BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team battled back from an early deficit and pushed No. 20 Endicott to the final seconds Saturday afternoon at Crusader Stadium, falling 28-27 to the Gulls in the Cru's 2026 home opener.
UMHB fell behind 14-0 in the opening quarter but responded with a dominant second quarter, scoring 21 unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead. The Cru continued to battle throughout the second half before a late Endicott score proved to be the difference.
Maurice Moore got the Cru on the board early in the second quarter, rushing for a five-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 50-yard drive.
Carson Horton then connected with
Zeke Saldana on a 62-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter, tying the game at 14-14.
UMHB continued its offensive momentum on its next scoring drive, moving 63 yards in six plays before finding the end zone with another Horton to Saldana touchdown to take a 21-14 lead with 3:51 remaining in the first half. Endicott answered with a touchdown just before halftime, sending the teams into the break tied at 21-21.
The Cru's offense continued to move the football in the second half, putting together a pair of long drives in the third quarter. UMHB drove 54 yards on 13 plays before a missed field goal and later moved 19 yards before another missed field goal attempt. Endicott took a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, but UMHB continued to fight. The Gulls had a fresh set of downs on the 10, but UMHB's defense held, forcing a field goal attempt which was blocked by
Scooby Carter.
The Cru put together its longest scoring drive of the afternoon on the ensuing possession, marching 86 yards on 12 plays and taking more than six minutes off the clock. Horton capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to
Will McClintock with just 37 seconds remaining.
The Cru attempted to tie the game with the extra point, but the kick was blocked, leaving Endicott with the one-point victory.
UMHB finished the afternoon with 403 yards of total offense, including 146 rushing yards and 257 passing yards. The Cru controlled the clock for 33:30 and converted 9-of-15 third downs.
Moore led the ground game with 111 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Horton completed 18-of-30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while Saldana hauled in two passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.
BJ Stewart added six receptions for 61 yards and finished with 165 all-purpose yards, including 81 kickoff-return yards and 23 punt-return yards. McClintock added the Cru's final touchdown of the afternoon on his lone reception.
Defensively, UMHB held Endicott to 325 total yards and forced the Gulls into one crucial missed field goal.
Devon Freitag,
Trevor Tamplin and
Aidan Ross each recorded a sack, while
Keilan Carver added two pass breakups. Ross also recorded a forced fumble.
The Cru finished with 21 first downs compared to 18 for Endicott and ran 68 offensive plays to the Gulls' 52.
UMHB falls to 2-1 on the season and returns to action Saturday, October 3rd, hosting Keystone College in a 6 p.m. kickoff at Crusader Stadium.
