Mary Haridin-Baylor Athletics

Game Notes

Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team will renew its rivalry with Linfield College when the two teams face off in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III National Championships this Saturday in McMinnville, Oregon. The two teams will be meeting for the second straight year and the fourth time overall when the Cru and Wildcats kick off at 2:00 PM Central (12:00 PM Pacific) at Maxwell Field.
 
Linfield has won each of the previous three meetings, including a 31-28 victory last year in an NCAA Second Round game. The Wildcats are one of just two opponents UMHB has faced and never beaten. Wisconsin-Whitewater is the other with a 5-0 all-time record against the Cru.
 
UMHB will go into Saturday's game with an 11-1 overall record and the Cru won a share of its 13^th American Southwest Conference championship with a 4-1 league mark. UMHB entered the postseason ranked 10^th in the country by the American Football Coaches Association and 13^th nationally by D3football.com. Linfield is 11-0 on the year and won the Northwest Conference with a 7-0 record in conference play. The Wildcats are ranked second in the county by both the AFCA and D3football.com and are receiving first-place votes in both of those polls.
 
Linfield has forced a total of 12 UMHB turnovers in the three victories over the Cru. Four of those miscues have been returned for touchdowns and one of the real keys for UMHB this Saturday will be taking better care of the football against a team that thrives on take-aways.
 
"They have a tremendous program and will be just as formidable a foe as they were last season," Cru Head Coach Pete Fredenburg said. "They are talented and very well coached and you can't make mistakes against them. They don't make mistakes and really make you pay when you do. Linfield has taken great advantage of our turnovers in the previous meetings. You want to have these kind of opportunities and we keep getting them. Now we have to take advantage of that and make the most of this chance."
 
UMHB has advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 37-19 victory over conference rival Hardin-Simmons in the First Round and with a 43-23 win over Huntindgon College in last Saturday's Second Round game. Linfield opened the postseason with a 48-10 win over conference rival Whitworth before topping Cortland State University 38-22 last Saturday. The Cru is playing in the National Quarterfinals for the ninth time in the last 12 seasons. Linfield will be looking for a fourth National Semifinals appearance with a win. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the Semifinals to take on the winner of Saturday's St. Thomas vs. Wabash Quarterfinal on December 12^th.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast locally on KLTD 101.7 FM and on the Internet through the station's web site. The pre-game show will start at 1:30 PM Central (11:30 AM Pacific). Linfield will offer live video streaming of the game and live statistics will also be available. You can access links to all of the live coverage through the UMHB Athletic Department web site at: www.cruathletics.com.