GOODWELL, Okla. – The McMurry University football team will try to even its 2012 record this Saturday when it travels to Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Kickoff between the War Hawks (1-2) and host Aggies (2-1) is slated for 2 p.m. at Carl Wooten Field.

McMurry and OPSU will be renewing their rivalry after a 13-year hiatus in the series. This will be the 22nd meeting between the teams, with McM holding a 14-7 advantage in the previous meetings, but the first since 1998 (when McM scored a 55-26 win). The War Hawks own a four-game winning streak in the series, and have also taken seven of the last eight match-ups.

The Aggies come into the game on a two-game win skein under first-year head coach Russell Gaskamp. After a season-opening (Sept. 1) loss on the road to Missouri University of Science and Technology (55-14), OPSU bounced back with consecutive victories over Lindenwood University-Illinois (30-23 ot) and Cole College (62-0) in Denver, Colo.  OPSU had a bye week last Saturday.

McMurry also is coming off of a big win, dropping Wayland Baptist University by a 76-13 score to notch its first win of the season at home last Saturday. The War Hawks had opened the year with successive losses to NCAA Division II foe Abilene Christian and Division I FCS opponent McNeese State, both ranked in their respective divisions at the time and both games on the road.

The game may well hinge on which of the two teams can glean an advantage on areas in which the other has struggled this season. The OPSU defense turned in six sacks in the first two games of the year, while McMurry's offensive front has permitted 18 sacks of War Hawk signal-callers in 2012. The Aggies have given up better than twice as many passing yards as rushing (287.5 to 136.0 yards per game), while McMurry's “Air Raid Offense” is averaging nearly 450 yards per game in the first three contests and had its rushing attack go for nearly 200 yards last week.

One area which matches strength-versus-strength is the fact that the Aggies have not thrown an interception this season, while McMurry's defensive unit has pilfered four opponent aerials in three games.

“They're coming off of two wins and they've had a whole week to get ready for us,” McM head coach Hal Mumme said of OPSU. “They like to blitz a lot.  Offensively, they run a lot of stuff similar to us. They try to be a little more balanced than we do in terms of run and pass.”

McMurry got another good offensive game from freshman back Paxton Grayer last week. Versus Wayland Baptist, Grayer carried 12 times for 119 yards and caught five passes for 42 yards. He had a pair of touchdowns, one each on the ground and through the air.

Quarterback Jake Mullin had his first break-out performance last week, earning the National Christian College Athletic Association's “Student-Athlete of the Week” award. Mullin completed 32 of 41 passes for 403 yards and four TDs, in spite of coming out of the game after just one series in the second half.

Receivers Greg Livingston (8 receptions/81 yards) and Clinton McCoy (6 receptions/90 yards) were the main benefactors of Mullin's bombardment of the Pioneers' secondary last week.

Mulin has also moved himself into position to become a part of an exclusive club in NCAA football history. If Mullin can get both another 159 passing yards - as well as throw seven more TDs this season - he would become just the 58th player in NCAA football history - at all levels - to both pass for 10,000 yards and throw 100 touchdown passes in his career (joining a list that contains such names as Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Ty Detmer, Chad Pennington, Danny Wuerffel and Steve McNair, to name a few, to have accomplished the feat).

Saturday's game can be heard locally on KZQQ 1560 AM beginning at 1:30 p.m. with the pre-game show, as well as via the stations of the War Hawk Radio Network. Fans can listen on-line at hprnetwork.com, as well