Photo courtesy of Texas Wesleyan Athletics
BELTON — The Crusaders are back in Belton.
After three weeks spent on the road, UMHB is set to kickoff in Crusader Stadium on Saturday for the first time since battling UW-Whitewater on Sept. 20. Larry Harmon’s squad, 2-3 overall to this point, will do so on homecoming weekend against NAIA Texas Wesleyan, a high-caliber team ranked No. 19 in Monday’s NAIA Coaches Poll. Only seven days removed from facing No. 9 Hardin-Simmons, the road doesn’t get easier for The Cru, as the Rams come into Saturday’s matchup with a 4-2 record and a three-game win streak. This is a Texas Wesleyan program that entered this season with a 27-5 record over the last three seasons, and appears to be well on its way to a regular season well above .500 again this fall.
The 2 p.m. non-conference duel opens a crucial stretch of four straight home games for UMHB with just five weeks remaining in the regular season. While the result of this game will not alter The Cru’s NCAA playoff resume (all non-D3 results are excluded from the NCAA Power Index), it does provide an opportunity for UMHB to get back on the right track, build confidence, and set its course for the final four ASC games of 2025.
So, what should you know about UMHB’s third nationally-ranked opponent of 2025? Glad you asked. Here’s a look at the Texas Wesleyan Rams.
The Rams are coming off their first true “quality” win of the season
Texas Wesleyan, as Larry Harmon pointed out Monday, opened its season with an equally tough slate as far as the first three weeks were concerned. The Rams went on the road to Lindsey Wilson, a Top 10 NAIA program that is currently 6-0, and took their lumps in Week 1, falling 35-10. After trouncing Texas College, they took a long trip south, facing an overachieving UT-Rio Grande Valley team in its inaugural season. The result was lopsided, with UTRGV winning 61-13. But since that point, Texas Wesleyan has done nothing but win, taking down Nelson (formerly SAGU), Arkansas Baptist, and Louisiana Christian (formerly Louisiana College) over three straight weeks.
But if you’re unfamiliar with the NAIA landscape, you might be asking yourself, ‘What exactly does that tell us about Texas Wesleyan?’ Any team that wins three games in a row is clearly doing something right, but without context, it’s hard to know what to make of a stretch like that.
The truth is that the Rams have picked up only one “quality” win over that stretch. Nelson is 1-4 overall, its lone victory coming over the same Arkansas Baptist team that Texas Wesleyan shutout, 38-0, two weeks ago. For its part, Arkansas Baptist is 2-4, with one of those wins coming over unaffiliated Community Christian College. The other was a narrow 34-27 win over Texas College, a program that is 0-6 and took a 52-13 loss to Texas Wesleyan back in Week 2.
But the result to remember for Texas Wesleyan is last week’s win over Louisiana Christian. This was an LCU team receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25, and 3-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference action. Yet, after trading scores early, the Rams surged in front and never looked back, coasting to a 61-28 win. Picking up a victory over a conference rival receiving Top 25 attention is big enough, but to do it by 33 points adds immense weight to the result. For a D3 comparison, Hardin-Simmons beat the same LCU team by 35 three weeks ago, and while playing the score comparison game can be dangerous—no two games are ever the same and numerous variables are involved—it is an indication that this Texas Wesleyan team is playing at a high level. For a UMHB team seeking a confidence boost after last week’s loss at HSU, this matchup certainly provides an opportunity for a quality bounceback.
The biggest takeaway from the LCU win? The defensive front is a force to be reckoned with
I shared the stat on X/Twitter earlier in the week that over its last four games, the UTRGV loss included, the Rams’ defense has tallied 37.0 tackles for loss. Yes, that’s an average of 9.25 per game. In this recent win streak, Texas Wesleyan has posted double-digit TFL totals in all three contests, including 11.0 against Louisiana Christian a week ago. Those added up to 39 yards lost on the ground in the 33-point win, and plenty came on designed run plays, with only two coming from sacks.
Causing havoc in the backfield against a team well below .500 is one thing, but doing it against a team sitting towards the top of the SAC standings is another story. Six different defensive linemen/linebackers have tallied at least 3.0 tackles for loss through six games, led by Midwestern State transfer Jordan Crawford’s 8.5, which is tied for No. 10 in NAIA. Linebacker Jaylon Beasley, who faced UMHB last season as part of Bethel (TN)’s defense and originally began his career at Marshall, is also a focal point of the Rams’ run-stopping unit, with 5.0.
Texas Wesleyan also has 9.0 sacks through its last three games, having shown an ability to constantly pressure the quarterback and beat pass protection.
Opposing offenses have found opportunities through the air…but thrown themselves into turnovers too
Yes, the Rams get to the quarterback, and if given enough time, can turn those pressures into sacks. There seems to be a correlation between that dynamic and the fact that opposing offenses are only converting on 35.8% of third downs and 37.5% of fourth downs. They certainly make it tough on the opposing offensive lines.
