By Peter Sblendorio

The Cowboys kicked off the 2010 football season with a bang on Friday night, beating the Mesquite Horn Jaguars 13-0.

Coppell pounded the ball all night with an effective running game led by senior Cam McDaniel, who tallied 218 yards on 44 carries and accounted for both of the Cowboy’s touchdowns. Senior quarterback Joe Minden also played well in his debut as the starter, completing 14 of 22 passes for 146 yards.

The game had a relatively slow-tempo for most of the first half, with the Cowboys breaking a scoreless tie on a rushing touchdown by McDaniel with 1:38 left before halftime. McDaniel ran in it again in third quarter in what was the final scoring play for either team.

The Cowboys were led on the receiving end by senior Kyle Echerd’s three catches for 66 yards. Echerd was instrumental on both touchdown drives, making solid completions to put Coppell in scoring position.

The Coppell secondary was successful in stopping the passing attack of Mesquite Horn, who only had 89 yards through the air. Coppell also had 365 yards of total offense, considerably more than the 256 that the Jaguars could muster.

The Cowboys will go for a 2-0 record next Friday night in a playoff rematch against Arlington.