JACKSON, Miss. – The McMurry University football team will be looking for its second win of 2016 when it travels to Belhaven University on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.). The War Hawks (1-3) have lost two in a row to nationally-ranked teams #3 Mary Hardin-Baylor and #17 East Texas Baptist.
This is the second meeting between these teams. The War Hawks lead the series, 1-0. In the inaugural meeting on Halloween Day 2015, it was not a treat for the Blazers (1-3) as McMurry scored a 14-10 win over their former head coach's (Hal Mumme) team at Wilford Moore Stadium. BU scored first with a field goal, but an eight-yard run by
Dontrell Dock (and failed PAT) gave McM a 6-3 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Blazers' Clayton Webb had a one-yard TD run to give BU a 10-6 advantage. With just 40 seconds left in the first half, however, Matt McHugh passed to brother
David McHugh on a 15-yard aerial for a TD. McM went for two points and got it when McHugh hit
Charles Agugua, making it 14-10.
The two teams were scoreless in the second half, as both defenses shined. McM linebacker
Marlon Jackson had a game-high 15 tackles.
Decorian Johnson had a 48-yard interception return for McM. The Blazers' dangerous "Air Raid" offense was limited to a pedestrian 263 yards.
Thus far in 2016, freshman quarterback
B.J. Ross is leading the War Hawks in both rushing and passing. Ross has 202 yards (and two TDs) on the ground. Additionally, he has completed 44-of-82 passes (54%) for 503 yards and three TDs. Ross also owns the War Hawks' longest run from scrimmage, a 77-yard jaunt in the loss to ETBU.
The War Hawks' defense has proven a force in the early going, generating 12 takeaways, four of which were returned for scores. As a matter-of-fact, linebacker
Patrick Morrison was - at one point - McM's leading scorer with 12 points (with both an interception return and fumble return for touchdowns).
J.R. Arroyo also has a fumble return for a TD and
Jamir Bowser a "pick-6" interception return.
A total of six different McM's players have accounted for the War Hawks' seven interceptions.
Ryan McBeth has two interceptions, with
Decorian Johnson,
Patrick Morrison,
Charles Smith,
Jamir Bowser and
Kyle Peggram with one each.
Last week, Belhaven got into a good, old-fashioned "shoot out", as the Blazers lost a 52-36 contest at Sul Ross State. BU led 12-7 after the first quarter, but a 28-point spree by the Lobos in the second quarter proved to be the difference. The two teams combined for 1,151 yards (led by BU's 620 yards, 545 of which came thru the air).
Last Saturday, McMurry came out on the wrong end of a 67-31 score versus #17 East Texas Baptist at Wilford Moore Stadium. The Tigers and War Hawks put up 1,122 yards of offense, with ETBU rolling up 706 yards and McM 416. McM DB
Ryan McBeth had a pair of interceptions in the contest, with a total of 94 returns yards for the picks.
