Notes 
Sul Ross and McMurry will face each other in one of the oldest rivalries in Division III football. It's the annual Battle of I-20 this Saturday! Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Wilford Moore Stadium in Abilene and can be heard live on KVLF AM 1240.
Media Information
Quick Hits and Recap
- No. 2 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-0, 1-0) amassed 690 yards of total offense and coasted to a 68-7 bruising of Sul Ross (0-2, 0-1) in the Lobos' home and ASC opener Saturday night.
- Sully was held to 112 yards of total offense as the Cru stacked up a 44-0 lead at the half.
- Fabian Baeza was 11-23 passing for 56 yards for Sul Ross.
- Jordan Lewandowski caught three passes for 26 yards and Williton Grear ran for 22 yards on eight carries.
- Levah Terry led the Lobo defense with 18 tackles, 12 of them solos.
- UMHB's Markeith Miller ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns.
- The Cru's Olan Vining added 123 rushing yards and Marquis Duncan ran for 120 yards and three more scores.
- The loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor extends Sully's losing streak against the Crusaders to 21 straight games dating back to 1998.
Scouting the War Hawks (McM Sports Info.)
- In a game that took nearly five-and-one-half hours to complete due to a lightning delay, did not have a traditional halftime due to the aforementioned weather issue and spanned two calendar days, it seemed somehow appropriate that the McMurry University football team took Howard Payne University to double overtime before losing by a 37-31 score at Gordon Wood Stadium.
- The setback dropped the War Hawks to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the American Southwest Conference, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 1-1 and 1-0 in league.
- It was the second time in the series history – led by HPU, 46-29-2 – that these teams have gone to double overtime (the other was a 26-23 McM win in 1997). The Jackets win also snapped a five-game losing streak to the War Hawks in the series.
- McMurry University junior wide receiver Spencer Knox has earned the co-Offensive Player of the Week for the American Southwest Conference.
- Knox (5-10, 180-lb.) made the most of his chances. Knox had three receptions for 187 yards (an average of 62.3 yards per catch), with all three going for touchdowns of 61, 46 and 80 yards, respectively. The latter came early in the fourth quarter and helped send the game into overtime.
- Knox also had two kickoff returns for an average of 15.5 yards per return versus Howard Payne, as well.
Series History
- Saturday's game between the Lobos and War Hawks marks the 88th time the teams have met on the gridiron.
- McMurry leads the all-time series 45-40-2 dating back to the first year of intercollegiate football at Sul Ross in 1923.
- In their first meeting, McMurry defeated the Lobos 12-0.
Last Meeting (Sept. 23, 2017)
- Senior quarterback James Davis (Houston/South) threw for 109 yards and a touchdown and netted 121 yards on the ground to lead Sul Ross (2-1, 1-1) to a 35-7 ASC victory over McMurry University (1-3, 1-2 ASC) at Jackson Field in 2017.
- Davis registered 10 pass completions out of 21 attempts in the victory as Sully gulped up 496 yards of total offense while holding McMurry to 136. The Lobos now sport a three-game winning streak over the War Hawks since McMurry re-entered NCAA Division III competition in 2015.
- Sully put the first points on the board in the opening quarter as Williton Grear (Austin/Del Valle) scampered seven yards into the McMurry end zone finishing off an eight-play, 44-yard drive. Eli Lopez (Austin/AHS) converted the extra point with 10:20 remaining in the first quarter.
- Then, a 52-yard punt return by Jermaine Stevens, Jr. (Houston/South) paved the way for a 29-yard strike from Davis to Steven Savedra (El Paso/Del Valle) with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. Lopez nailed the extra point for a 14-0 Sul Ross lead.
- A fumble on a Sul Ross punt return allowed the War Hawks to set up shop deep in Lobo territory. Darius Brooks reeled in a four-yard scoring toss from Kevin Hurly after just three plays which covered 16 yards. Tanner Wright's kick pulled the visitors to within seven with 13:43 left until the half. It would mark the final points scored for either team in the second quarter.
- Sophomore Jordan Batson (San Antonio/Wagner) reached pay dirt with 6:08 remaining in the third on a 21-yard touchdown run. Lopez tacked on the extra point.
- Jeremy Schilhab (Uhland/Lehman) then capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive with a four-yard trot before Lopez's PAT.
- Savedra finished off McMurry with a six-yard touchdown pass from Paul Rodriguez (Weslaco/WHS). Lopez bingoed on the extra point as the Lobos coasted to the 35-7 ASC win.
Around the ASC (Sept. 22, 2018)
Howard Payne @ Hardin-Simmons 6:00 PM
Sul Ross St. @ McMurry 6:00 PM
La. College @ Southwestern 6:00 PM
UMHB @ Texas Lutheran 6:00 PM
ETBU @ Belhaven 7:00 PM
Conference Rewind
No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor-65, Sul Ross St.-7
ALPINE, Tx.- No. 2 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-0, 1-0) amassed 690 yards of total offense and coasted to a 68-7 bruising of Sul Ross (0-2, 0-1) in the Lobos' home and ASC opener Saturday night.
