Link to War Hawks Gameday page
ABILENE, Texas – After a rough couple of road games to start the 2012 season and its first games as an NCAA Division II competitor, McMurry University's football team will finally get a taste of some “home cooking” when it plays host to Wayland Baptist University on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Wilford Moore Stadium.
It will also be the team's first game on its home turf since the facility underwent a $2.2 million renovation. A re-dedication ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m., with stadium namesake – Coach Wilford Moore – on hand for the festivities. Many of Moore's former players will also be in attendance, including former McMurry and Baylor University head coach and current Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association, Grant Teaff.
McMurry University and Wayland Baptist University will be taking on each other in the sport of football for the first time. The War Hawks are playing their 87th season of football, while the Pioneers are in their first season on the gridiron after a 72-year hiatus of the sport on their campus.
WBU lost its season-opening game to Adams State College (55-7), but notched win No. 1 of its new era last weekend by defeating a familiar foe to McM fans, Howard Payne University, 27-23. Both games were played on the Pioneers' home turf in Plainview, making today's contest their first road game.
The host McMurry team is still searching for its first win of the young 2012 season after opening the year with two tough opponents. Prior to an off week this past Saturday, the War Hawks began the year with a 51-0 loss at the hands of the No. 9-ranked team in NCAA Division II at that time, Abilene Christian University. McM followed that with a bout at the #21/#22 rated team in NCAA Division I FCS - McNeese State - and was defeated by a 69-7 tally.
Offensively, WBU's football rebirth has been led by running back
Kendall Roberson. Roberson has averaged 119.0 yards per game during the Pioneers' first two outings and has scored all four of the team's touchdowns on the ground.
Pioneers quarterback Luis Gonzalez has completed better than 62 percent of his passes (28-45) for 320 yards and a TD. Saul Elizalde has been the main benefactor of those aerials, with 10 catches for 129 yards on the year.
For the War Hawks' offense, freshman
Paxton Grayer is off to a great start in his Maroon & Black career with 283 all-purpose yards in the first two contests. Grayer has 103 receiving yards, 28 rushing yards and 152 kickoff return yards.
Quarterback
Jake Mullin has thrown for 459 yards, completing 62 percent (59-95), but has been intercepted four times. Versus McNeese, Mullin added another McM school record to his collection by becoming the all-time leader in pass attempts (now with 1,275). He also needs just 463 more yards of total offense to reach the magic 10,000-yard mark for his War Hawks' tenure.
Defensively, McMurry newcomers
Ryan Williams and
Desmond Guy lead the team with 21 and 11 total tackles, respectively.
The game can be heard on the radio live locally on KZQQ 1560 AM in the Abilene area, or world-wide via the War Hawks Radio Network at:
hprnetwork.com. Saturday's game will also be the first broadcast in HD over the internet on
SkyboxLive.com. Both the audio and video streams are provided free of charge through the War Hawk Network and its sponsors.