Photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
BELTON — The regular season finale kicks off on Saturday afternoon. UMHB is at home, playing inside Crusader Stadium for the first time in over a month. And The Cru’s playoff chances hang in the balance, which has naturally made that the primary storyline heading into this ASC duel against Howard Payne.
There is a lot that has to go UMHB’s way, beyond just a Crusader victory. Some combination of a Centre loss to Sewanee, a TLU loss to Southwestern, a Trinity loss to Millsaps, a UW-La Crosse loss to UW-Stevens Point, and a Wheaton loss to North Park would put UMHB in position, with a win, to potentially take one of those last remaining at-large bids. Centre, TLU, Trinity, UW-La Crosse, and Wheaton, along with UMHB of course, are amongst the top teams in contention for the 12th—and final—spot in the playoff field.
But let’s focus on UMHB’s matchup for now, as The Cru hosts Howard Payne in Belton for the first time since 2021, when The Cru put up 59 unanswered points in a 59-14 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Below is our comprehensive game preview of UMHB’s regular season finale, presented by The Floor Store and More.
With a collaborative approach to finding the best flooring that fits your home, office, church, or property, The Floor Store and More is committed to being the most trusted source for flooring retail and installation in Central Texas. Owned by UMHB alums, they make it a priority for their team members to continually follow design trends and integrate the latest solutions into their product offering. Do you need new carpet? Want to replace the tile in your home? Looking for luxury vinyl or hardwood for your office? The Floor Store and More is there to help. Learn more today at floorstoremore.com.
Quick Facts
Kickoff time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Place: Belton, Texas (Crusader Stadium)
Records: HPU (2-7, 0-5 ASC), UMHB (5-3, 3-2 ASC)
Follow
WATCH: The game will be broadcasted on cruathletics.com.
LISTEN: Ward Whites (play-by-play) and Jordan Cox (color commentary) will have the call over the airwaves (and on the UMHB broadcast). The game can be heard locally on KMIL105.1 FM. Fans outside of the local area can listen live at cruathletics.com/listen.
STATS: UMHB will provide live stats here.
All-Time Series History
UMHB leads the all-time series against HPU, 23-2. That includes a flawless 12-0 mark in games played between The Cru and Yellow Jackets in Belton. HPU’s lone two wins in the series have come in Brownwood, with the last in 2005, when the Yellow Jackets came away with a 24-20 victory. UMHB’s defense has been particularly good against HPU in recent seasons, with four shutouts in the last seven meetings between the two ASC foes.
A Look at The Cru
Aside from seeking a playoff bid, UMHB also comes into this matchup looking to bounce back after a difficult 27-19 loss at Hardin-Simmons a week ago. The defeat saw The Cru fall behind 27-3 in the third quarter before the offense kicked things into high gear and rallied late, coming up just short in the fourth. It’s been a different season for UMHB characterized by numerous ups and downs, a pair of non-D3 opponents to kick off the non-conference schedule, and the uniqueness of the double round-robin conference slate. From beating then-No. 3 UW-Whitewater on the road on Sept. 21 to finding themselves on the verge of missing the playoffs now two months later, it has been difficult to figure The Cru out at times. They enter Saturday’s regular season finale looking for their third home win of the year, and to reach at least six wins in a season for the 24th consecutive time.
Offensively, the Crusaders struggled through the first three quarters in Abilene, kept out of the end zone as HSU built its lead. But once the offense found traction, the Cowboys had trouble slowing them down. A 12-play, 79-yard drive ended with a Daunte Blake TD run, and on the next possession, UMHB drove 87 yards in four plays, bringing them within eight points of tying the score with under five minutes left. The explosiveness is there in both the running and passing game, it has just been a matter of those types of scoring drives coming together at a consistent-enough rate to put UMHB in position to both win and put games away. QB Jake Wright is set to make his fourth start of the season on Saturday and his first inside Crusader Stadium after playing the final three quarters of UMHB’s 44-21 loss to HSU in Belton on Oct. 12. Wright is 121 passing yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark this season, and has thrown six TD passes with four interceptions. Wright is completing 61.2% of his passes, averaging 219.8 yards per game through the air.
Defensively, UMHB is second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 21.4 points per game. The Cru run defense has been a significant contributor to UMHB’s success this season, with the linebackers and front four giving up just 103.6 yards per game on the ground. Four of UMHB’s seven countable opponents this season have been held to fewer than 100 rushing yards against The Cru. The pass defense has been slightly less effective, allowing 211.3 yards per game through the air, which ranks third amongst ASC teams. UMHB has 11 interceptions, but also allows an ASC-worst 7.5 passing yards per attempt. However, we saw the passing defense on full display in the first meeting against HPU, as the Yellow Jackets’ pass-heavy offense mustered just 162 passing yards and QB Zy Gravitt was intercepted three times and sacked three times.
