ABILENE – McMurry goes back on the road this weekend, visiting Centenary for a 5 p.m. kickoff in Shreveport on Saturday.
 
The War Hawks roll in at 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference after a bye last weekend.
 
McMurry Storylines
 
BYE BYE: McMurry is coming out of it bye week and that hasn't been a great thing for the War Hawks. McMurry is 1-5 in the Jordan Neal era after a bye (two losses in 2020 spring season). The last win after a bye was in 2021 against Austin College. McMurry also is now 3-4 heading into the bye week after a win two weeks ago at AC.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK- OFFENSE: Jess Hoel, a sophomore from Abernathy, was named SCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the third week in a row after McMurry's last game. Hoel had a hand in all four of his team's touchdowns, finishing the game with 269 yards passing (21-of-30) and two touchdowns while adding 65 yards on the ground and two more scores, as the War Hawks moved to 3-0 in the SCAC with a 34-9 victory at Austin College.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – DEFENSE: Kane Strohman earned SCAC Defensive Player of the Week the last time McMurry played. Strohman had eight total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack as the War Hawks for a defense that kept the home team out of the end zone in the 34-9 victory at Austin College. He joins Tim Leatherman as McMurry's second SCAC Defensive Player of the Week this season.
 
DRIVE KILLERS: McMurry's defense has allowed a league-low 61 first downs this season. That ranks 32nd in Division III. The War Hawks are 29th nationally in stopping fourth-down plays (25 percent conversion rate).
 
NOSE TO THE LOOSE BALL: McMurry has recovered six fumbles this season That mark leads the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and is fifth in NCAA Division III. Those six loose balls have been covered by six different War Hawks: Dylon Davis, Ja'Hatten Edwards, Ryland Hurst, CJ Kidd, James White and Raymond Stanley.
 
HOEL LEADING: Quarterback Jess Hoel leads the SCAC and is 34th nationally in passing efficiency at 169.1. He also leads the conference and is 38th in Division 3 in passing yards (1,040) and passing TDs (11) with one interception. Hoel leads the SCAC and is 41st nationally with 267.7 yards of total offense per game.
 
THREATS: Kristopher Martin, Thomas Chandler and Kason O'Shields keep defensive backs on their toes. Martin leads the SCAC with 345 receiving yards, 86.3 yards per game and six receptions per game. Chandler is first in the SCAC with four touchdown receptions and O'Shields is right behind with three. O'Shield tops the league with 22.89 yards per reception.
 
TURNOVERS: The War Hawks are third nationally with a 2.25 turnover margin and third in the country with 13 turnovers gained this season. In addition to the six fumble recoveries, McM has seven interceptions. Tim Leatherman is sixth in the nation with three interceptions.
 
ON THE BALL: Kane Strohman is third in the league with 8.0 total tackles per game and leads the SCAC with 1.13 sacks and 2.1 tackles for loss per game. Strohman is 14th nationally in both tackles for loss and quarterback sacks.
 
SCOUTING CENTENARY: The Gents used McMurry's bye week to interrupt Jess Hoel's string of three consecutive Offensive Player of the Week awards. Centenary's Zin'Tavious Smith ran for 72 yards and passed for 219 with four touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Lyon. Vance Feuerbacher had 13 tackles and took an interception back for a touchdown in that game to earn the Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Gents are 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the SCAC.
 
LAST GAME: After a struggle in the first half, McMurry lit up the second half for 23 points for a 34-11 road win at Austin College on Sept. 28. Jess Hoel ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more.