That’s because for the third time in five years, this clash will be the next step on one team’s quest for a national championship. For the other squad, it will be the season finale.
“There is a change among the players when the playoffs start and there has to be,” said UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg, whose fourth-ranked Crusaders (9-1) host the seventh-ranked Cowboys (9-1) in an NCAA Division III first-round playoff game at noon today at Tiger Field. “If you’re going to continue to play, you have to raise your level of concentration and effort and the whole 9 yards.
“Our guys are reminded daily of the legacy they are carrying, so I think it’s a positive thing to see a change in them come playoff time.”
UMHB holds an 8-5 edge in the all-time series, including a second-round road playoff win in 2004, a first-round home victory in ’06 and a 20-18 regular-season home win seven weeks ago. The Crusaders have won eight of the last nine meetings, with the Cowboys’ only victory during that stretch coming during the ’04 regular season in American Southwest Conference play.
The fact that today’s tilt pits the South Region’s second and third seeds against each other and is the only first-round matchup of top-10 teams will serve as added fuel for both squads, according to Fredenburg.
“I think it’s extra motivation for both teams,” he said. “Any time you match up two teams from the same conference, there’s a little bit of a negative feeling. But I think our players were excited about it, and I’m sure their players were, too.
“Our guys feel like they didn’t play their best (in the regular-season game), and I think they would like to atone for that.”
The Cowboys were held to 353 yards - 130 below their average - missed two extra points and yielded 358 yards on the ground in the last meeting. But still HSU came within a failed two-point conversion of tying the game in the final minutes.
HSU’s offense is led by junior quarterback Justin Feaster, the ASC Offensive Player of the Year who has thrown for 2,717 yards and 27 touchdowns to go with seven rushing TDs.
He is the focal point of unit that averages 480 yards and 39 points per game.
UMHB counters with a defense - anchored by ASC Defensive Player of the Year Eric Henri at linebacker - that surrenders only 243 yards and 12 points.
“The things that we gave up were some big plays, things to the tight end and the pitch-pass that hurt us,” Fredenburg said. “Hopefully we can eliminate those.”
On the flipside, the Crusaders’ offense has gone through a series of changes since the teams last met - the biggest being at the tailback’s spot.
Junior Bryson Tucker, who started the October game at weak safety, is averaging almost 8 yards per carry and will make his fourth straight start at tailback.
“Mary Hardin-Baylor’s running game is always extremely strong,” HSU coach Jimmie Keeling said. “Any time the other team can run the ball well against you, it makes it more difficult to win.”
Senior Josh Saenz started and played the entire game at quarterback for UMHB the first time around, but sophomore Kyle Noack has started the last three games.
Fredenburg wouldn’t divulge who today’s starter will be.
“Josh played extremely well against Hardin-Simmons but Kyle has played extremely well the past few weeks,” he said. “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
NOTES: Today’s winner will host a second-round game against the winner between No. 10 Wesley (Del.) and No. 13 Muhlenberg (Pa.). . . . The Crusaders, whose only loss was a 40-28 setback at NAIA Southern Oregon on Oct. 25, won their fourth straight ASC title ahead of the runner-up Cowboys. . . . Since the start of the 2004 season, UMHB’s 10 playoff wins rank third behind only the 17 of Mount Union (Ohio) and the 13 of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