3 players to watch
WR Jerry Cephus: On Senior Day, Cephus leads the team in receiving yards (261) and had three catches for 73 yards last week at HSU. The former Academy HS standout is just 39 yards away from tallying 300 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his college career.
LB Durand Hill: Another key senior on this roster, Hill leads The Cru in tackles (59.0), ranks second in tackles for loss (6.0), and has two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries this season. His presence will be crucial in defending HPU’s well-known passing attack.
DT Mason Cavness: The senior from Marathon, Texas has recorded multiple solo tackles in each of UMHB’s last five games, including at least 1.0 tackle for loss in four of those. A consistent contributor to The Cru’s defensive front, Cavness’ role in putting pressure on Gravitt in the backfield and forcing hurried passes is something to keep an eye on in this matchup.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Howard Payne has had a rough go of it thus far, with a winless mark in ASC play and just one win over a Division III opponent, when they beat Lyon, 41-14, on Sept. 21. That said, the Yellow Jackets have been competitive in several games despite ending up on the losing end, including a Friday night matchup at Hardin-Simmons two weeks ago that saw HPU stay within one score of the Cowboys into the fourth quarter, before HSU pulled away in a 27-point fourth. Much like UMHB, HPU managed just three points in the first three quarters of last week’s 38-17 loss against ETBU, before reaching the end zone twice in the fourth.
Unlike in past seasons, the offense has been unable to carry HPU through its schedule, and the losses have piled up as a result. On that note, the Yellow Jackets rank last in the league in points per game (21.3), yards per game (338), and are the only team in the ASC averaging fewer than 100 rushing yards per game (65.3). But you can never overlook their passing attack, even with some of its noted flaws this season. HPU enters Saturday’s game with an ASC-best 272.8 passing yards per game and one of Region 10’s top receivers in Gus Charles. Charles, a senior from Houston, has 50 receptions for 914 yards this season. No other receiver in the ASC has more than 37.
Defensively, HPU has struggled, particularly in defending the pass. UMHB had 268 yards through the air in the first meeting with the Yellow Jackets, and HPU ranks fourth in the ASC in yards allowed per game (227.8).
3 Players to Watch
QB Zy Gravitt: Gravitt came into the season inexperienced, but has progressed as the year has gone on. The Wichita Falls product enters this one coming off back-to-back 200-yard passing performances against ETBU and Hardin-Simmons. He has thrown for 2,095 yards-–the most in the ASC—but also has 11 interceptions this season.
RB Jackson Meller: Charles is Gravitt’s top target, but for HPU to pick up consistent gains through the air, Gravitt needs more options downfield. Look for Meller in that role. He didn’t record a reception last week, but had three receptions for 47 yards against HSU the week prior. The Taylor, Texas native has 17 catches for 332 yards in eight games this season.
DB Jacob Korrodi: Korrodi, a senior, is an experienced part of the HPU secondary, and leads the team in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (4). He also has 51.0 total tackles, and poses a threat to opposing offenses with his ability to read the QB and make plays on the ball in the air.
Storylines
Scoring first: UMHB is 19-1 against HPU in games in which The Cru scores first. That was seen in the first meeting this season, as the Crusaders took an early lead on an HPU safety, and scored twice on offense in the opening quarter, leading 16-0 through the first 15 minutes. After starting slow against HSU, look for UMHB’s offense to aim at getting in the end zone quickly and early in this one.
Closing the regular season with a W: In its regular season finale, UMHB is looking to cap off the 10-game slate with a victory. The Cru has won the last game of the regular season in every year since the 2000 season, and a win on Saturday would extend that streak to 25 consecutive seasons.
Senior Day: 28 seniors will be recognized prior to Saturday’s game, including a number of players who have contributed in notable ways on the field during their time in Belton: Durand Hill (2023 D3football.com All-Region), Johnny Smith-Rider (Campbell Trophy semifinalist), Jerry Day Jr. (2-time All-ASC WR), Justin Hines-Moore (team leader in sacks), and Mason Cavness (26 GP over the last three seasons). The complete list of seniors can be found in UMHB’s game notes here.
Week 11 ASC Schedule
Howard Payne at Mary Hardin-Baylor, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Hardin-Simmons at East Texas Baptist, 1 p.m.
