INCARNATE WORD 37, SOUTHWEST ASSEMBLIES OF GOD 34
Who’d have thunk it?
The inaugural year of football at Incarnate Word and the Cardinals in the eighth game of the season are assured of no worse than a .500 mark after a 37-34 victory at Southwestern Assemblies of God.
Who would have predicted that UIW will win five games in a year when the Cardinals consistently took the field with a roster absolutely dominated by redshirt freshmen and pure freshmen.
Who? A group of 90-something athletes who reported to campus in August, that’s who. Midway through this winning string which now stands at four straight, most Cardinals players who were asked consistently talked about how the team was gaining confidence and how UIW fans were really beginning to be confident in their heroes.
Going back to the year’s first game, a win over Monterrey Tech at home, junior quarterback Thomas Specia just may have put it best when asked in the post-game interview about the improbability of an opening night victory. Specia said at the time that he wasn’t all that surprised because the Incarnate Word locker room was filled with players who “know how to win”.
This win, the fifth in a 10-game season, also insures that Coach Mike Santiago continues his head coaching string of never having a losing record over his seven years of heading up a collegiate program.
In the win at SAGU, the Cardinals, ever the passing team , went to its legs with running back Trent Rios and quarterback Eric Massoni doing the damage. Massoni carried the mail 13 times for 128 yards and one touchdown. His longest run was for 29 yards.
Rios was all over the field. He rushed 27 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. His longest was 39. He also snagged four passes for 65 yards and another TD on a 30-yard scamper. Until this game, Rios had but a single score. Suddenly he is the team’s third leading point-producer.
Getting his third straight start, Massoni was 16-30 through the air with the one touchdown throw to Rios. He was intercepted twice. He had 102 yards total. Wideout Dominic Hamilton caught eight throws on the day for 47 yards but he could not cross the double stripe which ended his three straight games of two scores each time.
Collectively the Cardinals racked up 308 yards overland. On the flip side the UIW defense totally shut down the Lions rushing attack holding SAGU to a minus four yards rushing. SAGU did sting the Cardinals through the air for 413 yards and three touchdowns.
UIW 13 14 7 3 37
SAGU 7 14 7 6 34
RECORDS:
INCARNATE WORD 5-3
SW ASSEMBLIES 0-7