BELTON — One week remains of UMHB Football’s 2024 regular season. Everything beyond that is up in the air.
That “everything”, of course, is just one thing: the Division III playoffs.
UMHB’s quest for a playoff bid after missing the postseason a season ago appeared favorable at first, with The Cru’s D-III schedule beginning with a 35-17 win at then-No. 3 UW-Whitewater. But UWW’s record began sliding not long after, hurting the value of UMHB’s win in the process. In nine games, UWW is just 5-4, 3-3 in the WIAC, and unranked. The No. 72 team in NPI, the Warhawks’ chances of an at-large bid have sailed into the distance.
The first loss to Hardin-Simmons was a difficult blow for UMHB, who had beaten an undefeated ETBU squad the week prior, and had never lost by a margin greater than 20 points inside Crusader Stadium.
But last week’s loss perhaps hurt a bit more. UMHB had never lost twice in a season to HSU before, and they had met twice in a season on five previous occasions. From a playoff standpoint, The Cru drove to Abilene as the No. 22 team in Division III in NPI, the third-highest rated team that was not currently in line to win its conference. By the time Saturday’s games wrapped up, UMHB was not only officially eliminated from ASC title contention—HSU’s 27-19 win gave the Cowboys their second-straight championship—but slid to No. 37 in NPI. The Cru now heads into Saturday’s regular season finale against Howard Payne ranked No. 13 amongst teams vying for at-large bids. There are only 12 at-large bids to be handed out.
That’s the situation UMHB finds itself in. Not only do the Crusaders need to win, but a team such as UW-La Crosse, Texas Lutheran, or Centre also needs to lose. It’s possible, though a situation UMHB hasn’t often found itself in, unable to control its own destiny on the final week of regular season. Hansen Ratings currently has UMHB with an 11.2% chance to reach the playoffs.
The performance inside Crusader Stadium on Saturday is the one thing The Cru is able to fully control, however. The last time they played at home, HSU spoiled homecoming in a one-sided 44-21 win. But the home portion of the schedule can end on a much higher note if the execution falls into place for the Crusaders against an HPU team that enters winless in ASC play, at 0-5.
“Well, we know what happens if we don’t do what we’re supposed to do this week,” Harmon said at Monday’s press conference. “That’s not an option.”
He added that because of the importance of the matchup, winning to at least give themselves a chance at edging their way into the playoff field, maintaining focus should not be a challenge.
“It should not be very difficult to keep people focused on what we need to do this week and prepare to be ready to play a really good football team Saturday,” Harmon noted.
While HPU’s record indicates one thing, a closer look at the YellowJackets results indicates something slightly different. HPU dropped two of its first three by single digits, trailed ETBU on the road by a single point entering the fourth quarter, and kept pace with HSU for the first three quarters in Abilene, becoming the first ASC team to shut out the Cowboys in one of the game’s first three quarters when they did so in the third.
The fourth quarter has been where games have slipped away for HPU, and the opposite has been true on multiple occasssions for UMHB. The Cru outscored HSU 43-0 in the fourth quarters of the two meetings this season. That included the 16-point quarter last Saturday that brought UMHB within eight of tying the score. When it came down to it, despite trailing 27-3 in the third, The Cru had the ball with under two minutes left and a chance to balance the scoreboard, something few teams have done against the Cowboys this season.
“I definitely think the kids believe in their abilities, and their coaching staff, and what we’re trying to get accomplished,” Harmon said. “Obviously there’s some execution stuff that unfortunately takes way too long to get figured out. But I can’t be any more proud of the fight in our guys and the belief they have in each other and how they kept staying after it [on Saturday].”
Amongst the things UMHB will look to clean up in the aftermath of the loss is the six sacks surrendered to the HSU defensive front. The Crusader offensive had allowed just three sacks the entire season through the first eight games—the fewest in the ASC. In the first matchup with the Cowboys, HSU got to the quarterback for the sack just once. But the Cowboys finished with six on Saturday, including two on UMHB’s final drive.
“We did not do what we needed to control the pressure and have a way for Jake to get rid of the football,” Harmon noted. “I was a little disappointed in that. We could talk about the execution and the things we didn’t do quite well as far as players’ execution, but at the end of the day, it’s our responsibility, it’s my responsibility, to make sure we have a way to control the pressure schematically.”
With the focus shifting to Howard Payne, it also brings about Senior Day for The Cru. UMHB’s final home game of 2024 is also the last regular season contest inside Crusader Stadium for 28 on the roster, including Jerry Cephus, whose 261 receiving yards leads the team, leading tackler Durand Hill, and Campbell Trophy nominee Johnny Smith-Rider. A handful of those, including Hill and Smith-Rider, are the last remaining members of the 2021 Stagg Bowl team still on UMHB’s varsity roster.
“This senior class has done tremendous things for our program,” Harmon said. “They’re a high-character group of guys and very committed. The guys have bought into their roles—they might not be the starter, they might not even be playing—but they’ve bought into their roles as far as being leaders and mentors to our younger people, and being great citizens for our community and university.
“It’s always sad when you know your time is winding down, but you’re also excited for them and to see what God has in store for them and their future. It’s kind of like seeing your kid go off to college; you have mixed feelings on it as a parent. It’s the same for a coach when their kids are getting ready to graduate.”
UMHB kicks off against Howard Payne at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday in Belton. The Crusaders are seeking their 18th consecutive victory over the YellowJackets.
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