ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Football fell short in its first two matchups of the season – both by a single-digit margin – but hope the third time is the charm as it welcomes Southwestern University to Wilford Moore Stadium on Saturday at 4 p.m.

This preview is presented by First Financial Bank.

Last weekend, the War Hawks (0-2) came up short in a 24-15 battle against East Texas Baptist (2-1). McMurry had to overcome much adversity on Saturday, including a flat tire on one of its busses on the way to the stadium and an injury to starting quarterback Ritchie Luna in the first half of the game. Despite these things, McMurry remained close throughout and threated in the second half, but an interception on the final drive ended hopes of a comeback.

During yesterday's press conference, third year head coach Jordan Neal took a moment to acknowledge the tragic events that hit McMurry's campus on Tuesday – the loss of former player Chandler Sikes and the injuries suffered by current player Sebastian Ochoa in a car accident.

"I've been so amazed at how the McMurry community has rallied – the love, the support, the unity," said Neal. "When the University is called to respond to a situation – as tragic as it may be – it's really awesome to see the way our administrators, faculty, staff and students wrap their arms around one another to begin the grieving process and put things into perspective...it's been a blessing to be a part of a community that really cares about its students."
 

HALL OF HONOR WEEKEND:

On Saturday, McMurry University will enshrine its Class of 2021 into the Hall of Honor. The ceremony will take place at Radford Auditorium at 10 a.m. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Masks are required at the event.

At the football game, the class will be recognized at the start of halftime.

The Class of 2021 includes eight individuals, two team inductions, the Bob and Clara Brown Award recipients and the Grant Teaff "Beyond the Game" Award recipient. From the football wing, former running back and current record holder Doc Shelby (1974-78) will be inducted.

For more information and to view the full class, click here.
 

GAME DAY PROTOCOL:

Wilford Moore Stadium is open at full capacity for Saturday. Masks are expected and physical distancing is encouraged where possible. Guidelines are subject to change based on the current standing of COVID-19 and the safety of the community.

Season tickets in our reserved seating area are available for $45 and are good for all five games this season. To purchase season tickets, click here.

General admission tickets are $5 and will be sold at both gates. Children 12 and under receive free admission, as well as students, faculty and staff. The gate for visiting fans is on the east side, while the main gate for home fans is on the west side.

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.

All McMurry Football radio broadcasts will exclusively air on Lonestar 1280 AM (KSLI). Fans can listen on the radio, on the web or on the Lonestar 1280 app – available free on your mobile app store and accessible anywhere, anytime with cell phone service.

Broadcasts will begin 20 minutes before each game.

All streaming, listening and live stat pages will be available each week at this link.
 

THE MATCHUP:

Southwestern leads the all-time series with an 11-8-4 record against McMurry.

Most of the matchups in this series took place from 1930-1950, but after a 65-year hiatus, the battle continued in 2015 with McMurry's return to NCAA Division III.

Since 2015, Southwestern has had the War Hawks' number with five straight wins. Three of the five games were one possession battles, including a 7-6 setback in 2015 that saw McMurry nearly double Southwestern's offensive production but with nothing to show for it. In 2019, the Pirates overcame eight lost fumbles to steal a 29-25 win from McMurry in Abilene.

Outside of McMurry's record-breaking defensive performance in 2019, running backs Kameron Session and Dee Robinson ran wild with 255 combined yards on the ground. On the final drive with 1:59 to go, McMurry drove down near the red zone, but had a pair of passes fall incomplete in the end zone as time expired.

On Saturday, McMurry seeks its first win over Southwestern since 1950 – a 30-6 victory.
 

THE SCHEDULE:

With the cancellation of its non-conference season opener at Trinity, McMurry is currently playing a nine game schedule – all against American Southwest Conference opponents.

Below are the five home dates on the schedule:

• 9/11 at 1 PM vs. Howard Payne – L 42-36
• 9/25 at 4 PM vs. Southwestern – McMurry Hall of Honor Weekend
• 10/16 at 1 PM vs. Austin College – Homecoming Weekend
• 10/30 at 1 PM vs. Sul Ross State – Battle of I-20 Rivalry
• 11/13 at 1 PM vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor – Senior Day
   

SCOUTING THE WAR HAWKS:

Coming into Saturday, one area of interest is the quarterback position following a season-ending injury to sophomore starter Ritchie Luna. Last week, McMurry turned to sophomore Dexter Wyble in the second half, who finished 17-for-26 passing with 198 yards and three interceptions. Despite the turnovers, Wyble continuously moved the chains as the team finished with 23 first downs.

"I've been proud of the way Dexter has grown," Neal said. "The thing that he does is he can create with his feet and he's a good athlete. He's really improved his accuracy as a passer. We just have to get a rhythm going for him and create plays and opportunities where he can do what he's good at."

The War Hawks also have Carlos Garibay as an experienced option. The junior played in four games last Spring with three starts, going 45-for-91 for 586 yards and four touchdowns. Garibay also had a touchdown pass on the final drive against Howard Payne this season.

"Even before Ritchie got hurt, we've had a good problem on our hands because we feel like we have good quality depth," Neal said. "Dexter is going to get the nod, but Carlos has been so consistent. Mentally, he's been further along…you know what you're going to get out of him. Whether it's him or somebody else, he does an excellent job of showing his leadership and the fact the he is a total team guy. If we play the way we're capable…there's no reason you wouldn't see both of those guys play in the game."

Neal specifically mentioned the quality play of the offensive line, anchored by senior center Daniel Zarzoza III and a group of upperclassmen. Three seniors, one sophomore and one junior make up the starting five.

"We always try to do our job (no matter who's under center)," said Zarzoza. "It's always the same scheme. No matter what, we are going to protect our little brother back there. We'll try to keep (our quarterback) clean and take all the bumps and bruises – hopefully with him going untouched and not breaking any sweats."

Through two games, McMurry has had four takeaways on defense – matching its total in all five games last season. After forcing a record-breaking eight turnovers against Southwestern the last time these two faced each other, the War Hawks hope their veteran experience aids them to do more of the same.

"I think there's a lot more leadership (on defense this season)," said junior safety Ke'Shaun Jnofinn. "That's part of what our coaches preach and what we preach on defense. Just practicing these things over and over again so that we're ready when it happens in the game."
 

SCOUTING THE PIRATES:

Southwestern enters with a 1-2 record, including a win over Belhaven two weeks ago by a 34-27 final. Sandwiching the win is a season-opening loss to Cal Lutheran (37-7) and a loss last week to top-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor (54-3).

Following the Belhaven win, quarterback Landry Gilpin and defensive back J.J. Slack earned American Southwest Conference Player of the Week honors. Gilpin went 19-31 passing for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while recording a game-high 112 rushing yards on 19 carries with a score.

Slack was also named to the D3football.com Team of the Week and earned ASC Special Team Player of the Week following a recovered fumble on a punt return, a blocked punt and recovery and a blocked kick on a failed extra point.

With only a small sample size to compare with, Southwestern has had a slow start offensively – ranking eighth in rushing offense and last in passing offense among conference teams through three games. On the positive side, the Pirates are the second-least penalized team in the conference with just 60.7 penalty yards per game.
 

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTABLES:

Click here to view this week's press conference on YouTube, presented by First Financial Bank.

The press conference is also streamed on Facebook Live at this link.

This week features Coach Jordan Neal, senior center Daniel Zarzoza III and junior safety Ke'Shaun Jnofinn.