Cardinals ride 261 rushing yards to 31-10 win over Houston Christian

Jaylon Spears scored twice and Incarnate Word rolled up 261 rushing yards to beat Houston Christian 31-10 on Saturday, closing out the regular season for both teams.

Spears set the tone early, punching in a 2-yard touchdown on the Cardinals’ first drive and adding a 12-yard score late in the third to put Incarnate Word (5-7, 3-5 Southland Conference) up 24-7. He finished with 91 yards on 18 carries, while Kobe Dillon added 109 more to anchor a ground game that averaged 5.4 yards per rush.

Richard Torres complemented the run-heavy approach, throwing for 184 yards and two touchdowns. His 50-yard strike to Chedon James in the final minute of the first quarter broke a 7-7 tie, and he later capped a 10-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown to Jalen Walthall that stretched the lead to 21 with 3:14 left.

Houston Christian (2-10, 1-7) stayed within reach early on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Maddox Kopp to Ja’Ryan Wallace, who finished with 130 yards receiving. Wallace had a 68-yard grab that set up a late field goal by Ryan Zuckert, but the Huskies mustered only 48 rushing yards.

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