ABILENE, Texas – McMurry's oldest football rivalry will be renewed on the rarest of occasions this Saturday, as the War Hawks welcome Sul Ross State to Wilford Moore Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
McMurry and Sul Ross State have met 89 times in its storied history, but this time is different from the rest. These two foes will compete for the Battle of I-20 trophy in the chill of February instead of the usual September-November meeting.
GAME DAY PROTOCOL:
McMurry will open Wilford Moore Stadium at a limited capacity. Unfortunately, no walk-up tickets will be sold for Saturday's game. Each player and coach for both teams will be granted two tickets for family and friends. Also, a limited number of student/faculty/staff tickets will be distributed.
For more information on Saturday's protocols, click here.
FOLLOW THE GAME:
McMurry will stream all home football games on the McMurry Sports Network via BlueFrame Technology on mcmurrysports.com. Play-by-play announcer David Bacon and color analyst John Blackwell will be on the call. Live stats will also be available.
The War Hawks will not have radio broadcasts for the spring season.
Each week, game day information will be posted at this link.
THE RIVALRY:
McMurry has played Sul Ross State more than any other opponent in history with 89 all-time meetings. For the War Hawks, the Battle of I-20 rivalry ranks ahead of Howard Payne (78 games) and Austin College (69 games) for most meetings all-time.
McMurry leads the all-time series with a 46-41-2 record.
The first meeting came in 1923, McMurry's first season, as the Maroon and White defeated Sully 12-0. The last meeting happened in Abilene in 2019, with the Lobos winning 21-7.
McMurry's last win over Sul Ross State came in 2018 with a 35-24 win. Prior to this win, the Lobos owned a three-game win streak in the series.
This year marks the third-straight time the rivalry has been played at Wilford Moore Stadium.
THE SCHEDULE:
The War Hawks will play five games in a condensed spring slate. The American Southwest Conference has been split into two divisions for the spring – East and West – with five teams in each division.
McMurry will play in the West Division with Sul Ross State, Texas Lutheran, Howard Payne and Hardin-Simmons. The East includes Belhaven, East Texas Baptist, Louisiana College, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Southwestern.
The teams will each play four games within its division. After four games, the standings will be evaluated and will set-up the ASC Playoffs for March 13. The playoff games will be cross-seeded based on divisional finishes, with the top team in each division playing for the conference championship. The other eight teams will play a team from the other division that has the same finish in the divisional standings.
McMurry's Schedule:
- Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. – vs. Sul Ross State
- Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. – at Texas Lutheran
- Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. – at Howard Payne
- Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. – vs. Hardin-Simmons
- March 13 – ASC Playoffs (Time and Location TBD)
SCOUTING THE WAR HAWKS:
The War Hawks enter its second year under head coach Jordan Neal with six coaches returning this season. The team took its bumps and bruises in 2019 with no wins to show for it, but tout a promising roster and a year of experience in a new system heading into Spring 2020.
McMurry's opening day depth chart touts a solid mix of experience and youth. On offense, quarterback Carlos Garibay and running back Dee Robinson are projected starters as returning sophomores. The duo each showed promise in their freshman seasons, with Garibay averaging 232 passing yards in the final three starts of the season and Robinson leading the team with 702 rushing yards on 127 carries.
With the graduation of leading receivers Kevin Hurley and Eriel Dorsey, a youth movement of sophomores and freshmen will be in the mix at wide receiver.
Up front, the War Hawks bring back experience in senior Daniel Zarzoza III, juniors Ryan Miller and Tyce Alexander, and sophomores Tyrik Gill and Daniel Hernandez. There are also a number of newcomers that will look to contribute immediately.
The defensive side of the ball is anchored by senior linebacker Josh Smith, who ranks 10th on McMurry's all-time career tackles list with 261. Smith is a three-time all-conference selection. He is joined in the front seven by junior Micheas Garibaldi and sophomore Xavier Gayle, who each ranked top five in tackles for the team last year.
