Opening a can of … uhm … something
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UMHB gets back into the playoff picture
Two weeks after falling from the ranks of the undefeated, Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-1, 4-1 ASC) dominated from start to finish to upset Hardin-Simmons by a 38-7 count. From a conference perspective, the ASC honchos are probably happy with this outcome, if not the margin. It is much more likely that the conference will get two bids than if Hardin-Simmons had won … more on that shortly.
“It was just an incredible game,” said UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg. “We had no idea it would turn out that way. You always hope, but our kids really played well.”
True dat, coach, as the home standing Cowboys (6-1, 5-1) suffered six sacks in the first half while being held to minus-8 yards total offense. Meanwhile, Crusader quarterback Josh Welch (an efficient 9-for-10 for 86 yards and two touchdowns) ran the option to perfection and a 24-0 halftime lead. “We’ve always believed and had a lot of confidence in Josh, and knew that he was going to have a blow-out game before long,” said Fredenburg. “He sure did on Saturday.”
Welch’s favorite target, wide receiver P.J. Williams, had four catches for 41 yards and both touchdown receptions. Fredenburg noted that “P.J. is a great receiver for us who has the capability of getting down the field and stretching the defense. People have to use their secondary to stop the running game, and when they do, it creates a problem in coverage.”
UMHB’s success depends on the running game, and on this day the Crusaders’ offensive engine was hitting on all cylinders. Fredenburg and his staff juggled the offensive line during the week. The revised lineup of Luke Long, Bryan Ramirez, Chad Zenner, Kody Zuniga, and Raymond McNutt opened up holes for the running game while providing excellent protection for Welch on those occasions when he elected to pass.
“We finally have the five in position where we think they need to be,” said Fredenburg. “They really stepped up and played well.” Mary Hardin-Baylor rushed for 192 yards, twice what the Cowboys normally allow, and Welch was only sacked one time.
The Crusaders’ aggressive defense was also on display, holding the Cowboys under ten points for the first time since Sept. 16, 1995. Linebacker Ricky Lopez had perhaps the finest game of his collegiate career, recording ten tackles (seven solo), two sacks, and three tackles for loss. “He’s a good, smart football player,” stated Fredenburg. “We moved some people around, and Ricky was a guy that stepped up. He knows the defense extremely well, plays with a lot of effort, and he really showed up.”
The Crusaders still do not have total control of their playoff destiny. Even with the huge win against conference-leading Hardin-Simmons, should both win out, the Crusaders will finish one-half game behind the Cowboys. HSU would get the conference’s automatic bid, and the Crusaders — who have been jilted in just about every way possible by the NCAA in their short existence — will have win out and rely on the selection committee to do the right thing and award them a Pool C bid.
When asked if he thought his Crusaders should get a bid should they win out, Fredenburg said, “I sure do. I think it would be a travesty to hurt a team because of a hurricane. Obviously we didn’t play very well against Howard Payne, but we’re playing very well right now.” Few in attendance on Saturday could deny that.
Those who want more information about the game itself should consult either my game day blog or game story. I’d like to thank HSU SID Chad Grubbs for his hospitality; thanks also to Fredenburg for taking time from his busy schedule to talk to me on Monday.
And then there were two: Trinity unleashes the horses
“We’ve got a quarterback controversy.” So says Trinity coach Steve Mohr, whose No. 9 Tigers breezed by Centre (6-2, 2-2 SCAC) 45-7. The loss sets up must-win out situations for both Trinity and DePauw (5-1, 3-0) to claim at least a share of the conference title.
Perhaps “breeze” is too strong a term. Thanks to turnovers, Trinity’s “Black Flag” defense spent 22 minutes in the field in the first half. The unit earned its title by holding Centre scoreless during that time, even with two Centre drives starting inside the Trinity 40. Dustin Allen made sure of that with three well-timed sacks of Centre quarterback Kevin Phelps. Allen was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for his efforts.
Tiger starter Jacob Cannon was pulled after his second interception in four attempts. Blake Barmore relieved Cannon and did an excellent job in relief, guiding the Tigers (6-0/2-0) to two second-quarter touchdowns and a 14-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Trinity kept the ball on the ground, wearing out the visiting Colonels and scoring on five straight possessions. Jerrold Jones led the Tiger rushing attack with 99 yards on just 13 carries, Ray Valencia totaled 89 yards and three scores on 15 carries, and youngster Chris Baer added 76 yards on nine carries late.
Barmore attempted only nine passes, completing six for 86 yards and one touchdown. The last time a Trinity ball club passed for fewer yards was Nov. 18, 2000, in a driving rainstorm versus Wesley (71 yards, also a win). Shaun Irchirl recorded Trinity’s first defensive score of the season on a 29-yard interception return.
