UMHB Notebook: Choctaws loss keeps Cru's ASC hopes alive Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 05:09 AM By Angel Verdejo
Killeen Daily Herald

BELTON – Mary Hardin-Baylor kept its conference championship chances alive after Howard Payne upset Mississippi College over the weekend, but not without a reason to worry with two games to play.

Should UMHB win out and Mississippi College loses to either Sul Ross State or Texas Lutheran, the Crusaders will claim the American Southwest Conference title and automatic bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs.

If both schools finished tied atop the ASC, UMHB will have claimed at least a share of the last seven conference titles. A tie could also hurt the Crusaders' chances in getting into the postseason. Mississippi College would take the automatic bid, but its 38-24 loss to Howard Payne on Saturday hurts UMHB's résumé as an at-large team since Howard Payne is 4-4 on the season.

Howard Payne's record hurt UMHB's strength of schedule and as its loss to Mississippi College may not be as highly regarded with the Choctaws losing by 14 points to a Howard Payne team currently tied for sixth in the conference. Had Mississippi College simply won out and taken the ASC crown, UMHB would finish second and not be affected.

Fredenburg spent time on the committee that selects the playoff field and said the members go through information on each team, including the records, notable losses, a team's strength of schedule and its opponents' strength of schedule.

"It all meshes in but the reality is it all comes back to common sense of who the best team is in your opinion," Fredenburg said. "If somebody is placed above another one, the committee chairman will say, 'Now, can we justify this by placing this team higher than the other.'

"It's a little more of a bad loss than a good loss, but the reality is this team and this program has established itself as one of the best in the nation and I think when all of the things are said and done, I just would be totally surprised if we're not in the playoffs – provided we win out."

The final rankings and playoff field will be set Nov. 14 after the final games are played.

Aerial attack

Saying Howard Payne is a pass-happy offense might by an understatement.

Led by quarterback Zack Hubbard, the Yellow Jackets average 344.1 yards passing to just 57.2 rushing. Hubbard threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns against Mississippi College a week after the junior finished with 608 total yards in a 51-45 overtime loss to Louisiana College. His passing total in the last two games is 985 yards – UMHB has thrown for 1,079 yards this season.

"He's pretty athletic and throws the ball well," Fredenburg said. "They get a lot of their yards off of little short things and then they run, so a lot like Hardin-Simmons of old with Jordan Neal at quarterback."

Neal threw for 2,686 yards in 2004 and 2,605 two years later, averaging more than 250 yards per game.

Rotating on a hunch

Quarterbacks Kyle Noack and LiDarral Bailey rotated through most of three quarters Saturday.

Noack started and threw for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Bailey, who started the previous two games, threw for 85 yards and a touchdown and had a team-high 84 yards rushing and a score.

"A lot of that goes back to the package we want to implement and what we want to do," Fredenburg said. "It's just kind of feel on how it's going. Both of them will play."

UMHB also plans to do the same at the tailback position, where junior Quincy Daniels returned from a knee injury and rotated with Bryson Tucker. The two were even on the field at the same time in a shotgun formation with Bailey, giving the Crusaders three running options.

Reserve running back Desmond Mays (turf toe) got in late in the fourth quarter, and will work in some at fullback.

Contact Angel Verdejo at averdejo@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7564.