The defensive line will tout a number of freshmen and will be led by sophomore Devin Nixon, who had 2.5 tackles for loss last year. The secondary will have a number of familiar faces in senior corner back Cahlyl Rossin and sophomore safeties Ke'Shaun Jnofinn and Christopher Baker. Jnofinn led the team with 60 tackles last year.
Sophomore Jared Mendoza returns for special team duties this year as the team's projected starter at kicker and punter. Mendoza was a perfect 3-3 on field goal attempts as a freshman.
The return game could see a number of players with junior Kameron Session is the team's leading returner from last year. Session, who was also McMurry's second leading rusher, had a 93-yard touchdown return against Howard Payne last season and averaged 24.33 yards per return.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS:
Sul Ross State finished 3-7 last season with wins over McMurry, Southwestern and Louisiana College.
The Lobos will turn to sophomore Jorge Barerra to engineer the offense, a player who started the first three games at quarterback last season. He went 10-for-16 passing for 115 yards and one interception against McMurry last season.
The run game will include new faces in Ozias Wright and Kendrick Jefferson, while the receiving corps brings back experience in wide receiver Dre'chan Moody and tight end Logan Schnautz. The pair combined for 854 of the team's 1479 receiving yards.
A number of new faces litter the defensive depth chart. Returning leaders include sophomore defensive tackle Eduardo Garcia and junior safety Jaylen Bussey, who each compiled over 40 tackles last year. The team will miss graduated senior Levah Tarry, who had 13 tackles in the McMurry game and led the team with 83 tackles last year.
John Pearce enters his seventh season as the team's head coach and approaches his 29th season in the business. In 2016, Pearce led the Lobos to a 6-4 record – their first winning season in a decade – and was named the ASC Coach of the Year.
NOTABLES:
RECORD WATCH – Senior linebacker Josh Smith ranks 10th in all-time career tackles with 261. He needs eight tackles to move into ninth past Toby Gerhart (1982-84). Only four players have recorded 300 career tackles in McMurry history, led by Chris Joseph (1982, 1984-86) with 379.
DOUBLE TROUBLE – Sophomore Dee Robinson and junior Kameron Session made quite the tandem last season at running back, combining for 1,092 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Robinson ranked fourth in the ASC with 65.6 rushing yards per game.
THE FINISHER – With injuries hampering the War Hawks at quarterback last year, sophomore Carlos Garibay stepped in for the final three games of the season and led the team with a 138.9 passer rating. He finished 53-for-94 for 696 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
ASC 25th ANNIVERSARY – The American Southwest Conference enters its 25th year since forming in 1996. McMurry was part of the first ASC football season in 1996, naming nine players first team all-conference and four more second team all-conference. The War Hawks have had two stints in the ASC, with the first spanning from 1996-2011. McM returned to the ASC in 2016 and enters its fifth year back.
K.O.R. – McMurry had one of the best kickoff return teams in the league last year, averaging 20.7 yards per return to rank second in the conference. Furthermore, McMurry was one of two teams to score a kickoff return touchdown last year.
CAN I KICK IT? YES YOU CAN – Last season, McMurry finished with the second-best field goal numbers in the conference, making good on 8-of-9 attempts for a .889 field goal percentage. Only four teams from the ASC made at least eight field goals last year – UMHB, Hardin-Simmons, Texas Lutheran and McMurry. The War Hawks were also the only ASC team to convert a successful onside kick.
DISCIPLINE – The War Hawks took only 57 penalties last season, the second-fewest in the league behind Southwestern with 56. The team averaged 57.0 penalty yards per game, third best in the ASC behind UMHB (37.7) and Southwestern (46.2). McMurry was also the best at drawing penalties, as their opponents averaged a league-high 89.2 penalty yards per game.
ALL-TIME RECORD – In 94 seasons, McMurry has a 379-501-33 record for a .415 win percentage.
