ABILENE, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University football team got two touchdown strikes from quarterback Bryce Perkins, but a series of quick strikes in the second and fourth quarters proved to be LCU's undoing in a 52-17 loss to the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys Saturday afternoon at Shelton Stadium.
 
The loss ended the Wildcats' (2-2, 2-0 SAC) two-game win streak while Hardin-Simmons (3-0, 0-0 ASC), the #8-ranked team in the most recent D3Football.com Top 25 poll, remained undefeated as the Cowboys enter American Southwest Conference play next week.
 
LCU struck first, capping a 16-play, 76-yard drive which ate up 6:08 off the first quarter clock and got down to the Hardin-Simmons two-yard line before stalling and settling for a 21-yard field goal by Levi Hilborn to open the scoring, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
 
But momentum quickly swung against the Wildcats after a Cowboy punt was downed at the 1-yard line. With LCU unable to get away from its own goal line, a fourth-down punt resulted in a safety and the Cowboys getting their first two points of the day.
 
After receiving the free kick following the safety, it took HSU just four plays to take the lead as a 30-yard touchdown strike and a converted two-point attempt gave the Cowboys a 10-3 lead. That would be the score when the first quarter concluded.
 
But the score did not stay that way long in the second quarter as the Cowboys struck on an 18-yard scoring gallop as HSU extended the lead to 17-3.
 
On LCU's ensuing possession, the Wildcats decided to gamble on fourth and four from their own 27, but the ball was mishandled, giving the Cowboys the ball all the way down at the Wildcat seven. HSU quickly capitalized on the short field, scoring on the first play to extend the lead further, 24-3.
 
The Wildcats had an answer in them as Perkins found Omarius Davis from 30 yards out for the score, pulling LCU back within two scores at 24-10 at the end of the six-play, 63-yard drive which lasted just 2:13.
 
But HSU had one more push in them before halftime, hitting on a 53-yard scoring pass with just over a minute before the break to extend its lead back out to 21 points at 31-10 at the break.
 
LCU came out of the half looking stronger than it did going in and got the only score of the third quarter. Perkins capped a 17-play, 90-yard drive by again finding Davis on a three-yard scoring pass and catch as the Wildcats again got within 14 at 31-17 with just less than 4:30 left in the period after the 6:18-long scoring march.
 
The Wildcats brought momentum and possession of the ball deep in Cowboy territory into the fourth quarter as LCU looked to make it a one-score game. LCU got as close as the HSU six-yard line but would be forced to settle for a field goal attempt. All of the momentum the Wildcats had then disappeared as HSU blocked the field goal, maintaining the 14-point lead.
 
From there on, Hardin-Simmons scored three touchdowns in the fourth to pull away for the eventual 52-17 final score.
 
Perkins ended the day 22-of-41 with 216 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also ran six times for 36 more yards.
 
His favorite target on the day was Davis, who caught eight passes for 120 yards and two scores.
 
Datlan Cunningham led the ground attack with 84 yards on 27 carries. Jaterrius Johnson added 34 yards on 10 carries. The Wildcats rushed for 142 total yards on the day.
 
The Wildcats remain on the road next week, returning to Sooner Athletic Conference play, heading to Goodwell, Okla. to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State. Kickoff of Saturday's contest against the Aggies (1-1, 0-0 SAC) is set for 6 p.m. at Anchor D Stadium at Carl Wooten Field.