The Eastern New Mexico football team dropped their season opener on the road in Rolla, Mo. to Missouri S&T by a final score of 31-14.
The Hounds struggled to build momentum early in the contest and fell behind 17-0 at the halftime break. After another score from the Miners that extended their lead to 24-0 at the 11:42 mark of the third quarter, two second half touchdowns from quarterback Wyatt Strand and Paul Terry proved to be too little too late.
Missouri S&T outgained the Hounds by a final margin of 512-to-269 on offense and kept Eastern’s run game under control in the second half as they shifted to a conservative approach on offense to run down the clock to victory. Strand’s one-yard touchdown run at the 2:13 mark of the third quarter brought the deficit down to 24-6, but a quick answer from the Miners just four minutes later with a touchdown of their own seemed to stall any chance of a comeback for the Hounds.
Terry led the ground attack for Eastern with 86 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while Strand completed 8-of-15 passes for just 68 yards. Tailbacks Johnny Smith and Tayshaun Gary each carried the ball eight times with Smith going for 73 yards and Gary finishing with 40.
Senior Brad Hardin finished the game with eight total tackles to lead the squad while fellow linebacker Josh Miller totaled seven tackles, with 1.5 being for a loss.
The Hounds will return home to Portales for a match-up with Colorado-Mesa inside Greyhound Stadium scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick off on Sept. 8.
