“It’s special here,” he said.

And “here” is Mary Hardin-Baylor, where Hurst has been thrust into the role of starting tailback for NCAA Division III’s most-feared rushing team.

The 5-11, 200-pound sophomore transfer will make the first start of his college career Saturday night when third-ranked UMHB (2-0 overall, 1-0 American Southwest Conference) faces McMurry (0-3, 0-1) at Wilford Moore Stadium in Abilene.

It will be a day Hurst has anxiously awaited for three years. The team he will start for and the position he will play are the only differences between his dream and what will become reality.

That’s because Hurst - whose father has coached at Robinson, Mexia, Bowie, Waco Midway, Terrell, Whitney and San Angelo Grape Creek - was a quarterback for most of his life and earned honorable mention all-state recognition as a senior at Whitney.

But after a brief stint at the U.S. Air Force Academy, a semester at West Texas A&M and a year at Baylor, Hurst is ready to fill any role that will get him on the field.

“I went to Air Force out of high school, graduated from their basic training in early August and transferred to West Texas A&M in time to enroll that semester,” Hurst explained. “Then I transferred to Baylor that spring and walked on the football team.

“But I really wanted to get on the field and have a chance to contribute. I had some connections with UMHB from when they recruited me, so I called them.”

Hurst initially was part of a three-way battle for the quarterback’s job with Josh Saenz and Kyle Noack before being moved to tailback in a backup role.

But when preseason All-American running back Quincy Daniels went down with a knee injury early in last week’s ASC opener against Texas Lutheran, Hurst proved his worth by rushing for 187 yards and four touchdowns in a 63-7 win.

“Matt is a very talented athlete,” UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg said. “Right now, he’s filling a really big need at tailback.

“That’s not to say that he’s not a quarterback down the way. The reason Kyle and Josh were ahead of him was their ability to throw. But there isn’t anyone more athletic than Matt, except maybe Quincy.”

Going from quarterback to tailback in a short period of time has forced Hurst to learn his new position on the fly. Despite averaging 10 yards per carry heading into Saturday, he and his coaches know there is still work to be done.

“I have a long way to go,” admitted Hurst, who is articulate and always ready to talk about football. “Since I haven’t played the position before, I’m just doing what I can do with what I know. But with our coaches and my teammates, I’ll learn the things I need to.”

Fast but not blazing, shifty but not dazzling, Hurst has the main ingredient the Crusaders look for in running backs - an unwillingness to be brought down.

“Our first rule here as running backs is ‘Don’t get tackled,’” said UMHB running backs coach Jeff Shinn, a former Crusaders fullback. “Matt abides by that rule well. We’re working on small things, but Matt’s going to get polished up and be better every week.”

Hurst and Shinn said the most important things they’re working on are ball security, body positioning and pass protecting.

“It’s different to run with the ball when you’re taking a handoff as opposed to running with it as a quarterback,” Shinn said. “He’s used to playing quarterback and standing straight up and looking around, so he’s still standing up when he’s running.

“He needs to learn to get down and run behind his pads. Once we get him running with a lean, he’s going to be fun to watch.”

And fun - which in Hurst’s definition is contributing on the field - is what he chased from Whitney to Colorado Springs, Colo., to Canyon to Waco and finally Belton.

“UMHB has had more success in the last decade than the other schools I was at,” Hurst said. “There’s a lot of tradition here, and there’s a lot more camaraderie and chemistry within the team.

“It’s just more of a close-knit atmosphere. The students who are cheering, you actually see them on campus."

And if Hurst keeps having this much fun, he just might stick around long enough to get to know each and every one of them.

edrennan@temple-telegram.com