But even for an empire that was 33 consecutive conference victories in the making, all it took was 60 minutes of uninspired, unimaginative play on offense for the walls to come crashing down.
Third-ranked UMHB bumbled and stumbled its way through the better part of four quarters and was eventually done in by a final mistake - an interception that Mississippi College turned into a 31-yard field goal with four seconds remaining - as the Choctaws pulled off a stunning 17-14 upset of the Crusaders on Saturday afternoon at Robinson-Hale Stadium.
Under any and all circumstances, it was a shocking outcome.
MC - loser of the last six meetings by a combined 313-68 - had a defense that ranked 230th out of 235 Division III teams. UMHB, which hadn't lost a conference game since Oct. 8 of 2005 and needed just one more win to tie the ASC record of 34 straight, came in with an offense that ranked 12th nationally.
But whether it was the absence of tailback Quincy Daniels (sore knee) or a gameplan that was ill-suited for MC's scheme, UMHB's offense was a shell of its former self.
"I don't know," Crusaders coach Pete Fredenburg said when asked if it was a case of poor execution or poor planning. "We'll study the film. I know they did some things that we feel like we had planned well for. I don't know how we broke down. We'll learn from it. Unfortunately, it really hurts our chances down the road."
What lies down the road is unknown for UMHB (5-1, 4-1 ASC), which now must hope for two losses by MC (5-1, 4-0) to have a shot at the league's automatic playoff berth, or pray for an at-large postseason bid come selection Sunday four weeks from now.
"I thought we were prepared," said Crusaders senior safety Bryson Tucker, who helped the defense hold the Choctaws almost 30 points and 130 yards below their average. "But they played hard, and we just couldn't drive the ball today. Now it's time to go to work. Simple as that."
Despite offensive woes that included a fumble and a missed field goal on its first possessions of the second half, UMHB led 14-7 before Steven Knight ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run to tie it midway through the third quarter.
The Crusaders turned the ball over on downs twice and punted three times before the giving the Choctaws one chance too many.
Junior quarterback Kyle Noack - in the game in place of freshman starter LiDarral Bailey, who played all but the final series - was late with a throw deep down the middle, giving MC safety Dustin Retherford time to get to the ball and pick it off at the Choctaws' 44-yard line with 1:27 remaining.
Senior QB Adam Shaffer marched MC to the UMHB 14, where Brannon Walls booted the winning field goal and sent the Choctaw faithful into delirium.
"It feels great," said Shaffer, who was 18-of-40 for 194 yards with a TD and an interception. "They are such a great team that it's hard to describe how good it feels to beat them."
Noack and UMHB's offense never got another chance. He was 1-of-4 for 6 yards with the interception, though Bailey's numbers weren't eye-popping either in a Crusaders scheme that lacked flair. The freshman was 6-of-9 for 65 yards and a TD to go with 74 rushing yards and a score.
"We felt like we had missed some reads earlier, nothing bad. It was just a gut feeling that maybe (Noack) could give us a little spark," Fredenburg said of the change. "It turned out to be a bad decision, and it was my decision."
Senior tailback Desmond Mays, facing his old team, ran for 115 yards and sophomore Rickie Williams rushed for 48 before suffering a broken arm on his fumble early in the third. Daniels' breakaway speed might have made a difference, although the Choctaws seemed to have an answer for the Crusaders' option package and aerial plan, which often sent only one or two receivers on routes.
"We've done all kinds of tests (on Daniels' knee), and we don't know what's wrong with it," Fredenburg said. "But I don't think that was the main thing. I just did a poor job of preparing us to play, and unfortunately we have to suffer through this.
"I think we played well enough on defense to win the game. But we made way too many mistakes on offense to win a hard-fought game like this."
The Choctaws finished with 292 yards, well below their average, but more important limited the Crusaders to 322 and two scores - 146 yards and 30 points under their average.
"Just to be in a position where we were competing for a conference championship was huge for us," MC coach Norman Joseph said. "And to beat the No. 3 team in the country is really special.
"I felt like we maintained our poise down the stretch. This was a classic college football game. Mary Hardin-Baylor has been on top and pounding folks, and this was another great game in this conference. This is what college football is all about."
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
