Game NotesBelton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team will have a chance to punch its ticket to the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championships when the Cru travels to Brownwood to face Howard Payne University this Saturday. UMHB will face the Yellow Jackets in a 1:00 PM kickoff at Gordon Wood Stadium in American Southwest Conference play.
The Cru is 8-0 overall and has a 3-0 mark in the ASC following a 41-28 victory over Hardin-Simmons University last Saturday in Belton. UMHB is ranked second in the country by both the American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com. Howard Payne is 4-4 overall on the year and has a 1-2 mark in ASC play. The Yellow Jackets dropped a 55-28 decision at Louisiana College last weekend. A win victory would guarantee the Cru at least a share of the ASC and would also clinch the league's automatic bid to the postseason for UMHB. Coming off a game in which the Cru trailed at halftime for the first time since 2012 and with all that's on the line, UMHB's coaches expect a better performance this Saturday.
"We just didn't play very well last Saturday and I think we came out a little flat," Cru Head Coach
Pete Fredenburg said. "I think our players were disappointed in themselves. We are happy to have gotten a win, but our kids want more and I think that really says something about this program and our expectations."
The Cru leads the all-time series with Howard Payne 14-2 and UMHB won last year's meeting 80-0 in Belton. Both of the Yellow Jackets' victories have come in Brownwood, with a 41-14 win in the inaugural meeting in 1998 and a 24-20 last second victory in 2005. The Cru also entered that 2005 game ranked second in the country. UMHB has won 52 consecutive regular season games and has a 35-game ASC winning streak. The Cru has also won the last eight meetings with Howard Payne entering Saturday's contest.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on K101.7 FM in Central Texas with the pre-game starting at 12:30 PM and kickoff set for 1:00 PM. UMHB will also provide live video streaming and Howard Payne University will offer live statistics for the contest. You can find links to all of the game coverage, including K101.7's live audio stream, through the UMHB Athletic Department web site at
www.cruathletics.com.