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ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University hits the road Saturday to compete in its first ever NCAA Division III Playoffs and will face undefeated Trinity in San Antonio at Tiger Field. The two teams will square off at Noon, and it will be the first meeting since the two teams played in Abilene in 2009.
The War Hawks (8-2) are ranked No. 19 in the nation by D3football.com and No. 22 in the AFCA while the Tigers are No. 11 and No. 15 respectively. Trinity will be making its 12th appearance in the national playoffs with its last appearance coming in 2007.
McMurry head coach Hal Mumme's first game as the school's coach in 2009 was against Trinity when the Tigers' and long-time Trinity head coach Steve Mohr took the road win in Abilene 31-26.
Two completely different teams show up Saturday on the campus of Trinity, as the War Hawks have made a steady climb from the bottom of the barrel of the nation to near the top.
McMurry was 16-63 from 2001-2008 before Mumme's arrival in 2009. The first season the team finished 4-6, before recording its first winning season in a decade at 6-4 in 2010, and posting an 8-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the American Southwest Conference in the regular season this year.
The Tigers finished 7-3 after a season-opening win over McMurry in 2009, but missed the playoffs with losses to Millsaps, DePauw and Azusa Pacific. A hiccup last year saw the team record its first losing season since 1992 at 6-4, but Mohr rebounded with an undefeated 10-0 record in the regular season and a perfect 6-0 mark in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conferece.
Trinity ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division III South Region rankings at the end of the season while McMurry was ranked at No. 5. Three teams represent Texas in the 32-team national playoff bracket including No. 1 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor. UMHB will play the Redlands Saturday with the winner of McMurry and Trinity's game taking on the winner of UMHB and Redlands Nov. 26.
McMurry boasts nearly 41 points per game on the season and the No. 1passing offense in the nation while Trinity relies on a balance offensive attack and a tough defense. The Tigers rank No. 8 in the nation in total defense.
The last McMurry football team to enter any kind of playoff was the 1980 squad who advance to an 8-team NAIA Division II playoff, falling in the quarterfinals. McMurry, with a win could match that 1980 team's school record for win at nine, and become the first team in school history to win a playoff game.
Abilene fans can tune into 1560 AM KZQQ beginning at 11:45 a.m. for the Noon kickoff, and a free live audio / video broadcast will be available Saturday on the front page of the McMurry web site: mcmurrysports.com.
