The final game in the first round of UMHB double round-robin American Southwest Conference slate has arrived with Saturday’s matchup in Brownwood. The Cru and the Yellow Jackets, both looking to rebound after difficult losses in Week 6, meet at Gordon Wood Stadium for the first time in October since 2018. Both programs are looking to head into their open date next week with a victory, and at this stage in the season, there is plenty of importance that comes with each league contest.
“We’re in no position to overlook anybody,” UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said at Monday’s press conference. “We’re gonna bow our neck, pin our ears back and just play at fever pitch level Saturday.”
As UMHB makes the trip west, here is a look at the matchup ahead between the 23rd-ranked Crusaders and HPU.
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Quick Facts
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
Place: Brownwood, Texas (Gordon Wood Stadium)
Records: UMHB (2-2, 1-1 ASC), HPU (1-4, 0-2 ASC)
Follow the action
WATCH: The game will be broadcasted by Howard Payne on hpusports.com.
LISTEN: Ward Whites (play-by-play) and Jordan Cox (color commentary) will be on the radio call on KMIL 105.1 FM. Fans outside of the local area can listen to the radio broadcast at cruathletics.com/listen.
STATS: Live stats will be updated on hpusports.com.
All-Time Series History
UMHB is 22-2 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, and carries a 16-game winning streak in this series into Saturday’s matchup. HPU’s two victories over The Cru came in 1998 and 2005, with both games played in Brownwood. The Crusaders have averaged 40.08 points per game in 24 meetings with HPU. This game marks the third straight contest played at HPU, with UMHB having won 27-24 in 2022 on a late Anthony Avila field goal and the defense stepping up big in last season’s 35-10 victory.
A look at The Cru
UMHB faced a setback last Saturday suffering what was the worst loss (in terms of point margin) in Crusader Stadium history, as Hardin-Simmons controlled the game entirely, winnin 44-21. But four games still remain in league play, starting with Saturday’s duel in Brownwood. HPU is the only ASC opponent UMHB hasn’t yet faced, and this contest begins a span of three straight games away from Belton, with the latter two coming against ETBU and HSU following next week’s open date. Heading into that open date, UMHB needs positive momentum, both for the second half of the double round-robin schedule and to stay in playoff contention.
In a notable piece of news, the offense will be led by transfer quarterback Jake Wright, as Harmon confirmed Monday that the Houston native will make his first collegiate start against HPU. Wright, despite a shaky start, showed good things in the second half last Saturday, completing 12-of-18 passes over the final two quarters, and will be in position to build on that as the starter.
It helps to have quality skill players around him, and Wright certainly has that; seven players on the roster have at least six catches and three are over 100 yards receiving. Tight end Christopher Gacayan leads UMHB in both categories and the running backs have also gotten involved in the pass game this season. The rushing attack has come along well in recent weeks, and UMHB now ranks 61st nationally in yards per game on the ground (172.5 yds/game). With three running backs—Kamerin Ferguson, Asa Osbourn, and Daunte Blake—having rushed for at least 90 yards, UMHB’s backfield depth is an advantage. Especially against an HPU defense that is 146th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (149.6 yds/game).
Defensively, things have been somewhat inconsistent throughout this season. At its best, the Crusader defense is nearly unstoppable, as was shown against UW-Whitewater when UMHB came up with eight turnovers. At its worst, performances like last week’s loss come about, as HSU totaled its highest-scoring effort against The Cru since 2004. UMHB heads into Week 7 allowing 344.2 yards of offense per game, but is 21st in the country in tackles for loss (8.2/game). The defensive line has consistently been strong, pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run, two keys to the conference-opening win over ETBU two weekends ago. Passing defense has been a struggle at times, particularly in giving up passes over the top of the defensive backs on deep routes downfield. UMHB is allowing 215.2 yards/game through the air, creating an interesting matchup against HPU’s air-raid passing attack.
3 Players to Watch (written by contributing writer Benji Ward)
Johnny Smith-Rider, LB: Smith-Rider played well in Saturday’s loss as he tallied 3 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, his first game of the season with multiple TFL. A key component within the Cru linebackers unit, Smith-Rider will look to have another big impact this weekend.
Durand Hill, LB: In keeping with the defensive focus, Hill kept up with his stellar season so far on Saturday with 8 total tackles, a team-high. He now ranks third in the ASC with 38 tackles on the season, along with 2 tackles for loss.
