No. 7-ranked UMHB will try to clinch its fifth American Southwest Conference title in six years when it hosts East Texas Baptist for homecoming at 1 p.m. today at Tiger Field.
A victory would help the Crusaders (7-1 overall, 6-0 ASC) erase the memories of last week’s defeat, in which then-second-ranked UMHB struggled in a 41-14 loss at No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“We’re excited about being home again,” said Crusaders coach Pete Fredenburg, whose squad played three of its past four games on the road. “With the conference championship on the line, it brings some added excitement.
“I also think our kids have their pride scratched, so this will be a time for them to redeem themselves.”
To bounce back, UMHB will need to do a better job taking care of the ball. The Crusaders turned it over five times last week, leading directly to 24 Warhawks points.
On the other side of the ball, UMHB’s defense held UW-W to about half of its average output (247 yards), but to no avail.
“I thought the defensive guys did a great job,” Fredenburg said. “You would love to have a rematch, because I think our guys can play a whole lot better than they did if they eliminate the turnovers.”
To get back on track, the Crusaders can turn to a rushing attack that averages an ASC-best 353 yards per game.
ETBU (5-4, 5-2), a conference upstart under first-year coach Mark Sartain, is yielding an average of 119 rushing yards and 381 total yards per game.
Offensively, the Tigers are scoring only 21 points per game and have scored 20 or fewer five times.
ETBU’s triggerman is senior quarterback Thad Fortune, who is 100-of-181 passing for 1,156 yards. He has thrown five touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
“They throw the ball all over the field, and they’re pretty athletic,” Fredenburg said. “They have some good athletes. Their left-handed quarterback throws the ball pretty well.
“I think they’re going to try to utilize some formations to get mismatches. They realize that to have some success, they need to throw the ball and protect the quarterback.”
NOTES: Today’s game is the conference finale for ETBU. . . . UMHB will close its regular season next week against Howard Payne in Brownwood. . . . The Crusaders dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in this week’s NCAA Division III South Region rankings. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) is first in the South, followed by Wesley (Del.).
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
