ABILENE, TEXAS - McMurry University competed in a game that will be the talk of Abilene for months to come on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Wilford Moore Stadium.
 
Fueled by athletes who played their hearts out, the War Hawks took national power and crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons University down to the wire in a 19-16 overtime loss.
 
A back-and-forth Crosstown Showdown kept about 6,700 fans cheering into a star-studded Big Country night. The visitors went ahead in the first quarter 6-0, only to have the home team answer quickly early in the second quarter to go up 7-6 thanks to a 6-yard run by junior Drew Hagler (Anson, Texas) and an extra-point kick from freshman Jesse Rampy (Kennedale, Texas). A critical penalty aided the McMurry drive. Hardin-Simmons regained the lead 13-7, the halftime score.
 
In the third quarter, senior wide receiver Kristopher Martin (El Paso, Texas) reeled in a 58-yard scoring strike from freshman quarterback Jess Hoel (Abernathy, Texas) to tie the contest 13-13. The fourth quarter was a chess match. After the opponent's fake field goal attempt failed, the War Hawks took possession with 10:30 left and began marching down the field, eating more than six minutes off the clock. McMurry then was forced to punt, which pinned the opponent deep on their side of the field. The visitors got to McMurry's 15-yard line. Still, senior defensive back Christopher Baker (Arlington, Texas) blocked a field goal with 2.3 seconds left, and McMurry pounced on the loose ball to end regulation.
 
McMurry struck blood first in overtime with a 36-yard field goal by senior Jared Mendoza (Fort Worth, Texas). Hardin-Simmons captured the game due to a short touchdown run on their possession.
 
Offensively, Hagler led all McMurry rushers with 14 carries for 55 yards, followed by senior Jack Ishmael (Paradise, Texas) with one carry for 41 yards and Hoel with 7 for 25. Hoel completed 14 of 18 passes for 175, and Hagler was one for one for three yards. Freshman tight end Tristen Hall (Abilene, Texas) caught three passes for 48 yards, and sophomore wide receiver Karmelus Card (El Paso, Texas) snagged three passes for 33 yards. Freshman Kason O'Shields (Hawley, Texas) returned three kickoffs for 56 yards.
 
The War Hawks, who tallied 64 solo tackles, had a mix of veteran and young defensive standouts that kept the visiting Cowboys on their heels all night. Freshman defensive back Sy Johnson (Houston, Texas) tallied 11 solo tackles, three coming for losses of 5 yards, and junior defensive back Timothy Leatherman (Ingram, Texas) added ten solo tackles, with one coming for a loss of two yards. Junior defensive back Damon Dozier Jr. (Royse City, Texas) had eight tackles (7 solo, one assisted) to lead an inspired effort through regulation and overtime.
 
Looking back at the slim margin of victory between the schools, McMurry lost the crosstown game 24-21 in 2021 but won it 24-14 in 2011. The Maroon and White fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the American Southwest Conference.
 
Head coach Jordan Neal's squad will be on the road Oct. 14 at East Texas Baptist University. They return to Wilford Moore Stadium on Oct. 21 to host Howard Payne University in a 1 p.m. kickoff.