Third year the charm for UMHB
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D3football.com
It looks like the balance of power in the American Southwest Conference is starting to shift.
Third-year program Mary Hardin-Baylor has started an out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new revival in the conference that has traditionally been dominated by its senior programs.
But the young Crusaders, led by a voracious defense that has been nothing
short of suffocating, handed perennial powerhouse McMurry its first conference loss in two years to a school that's not named Hardin-Simmons.
In fact, the Indians' only four losses over the past two years have all come against the two-time defending conference champion Cowboys or Southern Collegiate Athletic Association powerhouse Trinity University.
But all of this has changed, and for the first time since 1997 the annual season-ending meeting between McMurry and Hardin-Simmons won't feature two teams with unblemished conference records.
Credit UMHB coach Pete Fredeburg with bringing along his troops at light
speed, as a victory against the Indians certainly signals the Crusaders' arrival as a top-flight program.
While some might point to UMHB's stunning upset of Howard Payne last season as the watershed game, an end-of-season defeat at the hands of Texas Lutheran must have tainted the sense of progress the Crusaders made.
But holding a normally explosive McMurry offense to just six points -- and an anemic 30 yards rushing on 27 carries -- might have pushed Mary Hardin-Baylor into the upper echelon of the American Southwest Conference.
Hardin-Simmons and Howard Payne both got off to quick starts once again, and should be key players in the upcoming title chase.
And don't count out McMurry just yet. Coach Steve Keenum still has a few tricks up his sleeve, and if McMurry can run the table and beat Hardin-Simmons in the season finale, chances are Keenum & Co. will get that elusive playoff bid they have been searching for.
But for the first time in two years, another team must be reckoned with as the hunt for the conference crown begins -- Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Rhodes first to win two in SCAC play
Rhodes improved to an impressive 2-0 in conference play with after topping Centre in a defensive standoff.
The Lynx head into their open week riding a three-game winning streak, including its most recent 6-3 edging of Centre.
The Sewanee Tigers (2-1) are the only other team that is undefeated in SCAC play, but that is primarily because Trinity (also Tigers) hasn't started conference play just yet. The Tigers are coming off a 14-0 loss to NCAA Division I-AA Davidson and will take on Stillman this week.
Games of the Week
Trinity at DePauw, Greencastle, Ind., 1:30 p.m. EST
Trinity will open its conference play Saturday against DePauw, but it probably won't be pretty. Trinity knocked off No. 18 Willamette 21-0 at home last weekend, and should easily roll over 0-3 DePauw.
Mississippi College at Howard Payne, Brownwood, 2 p.m. CDT
The Choctaws are the only team other than Hardin-Simmons to win the ASC title in the past three years. Last year MC stumbled a bit, as did the Yellow Jackets, but both could contend in 2000 if they stay healthy.
In fact, it was an early-season loss to Howard Payne that sent Mississippi College into a downward spiral last year. Look for HPU tailback Richard Green to dominate the ground after his 173-yard, three-touchdown performance against Louisiana College last week.