SAN ANTONIO — It has become a familiar trip for head coach Larry Harmon’s team, a drive of 138 miles south from Belton to Trinity University’s home campus. In each of Harmon’s first three years at the helm of UMHB’s program, The Cru has battled the Tigers in San Antonio. Two of those, the second which will come on Saturday, have been playoff matchups.
The familiarity piece will certainly be present in Saturday afternoon’s first-round contest. Both programs know each other well, having played every year since 2021, with three of those meetings in the postseason. As Harmon noted at his press conference Monday, the two programs frequently recruit against each other, consistently amongst the best Division III programs in the Lone Star State. Though both squads enter Saturday’s contest with first-year starting quarterbacks, there are several players on both sides who have been part of multiple meetings in recent years. UMHB linebacker Durand Hill, for example, will have now played in all four meetings between The Cru and the Tigers since 2021.
“What you know about Trinity is they’re going to play really hard, Coach Urban is going to have them very well-coached, and they’re going to have great technique,” Harmon said Monday. “They’re not going to beat themselves. You’re going to have to play 60 minutes and get in there and stand toe-to-toe with them, or you’re not going to have a chance to win it at the end.”
With that, here’s our comprehensive gameday preview, including notes on how to follow the action, players to watch, and more.
Quick Facts
Kickoff time: 12 p.m. CT
Place: San Antonio, Texas (Trinity Multi-Purpose Stadium)
Records: UMHB (6-3, 4-2 ASC), Trinity (8-2, 6-1 SAA)
Follow the Action
WATCH: All Division III playoff games will stream on ESPN+, which includes Saturday’s matchup. You will need to purchase a subscription to watch, if you don’t already have one. Link to the ESPN+ broadcast can be found here.
LISTEN: Ward Whites and Jordan Cox will have the call over the airwaves locally on KMIL 105.1 FM. You can also listen at cruathletics.com/listen.
STATS: Live stats will be available on trinitytigers.com. (Link)
All-Time Series History
The two programs have met 12 times since their first meeting in UMHB’s inagural 1998 season, with seven of those coming in the playoffs. UMHB leads the series, 7-5, with all seven wins coming in a consecutive stretch between 2004 and 2022. Trinity broke the win streak with a 35-16 home win in the regular season last year, and won the first four meetings between the two programs. After not playing between 2014-2020, the programs met again in the first round of the 2021 playoffs in Belton. The low-scoring contest saw Trinity play UMHB closer than any of the Crusaders’ next four opponents, including North Central in UMHB’s eventual Stagg Bowl victory. The 13-3 win was followed a year later by a 24-17 win in the second round in San Antonio. The 2022 contest remains the smallest margin of victory for either team in the 12 meetings up to this point.
A Look at The Cru
UMHB entered the regular season finale unsure of where it stood beyond that, with statistically small playoff chances, and needing a handful of other results frrom around Division III to play out in their favor. That indeed happened, as three teams ahead of UMHB in the NPI rankings (and the at-large bid order) heading into Week 11 took a loss, which helped to move The Cru up to the No. 11 spot amongst teams seeking at-large bids (12 at-large bids were awarded).
With this opportunity, and knowing a win in San Antonio giving The Cru a third shot at Hardin-Simmons this season, UMHB is in a solid position to turn some heads in the first round. A very motivated team is expected to take the field, and one that comes off a momentum-building, 63-7 win over Howard Payne last week. A lot went right for The Cru against the Yellow Jackets, with Edwin Lopez tying the Division III record for field goals in a game (6), Matthew Jackson’s two returns for touchdowns, and a pair of safeties from the Crusader defense. The hope is that UMHB will be able to carry that into Saturday’s matchup against a much stronger opponent.
Offensively, the Crusaders have had their struggles with finishing drives, converting on fourth-down attempts, and sustaining momentum through four quarters. But as Jake Wright has gained more experience as the starter under center, UMHB’s receiving corps have become more visible, with a solid distribution of completions amongst pass-catchers. Six different players had at least one reception against HPU and the week prior, in a 27-19 road loss to HSU, Wright had completions go to seven different targets. The depth of UMHB’s offense at those pass-catching positions, which include running back and tight end, presents some matchup advantages. The passing game has typically found more traction at a quicker rate when the run game also opens up, a dynamic that figures to be important against the Trinity defense. UMHB has rushed for 200 yards three times this season, and had 192 yards on the ground in the first meeting with HSU. With three quality running backs, The Cru has the ability to run the ball hard behind its strong offensive line, and then take the air when the opposing defense begins stacking the box and hedging towards the run.
Defense continues to be a strength within the UMHB program, as it has been going back to the early years. The Cru defense allowed 19.6 points per game in the regular season and led the ASC in interceptions (15), fumbles forced (10), and fumble recoveries (12). The double figure total in those three categories have contributed to UMHB winning the turnover battle often so far, most notably in the 35-17 win over UW-Whitewater in which The Cru came up with eight turnovers, five of which were interceptions. The linebacking unit centers on Durand Hill and Johnny Smith-Rider, both seniors who have become the backbone of UMHB’s defense the last couple of seasons. The secondary, highlighted by safeties Gavin Brzezinski and Samuel Steffe, has limited opponents to an ASC-best 56.4% completion rate and just eight passing touchdowns. No other team in the conference surrendered fewer than 13 in the regular season. The defensive line is a key part of that as well, with a strong group that gets into the backfield, and can cause havoc against the run or the pass. UMHB enters Saturday’s matchup with 18 sacks on the year.
