Mary Hardin-Baylor Hosts Mount Union In NCAA Semifinals Saturday

UMHB defensive end Ajay Fanene and the Cru host the defending Division III champions Mount Union on Saturday in the semifinals.

12/6/2016 10:54:00 AM

NCAA Bracket | ESPN 3 Broadcast
ASC / NCAA History
ASC Stats | All-ASC Teams
UMHB Game Notes

For just the third time in program history, Mary Hardin-Baylor will host an NCAA Division III National semifinal game when the Cru welcomes Mount Union to Crusader Stadium on Saturday (Dec. 10). Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CT) with a berth in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (Div. III final) on the line.

The American Southwest Conference is 37-26 (.587) in the NCAA Division III Football Championship and has been represented by six different member institutions since 1999. Mary Hardin-Baylor leads the ASC with a 30-14 record and 15 appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Cru makes its sixth semifinals appearance and finished as the national runner-up in 2004, falling to Linfield College.

NCAA Division III Championship Semifinals Schedule
John Carroll (12-1) @ Wisconsin-Oshkosh (12-1), 12:00 p.m. (CST)
Mount Union (12-1) @ Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-0), 3:30 p.m. (CST)
The winners will meet in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, December 10, in Salem, Va.

Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. Mount Union
Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-0) and Mount Union (12-1) are the only two Division III programs to win at least one playoff game in each of the last 13 seasons. The Cru and Purple Raiders have met twice before with both meetings coming in the NCAA semifinals. The most recent matchup was in the 2012 NCAA semifinals where Mount Union defeated UMHB (48-35) en route to winning the NCAA Division III Championship. The first matchup came in the 2004 NCAA semifinals as Mary Hardin-Baylor defeated Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio (38-35). The Cru finished as the runner-up falling to Linfield in the Stagg Bowl. . . . .Mary Hardin-Baylor has yet to play the other two semifinalists, John Carroll or Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship
Mary Hardin-Baylor stormed back from a halftime deficit and controlled the second half as the Cru held on for a 50-28 victory over Redlands in the first-round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Football Championship. In the second round, Mary Hardin-Baylor used a smothering defensive effort and a big-play passing game to post a 27-10 victory over Linfield College. With the win, the Cru recorded their first postseason victory over Linfield in five tries. In the quarterfinals, Mary Hardin-Baylor came to life in the second half and held off a tough Wheaton College (Ill.) squad as the Cru posted a 38-16 victory over the Thunder. UMHB advanced to the Division III semifinals for the sixth time in program history. ... The Cru is 13-0 on the year and has tied its own ASC record for most wins in a single season. With a win over Mount Union in the semifinals, UMHB will set the ASC record for most wins in a season.

Mary Hardin-Baylor Coach Pete Fredenburg
Pete Fredenburg has led the Mary Hardin-Baylor football program from its infancy in 1998 into one of the strongest Division III football programs in the country. Fredenburg has won 14 ASC football championships and has a 194-38 (.836) overall record, and is 127-16 (.888) against ASC opponents. He is currently ranked third in win percentage for Division III coaches with a minimum of five years. He has been named the ASC Coach of the Year and AFCA Region Coach of the Year nine times each. Fredenburg was named the National Coach of the Year by Liberty Mutual and by American Football Monthly, both in 2013. Fredenburg has coached more than 20 players who have played professional football and has recorded more than 300 all-conference selections at UMHB.

All-ASC Teams, Awards
Mary Hardin-Baylor recorded 16 all-conference selections, including 11 first-team selections, and three award winners. Senior quarterback Blake Jackson was named the ASC Offensive Player of the Year and is the second UMHB recipient of the league’s highest offensive honor, joining Cody Fredenburg (2003). A dual offensive threat, Jackson led the ASC with 35 touchdowns and ranked fifth in the ASC in passing (230.2) and 10th in rushing (47.9). Jackson anchored a UMHB offense that led Division III in scoring at 56.3 points per game. Senior defensive end Teidrick Smith made league history as the first player to be named ASC Defensive Player of the Year three times (2014, 15’, 16’). A three-time all-conference selection, Smith ranked second in the ASC in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (18.0) for 105 yards lost. Smith spearheaded a Cru defense that finished the regular season ranked No. 13 in Division III with 13.6 points allowed per game. Senior Broderick Jenkins was named Offensive Lineman of the Year. Jenkins is the eighth UMHB player to receive the award and first since Michael Coles (2012).

D3football.com Region Awards
Mary Hardin-Baylor recorded nine selections on the 2016 D3football.com All-South Region teams. Senior defensive end Teidrick Smith was named South Region Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while senior quarterback Blake Jackson was named the South Region Offensive Player of the Year. For the first time in UMHB history, the Cru swept all three South Region awards as Coach Pete Fredenburg received the South Region Coach of the Year award for the second time (2013, 16’).

2016 Cliff Harris Award Nominees
The American Southwest Conference received four nominees for the 2016 Division III Cliff Harris Award. Mary Hardin-Baylor led with two nominees as senior safety / punter Baylor Mullins and senior defensive end Teidrick Smith received nominations. Other ASC nominees include Sul Ross State junior defensive lineman Zack Roberson, who was also named the ASC Defensive Lineman of the Year, and Hardin-Simmons senior linebacker Cory Ward, who was named the ASC Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Teidrick Smith. The Cliff Harris Award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from nearly 500 NCAA Division II, III and NAIA colleges and universities. Finalists for the Fourth Annual Cliff Harris Award will be announced December 24 and honored during ceremonies on January 19 at the Little Rock Touchdown Club.

Broadcast Coverage
The Mount Union at Mary Hardin-Baylor NCAA Division III Championship semifinal game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN-3. ... The game will be broadcast locally on KOOC-FM radio (106.3 FM) with internet access at myb106.com/listen-live/popup/. To listen on a mobile device by download the RadioPup app. The pregame show will start at 3:00 p.m. Jon Wallin and George Haffner will have the call on the radio broadcast.

Tickets
Tickets go on sale to previous UMHB season ticket holders on Tuesday and Wednesday (Dec. 6-7), with the ticket windows open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday and Friday (Dec. 8-9). Ticket windows will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. both days. Online ticket sales will be available to previous UMHB season ticket holders on Tuesday and will be open to the general public online after 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Mount Union fans can block visitor side tickets beginning Tuesday by calling the UMHB ticket office at (254) 295-4455. Visitor side tickets will not be available for purchase online to ensure they go to Purple Raider fans.

If purchased in advance, reserved seats are $10, general admission tickets are $8 and student tickets are $4. On game day, the Crusader Stadium ticket windows will open at 1:30 p.m. Game day ticket prices are $12 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission and $4 for students.

ASC Expanding to 10 Teams in 2017
The American Southwest Conference will welcome Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University as affiliate members in football starting in 2017. With the addition of TLU and Southwestern, ASC football will feature 10 teams and play a nine-game league schedule. The additions also signal a return to a 10-team football alignment for the first time since 2005 and makes the ASC the 10th NCAA Division III conference with at least 10 football teams.

As its football membership grows, the ASC will continue moving forward toward regaining its automatic qualifier (AQ) for the NCAA Division III Football Championship with Southwestern and Texas Lutheran, active Division III members, coming under the league's football roster for the 2017-18 year and as both McMurry and Belhaven advance toward full Division III membership.

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