Will Barmore start against Rhodes this week? Mohr would say only that “Jake (Cannon) missed a couple of key reads and one thing we just cannot do is turn the ball over and keep putting our defense on the field. We have a lot of confidence in Blake to get the job done but Jake is a warrior and he will battle back. Good problem to have, I guess.”
Elsewhere around the Region …
DePauw (5-1, 3-0 SCAC) kept its Pool A/C hopes alive with a 51-14 demolition of Millsaps (1-5, 0-3). DPU quarterback Ross Wiethoff ran for 103 yards and passed for 205 in the win. Jeremiah Marks tied a single season record with his 12th rushing touchdown for DePauw. The other record holder — don’t have a cow, man — is Bart Simpson. Dustin Hertel recorded eight solo tackles, including two sacks which both forced fumbles. Hertel was named to D3football.com’s Team of the Week. The win was number 500 in the program’s 118-year history. Congratulations, Tigers!
East Texas Baptist’s season took yet another strange twist when the Tigers (4-3, 4-2 ASC) were upset by visiting Louisiana College, 34-30. ETBU could not hold a 16-point fourth quarter lead, the final blow coming when LC quarterback Wesley Cooper found Justin Johnson for a 70-yard touchdown strike with 3:52 remaining. The Tigers had two chances to score again, but LC’s Tim Kettenring stopped ETBU with a fumble recovery in LC territory, and an interception on the game’s final play. The win improved the Wildcats to 2-4, 2-3 ASC.
Rose-Hulman’s happy season came to a screeching stop with an unexpected loss to visiting Sewanee (3-4, 2-1 SCAC). The Engineers (5-3, 2-2) led 7-0 in the second quarter before Sewanee rolled off 20 straight points for the win. Wes Satterfield completed 10-of-18 (103 yards) and added 71 yards on the ground to lead the Tigers to their sixth series win in the last seven tries. Rose-Hulman was held to 166 total yards. The Engineers now face SCAC leader DePauw and third-place Centre in their search for that elusive sixth win.
McMurry (5-2, 4-2) clinched its best season since at least 2000 with a wild 48-43 win at Sul Ross (2-5, 1-5). Once again, Ty Sellers led the way for McMurry. The senior signal caller ran wild with 217 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, and added four more scores through the air on 11-of-21 passing for 191 yards. The Indians trailed 30-20 early in the second before rattling off four straight scores to take a 48-30 lead. The game was marred by a bench-clearing brawl late; passions were so inflamed that the teams decided not to shake hands after the game for fear of igniting additional tensions. There have been no updates posted to the ASC website as of yet regarding possible disciplinary actions.
South Region Game of the Week:
McMurry (5-2, 4-2 ASC) at No. 10 Hardin-Simmons (6-1, 5-1 ASC): For the first time since 1999, this annual rivalry between Abilene’s two teams has playoff implications. Hardin-Simmons no longer has any room for error, thanks to last week’s upset by UMHB. A loss here probably eliminates the Cowboys from both ASC and playoff consideration.
McMurry’s chances, as they have all season long, rest on the capable legs and arms of Ty Sellers. I’ll be very surprised if the Indians can withstand an angry, motivated Cowboy squad — specifically, a defensive unit looking to atone for last week’s embarrassment. But that’s why they play the games …
South Region Top Five
1. No. 9 Trinity (6-0, 2-0 SCAC)
2. No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-1, 4-1 ASC)
3. No. 10 Hardin-Simmons (6-1, 5-1 ASC)
4. DePauw (5-1, 2-0 SCAC)
5. Huntingdon (5-1)
Honorable mention: Howard Payne (4-3, 4-2 ASC); McMurry (5-2, 4-2 ASC)
The region’s remaining undefeated team gets the nod at No. 1 this week. Just remember what happened the last time you went to Memphis, guys.
Someone gave Huntingdon a vote this week — thanks! Maybe someone else out there would like to look at DePauw? Since Week 3, the Tiger defense is allowing something like 10 points per game and is nationally ranked in several categories … and should get a Pool C bid if they win out.
Next week
I’ll be tooting my own horn at a concert in Sherman, Texas, on Saturday, so no football for me — not even audio! I’ll also be looking for inspiration for a more suitable title as Pat is sure to have changed the one submitted with this column.
We will look at a playoff situation that should be coming into sharper focus, though we may not know for sure what’s going to happen until the final game is played.
Questions, comments, and story ideas are always welcome: ron.boerger@d3football.com.