SULPHUR — The Barbe Bucs needed something big to open up the second half of the regular season, so they made a statement Friday at Matt Walker Memorial Stadium.

The Bucs shut down the Tors’ offense to win 31-0, ending the Tors’ two-year win streak in a series that dates back to 1972.

Bucs held the Tors to just 159 yards and only a week after the Tors piled up 481 yards of total offense in a 35-27 loss to Sam Houston. The Bucs (3-3, 1-3) shut the Tors out for the first time since a 28-0 win in 2001. The Bucs forced eight punts and didn’t allow the Tors to reach the red zone.

“The defense played outstanding,” Barbe head coach Skeet Owens said. “They made good plays and executed tackles in space.

“They got to the quarterback. It was just a great job. Courtlyn (Houston) got after that center. We knew the center was underside, and Courtlyn (6-2, 285) is a big boy. We were able to take advantage of that. Michael (Fulton) being healthy and getting (Travis) Pradia back, the outside linebacker, It was good to get buys back healthy so we could actually run our defense.”

Barbe held the Tors to 74 yards in the first half and kept up the pressure in the second half. The Tors’ first possession of the third quarter ended when Makayden Ryan picked off Sulphur’s Addison Constance, the 9th leading passer in the state. Also in the third quarter, Classie Ballou had a sack, and Fulton added a tackles for a loss.

The Tors had two fourth-quarter fumbles that led to 14 points for the Bucs. The Tors forced a punt early in the quarter, but on the return a Sulphur player reached down and touched the ball at the Tor 2-yard line, allowing the Bucs recover it. That led to Eric Jones’ third touchdown of the game. 30 seconds later, Tristan Bilbo recovered a fumble, and the Bucs went on a 62-yard drive that ended on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Collin Harris for a 31-0 lead with 5:19 left in the game.

Jones and freshman quarterback Jelandon Gray had a big night for the Bucs. Jones ran for 142 yards on 21 carries and caught three passes for 82 yards. He broke off a 59-yard run with 8:14 left in the third quarter to put the Bucs up 17-0 and scored the only touchdown of the half, a 69 reception from Gray in the second quarter. Gray completed 12 of 16 passes for 177 yards.

“He (Gray) played great,” Owens said. “He is still on a bum ankle.

“(Victorian) made great catches early and set the tone. He (Jones) had a slow first half. He got going in the second half and popped that one early. He had the big catch in the first half. I can’t say enough about him.”

Barbe entered the game ranked 26th in the Nonselect Division I power rankings and will need to stay in the top 28 to make the playoffs.

“We have two at home, then our last two on the road,” Owens said. “We have to win a bunch of games to even have a shot, so hopefully this is a step in the right direction.”

The Tors (2-4, 1-3) lost their third consecutive game after they started the season 2-1.

Constance completed 15 of 27 passes for 105 yards, and Tyler Joubert ran for 49 yards on 19 carries. J.D. Lafleur grabbed six passes for 41 yards.

Barbe 31

Sulphur 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Barbe 0 10 7 14 — 31

Sulphur 0 0 0 0 — 0

SCORING SUMMARY

B: Eric Jones 69 pass from Jelandon Gray (Jace Vasquez)

B: FG Vasquez 25

B: Jones 59 run (Vasquez kick)

B: Jones 2 run (Vasquez kick)

B: Collin Harris 1 run (Vasquez kick)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING — Barbe: Eric Jones 21-142, Collin Harris 2-3, Da’marcus Bryant 4-19, Jelandon Gray 4-0, Landon Kirklin 2-7. Sulphur: Tyler Joubert 19-49, Davion Hall 2-(minus-1), Addison Constance 9-13.

PASSING — Barbe: Gray 12-16-0—177, Harris 2-5-1—24. Sulphur: Constance 15-27-1—105.

RECEIVING — Barbe: Landon Victorian 3-53, Luke Leger 4-46, Jones 3-82, Aaron Bellard 1-6, Harris 2-10, Tristan Bilbo 1-4. Sulphur: Brodie Depriest 1-3, Austin Babaz 2-17, Ian Malone 5-30, J.D. Lafleur 6-41, Hayden Sumpter 1-14.