Covering UMHB Athletics and the stories behind the score
WHITEWATER, Wis.- With just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the UMHB offense set up from the Wisconsin-Whitewater one-yard line. The UW-Whitewater faithful had been quiet for much of the fourth quarter, and it was easy to see why. The Crusaders of UMHB had backed up their ranking as the top team in the land, and were knocking on the door to a 10-point lead, already up 24-21 against the No. 6 team in the country.
The top-ranked UMHB football team makes its first road trip of the season on Saturday, set to face a familiar opponent: Wisconsin-Whitewater. Here’s everything you need to know about the Top 10 matchup…
BELTON- UMHB retained its spot atop the D3football.com Top 25 poll on Sunday afternoon, and rightfully so. The Crusaders handily defeated an exceptional Muhlenberg team that entered the matchup ranked No. 11 in the nation, 62-13.
That was only the beginning of a tough September for the Cru, however, who are now tasked with…
BELTON- Since its first NCAA playoff appearance in 2004, the UMHB football team has faced a range of opponents. Teams such as Linfield College, from the pacific northwest, Redlands, located on the California coast, and now-defunct Wesley College from the northeast. Even within the 2021 run to the Stagg Bowl, UMHB faced opponents from four different states and five different conferences. But throughout their postseason duels in November and December in recent years, the Crusaders have battled one opponent on a seemingly regular basis: Wisconsin-Whitewater.
WHITEWATER, Wis.- The receivers won their routes, quarterback Kyle King did not cease in his passing accuracy, and the defense was locked in for all 60 minutes. So UMHB defied the odds, braved the frigid temperatures, and came out of Wisconsin with a 24-7 victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater in the D-III semifinals, clinching a spot in the 2021 Stagg Bowl.
WHITEWATER, Wisc.- Four teams. That is all that remains of the 2021 D-III football playoffs, as the semifinal matchups are contested today, with the two winners advancing to Friday’s Stagg Bowl in Canton, Ohio.
BELTON, Texas- The last time UMHB went on the road, it as nearly a month ago to Abilene, where the Crusaders took down McMurry 77-3. This week, they will be playing much further north, battling Wisconsin-Whitewater on the road for the first time since 2007.
WHITEWATER, Wis.- Wisconsin-Whitewater head coach Kevin Bullis knows the matchup between his Warhawks and the visiting University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders well. Prior to taking the head job in 2015, he was an assistant for six seasons at UW-Whitewater. In the span of his time in Whitewater, the Warhawks and Cru have battled four times on the gridiron. But each of those contests, including Whitewater’s 26-7 quarterfinal victory in 2019, have been contested in Belton. This year, however, it will be UMHB making the trip north for the semifinal matchup.
BELTON, Texas- The last time the D-III football playoffs were contested, UMHB’s 2019 season was ended by Wisconsin-Whitewater in a quarterfinal matchup in Belton. Now, with Saturday’s 49-24 win over Linfield, the Crusaders earned an opportunity at redemption.