Inside the Texas showdown

By Ron Boerger
D3football.com correspondent

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
· Mary Hardin-Baylor won the American Southwest Conference Championship and its automatic Pool A bid.
· Trinity won its 10th consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and the SCAC's Pool A bid.
· The NCAA matched up the two teams, seeded No. 2 and No. 3 in the South Region, as a cost-savings maneuver.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Trinity leads 3-0, including last year's 30-6 first round playoff win in San Antonio. Trinity is the only opponent UMHB has never defeated in its short history.

COACHES:
· UMHB: Pete Fredenburg (34-16), fifth year at MHB
· Trinity: Steve Mohr (98-43), 13th year at TU

INJURIES:
· UMHB: None reported.
· Trinity: Jeremy Boyce is probable (ankle).

By Robert Anderson Shaun Rochon was named First Team All-American Southwest Conference at both wide receiver and kick returner.

To say that the selection of two teams ranked in the Top Five for a first round match up stunned the Division III community is no exaggeration. Before Sunday, it was hard to imagine a scenario where a team ranked fifth nationally could be forced to travel to play a higher-seeded opponent in the first round. However, the NCAA's increased emphasis on eliminating plane travel costs has given us just that, and this should be one of the highest-stakes first-round games since the expansion. The winner will host next week's second round playoff against the winner of this week's Washington & Jefferson (8-2)/Christopher Newport (6-4) game.

Trinity and Mary Hardin Baylor are hardly strangers, despite respective memberships in the SCAC and ASC. When UMHB started its football program in 1998, it and Trinity scheduled a home-and-away series. The resulting games, both wins for the Tigers, were by relatively close margins given that MHB was new to football at any level. The series did not continue after the second year.

The still-young Crusader squad got a Pool C bid last season as runner-up to Hardin-Simmons and faced Trinity in its first playoff game, falling 30-6.

In 2002, the Crusaders redoubled their efforts, and were rewarded with a season in which they manhandled the majority of their opponents. Hardin Simmons, rebuilding and fighting the injury bug, went down in Belton by a 35-16 count. Upstart Howard Payne, ranked as high as 17th by AFCA after their defeat of Hardin-Simmons, was defeated in Belton by a similarly lopsided 42-17 score. While East Texas Baptist would throw a scare into the Crusaders in Week 10, in which the Crusaders had to come from behind for a single point win, UMHB coasted through the ASC like a hot knife through butter, outscoring conference opponents 366-102.

The difference between last year's Crusader squad and this year's is that the offense has been able to score nearly at will. Defensively, UMHB continues to be a force, ranking among the nation's leaders (17th) by allowing only 242 yards per game. Having won not one but two big conference showdowns, the "Cru" has set its sights on a win at the next level — against No. 4 Trinity. "They know the stakes involved, " said Fredenburg, "and they also want to play better than they did last year. There's going to be a really good football team that's going to end up 10-1."

For Trinity, 2002 has been a year that so far has exceeded even its normally high expectations. The Tigers dominated their SCAC opponents by a combined 299-105 count, and most games were over by halftime. The demons that have caused Trinity problems on the road seem to be a thing of the past. Only once — in a nine-point victory at DePauw — did fewer than 10 points decide a game. Trinity's sometimes maligned defense played well enough to limit opponents to under two touchdowns per game — just behind the highly regarded Crusader defense.

Quarterback Roy Hampton has had his best year as a collegian; the once-again Melberger Award candidate leads the nation in passing efficiency, and has thrown for over 2,800 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. "Offensively, we are executing very well," stated Mohr, "and I expected Roy Hampton to have an outstanding year, which he has. There are seven or eight seniors on the squad who have played together for several years now, which helps."

WHEN UMHB HAS THE BALL: The MHB offense is much improved this year, averaging 412 yards (35th in the nation) and 40.8 points per game (9th nationally). Fredenburg credits his personnel and new schemes with opening up the offense. Junior quarterback Cody Fredenburg picked up where he left off last season, and has run the Crusader offense at record-setting levels this year. The smash-mouth UMHB offense features a multi-faceted running assault that attacks from many directions. Kevin Mitchell leads the way with 755 yards and 10 touchdowns; Fredenburg is next, with 431 yards and six TDs. Chad Starnes and receiver Shaun Rochon combine for nearly 600 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. UMHB rushes for nearly 240 yards per game, and eight players have scored rushing touchdowns for the Crusaders.

UMHB's offensive line, averaging 6-1, 270, has provided excellent run support and has given up only 13 sacks on 181 passing attempts. Said Mohr, "there's no doubt we'll be giving up size to the teams we face from here on out."

Fredenburg has become a more effective passer this season; while passing is not the offense's primary focus, his 79-for-140 performance (1293 yds, six TDs, six interceptions) should serve to keep the Trinity "Black Flag" honest. Rochon (38 catches, 669 yards, five TDs) is Fredenburg's primary target.

Special teams are a strong point for the Cru. They have returned five punts and blocked kicks for scores, as well as one on a kickoff return. Rochon leads the return team with scores on both on a punt and kickoff returns, and averages 27.5 yards per kick return. Kickers Odell McGinty and Josh Freeman are solid, converting 49 of 55 PATs and nine of 12 field goal attempts. Punter Chris Arp averages more than 37 yards per punt, good for 37th in the nation, and has pinned the opponent inside its 20 on 13 of 62 kicks.

