Coming off of a bye week in the schedule, McMurry University football will welcome the defending NCAA Division III national champions - and current consensus No. 1-ranked team, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor - to Wilford Moore Stadium for Saturday's match-up.
 
The War Hawks trail the Cru in the all-time series, with UMHB holding a 13-2 edge. McMurry won the first two meetings between the teams in 1998 and 1999, but UMHB has won 13 straight over the War Hawks since. The last time the teams met in 2016, the Cru scored a 66-3 win in Belton.
 
UMHB is making its second trip to Abilene this season, having also come to town on October 17 when it defeated Hardin-Simmons, 17-7. That proved to be the closest game the Cru has played all year, winning their contests by an average of better than 32 points per game. With its unblemished mark of 7-0 entering today's contest, the Cru sports a 22-game win skein (having not lost since the NCAA III quarterfinals of the 2015 campaign).
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor is led on the ground by Markeith Miller, who averaged 78.0 yards per game and 5.9 yards per rush. Miller has five touchdowns on the ground.  Quarterback Kyle Jones has thrown for 901 yards and seven TD's.  Bryce Wilkerson has 29 catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns to lead the UMHB receiving corps. Defensively, Tevin Jones has a team leading 40 tackles, made 2.0 sacks and has a 93-yard fumble return to his credit.
 
McMurry's offense has been keyed by the emergence of sophomore quarterback Kevin Hurley Jr.  Hurley has a completion average of nearly 64 percent and thrown for 1,102 yards, good for 11 aerial touchdowns (also running for three TD's).  Freshman wide receiver Justin Eaton has stepped up with three-consecutive 100-yard receiving games, including a career-high 149 yards in last week's loss at Louisiana College. Eaton averages an astounding 32.7 yards per reception, making 12 total grabs and four touchdowns through the air.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive back Jordan Washington is having another stellar season with 56 tackles (41 solo) and three interceptions.  Linebacker Josh Smith leads McM in tackles, with 63. Fellow linebackers Michael Green Jr. and Jacob Ferguson have 55 and 53 tackles, respectively, and each also has 5.0 tackles for loss.