Fresh off a convincing win over the #6 team in the country, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team will return home for a return to American Southwest Conference play this Saturday. The Cru will welcome Texas Lutheran University to Crusader Stadium for a 6:00 PM kickoff.
UMHB (2-0, 1-0 ASC) will return home after beating sixth-ranked Linfield College 24-3 last Saturday in McMinnville, Oregon. The Cru defense dominated the game, limiting the Wildcats to three points, 34 rushing yards and 141 yards of total offense. UMHB’s points came on big plays with T.J. Josey scampering 74 yards for one touchdown, Bryce Wilkerson returning the second half kickoff 95 yards for another, Josey connecting with Isaiah Townes for a 35-yard touchdown strike and John Mowery converting a 44-yard field goal. The Cru offense finished with 190 rushing yards and 353 yards of total offense. Texas Lutheran is 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the ASC after shutting out Belhaven and its potent “Air Raid” offense last Saturday in Seguin. The Bulldogs are returning to the conference as affiliate members this season after initially leaving the league following the 2012 campaign. The two programs continued their series, even after TLU left the ASC, but having the Bulldogs back in the conference gives an already big game even more meaning this season.
“I think the Texas Lutheran coaching staff does a great job and their defense is playing really well right now,” Cru Head Coach Pete Fredenburg said. “They will present some real challenges for us on both sides of the ball and we expect them to give tremendous effort. Texas Lutheran has a new head coach this season, but we know them and they know us and we compete for some of the same recruits. This has become a pretty good rivalry and I know that we had better be ready to play on Saturday.”
UMHB leads the all-time series between the two teams 18-1 and TLU’s only victory in the series came in a 34-24 win in the 1999 season finale in Seguin. The Cru has won 17 consecutive games overall and UMHB has also won 17 straight meetings with the Bulldogs.
The Cru is the defending National Champion and enters Saturday’s game ranked #1 in the country by both the American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com. UMHB will be hosting “Hometown Heroes” night to honor area first responders during Saturday’s game. It is also Family Weekend at UMHB and the Cru coaching staff will participate in the AFCA’s “Coach to Cure MD” campaign.