Edwin Lopez, K/P: Lopez has handled all the specialist work this season, as he is 1/2 on field goals and 13/14 on pats. He has also been good in the kickoff game with 1045 kickoff yards and 2 touchbacks. He has been his best in the punting game as he has a long of 53 and 6 punts inside the 20 yard line. Lopez will look to continue affecting the game on special teams this weekend.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
HPU has improved significantly from Week 1. The 38-6 loss to Hardin-Simmons didn’t look great, and neither did the loss to NAIA Nelson University the following weekend. But the Yellow Jackets, with a new head coach in Kevin Bachtel and a new quarterback in Zy Gravitt, have steadily improved, keeping pace with ETBU on the road a week ago in a 42-33 loss. The offense looked much more cohesive, throwing for 325 yards and scoring on 4-of-5 red zone chances.
Gravitt, a transfer from East Central University, leads a passing attack that ranks 11th in the country in yards per game (311 yds/game). He has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 1,514 yards in his first season in Brownwood, with a number of agile receivers also contributing significantly to the Yellow Jackets’ success. Five different receivers have 120+ receiving yards, and three have at least one reception of 80 yards or more. There is big-play potential within the HPU passing game, and ETBU saw that last weekend. The run game got more involved last week as well, with HPU recording its second 100-yard rushing game of 2024 (117). Katy native Blessing Ngene accounted for 89 of those yards, and leads the team with 225 rushing yards.
Defensively, HPU is similar to UMHB in terms of strengths. The Yellow Jackets have been solid against the run, and don’t give up a lot of big running plays, with only two games in which the opponent recorded a run of 30 yards or more. Pass defense is HPU’s weaker point, with the Yellow Jackets allowing 217.2 yards/game through the air. HPU ranks fourth in the ASC in total yards allowed and third in defensive efficiency, but has progressively improved since Week 1. That development will be tested against a very capable Cru offense this Saturday.
3 Players to Watch (written by contributing writer Benji Ward)
Gus Charles, WR: Charles has been a big part of the Howard Payne offense, hauling in 32 catches for 585 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averages 146.25 yards per game and has been one the HPU offense’s most productive players along with Gravitt’s most reliable recieving target. Against ETBU, he tallied 10 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Kale Shaw, LB: Shaw, who previously spent two seasons at UMHB, has been a big part of the HPU defense from his spot at linebacker. He has tallied 37 total tackles, the fourth-most in the ASC, and 2.5 tackles for loss this season.
Jacob Korrodi, DB: Korrodi has a bright spot for the HPU secondary, with 35 total tackles along with 2.5 tackles for loss. Korrodi has also forced a fumble and tallied one of HPU’s five interceptions. He will play his 30th varsity game for HPU on Saturday.
Storylines
Fast start key for The Cru: UMHB is 20-0 against Howard Payne when scoring first. A quick start certainly paved the way to victory last season, as The Cru scored 21 of their 35 points in the opening quarter. With Wright under center and the offense seeking a noteworthy performance, finding a rhythm—and the end zone—early on should bode well for The Cru. UMHB is 2-1 this season when scoring first, having done so against both UW-Whitewater and ETBU.
Punting strength: Special teams has the potential to completely change the course of a game, and includes the punting aspect. When HPU’s offense has an empty possession, the Yellow Jackets have come to rely on the leg of Jackson Coulson, who leads the ASC in punting yards (41.6 yds/punt). The Georgetown native is the only punter in the ASC averaging more than 40 yards per punt, and has recorded a league-high five punts for 50+ yards. With Coulson’s strength in that department, HPU could play a field-position game with UMHB, forcing The Cru to start drives deep inside their own territory, which makes finding the end zone just a little tougher. On the other side, UMHB’s Edwin Lopez is No. 2 in the ASC in punting average at 39.8 yards/punt and has recorded six punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Time of possession battle: HPU’s offense leads the ASC in time-of-possession, holding the ball for an average of 32:02 minutes/game. UMHB, comparatively, narrowly ranks fourth in the ASC in time of possession with 29:38 minutes/game. While it seems this game could end up being a back-and-forth shootout, there’s also a good possibility that HPU will look to use as much of the clock while on offense as possible, limiting UMHB’s overall number of possessions. Against ETBU, HPU had the ball for 34:56 compared to ETBU’s 25:04.
Week 7 ASC Schedule
Westgate Christian at ETBU, 1:00 p.m.
UMHB at Howard Payne, 2:30 p.m.
Hardin-Simmons at McMurry, 6:00 p.m.
