The two questions that will be answered today are: With two weeks to prepare, will MC have a better plan to contain UMHB’s ground attack? And on the other side, can the Crusaders slow down Choctaws sensation Desmond Mays - the conference’s leading rusher?
The solution to those riddles will be delivered at 1 p.m. today when UMHB and MC square off in an American Southwest Conference tilt at Tiger Field.
The Crusaders (5-0 overall, 4-0 ASC) are ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III and have won 25 consecutive conference games dating to 2005.
The Choctaws (2-3, 2-1), who entered the season ranked No. 25 and are coming off a bye week, stumbled out of the gate but can stay in contention for the league title with a win today.
“Every time we play, we’re going to get a team’s best effort,” UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg said. “They’re going to play hard, and they’re going to have a plan to upset us. So our guys can’t ever take a day off.”
UMHB cruised to a 69-30 victory last year in Mississippi when the Choctaws’ shoot-the-gaps defensive style backfired. Fredenburg doesn’t expect to face the same scheme today.
“They’re still doing basically the same stuff on defense,” he said. “But you know they’ll have a plan to make it go better than it did last year.”
With gun-slinging quarterback Adam Shaffer sidelined by injury, MC has leaned on Mays for offensive production. The Normangee product and junior transfer from Sam Houston State has rushed for an ASC-best 508 yards with seven touchdowns.
Today he’ll face a UMHB defense that ranks fifth nationally against the run, yielding only 52 yards per game on the ground.
“Mays is good, very good,” Fredenburg said. “They’ve shifted gears and are trying to run the ball more than they have in the past.”
Other than senior quarterback Josh Saenz, the Crusaders’ backfield is less settled.
Fredenburg said preseason All-American tailback Quincy Daniels is still a couple of weeks away from testing his injured knee. Sophomore backup Matt Hurst (shoulder) will be a game-time decision, and sophomore reserve Billy Abreu suffered a fractured clavicle in last week’s 35-10 win at Louisiana College.
“I don’t think we got better as a team last week,” Fredenburg said, “but when you’re constantly shuffling the cards because of injuries, it’s difficult.
“Our guys, especially the upperclassmen who have played in quite a few playoff games, they have high expectations and aspirations. Those guys expect us to try to get better every week and continue to do the things that we can to win."
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
