BELTON — It’s rivalry week in Cru Country. For the first time since 2021, Hardin-Simmons is making the trip to Belton for a meeting with UMHB in what will be considered by many across the country as Division III’s “Game of the Week”. It is, after all, the only matchup on the slate between a pair of Top 15 programs, not to mention the intense rivalry that adds fuel to the fire in the race for the ASC title without fail each fall.
This particular duel holds significance with the recent results for both programs heading into Week 6. HSU, with its perfect 4-0 record, is No. 6 in the D3football.com Top 25, fresh off a statement win in Abilene over 12th-ranked Endicott, 35-27. UMHB performed well last week too, snapping ETBU’s three-game win streak in a 42-28 win as The Cru rose to No. 13 nationally. And the game prior to that saw The Cru stun then-third-ranked UW-Whitewater, 35-17, on the road. The momentum for both squads is clear and raises the stakes, even with the recognition that, unlike in past years, these two will see each other in the regular season again in less than a month. Nov. 9 is the matchup in Abilene on the second-to-last week of the ASC’s new double round-robin league schedule.
“I think it’s great for Texas football in general for those kids to be in a game like that,” UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said Monday of the long-standing rivalry between the Crusaders and Cowboys. “To me, it’s no different than the Red River Rivalry. When us and Hardin-Simmons get together, there’s alumni with a bunch of passion and it’s a real fun, emotional game to be a part of.”
It will also be the first time since Oct. 7, 2006 that HSU is ranked ahead of UMHB entering a game played in Belton. In that edition of the rivalry, a game UMHB won 28-16, the Cowboys were ranked fifth, and The Cru, 12th.
Harmon spoke with the media on Monday, previewing Saturday’s upcoming duel in Belton and his thoughts from last week’s 42-28 win over ETBU. Here are three takeaways from that press conference.
HSU’s identity is the same even with a handful of new faces in key spots
The team UMHB is stepping on the field against has several of the same faces as it did in 2023. Running backs Noah Garcia, Colton Marshall, and Braylon Henry are all back, as is standout receiver Tailon Garrett and kicker Grayson Bearden.
But there are some new names to know on both sides of the ball, contributors who have helped HSU rise into the Top 10. West Texas A&M transfer Kyle Brown is the starting quarterback, and the defense is led by a number of newcomers, including defensive coordinator Craig Neese, who engineered Illinois College’s defense through last season’s run to the Midwest Conference title and an appearance in the D-III playoffs. All-American linebacker Charlie Patterson followed Neese from Illinois College to HSU and leading tackler Harrison Foster, a safety, transferred in this past offseason from Abilene Christian. And second-leading receiver Kris Sims is also in his first year in Abilene after two seasons at West Texas A&M.
Harmon said despite those personnel changes, he doesn’t expect the Cowboys’ identity to be different than in years past.
“They’re going to be themselves,” he said. “They’re physical. They’re going to run the ball. They force you to load the box and when you do that, they try to throw it over your head and keep you honest. They’re a handful offensively. And on defense, they like to bring pressure. They have a new DC and he’s brought a new scheme so we have to get to know him a little better and figure out how to attack that. They’ve been doing great things with special teams. Their punter is tremendous and they have two returners who can take it to the house every time they touch it. They’re a Top 10 team for a reason.”
Staying poised in the midst of the intensity and pressure will be a key intangible in winning on Saturday
When it comes to rivalry week, especially with as much on the line as Saturday’s game has, it is natural for the media hype and conversation amongst the fanbases to significantly increase as kickoff nears. The pressure is there to perform, and with it comes the temptation to potentially treat this game differently from the others.
But maintaining a consistent approach, regardless of the opponent, is something Harmon spoke about early in the press conference. It seems the mentality is not about downplaying the intensity of rivalry and more about staying level-headed to carry momentum from last Saturday’s win into this week’s preparation.
“The programs that traditionally win national championships year in and year out—you hear Nick Saban and Kirby Smart talk about it—they talk about having a ‘faceless opponent’. Meaning, don’t change, don’t make it bigger than it is, don’t act like it’s all or nothing in this particular game. That’s going to be my message to the team. We’re not changing. We are who we are and we do what we do. We’re going to get prepared [for HSU] the same way we prepare for everybody.
“I’m not going to make a big hype out of this thing. It’s going to happen on its own. Each side knows each other really well, they all follow each other on Twitter. They play the game inside the game well before they get here on Saturday. So hopefully by just being active and not reactive, going about our business and not making it any more than what it is, will help us stay level-headed and not commit emotional personal fouls that hurt the team.”
He was later asked specifically about the aspect of controlling emotions on the field, considering how pressure-packed this game can be. Saturday’s win over ETBU saw things get chippy between the two sides, and Harmon made it clear that picking up personal fouls is something he is emphasizing to his team to avoid at all costs.
“If you’re out there trying to get back at somebody for doing something that you thought was cheap or late, you’re only hurting your team. If you feel you’ve been disrespected, you need to leave it alone. You don’t need to go after the person. You need to control your emotions. The only way you can do that, in my opinion, is if you truly care about your teammates and they’re more important to you than getting revenge on somebody.”
The consistent play of the O-Line was key on Saturday and will be again vs HSU
It seemed the rushing attack finally emerged on Saturday, with UMHB setting a new season-high in yardage (244) and three different running backs totaing at least 60 yards apiece. Incredibly, the last time UMHB had three different ball carriers each tally over 60 yards in a single game was Oct. 1, 2022, in a 38-7 win over Austin College. Establishing success running the ball seemed to naturally open up passing windows for Isaac Phe as the contest progressed, even against an ETBU defense that led the ASC in passing defense entering the matchup.
A big part of the run game, it seems, is the consistency found on the offensive line this season. In 2023, UMHB put a different starting offensive line on the field for every game except the last, filling holes due to injury and looking for a lineup that put the offense in position for success. With the five UMHB has this season—Joseph Montez, Zachary WIlkinson, Eric Teutsch, Kyle Wente, and Carson Gaido—The Cru seems to have found the right mix.
“We probably have more depth with the O-Line right now than we did in ‘21,” Harmon said. “They’ve played really well. ETBU has two tremendous defensive ends, and they ran a few stunts that were able to beat our tackles inside, but for the most part we did a great job of handling those guys. It’s a huge reason for our success. It’s great that we have the depth we have right now.
“Hardin-Simmons takes great pride in their offensive line. [Head coach] Jesse [Burleson] was a great offensive lineman when he played and you can tell that the mentality of his team is that of an offensive lineman. They’re mentally tough and grind it out. That’s how they play. And we’re going to have to match that.”
UMHB and HSU kick off at Crusader Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It will be UMHB’s homecoming game. Stay tuned for our comprehensive game preview, which will be published on Friday morning.