No. 8 Hardin-Simmons-57, La. College-21
PINEVILLE, La.- Hardin-Simmons' football team fought off two rain delays and a slow start to roll by Louisiana College 57-21 on Saturday evening in Pineville, La.
ETBU-51, Southwestern-21
MARSHALL, Tx.- Scoring 20 first-quarter points and never looking back, the East Texas Baptist University football team ran away with a 51-21 victory over Southwestern University in their American Southwest Conference opener for 2018.
Texas Lutheran-23, Belhaven-0
Jackson, Ms.- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs shut out Belhaven (Miss.) for the second straight season with a 23-0 road win Saturday evening at Belhaven Bowl Stadium.
Howard Payne-37, McMurry-31 (2OT)
Brownwood, Tx.- In a game that took nearly five-and-one-half hours to complete due to a lightning delay, did not have a traditional halftime due to the aforementioned weather issue and spanned two calendar days, it seemed somehow appropriate that the McMurry University football team took Howard Payne University to double overtime before losing by a 37-31 score at Gordon Wood Stadium.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- Hardin-Simmons 2-0, 1-0 ASC
- UMHB 2-0, 1-0 ASC
- Texas Lutheran 2-0, 1-0 ASC
- ETBU 1-1, 1-0 ASC
- Howard Payne 1-1, 1-0 ASC
- Southwestern 2-1, 1-1 ASC
- Belhaven 0-2, 0-1 ASC
- La. College 0-2, 0-1 ASC
- Sul Ross St. 0-2, 0-1 ASC
- McMurry 0-3, 0-2 ASC
QUOTES FROM COACH JOHN PEARCE
Thoughts on facing the No. 2 team in the nation with a young team
Mary Hardin-Baylor outmatched us in every conceivable category. We had a pretty good start early in the first quarter but we shot ourselves in the foot. We had a big third down conversion that was called back and then we had a fumble that put them in a short-field situation. We we're able to hold them to a field on that drive but overall we just have a lot of very young and inexperienced players who are still trying to get a feel for the college game. That never shows more than when you play Mary Hardin-Baylor. We just could not keep up with their speed, size and athleticism. The second quarter really snowballed on us but I think we came out and had a better showing in the second half.
On the second half performance
I was encouraged with how we came out in the third quarter. We didn't give up despite being outmatched and having 68 points scored on us. The challenge I gave our players after the game was being diligent in getting in the weight room and just being disciplined in their conditioning regiment.
On playing two Top 25 teams in a row
Arizona Christian is ranked No. 22 in NAIA and UMHB is No. 2 in NCAA Division III so we're not playing any cupcakes. Both teams play very smart football. Against Mary Hardin-Baylor, we geared our defense to take away their passing game. We were able, in measure, to do that. We gave up a couple of touchdown passes . We set up a five-man box which invites an offense to run the ball.
On some missed opportunities in the opening quarter
Again, that offsides penalty on that third down conversion hurt us. I'm not suggesting that one penalty cost us 68 points but we had some momentum going but could not sustain it.
On any observed weaknesses of UMHB
There's just too few to mention. It's not a weakness but they're still trying to find out who will be their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. The three that played against us are all very good. I think Markeith Miller is in the best shape he's been in in his entire career. They were also strong up front and were giving our linemen fits.
Thoughts on freshmen performance
You can't cheat this game. You have to train in the offseason and be consistent with it. Some of our freshmen players are having to learn that right now. That's one reason why Mary Hardin-Baylor is so good. They stay with the program and they put in the time and sweat to make themselves better. Much of that has to do with conditioning. This was a good, hard learning experience for our young players that you cannot take shortcuts. When you do, you just have to remember what happened last Saturday.
On moving ahead to McMurry
The Mary Hardin-Baylor game is over. We need to focus on our rivalry game with McMurry. It's a long series going back over 90 years. Their a struggling team but they're a good team. They had a double overtime shootout against Howard Payne that they lost. I'm looking for a close game this weekend. They're at home and they're hungry for a win jut like we are. They had to contend with a two-hour lightning delay against Howard Payne and that's always tough on any team.
On similarities between the Lobos and War Hawks
They're a young team just like we are. They're looking for their first win just like we are. They're running a lot of the same schemes . They work with a 3-3 stack at times and they also work a four-man front. That has been a headache with our young offensive front knowing when to pick guys up. Offensively, they're tying to figure out they're quarterback situation. Like Mary Hardin-Baylor, they have a three-man rotation right now.
On injuries
Paul [Rodriguez] has a concussion and Ronin [Williams] has a bruised thigh. Those are the two big ones. But our biggest battle hasn't been injuries but sickness. We've had a hard-hitting virus making its rounds and we still have some players who are sick.
