ABILENE,  Texas - Both foes on Saturday - visiting Howard Payne University and host McMurry University - are two teams which will be looking for their first victories of the 2017 season when they square off. The Yellow Jackets come in with a 0-1 mark overall and will be their opening American Southwest Conference game, while the War Hawks are 0-2 and 0-1 in the ASC.

All gate proceeds from the game are being donated for the creation of "Flood Buckets" of cleaning supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey with clean-up efforts.

Two weeks ago (Sept. 2), HPU lost a wild 63-34 decision to Southwestern Assemblies of God in Waxahachie. The Jackets had a bye last week on the schedule.

Last Saturday, McMurry was defeated at Southwestern University, 56-12, marking the second-consecutive season the War Hawks have lost to the Pirates. McM opened 2017 on August 31, with a road loss at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, 10-0. It marked the earliest calendar date that a McMurry football team had ever played a game in its 92-year football history.

These two teams know each other very well. At 75 previous meetings, Howard Payne is McM's second-most played opponent.  McMurry has only played Sul Ross State more times (86) than the Yellow Jackets. The first meeting was in 1927, with HPU dominating the early meetings, 13-0-2. McM did not even win a game in the
series until after World War II, eventually taking four-straight from 1946-49. The Yellow Jackets lead the overall series, 45-28-2.

In the last meeting between these teams in 2016, the McMurry University defense flexed its muscle in a 41-6 road win versus Howard Payne at Gordon Wood Stadium. Defensive back Jordan Washington had a 93-yard interception return for a TD in the second quarter, just one yard shy of the McM school record (94) set in 1961. But Washington wasn't the only defensive player to score.  Midway through the third stanza, lineman Darius Brooks scooped up a Yellow Jacket fumble on the McM 20 and rumbled 80 yards the other way, setting a school record for longest fumble recovery return. After holding HPU to 75 yards of offense in the first half, McM allowed a total of just 180 net yards of total offense for the game.

This season, HPU quarterback Caisson Montieth rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown, while completing 11 of 19 passes for 75 yards and a TD, in the opening loss.

Wade Barthelelmy Jr. has paced the mcM rushing attack with 129 yards on 35 carries in the two games. Quarterback Kevin Hurley Jr. has thrown for 274 yards and two TDs, completing 24-of-44.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Michael Green Jr. has led the team in tackles each week, with 12 versus OPSU and 14 last week at Southwestern.