FB: American Southwest Conference

[minni]

I going to step on toes but its a game HSU should not have lost.  I know the only stat that matters is the scoreboard but if you look at the stats HSU domintaed that game.  But it was a game with two totally different halfs and the HSU offense put their own defense in tough situations.

[Bill McCabe]

minni,  a game consists of 2 halves, as you know.  UMHB completely dominated the 2nd half.  Except for the win in Belton 2 years ago, HSU has not been able to handle the UMHB defense.  This year, the UMHB defense got after Neal and shut down the running game.  It is very hard to beat a good team twice in one year and it wouldn't shock me to see HSU win.

[Josh Bowerman]

Brad, at the risk of blowing the whole ASC page up, I will say that in spirit, I agree with your last statement.

Having been at the HSU/UMHB game this year, my opinion was that HSU did more to beat HSU than UMHB did.  (3 INTs, a blocked punt and a blocked FG)  I don't mean to take anything away from an outstanding Crusader defense with this statement, because they are outstanding--but there were some funky, fluky plays in there that not even an outstanding defense makes more than 5% of the time (punt/FG block). 

The Crusader offense, however, really isn't very good.  In fact, they're next-to-last in the ASC in total offense--a real testament to how well the defense has played (to give the O a short field most of the year).  It's also why I still think HSU has the better overall team.

Because of all this, my (again) opinion is that the Crusaders played their best game on the day HSU played their worst, and that's why things turned out the way they did.  And at the end of the day, defense still win championships, and that aspect of the UMHB team is more than good enough for the ASC crown--hopefully (for us HSU fans) we'll get a chance for redemption at some point in the playoffs. 

We've still got to take care of TLU and McM to get to that point, though.

[Bill McCabe]

Those INTs were MADE by the UMHB defense.  It shouldn't have come as a surprise to HSU that UMHB would come after the punter.  Josh, where does UMHB stand in points scored.  Much more important stat than yardage.

[Josh Bowerman]

Points scored doesn't copare well because UMHB has a game extra included in those statistics.  They're second, behind HSU, in scoring offense though, Bill. 

I'm also not suggesting that the INTs were fluke plays, though the screen pass interception does straddle that line.  I'm asserting that the blocked kicks, which set up two UMHB TDs, were fluke plays, though.

I'd like to point out in defense of my arguement (no pun intended), however, that 9 of the Crusaders' 32 total TDs on the season have come on drives of less than 25 yards--a direct result of the defense/special teams setting the offense up in excellent position to be successfull.  Only 8 of their scoring drives have covered more than 60 yards, which means that UMHB is getting better-than-excellent field position 75% of the time--from the defense!

The Crusader's best offense is their defense.

[minni]

They shut it down in the second half.  HSU ran the ball in the first half.  I think they ended up with something like 84 rushing yards which to my knowledge is more than UMHB surrendered all year.  UMHB had three of the four touchdowns start inside the 35 (5, 18, and 32 I believe).  Even a dominant defense is going to struggle with that field position.  Given the opprotunity to play UMHB again I think THE HSU Cowboys prevail, and honestly play Mt. Union in Salem for the all the marbles, and bring home the mahogony and bronze to the great state of TEXAS!!

[minni]

I gotta stop with the energy drinks they are making me go bold with my statements!!!!

[Josh Bowerman]

Not even I will touch that one, Brad!   8)

[Toby Taff]

Minni,
You are correct that HSU had 84 net yds rushing -- 56 of which came on three plays in the second half.  The results of those 2 drives was a blocked fieldgoal and a punt.  Other than those three plays, two of which were Jordan scrambles, the longest rush of the game was seven yards.  The first half was pretty close to a push (10-7 at the half), and MHB did what was necessary on special teams and defense to put the offense in position to win, which they did.

And Josh, UMHB has 7 blocked kicks this season.  That's proficiency not flukiness.

[minni]

Well I can solve the Kubiak problem and assign someone to block him on punt, and quit that spread out sideline to sideline punt formation.

Eleminate the shooting of thy self in the foot by the Cowboys and there is no question who the winner is in that game.  The Cowboy defense is better than anyone is giving them credit for.  Just a few more weeks and all this will be settled.

Im a fan so i can say that im not worried about TLU or the McMurry McMurry's but if I was still playing I would be singing a different tune.  I think the Cowboys will put close to 60, if not 60, on both the two remaining opponets.

[Josh Bowerman]

Not touching that one, either.

[Toby Taff]

Im a fan so i can say that im not worried about TLU or the McMurry McMurry's but if I was still playing I would be singing a different tune.  I think the Cowboys will put close to 60, if not 60, on both the two remaining opponets.

They'll only hang 60 on them if coach k let's them, but I have no doubt.  These games shouldn't be close.  And don't misunderstand me.  I picked HSU to win that game by 11, largely because I had seen UMHB play and their offense scares me.  I do, however, think their offense is playing better now than when they played HSU the first time.  I also think that these two teams are very evenly matched, and like Bill, worry about a second meeting. 

If, however, I were going into the playoffs and looking to make a run, I'd rather have UMHB's D than HSU's.  As far as Kubiak is concerned, he didn't sneak up on anyone this year.  Every team knows what he's capable of because he has done it for three years now.  Are you telling me no one has thought to put someone on him?

[Kelly Boggs]

Until today, the ASC forum has been a great forum for discussing D3 football in a non-partisan fashion. You play the games and accept the outcomes.

Now we learn that UMHB beat HSU on fluke plays. If that is the case then UMHB was defeated by UWW by four fluke plays... no make that five. The fluke kick-off return for a TD; two fluke interceptions; one fluke fumble, and a fluke missed filed goal. And I did not even mention the fluke holding call that took them from the UWW five back to the UWW 15 and killed a potential touchdown tying drive. Sheesh... UWW beat UMHB 7-3. I wish it had turned out differently, but it didn't.

Come on guys. All the plays in a game count. Bad breaks happen to every team. Hence the quote that I love: "If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, we would all have a merry Christmas."

I, for one, do not look forward to a HSU vs UMHB match-up. It is very difficult to defeat a good team twice in the same season. HSU knows that all too well from what happened in 2004. If they do play again this season, all that will be established by the team that wins is that they happened to have played better on that particular day.

"If" I had just been nice and not sounded off, my karma would not now be decreasing. "But" I could not remain quiet, so I will take my karma reduction like a man. "But" remember, it is only a fluke post.  I am really a much better poster than represented here. 

[Toby Taff]

It will also be established at that point that I'm pulling for HSU to win out and bring home the walnut and bronze.  I'd also be pulling for Jordan neal to be MVP of the stag.  How many seminaries can boast having a national champion MVP as a student.

[Kelly Boggs]

mhb8904, you are a good fan, better friend and a great American!