SEGUIN, Texas – Coming off two home games and a bye week, McMurry University Football will hit the road for the first time this season as the team travels to Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas. Kickoff from Bulldog Stadium is set for 2 p.m.
McMurry enters with a 1-1 record with a season-opening win over Sul Ross State (17-14) on Feb. 6 and a loss to crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons (49-7) on Feb. 27.
Texas Lutheran is 2-1 on the season with wins over Howard Payne (39-38) and Sul Ross (24-3) and a loss last week to HSU (33-14).
GAME DAY PROTOCOL:
Saturday's game will not have spectators in attendance. According to TLU's website, this includes all parents or other family members, students, faculty, staff, alumni, honorary coaches, sports enthusiasts and anyone else not associated with game day administration in order to create a safe environment for all participants involved.
For more information on TLU's protocols, click here.
FOLLOW THE GAME:
Saturday's game will be video streamed, radio streamed and have live stats per TLU's website. McMurry will not have a radio broadcast for Saturday's game. Find all TLU coverage links here.
Each week, game day information will be posted at this link.
THE SERIES:
Saturday will be the 32nd meeting between the Bulldogs and the War Hawks. TLU holds an 18-13 advantage in the all-time series.
The first meeting took place way back in 1957 with McMurry winning 9-7. This started a five-game win streak through 1961, where McMurry outscored TLU by a score of 135-27. TLU had its longest win streak from 1972-85 with seven wins in that span.
The teams have only went to overtime once in its history, with TLU edging McMurry 51-48 in 2001.
In this past decade, McMurry had a three game win from 2009-2011 and broke numerous records in the 2011 game. Most notably, Jake Mullen became McMurry's single game leader in total offense (657) and passing offense (614) in a 60-16 win over TLU.
Since that time, the series has favored the Bulldogs with three straight wins the last three seasons. In last year's 57-14 loss, senior receiver Eriel Dorsey had a season-high 191 yards on 10 catches to end his career with an inspired performance.
Saturday will mark the third straight season the game has been played in Seguin.
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 plays 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 27.
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 – vs. Sul Ross State (W, 17-14)
- Feb. 27 – vs. Hardin-Simmons (L, 49-7)
- March 6 – BYE WEEK
- March 13 – at Texas Lutheran
- March 20 – at Howard Payne
- March 27 – ASC Playoffs (Time and Location TBD)
SCOUTING THE WAR HAWKS:
Through its two games, McMurry has relied on the passing game and ranks fourth in the American Southwest Conference with 206.5 passing yards per contest. The War Hawks join Howard Payne, Hardin-Simmons and East Texas Baptist as the only ASC schools to average over 200.0 passing yards per game.
Despite not playing for most of the HSU game, sophomore quarterback Carlos Garibay ranks sixth in the conference with 134.0 passing yards per game and ranks fourth in QB efficiency with a 117.0 rating. For the season, he has completed 21-of-40 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman Kristopher Martin has been the team's leading receiver with eight catches for 165 yards and a score. His 82.5 yards per game ranks third among the ASC's receivers, trailing only Jake Parker from Howard Payne and Mason Perkins from TLU – both over 100.0 yards per game.
In the run game, Dee Robinson continues to lead the way averaging 45.5 yards per game. He has 33 carries of 91 yards and two scores so far.
Defensively, freshman defensive lineman Colton Strickland has proven to be a force early in his career, ranking third in tackles per game among ASC players. He averaged 9.0 per game with 10 solo tackles and eight assisted tackles. He also has one sack on the year and ranks second in tackles for loss per game.
McMurry has five of the top 11 tacklers per game in the conference, with Strickland joined by junior Micheas Garibaldi, sophomore Xavier Gayle, senior Josh Smith and sophomore Ke'Shaun Jnofinn.
In the secondary, freshman corner Perry Wells has broken up two passes and has forced one fumble.
Special teams is a strong suit for the War Hawks, as sophomore Jared Mendoza is averaging 43.8 yards per kickoff to rank second in the conference. The War Hawks also rank third in the ASC with 19.9 yards per kick return.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
Texas Lutheran enters with a 2-1 record and will look to keep its hopes at a division title alive this Saturday. Last time out, the Bulldogs dropped a 33-14 decision to HSU for its first loss of the season.
Sophomore Seth Cosme is listed as this week's projected starter at quarterback. Cosme has completed 27-of-46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. The run game is led by Chris Monroe with 52 carries and 272 yards this season. Cosme leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. Mason Perkins, a senior, is the team's leading receiver at 15 catches for 317 yards and three TDs.
Seniors James Bell and Dakwa Davis lead the TLU defense with 25 and 23 tackles, respectively, while junior defensive back Nile Pollard has 21 tackles this year.
Like McMurry, TLU is seeking its first interception of the year, but they do have one fumble recovery by Bell and a forced fumble by Davis.
OTHER NOTABLES:
RECORD WATCH – Senior linebacker Josh Smith ranks eighth in all-time career tackles with 276, moving past Desmond Guy (2012-2015) with his eight tackles against HSU two weeks ago. Smith needs 12 tackles to move into seventh place with Drew Wallace (2006-09). 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 and currently ranks sixth at 45.5 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. He has since moved into the starting role full time, leading McMurry in its season-opening win.
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.
ALL-TIME RECORD – In 95 seasons, McMurry has a 380-502-33 record for a .416 win percentage.