But in situations when the quarterback processes quickly, or short passing plays are called, the Rams defense has revealed some cracks. They allow 246.0 passing yards per game, and on four occasions, opposing offenses have thrown for 250+ yards this season. Five opponents have completed a pass of 47+ yards against this secondary. It was through the air where Lindsey Wilson did the most damage Week 1, with 15 completions going for 333 yards, an average of 12.3 yards/attempt, and the source of 13 of LWC’s 19 first downs. Take away the UTRGV game, and opponents have found the end zone 10 times on passing plays, compared to just three rushing touchdowns.
And yet, there’s another key component to this conversation that will make any offensive coordinator hesitant to use an all-out passing attack against this secondary: Texas Wesleyan leads the NAIA in interceptions.
The Rams’ nation-leading 12 interceptions are nothing to overlook, especially with multiple interceptions in four of their six games. This secondary is quick to the ball and active in pass coverage, even while giving up some explosive passing plays through the air each game. Just a week ago, the Rams picked off LCU quarterback Bryce Perkins three times, turning two of those turnovers into touchdowns. Jaiden Jones is the catalyst of Texas Wesleyan’s turnover machine, with six interceptions this season, including four over the last three games.
Francis settling in at QB
After throwing for 441 yards through the first two games, redshirt senior starting quarterback Carson Rodgers suffered an AC joint tear against UTRGV, forcing Cole Francis into the starting role. And the Katy, Texas product has gradually come into his own with the reins of offense, struggling at times with accuracy, but building confidence with seven TD passes in the Rams’ last three games. Francis, a redshirt junior, put his passing skill set on full display against the Louisiana Christian defense last week, breaking Rodgers’ program record for single-game passing yards with 526 yards on 27 completions (27-of-44 passing on the day). That featured touchdown passes of 61 and 75 yards in the first half, and Francis picked apart the defense all afternoon, with five different receivers tallying three or more catches.
It should be noted that Francis has been part of this Texas Wesleyan offense since his freshman year in 2022, allowing him to gain a deep understanding of offensive coordinator Fran Johnson’s playbook. Those three seasons, as the Rams’ No. 3 QB in 2022, and No. 2 QB in 2023 and 2024, prepared Francis to step into the starting role for the first time in his career three weeks ago. He also handled the pressure of stepping in for Rodgers mid-game at UTRGV, throwing for 217 yards against an FCS defense, though his stat line also included two interceptions.
With Francis guiding the offense, he has found a consistent connection with second-year WR Paul Summers. Summers had just two catches in each of Texas Wesleyan’s first two games, but starting with the UTRGV game, has been targeted frequently, making 17 catches for 231 yards. Look for Francis to throw in his direction often again on Saturday, though Francis has spread the passing around quite a bit in his three games as the starter.
The red zone run game
While the Rams’ offensive strength seems to lie in its passing attack, they run the ball effectively in short-yardage situations, and have done so time and time again in the midst of this 4-2 start. Averaging 3.5 yards per carry as a unit, the backfield’s biggest impact on the ground has come in the red zone, when the offense can’t stretch the field with the pass as easily and has the opposing defense pushed back against its own goal line.
Since Week 3 (red zone stats were not recorded in the Week 2 game win at Texas College), the Rams have crossed into the red zone 17 times, scoring on 16 of them. Five of those 16 scores came on field goals, with the rest (11) being TDs. And how many of those TDs came on run plays? Nine. Nearly 82% of Texas Wesleyan’s red zone TDs have been rushing TDs this season, and that’s enough of a trend for an opposing defense to key in on. The Rams want to run the ball in those situations, and have several ballcarriers capable of moving the pile forwards when the end zone is within reach.
The two primary tailbacks getting the overall carries this season are Jalen March and Mark Benjamin. In his second year with the program, Benjamin has a team-high 242 rushing yards this season, with three TDs. March, a transfer who made six starts at D2 Midwestern State in 2024, leads the Rams in rushing scores (4) and has 204 yards on the season. Both are hard-nosed, physical ballcarriers who give the offense an edge in that part of the field, complementing a passing game that ranks No. 19 in NAIA in yards per game. Francis can also run on short-yardage plays, and has two rushing TDs this season.
It should be noted, though, that Texas Wesleyan doesn’t automatically ignore its passing options when it crosses inside the opponent’s 20. Last week was a good example, with Francis throwing multiple passes in red zone situations because of the matchup advantages the Rams had against LCU’s defense.
UMHB kicks off against Texas Wesleyan at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday in Belton. Cruathletics.com will have the broadcast, and KMIL 105.1 FM will have the radio broadcast locally.
Battling Whitewater? I was there. The Cru didn’t even put up a fight.