WHEN TRINITY HAS THE BALL: The TU offensive juggernaut leads the nation in total offense with nearly 530 yards per game, despite a subpar performance last week at Millsaps which left Mohr "unimpressed." The 48.6 points scored per game also lead the nation.

The Tigers' balanced attack features running back Jeremy Boyce, who despite injuries has rushed for 1,051 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns to go with two TDs receiving. Matt Federle (421 yards, five TDs, 6.2 yds/carry) has backed up Boyce capably when called upon, and the rushing attack averages over 200 yards per game this season.

When Hampton is not handing off (or scrambling — he's rushed 38 times for 218 yards and six TDs), he has a wealth of receiving talent to choose from. Jason Hunt leads the team with 66 catches for 923 yards and seven touchdowns. Jerheme Urban has been another big-play receiver, with 50 catches for 784 yards and 10 scores, and Jacob Respondek scores nearly every other time he touches the ball, with eight touchdown receptions on 19 total catches for 427 yards. Ten receivers have caught touchdown passes for the Tigers this season. Key to the offense's success has been the line, led by seniors Mike Sorola (6-5, 320) and Gary Ifhe (5-11, 250), while junior James Flowers (6-0, 295) is a key blocker on screens. The line has performed well in both run- and pass-blocking, and has yielded only five sacks in 303 passing attempts this season.

Special teams and the kicking game are also strong points for Trinity. Hunt has come on strong in the second half of the season, scoring three touchdowns on punt returns and averaging nearly 17 yards per punt return. Urban and Federle both average more than 25 yards per kick return. Kicker Todd Canion has had a brilliant year, hitting 62 of 63 extra point attempts and 10 of 11 field goal tries, placing him first nationally in points scored by a kicker, 29th overall. Finally, punter Greg Genung is averaging 34.6 yards per punt and has placed 12 of his 67 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING: While much of the talk about these teams centers on their offenses, both have solid defensive units. The Cru defense, ranked 17th nationally in terms of yards allowed and 18th in points allowed, comes into the contest allowing 243 yards per game (65 rushing, 179 passing). Linebacker Preston Meyer leads the way for the Cru defensive attack, with 58 tackles (26 solo), 14 for loss, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery. FS Tony Salazar and "Cru Back" Trina Lusk both have over 40 tackles, with 4 and 2 picks, respectively. LB Patrick Meyer has 5 interceptions to go with 33 tackles, 5 for loss. DE Keith Zunker leads the pass rush with 4.5 of the team's 27 sacks. As a team, MHB has 103 tackles for loss this season, with Meyer and DEs Shawnn Williams and Ryan Hobson leading the way with 36 between them. The Crusader defense substitutes freely; the result is that 22 defenders have over 10 tackles on the season. Although MHB has only a plus-2 turnover margin (12 INTs are offset by minus-10 fumbles) special teams have blocked no fewer than eight blocked kicks. "I have a lot of respect for Trinity's offense," offered Fredenberg, "but defensively we think we've got some good players, also. I think it's going to be a good match up, and I think it's important that our guys realize that they've got a big task ahead of them, but they are going to play with some confidence."

The Trinity "Black Flag" has improved throughout the season, yielding 281 yards (118 rushing, 163 passing) per game. It also ranks 19th nationally in points allowed, 13.3. Senior LB Jason Leshikar leads the way with 83 tackles (50 solo), 7½ tackles for loss, a sack, and a 59-yard interception return. DL David Southerland, LB Jason Terrell, and DB David Ross all are over 50 tackles on the season, while DB Kenny Brunette leads the secondary with five interceptions and 48 tackles. Trinity's leading sack man is DL Jarrod Smith, with 5½. Smith and Southerland also account for 20½ of Trinity's 68 tackles for loss. The Tigers have blocked five kicks, have sacked the opposing quarterback a total of 21 times, and have a plus-9 turnover margin. "Our defense has come together in the second half of the season, just as it did last year," offered Coach Mohr. We didn't start the season as strongly as I thought we could, but things have improved and we are playing about where we want to right now."

KEYS TO THE GAME: MHB needs to start stronger than last year, when they fumbled the opening kickoff. The resulting poor field position put them in a hole from which they never really recovered. They must establish the offense, mix their play selection to keep the "Black Flag" honest, and hold on to the ball — something that has been a problem at times.

Putting pressure on the Trinity line and slowing Boyce will make their task easier. Fredenberg stated, "I think that having played an Adam King and a Dustin Proctor has prepared our defense for the type of athlete that Roy Hampton is. We know we've got to do a good job of trying to contain him and keeping him in the pocket, and trying to get him to throw the ball before he's ready to throw it. Those are things that we do all the time." As for Trinity, they need to contain Fredenburg and the rushing attack, keep Rochon under control, deal with MHB's foot speed and size, and give Hampton the time he needs to find open receivers. The Tigers also need to keep the Cru special teams from making a big play, either on a return or a blocked punt. "I think the kicking game's really going to factor in," Fredenberg said. Mohr adds, "Rochon is a very gifted athlete. Now that he is returning punts as well as receiving, we are going to have our hands full trying to keep up with him."

Given Trinity's playoff experience and home field advantage (a loss to national champion PLU in the '99 semis is the sole home blemish since '96), it's hard to pick against the Tigers, but the game should certainly be much closer than last year's result.