Box Score (PDF) 

BATESVILLE, Ark. – In front of a packed crowd for Homecoming Weekend on the Lyon College campus, the Scots forced six Oklahoma Panhandle State turnovers as Lyon earned its first Sooner Athletic Conference victory in a 29-16 win over the Aggies on Saturday night at Pioneer Stadium.

Lyon moved to 1-2 in the SAC and 2-3 overall, while OPSU dropped to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the SAC.

Game Flow

After Lyon and OPSU traded punts to open up the game, the Aggies found success on the ground in their second possession. Martez Vrana, Danny Valverde Jr. and Carlos Ransburgh each got a carry and moved the Aggies down the field before Valverde capped off the drive with three straight carries and found the end zone to give OPSU a 7-0 advantage. The Scots quickly answered back on a 26-yard field goal by Ignacio Gomez to cut the Aggies' lead to 7-3 before the end of the first quarter.

Spencer Childress found Jarrius Hoyle-Anderson across the middle of the field to open up the second quarter as the pair connected on a 56-yard touchdown to give the Scots their first lead of the game at 10-7.

The big play on offense sparked the Scots defensively as Peter Tuipulotu jumped on the first of five fumble recoveries on the night for Lyon. Childress followed the turnover with a 9-yard pass to Emetrious Scott to put Lyon deep inside OPSU territory before Gomez drilled a 27-yard field goal to extend the Scots' lead to 13-7.

Lyon added to its lead just before the half as Kareem Warrnen forced another OPSU fumble which was recovered by Ethan Skarmas that led to another field goal by Gomez as Lyon led 16-7 at halftime.

The Lyon College defense picked up right where it left off to start the third quarter. After a first down play by the Aggies, Sam Taylor blew past the OPSU line and laid a big hit on Vrana. Taylor forced another fumble which was picked up by MicKael Lewis for a 20-yard scoop-and-score.

OPSU cut the deficit to 23-10 later in the third quarter on a 24-yard field goal by Eduardo Villarreal.

A muffed punt by the Aggies set the Scots up for another scoring opportunity as Kameron Collins jumped on the live ball at the OPSU 1-yard line. Titus Nelson got the call on the next play and rumbled his way up the middle for a touchdown.

Despite a late touchdown by OPSU, a sack by Skarmas sealed the Homecoming Victory for the Scots as Lyon earned its first conference win of the season.

Key Statistics

• Lyon set a program record for most fumble recoveries in a game (5).
• The Scots added an interception and ended one turnover shy of tying the program record for most turnovers in a game, which was set last season against Missouri Baptist when the Scots forced seven turnovers.
• Skarmas and Taylor led the Scots with 11 total tackles each. While Skarmas finished with a team-high 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
• Brandon Ramon finished the game 10-of-16 passing for 120 yards for OPSU.

Up Next
The Lyon College football team will travel to Plainview, Texas, for a SAC matchup against Wayland Baptist on Oct. 6. Kickoff for the game at Wayland Baptist is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Football Contact: Matt Jagodzinski | 870-307-7516 | matthew.jagodzinski@lyon.edu
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