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Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team used a punishing ground game and a stifling defensive effort to control the game as the Cru rolled to a 48-16 victory over Sul Ross State in the regular season finale Saturday in Belton. UMHB improves to 9-1 overall and 7-1 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The Cru also clinched a share of the ASC title with the win. The loss ends the Lobos season at 2-8 overall and 2-6 in the ASC.
UMHB marched 80 yards on six plays on the game's opening possession before Kyle Noack hit Ervin Johnson with a 39-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0. The Lobos tied the game when Tony Allen blocked a UMHB punt and returned it 30 yards for a score to make it 7-7 with 5:06 left in the first quarter. Sul Ross became the first team to score against the Cru in the first quarter on that play. Quincy Daniels would give UMHB the lead again on a four-yard TD run with 3:21 left in the first. LiDarral Bailey and Daniels would add second quarter rushing touchdowns as the Cru built a 27-7 halftime lead. Bryson Tucker scored on a three-yard run early in the third quarter and Daniels broke free for a 78-yard scoring run to make it 41-7 UMHB. Mike Van Wagner drilled a 57-yard field goal for the Lobos and Kellen Gierke caught a three-yard TD pass from Reggie Collins to cut it to 41-16 with 6:33 to go. Desmond Mays then capped the Cru victory with a one-yard TD run with 1:09 remaining in the game.
The Cru rolled up 480 rushing yards and had three players go over 100 rushing yards in the game. UMHB added 152 yards through the air for 632 yards of total offense. The Cru defense held the Lobos to just 17 rushing yards and 82 yards of total offense after the Lobos entered the game averaging 241 rushing yards per game.
Daniels ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries. Tucker added 117 yards and a TD and Bailey ran for 107 yards and a score. Noack was 7-13 passing for 79 yards and a touchdown and Ervin Johnson caught three passes for 55 yards for the Cru. Collins was 6-18 passing for 65 yards and a score and Lee Carothers had two catches for 40 yards for the Lobos. Rocky Vaclavick topped the Cru defense with a career-high nine tackles and Javicz Jones, Micah Spicer and Brenson Bristow added with tackles apiece. Brett Parker also intercepted a pass to stretch his school career record to 15 interceptions. Sean O'Leary had a game-high 11 tackles to lead the Lobos and Allen added 10 tackles to go with his blocked punt return for a touchdown.
The Cru will now find out its postseason fate when the 32-team field for the NCAA Division III National Championships is announced tomorrow. The playoff field will be announced sometime between 2:00 and 2:30 Central Time on ESPNews. The Cru has now won or shared the last five ASC titles and seven of the last eight. UMHB has a streak of five straight postseason appearances on the line. The Cru shares the ASC title with Mississippi College, but the Choctaws claim the ASC's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships by virtue of their 17-14 home victory over the Cru back in October.
