It's the first road trip of the 2022 American Southwest Conference campaign for McMurry University Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff at Southwestern University's Birkelbach Field/Georgetown Athletic Complex is 6 p.m.

SWU holds a slim 11-10-4 advantage on the War Hawks all-time. McMurry claimed a 41-31 win at home last season sparked by 21 straight unanswered points down the stretch of the first half. Close-knit finishes have become the norm between the two league combatants, as four of the previous six contests have been decided by 10-points-or-less.

This preview is presented by First Financial Bank.

CONFERENCE OPENER: A late third quarter/early fourth quarter 57-yard touchdown march brought a War Hawks Parents Weekend crowd to its feet in anticipation of a late-game comeback Sept. 17.
 
An 18-yard rushing score by senior running back Rajan Cunningham (Dallas, Tex.) beat East Texas Baptist's defense around the left end for six points. The War Hawks trimmed the Tigers advantage to 21-7 early in the final stanza of the 2022 American Southwest Conference curtain raiser at Wilford Moore Stadium. After holding ETBU deep in their own end on the ensuing kickoff, junior signal caller Richie Luna (Eagle Pass, Tex.) got the offense near midfield before a game-deciding pick six for the visitors closed out the 28-7 final.

ETBU, evening their record at 1-1, used the legs and arm of freshman quarterback Cornelius Banks to produce two touchdowns in the second period and one in the third to build the lead. Banks ran for one score and threw for another. Reigning league defensive Player of the Week Devin Nixon (Vidor, Tex.) didn't make it easy on Banks or the Tiger offense with seven tackles, while the sophomore defensive back combination of Timothy Leatherman (Ingram, Tex.) and Damon Dozier, Jr. (Royse City, Tex.) added five tackles each.

TUNE IN TO THE WAR HAWKS: Fans can view live stats by going to the McMurry University football schedule home page and clicking on the link next to the game date against Southwestern. David Bacon and John Blackwell, The Voice of War Hawks football, provide each exciting moment along 101.7 FM, The Raider, by visiting https://www.1017theraider.com/ and clicking on the "Listen" link at the top of the page.
 
A NUMBERS CHECK: McMurry's defensive unit trails only Mary-Hardin-Baylor in fewest points surrendered this season per game (27) and has given up the second-least opposing yards per contest (307.7) behind East Texas Baptist University. Head coach Jordan Neal's defensive crew is especially tough against the pass, leading the ASC in fewest yards given up per contest through the air (122). They've also produced the most sacks of any program (six) and have been extremely stingy in granting third down conversions, allowing only 15 conversions in 45 attempts (33.3 pct.).
 
Special teams has also been a point of pride. McMurry leads the way in per attempt kickoff yardage (42.8) and is second in punting average (21.7).

NEAL'S NOTES: "I'm disappointed we didn't play the way we thought we would last weekend," head coach Jordan Neal reflected on the ETBU outcome. "East Texas Baptist is a good team, but we were right there on the verge of clawing back into it in the second half. We just couldn't capitalize on a special teams effort that was critical in regards to flipping the field and pinning them deep in their end."

"It was great to see Richie get into the game and give us a spark at quarterback," he added. "Andrew was having a difficult day, so we made a change. As we go forward, that position is still unrealized and a question mark. We need someone to step up and operate the offense by taking care of the football and keeping us ahead of the chains and on schedule. We can't shoot ourselves in the foot like we did last weekend."
 
"The guys are obviously hungry to get back out there, bounce back and battle to get a win and see more improvements," Neal continued. "We keep practicing hard and try to remain consistent every day in what we do. Our coaching staff feels we are just a few plays away each week from different results. We will keep pressing to get to where we want to be."

CROSSTOWN SHOWDOWN: The yearly gridiron battle between ASC perennial rivals Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University is on the War Hawks slate Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff at Wilford Moore Stadium is 4 p.m. and part of Hall of Honor 2022 weekend.