ABILENE, Texas - McMurry University football will welcome Belhaven University for "Homecoming 2017"!  The War Hawks (1-4, 1-3 ASC) and Blazers (1-3, 0-3 ASC) will be squaring off in football for just the third time on the gridiron, with McM having won each of the previous meetings in 2015 (14-10) and 2016 (56-7).

Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. at Wilford Moore Stadium.

Both squads are looking to snap losing skeins today, with Belhaven coming in on a three-game skid.  Since winning its season-opening game versus crosstown rival Millsaps College (42-37), the Blazers have dropped games to Texas Lutheran (37-0), East Texas Baptist (79-40) and Howard Payne University (45-37).

BU features an air-oriented offensive attack, averaging 394.3 yards per game passing (compared to just over 46 yards per game passing). The Blazers have 16 touchdowns via the air and none rushing in 2017. Belhaven's record-setting quarterback Hunter
McEachern has completed 114-181 passes for 1,372 yards and 14 touchdowns, having been intercepted eight times, as well.

Defensively, BU is led by Denarrius Noel and Keith Marshall, who have amassed 29 and 26 tackles, respectively. Noel also shares the team lead - with Austin Russell - with two sacks.

McMurry is looking to derail a two-game slide of its own.  The War Hawks lost their first two outings of 2017 to Oklahoma Panhandle State and Southwestern University, before picking up an American Southwest Conference win at home versus Howard Payne.  Since that victory, however, the squad has lost at Sul Ross State and at home against TLU last Saturday.

Last week, McM's freshman quarterback Vincent James had quite a collegiate debut as a starter. James completed 31-of-46 passes for 370 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had a long completion of 67 yards to Justin Eaton.  James got the starting nod versus Texas Lutheran over an injured Kevin Hurley Jr.

On the year, James is 39-67 (58%) through the air for 457 yards. Hurley is 48-80 (60%) for 490 yards and five touchdowns.  The two main benefactors of McMurry's passing game have been receivers Eriel Dorsey (20 catches/235 yards/1 TD) and Jeremiah Jefferson (18 catches/187 yards).

On the defensive side of the ball, Josh Smith has a team-leading 44 tackles and an interception.  Sophomore Michael Green Jr. and senior Jordan Washington each have 41 tackles. Washington has a team-best 32 solo tackles and tops the team with two interceptions.  As a team, McM has six interceptions this year.

This will be the 87th homecoming game contested in the McM program's history. McMurry has an all-time record of 44-40-2 at Homecoming, previously.