Third-year head coach Jordan Neal's McMurry University War Hawks face their second Southern Athletic Association foe in as many weekends Saturday, Sept. 10. It's the 2022 home opener at Wilford Moore Stadium.

This preview is presented by First Financial Bank.

Kickoff is 1 p.m. against the Majors of Millsaps College out of Jackson, Ms. It's the 10^th meeting between the two programs with Millsaps holding a slight 5-4 edge. The last time out, the War Hawks cruised to a 31-14 decision in 1998, part of a current two-game series win streak.

HOME OPENER TRENDS: McMurry is 4-6 in its last 10 home openers. A year ago, they dropped a 42-36 thriller to Howard Payne University in American Southwest Conference play. Their last home-opening victory occurred in the spring 2021 slate when they topped Sul Ross State 17-14 in league play.

TUNE IN TO THE WAR HAWKS: Fans can view a live videocast at https://mcmurrysports.com/sports/2019/8/28/video.aspx. Live statistics are also accessible at https://mcmurrysports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary.

SEASON OPENER: In his first Maroon and White start, sophomore signal caller Andrew McBride gave fans a glimpse of a shining horizon.

The Katy, Tex., native connected on 14 of 25 aerial attempts, finding the War Memorial Stadium end zone once during a clash with D3Football.com top-25 ranked Birmingham Southern College. After the Panthers built a double-digit advantage in the first half due to a bulwark rushing attack that rolled up just shy of 300 yards, McBride found fellow sophomore Xavier Williams for six on a 32-yard scoring strike to the delight of the War Hawk fans in attendance.

Despite the 26-9 non-conference loss, coach Neal's squad had plenty of headliners. Williams and senior receiver Zachary Wood each tallied better than 75 yards, as Williams had eight receptions for 82 yards, and Wood finished with three receptions for 79 yards. Senior defensive lineman Devin Nixon made himself a permanent fixture on the heels of BSC's offensive skill players registering nine tackles including one for a loss of two yards. Sophomore linebacker Herman Lee  and defensive lineman Kane Strohman, also a member of the Class of 2025, gathered seven tackles, too, including one for a loss of three yards.

PRESEASON POINTS TO PONDER: The ASC ranked McMurry seventh in a poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The War Hawks were projected to finish fourth in the Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine preseason poll.

Senior kicker Jared Mendoza was named to the ASC Preseason Players to Watch list. Mendoza earned third team all-conference honors last season and set new school records for made field goals in a season (9-for-13) and for field goals in a game (4). He was the D3Football.com Team of the Week honoree at kicker with his four field goals against Southwestern – the longest of which was 47 yards.

In the league poll, reigning national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor was picked to defend its title with 15 of 18 first place votes and 159 points. Last year's runner-up Hardin-Simmons was picked second with the other three first place votes and 146 points. Howard Payne (118) sits third in the poll, followed closely by East Texas Baptist (104). Southwestern (84) rounds out the top half, followed by Texas Lutheran (78), McMurry (62), Sul Ross State (37) and Austin College (31).

In the DCTF poll, the top two teams are flipped with HSU predicted to win and UMHB picked to finish second. The rest of the poll, in order, included Howard Payne, McMurry, Southwestern, ETBU, Texas Lutheran, Austin College and Sul Ross.

NEAL'S NOTES: "I was really proud of our effort," McMurry's head coach said in the wake of the Birmingham Southern contest. "We played hard. BSC is really good. We knew they would run the ball, and they were exceptionally well coached and disciplined. The margin for error was very limited, but we matched up to them and made it a hard day. I wish we had been more able to capitalize when on offense, as we had opportunities."

Looking ahead at the challenge of Millsaps this weekend, Neal commented they are a throwing team, attempting 47 passes last week. "They're very speedy and athletic – actually kind of like us," he admitted. "They've got a head coach who's been there for just a few years, looking to establish a culture and build a program. Our team is excited about what lies ahead in the home opener."

2022 ASC CURTAIN RAISER: East Texas Baptist University visits Big Country and WMS for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Sept. 17.