Seguin, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team put the game out of reach early and then cruised to a 56-17 victory over Texas Lutheran University in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday in Seguin. UMHB improves to 10-0 overall and 8-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The Cru also clinches the outright ASC title and locks up its second consecutive 10-0 season with the win. The loss ends the Bulldogs season at 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the ASC.
UMHB jumped out to a 28-0 lead early in the first quarter. LiDarral Bailey's one-yard scoring plunge on the Cru's opening possession made it 7-0 with 11:44 left in the first. Caleb Moore would add TD runs of nine and 34 yards on UMHB's next two possessions to push the lead to 21-0. Geoff Myles then returned a punt 61 yards for a score to put the Cru up 28-0 with 4:30 remaining in the first. Kyle McNally intercepted a Bailey pass and returned it 64 yards for a score to put TLU on the board, but Bailey answered with a nine-yard scoring strike to a diving Damian Davis to make it 35-7 Cru at the end of the first quarter. Jacquoi Beauregard added an 11-yard scoring run and Bailey hit Tucker Glaske streaking down the middle of the field for a 35-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-7 before Dominique Hardaway broke off a nine-yard scoring run for TLU to cut the gap to 49-14 at the half. Allen Cain hit a 43-yard field goal for the Bulldogs early in the second half before Moore closed out the scoring with a one-yard TD run with 6:00 left in the third quarter.
Moore had a huge day in his first collegiate start, rushing for 265 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. The 265 yards represent the second-highest single game total in UMHB history, trailing only Jarvis Thrasher's ASC record 324 yards set against Mississippi College in 2007. Bailey was 8-13 passing for 107 yards and two scores and Glaske caught two passes for 76 yards and a score. Ty Dooley led the UMHB defense with 10 tackles and Javicz Jones added nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Mitchell Bunger was 13-22 passing for 97 yards for Texas Lutheran and Brent Peavy ran for 39 yards on nine carries. Lewis Williams III caught five passes for 23 yards for the Bulldogs. Tanner Sparks led the TLU defense with nine tackles and McNally added eight stops and the interception return for a score.
The Cru finished the game with 509 yards of total offense with 361 of those coming on the ground. UMHB turned the ball over three times and was penalized 10 times for 69 yards. The Cru held TLU to just 227 yards of total offense and 95 rushing yards in the victory.
The Cru will now advance to the NCAA Division III National Championships for the eighth straight season and tenth time in the last 11 years. UMHB will find out its First Round opponent when the 32-team field is announced tomorrow at 5:00 PM on NCAA.com. ASC Commissioner Amy Carlton will attend the UMHB watch party and will present the Cru with its ASC Championship Trophy tomorrow at 4:30 PM at the Cummins Field House. UMHB has been ranked #1 in the South Region in both public rankings this season and should host a First Round game next Saturday at 12:00 PM at Tiger Field.