Buy the live audio / video feed for the football game between McMurry and Louisiana College
ABILENE, Texas - First-year head coach Hal Mumme set a lofty goal for McMurry's football team prior to the start of the 2009 season when he said he wanted a winning season. Considering McMurry went 0-10 in 2008 and hadn't had a winning season since 2000, those expectations may have been unrealistic to the average McMurry fan.
Then, with an 0-4 start, that goal looked more and more like a dream than a possible reality. However, the team stormed back winning every game they played in the month of October to even its record at 4-4.
Saturday against Hardin-Simmons, McMurry need a win to move to 5-4 and have a chance against Louisiana College to accomplish Mumme's goal and finish the season with six-straight wins. However, a bitter 21-10 loss crushed that dream.
However, even with the initial goal unattainable, McMurry has a chance to be the first .500 team since the 2005 season. Senior tight end
Seth Waller is the only member of the team that had a chance to know what a 5-5- record feels like. Waller played his first two seasons from 2005-06, sat out the 2007 season, returned in 2008 and will conclude his career Saturday in Pineville, La. against Louisiana College along with five other McMurry seniors.
Like McMurry, the Wildcats are having one of their best seasons in years posting a 6-3 overall record, and LC stands third in the American Southwest Conference with a 5-2 record. The Wildcats fell to nationally-ranked Mississippi College and perennial NCAA Division III power Mary Hardin-Baylor, however, LC defeated Hardin-Simmons Sept. 19 28-7 for the first time in school history.
“They do a terrific job on offense, it's very similar to ours; We run some of the same plays, so in that respect our defense has seen it a lot,” said Mumme. “They're a good football team they have about 15 seniors and seven or eight that start. Coach [Dennis] Dunn's done a really good job of building that program.”
Louisiana College has a powerful offense led by quarterback Ben McLaughlin and junior receiver / return specialist Jordan Riddeaux.
“Riddeaux is really a terrific player,” Mumme said of the star receiver. “He's brought two kicks back for touchdowns and three more inside the five-yard line, so he's really accounted for about five scores just on the special teams end.”
Not only is he a dangerous return man, but is McLaughlin's favorite target on offense and Riddeaux leads the ASC in receptions (68), yards (1,096), and touchdown receptions (11). Riddeaux along with McMurry's senior linebacker
Andrew Wallace were each named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week Tuesday.
LC's other weapon, McLaughlin, will be looking to build on an already successful season that has seen the third-year quarterback set a personal high with 25 touchdowns this season. In three years with LC so far (2006-07, 09), he has thrown for 8,042 yards, 67 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
“You can tell that's why they're having so much success, he's got a lot of timing down with his receivers,” said Mumme of McLaughlin. “He's a seasoned player, he makes plays in the right places. He's comfortable with their offense and he doesn't force balls.”
Mumme said that McMurry will need to get over the obstacles of the long road trip and the emotional drain of the rivalry game with Hardin-Simmons. McMurry hasn't defeated HSU since 1963 and prior to the game Saturday, many felt that the 2009 McMurry team had the best chance in years to accomplish the feat.
“It is hard to get over for everybody and I do worry about that. This is the last game for six of our seniors,” Mumme said. “We're a young enough team that we're looking forward to playing again. I think they want to go and give an account of themselves, but it will be a difficult game because Louisiana College is pretty talented.”
Kickoff at the newly-unveiled Wildcat Field Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
