LITTLE ROCK – The Louisiana Hurricanes defense shut down what is usually a potent running game from the Central Arkansas Rhinos Saturday, however, the Rhinos’ passing game took charge for a 41-22 victory in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Rhinos quarterback Andy Rogers connected for 10 of 23 pass attempts, covering 288 yards for three touchdowns. In addition, Rogers found some of his own holes on the ground to haul the ball into the end zone for two rushing touchdowns.

“Rogers really took control out there tonight,” commented head coach Wes Booker spoke after the game in a press release.

“It’s what a leader has to do. When the game is on the line, they step up and Andy did that.”

The Hurricanes stormed in quickly to begin the first quarter, and on only their second play from scrimmage, their quarterback hit a sprinting wide receiver to set the score at 8-0.

The Rhinos eventually responded, completing a 97-yard, 14-play drive with a touchdown and PAT to get the Rhinos to within one at halftime at 8-7.

The first-half spark turned into a fire, as the Rhinos shifted the momentum and burned through the third quarter.

The first blast hit via a 76-yard touchdown reception, followed closely by a 15-yard touchdown catch. The up and running passing game had handed the Rhinos a 20-8 lead.

On the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes found an answer in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring one touchdown to shorten the points gap, 20-14.

Not ready to relinquish the lead, the Rhinos’ defensive end picked up a loose ball and rambled 46 yards before stepping out of bounds down at the Hurricanes’ 15-yard line. The Rhinos capitalized on the turnover with another pass to their tight end to make the score 27-14 with 8:33 left in the game.

The back-and-forth battle shifted power to the Hurricanes yet again, when they scored a safety, then a touchdown, while wiping almost six minutes off the clock.

With the game nearing the two-minute warning, the crowd was hushed. A deep kick set the Rhinos’ offense back into field, but the team exploded off a short pass from Rogers to running back David High, who turned the toss into a 42-yard sideline-to-sideline race.

“I just ran out of steam,” High said in the release.

“The tank was just empty.”

The Rhinos needed only two more plays, before Rogers put the ball into the end zone again. A two-point conversion was successful, and with 1:48 left in the game, the Rhinos were back up, 35-22.

After moving the ball down the field, the Hurricanes quarterback was crushed by the Rhinos’ defensive end. The hit caused the ball to come loose and allowed a Rhinos defensive back to scoop it up for a 62-yard touchdown return, setting the final score at 41-22.

“It’s always the big play that makes or breaks a game wide open,” coach Booker remarked.

“The Rhinos are blessed with an incredible group of athletes. It makes the coach’s job easy when the talent is at this level.”

The Hurricanes take on the Panhandle Tigers to begin a three-game home steak at Joe Keller Stadium Saturday.