Players to Watch
WR Jerry Cephus: A senior wideout, Cephus is making the most of this season after a slow start to the year. The Academy High School product has tallied at least three receptions in three of the last four games, including four for 102 yards against HPU last week. Look for Cephus to be targeted early and often as UMHB takes to the air.
DT Mason Cavness: On the defensive line, Cavness has continually been at the center of The Cru’s success. The senior has 31.0 total tackles, 17 solo, a team-high four quarterback hits, along with 9.0 tackles for loss. He has also forced two fumbles, one of only two players on the roster—Hill being the other—with that distinction.
K/P Edwin Lopez: Coming off a 6-for-6 field goal performance, Lopez is certainly a player to keep an eye on in this one. He is 10-of-12 on the year and 9-for-9 in games in which he attempts multiple field goals. Lopez’s season long is 47 yards. He is also a solid punter, with 11 of his 31 punts ending up inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and an average of 39.8 yards/punt.
Scouting the Tigers
Trinity is back in the playoffs for a fourth straight season, which ranks as the longest active streak amongst Lone Star State programs. The Tigers did so by securing an at-large bid after finishing in a three-way tie for the SAA title with Centre and Berry. Berry won the automatic bid by virtue of tiebreaker based on opponent strength-of-schedule, and Centre and Trinity also earned bids, giving the SAA three teams in the tournament, one of only two leagues this season to accomplish that feat.
The Tigers have somewhat of a new look as QB Tucker Horn and LB Caleb Harmel, two of the stalwarts of Trinity’s previous playoff runs, graduated following last season. Notably, Ryan Back has thrown for 2,312 yards and 18 TDs against six interceptions in his first year as the starting quarterback. But Trinity also has several returners who have only increased their production this season, with Cade Robson being the best example. The fifth-year senior linebacker had 32 tackles last season and has nearly quadrupled that, with a team-high 122 tackles and 15.0 tackles for loss.
Robson headlines a Trinity defense that ranked second in the SAA in the regular season in points allowed per game (19.2) and was one of only two defenses in the league giving up fewer than 300 yards per game (280.6). The Tigers’ 14 interceptions are the most amongst SAA teams entering the postseason, with Tyson Cornett and Delvin Gantt having tallied three apiece. Trinity has been vulnerable on fourth-down plays, with opponents converting at a 40.9% rate, though they have held opposing offenses to a 31.3% conversion rate on third down.
Offensively, Trinity is the SAA’s lone team averaging at least 150 rushing yards and 240 passing yards per contest. The Tigers are coming off a 38-24 win at Millsaps last weekend that saw them put forth a balanced performance, with nine first downs coming on the ground and 12 through the air, as Trinity averaged 4.4 yards/carry and 20.7 yards/completion. They struggled early, scoring 20 points or fewer in three of their first four contests, two of which were losses. But the offensive production has improved as Trinity’s seven-game win streak has come together, with the Tigers putting up at least 38 points in four of their final six games of the regular season. Trinity has struggled in third-down situations, converting on just 39.5% of those plays, so look for the Tigers to throw early in a set of downs and aim to keep third downs to short-yardage scenarios as much as possible.
Players to Watch
WR Alejandro Tavarez: The sophomore wideout has been one of Back’s go-to targets as of late, after making his season debut in Week 4. Tavarez is one of two WRs on the roster with 500+ receiving yards (501) and comes off a big performance at Millsaps in which he caught seven passes for 161 yards.
DL Steele Herndon: A 6’2, 275-pound sophomore, Herndon has four quarterback hits, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks this season. He’ll go up against probably the best offensive line he’s faced this season on Saturday, but will be one of Trinity’s main weapons to get pressure on Wright in the backfield, in addition to slowing down The Cru’s run game.
K Tyler Huettel: Playoff games, especially between these two, have historically been close and very competitive, which increases the importance of special teams. Huettel is one of the best when it comes to kickers, leading the SAA in field goal percentage (17-of-21, 81.0%). He is perfect on PATs this season and is 7-of-7 on attempts from 30-39 yards and 4-of-6 on attempts between 40-49 yards. Huettel’s season long is 49 yards.
NCAA Division III Playoffs First Round Schedule (all times CT)
Maryville at Berry, 11 a.m.
Alfred State at Endicott, 11 a.m.
Ursinus at King’s, 11 a.m.
Mount St. Joseph at John Carroll, 11 a.m.
Mary Hardin-Baylor at Trinity, 12 p.m.
Northwestern (MN) at UW-La Crosse, 12 p.m.
Coe at Bethel, 12 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Whitworth, 2 p.m.
