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ABILENE, Texas - McMurry University's football team will be facing a nationally-ranked team for the third time this season when it hosts Bacone College (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) at Wilford Moore Stadium. The Warriors enter the afternoon bout with a 7-2 overall record, while the War Hawks are 6-3.

Bacone received the first-ever national ranking in its school history in last week's NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, debuting at No. 23. (McM has also played Abilene Christian and McNeese State, which were ranked in the NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I FCS polls, respectively, this season). Bacone currently sites atop the Central States Football League standings.

This will be the second-ever meeting between Bacone College and McMurry University in football. McM won the first-ever match-up in the 2010 season-opening game, by a score of 41-6, in Muskogee, Okla. (at Indian Bowl stadium).

In the last meeting between the teams, McM quarterback Jake Mullin - then a sophomore - was 26-of-39 for 420 yards and 5 TDs, with no interceptions. As a team, the War Hawks out-gained the Warriors in total offense by a margin of 457 to 222 yards in that inaugural meeting. 

Both Bacone and McMurry have been playing well of late, with BC riding the crest of a six-game win streak.  McMurry has won three straight and six of its last seven outings.

Bacone had a bye last Saturday, but the NAIA No. 1 ranked pass efficiency defense team destroyed Wayland Baptist by a final score of 53-0, on October 27. Tyler Thomas rushed for 206 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns; Sheriff Thomas led the receivers with 70 yards on three catches with one score. Kyle Kuban completed nine of 16 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Jercorey Quarterman led Bacone with 13 total tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

McMurry also had a 53-0 win its last time out, blanking Texas College at home. It was a record-setting day for the War Hawks' team and Mullin. Mullin set the individual record for pass completions in a game (49) and tied the mark for passing touchdowns in a game (7) for the third time in his career. He and Jeret Smith also hooked up on the longest pass play in McM history, a 95-yarder in the first quarter. Mullin achieved his 1,000th career completion in the first quarter, as well.

The War Hawks team set game records for passes completed (59), attempted (79), TD passes (8) and total offensive plays (100).

Not to be lost in the shuffle of all the fireworks generated by the McM offense was another outstanding effort by the defense, pitching its first shutout of the season. Linebacker Jonathan Blair's six tackles led the charge. He also had one of his team's four sacks on the day.  Josh Bridges and Corey Hall each had a full sack, while M.D. Daniels and Demonte Byrd combined on one, as well. Hall recovered one fumble, while D.J. Baiza picked up two loose balls from Texas College. Desmond Guy intercepted his third pass of the year, tying him for the team lead.

McMurry assured itself of a third-straight winning season, thanks to its win over Texas College. The last time the school had three-consecutive winning seasons in football was 1998-2000.

Entering Saturday's game, several individual records and milestones are on the horizon for several War Hawk players:

* McM defensive end Corey Hall needs 2 sacks to break the season sacks record. Hall currently has 7.5 sacks in 2012, 1.5 behind the 9.0 by Brian Valenzuela in 2000.

* Hall needs 2.5 sacks to break the career sacks record. He currently has 20.5 career sacks, three behind the 22.5 from Valenzuela (1996-2000).

* Jake Mullin needs 272 passing yards to reach 3,000 passing yards for the second-consecutive season (also had 3,371 last year).

* Mullin needs 293 passing yards to reach 12,000 yards for his career.

* Greg Livingston needs 8 receptions to break the season mark of 75 set by Fred Rau in 1997.

* Livingston needs 91 more receiving yards to pass Marcus Franklin's 2009 total of 902 yards and move up to No. 2 in season receiving yards. He also needs 320 receiving yards to surpass R.J. Long's No. 1 mark of 1,131 yards in 2010.  (Livingston has seven or more catches in his last 7 consecutive games. He had 8 vs. Wayland Baptist, 8 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State, 7 vs. Southern Nazarene, 8 vs. Lamar, 13 at Incarnate Word, 7 vs. Langston and 9 vs. Texas College).