone returns home Saturday, Oct. 13 against Oklahoma Panhandle State University at 2 p.m., a team Thomas calls a "good" opponent.

“We plan on preparing for them really good this week," he said, "and do the same thing we did to SAGU.”