BELTON — The first round of ASC play is complete. The second round is upcoming. For 24th-ranked UMHB, the most pivotal point of the regular season is still ahead, even as just four weeks remain before the Division III playoffs begin.
Following a 41-0 win at Howard Payne last Saturday, a much-needed confidence booster coming off a frustrating 23-point loss to Hardin-Simmons at home, the Crusaders will prepare for ETBU and Hardin-Simmons consecutively, both on the road. UMHB’s playoff fate will, in all likelihood, be decided over the course of those two games.
But that stretch doesn’t come immediately. First is an open date this Saturday, meaning The Cru won’t step on the field again for a game until the month of November. Then the final three ASC games will be played in rapid succession: at ETBU (Nov. 2), at Hardin-Simmons (Nov. 9), vs Howard Payne (Nov. 16).
Saturday’s win at HPU was highlighted by stellar performances from quarterback Jake Wright and kicker Edwin Lopez, both of whom earned ASC Player of the Week honors on Monday. More than anything, it was a step in the right direction for The Cru, who held HPU’s offense to just 186 total yards, shut out a conference opponent for the first time since 2021, and scored 40 points for the second time in three games. Regardless of the quality of the opponent—HPU is 0-3 in ASC play and just 1-5 overall—UMHB seemingly built momentum in Brownwood.
With the open date upcoming, UMHB head coach Larry Harmon spoke with the media on Monday. Here are three notes/takeaways from that press conference.
The big keys to Wright’s strong performance at QB
One of Saturday’s major storylines was Wright’s first start under center for The Cru, after being pressed into action in the second quarter of an already lopsided game against HSU. Seeing the field for just the second time in a UMHB uniform, the sophomore opened the game on fire, completing each of his first eight passes. The transfer from D2 Pittsburg State ended up throwing for 268 yards, the most in a game for a UMHB signal-caller since Kyle King’s 276 in the third round of the 2022 playoffs against Bethel.
Harmon expressed praise for Wright’s ability to make correct reads and stay patient in the pocket, even when the HPU pass rush was bearing down.
“I thought Jake did a good job of spreading the ball around,” Harmon said of Wright, who completed at least one pass to 10 different receivers against HPU. “He had a pocket presence where he was able to move around and avoid the rush that was coming, but he still kept his eyes downfield, went through his reads, and got the ball where it needed to go.
“The reason a bunch of people had catches was because he was going through the progression and getting [the ball] to where the play was designed to get it to according to the defense he was seeing.”
The fact that Wright had ample time in the pocket to go through his progressions, as Harmon said, is a credit to the offensive line. The pass protection up front allowed plays to develop, exposing weak spots in the HPU secondary, creating a favorable situation for Wright and UMHB’s pass-catchers. Wright wasn’t sacked even once, and UMHB’s offensive front ranks No. 1 in the ASC in fewest sacks allowed, with three.
Not only that, but the line also paved the way for 216 rushing yards, marking UMHB’s first performance with 200 yards through the air and 200 yards on the ground since beating Texas Lutheran last season.
“The O-Line was a huge part of why he was successful,” Harmon said. “[HPU] is the same front that Hardin-Simmons is, so [the O-Line] did a great job of cleaning up the mistakes they made against Hardin-Simmons. We were able to run the ball pretty effectively, which allowed us to throw the ball when we wanted to. That’s another reason why we were so successful throwing the football.”
On the defensive performance
UMHB came away with a shutout against a Yellow Jacket offense that came into the game having recorded five straight performances of 25+ points. After several miscues and broken coverages against HSU, the Crusaders showed more discipline in facing HPU, contributing to the Yellow Jackets’ limited offensive production. The last time UMHB recorded a shutout prior to Saturday was in the 2022 playoffs, when The Cru took down Huntingdon, 54-0, in the opening round.
Harmon praised the effort of the defense, who collectively contributed to the performance on that side of the ball. Even with leading tackler Durand Hill unavailable, the defense didn’t miss a beat. UMHB intercepted three passes, three different players tallied five total tackles, and linebacker/safety Joey Johnson was selected to D3football.com’s Team of the Week.
“They had confidence in the plan,” Harmon said. “Obviously we repped everything that we ended up getting from Howard Payne and there was a mentality that with our backs against the wall, we need to go out and perform at a great execution rate. You have to have a little bit of, ‘We’re going to go out and dominate’ and the determination to get it done. I’m quite proud of the performance that we got Saturday.”
Approach to the open date
The week ahead will be UMHB’s second bye week of the season, but the first within conference play. It comes at a critical stage, and offers a variety of pros and cons. In theory, the extra week gives more time to prepare for the next opponent—ETBU—in addition to getting hobbled players healthy and regaining strength, mentally and physically.
But on the opposite side of the token, it also has its difficulties. Carrying the momentum from the HPU win through two full weeks of practice is not easy and the break from game action can quickly affect a team’s rhythm. UMHB already experienced an open date—though an unplanned one—once this season, when John Melvin University canceled a non-conference game in Belton, a game that was scheduled to come seven days after the defeat of then-No. 3 UW-Whitewater and seven days before the ASC opener against ETBU.
“It’s more of a challenge than it is a blessing,” Harmon said when asked about the positives and downsides of the bye week. “Yeah, you can get some guys healed up, but at the same time, any change to your routine is more of a distraction than it is a help. We’d much rather be playing this Saturday and keeping the momentum going.
“When John Melvin canceled on us, we felt like we lost a lot of our momentum from the Whitewater win. So this week will be very important in how we respond. We’re going to try to fix the mistakes and work on the things that we did poorly against ETBU and Hardin-Simmons the first time through.”
The fact that the Crusaders face everyone in the league again—Harmon referred to it as “the gauntlet” — helps keep the motivation high, even with two weeks until they step on the field for a game again.
“Even though we played well Saturday, we didn’t play mistake-free,” Harmon continued. “Our kids know it, and they understand the challenge we have ahead of us. We just have to keep them motivated, keep them fresh, keep practicing moving, and make sure that we’re getting better, not only individually and technique-wise, but also scheme-wise with what we’re going to have to do a second time around against these three opponents.”
