ALPINE, Texas – When McMurry University's football team steps on to Jackson Field at Sul Ross State University on Saturday evening (6 p.m.), it will mark the renewal of the most-contested rivalry in McM gridiron history. The 2015 match-up between the War Hawks (3-4) and the Lobos (1-5) will mark the 85th time these schools have squared off on the football field.
(To put it into perspective, McMurry's next-closest foe – in terms of number of games played – is Howard Payne University, with 73 meetings).
The first time these schools played was actually in McM's first-ever football season in 1923. Since then, the teams have played 84 times, with McMurry enjoying a 45-37-2 advantage in the series, having won the past three meetings.
The last time McM and SRSU met was in 2011, when the War Hawks scored a 41-13 Homecoming game win. Jake Mullin passed for four touchdowns, two to R.J. Long, and 112 yards. Justin Johnson also had a pair of rushing TDs, as well. Greg Livingston added a 92-yard kickoff return (the 6th-longest in McM history) for a touchdown for McM's final score of the afternoon. In what turned out to be a statistical defensive battle, McMurry had 170 yards of total offense, while the Lobos could muster just 90 total yards (just 24 rushing).
SRSU and McMurry have just one common foe in 2015, thus far: #12/#14 Hardin-Simmons University. The Lobos lost to HSU last Saturday, 41-13. Two weeks ago, the Cowboys defeated McMurry, 31-13.
Despite SRSU entering the game against McMurry with a record of 1-5 overall (and 0-3 versus ASC teams), that may be deceiving. The Lobos have played several upper-echelon teams, which have/are ranked this season or are traditional national contenders: Texas Lutheran, Trinity, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons. Like McMurry, SRSU will also be looking for its first win on its home field on Saturday. The Lobos lone win of 2015 was on Sept. 26 at Wayland Baptist University in a 54-46 shootout.
McMurry opened its season with a 49-22 win at East Texas Baptist and in week #2 dropped their home opener (7-6) to Southwestern. In week #3, the War Hawks pummeled Texas College, 40-0, fell versus Langston (32-29) and defeated NCAA II Lincoln University (34-14)...all three on the road. McMurry then lost two-consecutive home games: falling in its Homecoming Game to crosstown foe #12/#16-ranked Hardin-Simmons University, 31-13, and dropping an overtime heartbreaker to NCAA II Oklahoma Panhandle State, 36-35.
Three of the War Hawks losses have come by a combined total of five points.
"There are no moral victories in this game of football," McM head coach
Lance Hinson said of the slew of tight games. "But there are positives you can take away from and build on. As a staff, when we met we decided we were going to focus on those positives because we are a very young team. If you show (the team) the positives, that's what you can build on for a program."
Linebacker
Jacob Ferguson's 63-yard fumble return for a TD versus Oklahoma Panhandle State set a school record for longest fumble return. (Previous record of 56 yards by Josh Fisher at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2013).
As a team, McMurry has amassed 15 interceptions in 2015. Opponents have picked off the War Hawks just eight times. Junior defensive back
Ryan Williams leads McM with four interceptions in 2015. Among those was a 23-yard "Pick 6" versus Lincoln University (Oct. 3). Williams has nine career interceptions.
Junior quarterback Matt McHugh knows Saturday's battle in Alpine is important for the team's perspective on its season.
"We're 3-4 now and coming off of our first two-game losing streak" McHugh explained. "We need to come into this week (versus Sul Ross) with the 'edge'; we want to win these last three games. They are very winnable games and they're all in the ASC, so this can be a statement for our team and our program."
The game can be heard live in the Abilene area on KSLI 1280 AM, with David Bacon and Max Preston calling all the action. The pre-game show begins at 5:40 p.m. Fans everywhere can listen via the web at:
www.1280ksli.com.
