Week 3 Preview: No. 16 UMHB heads to D2 Mars Hill for first road test of 2025

Photo courtesy of Luke Zayas/@lukezayas_photography

No. 16 UMHB at Mars Hill

Saturday, September 27, 2025 • 12:00 PM CT • Meares Stadium
Weather: rainy, 71, 3 mph wind

Broadcast: FloCollege.com (subscription required)

Setting the Stage

UMHB (1-1) hits the road for the first time in 2025, heading to Mars Hill, North Carolina for the program’s first-ever game against a D2 opponent. Mars Hill (2-1) is on a two-game win streak, and playing its second home game of the season.
The Cru is coming off a 26-6 loss to UW-Whitewater, who moved up to No. 10 in the D3football.com and AFCA Top 25 polls earlier this week. UMHB struggled to move the ball and come up with third-down stops on defense against the Warhawks, but will look to put those struggles behind them at MHU.
Mars Hill dropped its season-opener, 28-25, on a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive by Winston-Salem. But the Lions bounced back, winning a pair of one-score games over Carson-Newman and Anderson to open South Atlantic Conference play with a 2-0 record.
Against countable non-D3 opponents—all of whom have been NAIA to this point—UMHB is 10-4 all-time. The Cru is 1-0 this season, having beaten NAIA Bethel (TN) in Week 1, 30-23.
Saturday marks UMHB’s final non-conference tune-up before its American Southwest Conference opener at ETBU on Oct. 4.

3 things we’re watching for

The impact of the run game: With rainy conditions appearing likely at kickoff, expect the run game to become a larger priority for both offenses as they look to maintain ball security. But even taking weather out of the conversation, the rushing attack will still be relied upon, in part because the strength of the defenses in this matchup is in defending the pass, not stopping the run. MHU ranks 47th in D2 in passing defense, allowing 180.3 yards/game through the air, compared to their rushing defense rank of 85th, surrendering 150.3 yards/game on the ground. UMHB is similar, averaging more rushing yards per game allowed (156.0 yards/game) than passing yards (152.5 yards/game). These averages are being pulled from small sample sizes, considering MHU has played just three games and UMHB has played only two, but it is a starting point. With the defenses having struggled at times against the run this season—UMHB allowed 255 yards to UW-Whitewater just last week, and MHU gave up 247 to Carson-Newman the Saturday before—it is evidence of a potential weak point for the opposing offensive coordinator to capitalize on in his gameplan.

On the flip side, what do we know about these two rushing attacks?

UMHB is still looking for a breakout game on the ground, and with a pair of senior running backs in Kamerin Ferguson and Asa Osbourn, it’s something The Cru is capable of against this Lion defense. The young offensive line has progressively improved since the start of fall camp, and against Bethel, Ferguson ran for a 70-yard TD to take the lead in the third quarter in a highlight-reel play. But take out that long TD run, and UMHB has managed just 134 yards on 51 carries over its first two games, something they’ll aim to improve on in Week 3.

MHU has found more success running the ball in the early part of the season, with three straight games of at least 120 rushing yards. Much of that is a credit to Jon Gullette, a junior running back with 288 yards on 44 carries. Gullette is responsible for two of MHU’s three rushing TDs, and has two 100-yard performances this season, making him the primary threat in the run game for UMHB’s defensive front. That said, The Cru can’t overlook QB JR Martin, who recorded 15 carries for a team-high 58 yards last week and has 110 yards in 2025. A dual-threat QB in the pocket, Martin has similarities in that respect to UWW QB Justin Klinkner, who UMHB faced just a week ago. It will be worth watching to see how UMHB’s defensive front defends Martin, considering last week provided several opportunities for growth in stopping the QB run.

MHU’s WRs vs. UMHB’s Secondary: Even in the case of rain, the passing game won’t go away entirely for Mars Hill. Up to this point, it’s been a real strength for this MHU offense, as Martin’s passing efficiency has steadily improved since the season-opener. None of the Lions’ three opponents have held them below 200 yards through the air, and that is as much a result of Martin’s passing as it is the receivers making the catches downfield. There have been two go-to pass-catchers in this offense so far: Edward Louis Jr. and Javonte Sherman. Louis averages 5.0 receptions/game, and is coming off his best performance of 2025, with 7 catches for 105 yards, including a 54-yard reception. Sherman transferred in from FBS Middle Tennessee State, where he played three seasons with 29 career receptions for 249 yards. At 6’2, 205 lbs, Sherman has the size and speed to be a real threat to any opposing defense, and has nine catches for 132 yards with MHU, along with the game-winning TD reception in OT to beat Carson-Newman two weeks ago.

The presence of Louis and Sherman for MHU creates a great matchup with UMHB’s secondary, one that will play a role in how effective the Lions are with the ball in their hands. UMHB’s defensive backs are talented, and last season’s playoff run showcased that. With Da’Marion Morris and JJ Davis starting at safety, Ethan Rayfield at the “CRU” position, and Samuel Steffe and Dominick Battle III as the starting cornerbacks, this is a unit capable of disrupting an offense’s rhythm through the air. UMHB broke up five passes against UWW in Week 2, and will be looking to do the same against Mars Hill.

In the red zone: There are times when crossing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line is overemphasized in the factors that shape an outcome, but there are a few notable things to point out when it comes to the red zone and this matchup. UMHB is coming off a game in which the offense failed to make a single trip to the red zone, scoring its lone TD from 32 yards out. But even against Bethel, The Cru only had two red zone trips, and just one of them yielded points, as Kirkland Michaux tallied a 10-yard rushing TD in the second quarter. UMHB can’t afford another performance without pushing deep into opposing territory, so look for that to be an emphasis point.

On the other side of the ball, the Crusader defense has performed fairly well when backed up to their goal line. Bethel and UWW recorded a combined six red-zone trips against UMHB, but only scored TDs on two of them, held to field goals in the three other cases in which points were scored. Forcing a field goal as opposed to allowing a TD is a win for the defense in that case, and it’s been a notable trend for The Cru over its first two contests. That clashes with the MHU defense, who isn’t used to getting inside the red zone and settling for field goals. The Lions have scored on eight red-zone trips this season, with seven of those ending in the end zone as TDs. It’s another area where the MHU offense has excelled, but also another point where UMHB’s defense may be able to gain momentum on Saturday.

The Lions aren’t easy to stop when they get that close to the goal line, but they also don’t have a reliable kicking game (MHU’s Lon Teachey is just 2-for-4 on field goal attempts with a long of 32 yards this season). Knowing that, if UMHB is able to force MHU into fourth-down situations in the red zone, the chances of The Cru holding the Lions scoreless on the drive increases, as they’ll be forced to keep the offense on the field or put pressure on an unreliable field goal unit. It won’t be easy to come up with stops in those third-down situations against MHU, but solid red-zone defense could end up paying big dividends for UMHB.

UMHB Two-Deep Depth Chart