Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor clinched the American Southwest Conference football title Saturday with a 13-3 win over familiar foe Hardin-Simmons at Crusader Stadium, forcing four turnovers and holding the Cowboys without a touchdown.

UMHB trailed 3-0 after Pedro Altamirano’s 46-yard field goal on the Cowboys’ opening drive. Dax Dunham then made field goals of 34 and 23 yards to give the Crusaders a 6-3 halftime lead.

The game’s only touchdown came with 10:17 left, when Carson Horton found BJ Stewart for a 29-yard score to cap a seven-play, 61-yard drive. HSU answered with a 42-yard kickoff return by Dylan Hardin and drove to the UMHB 8, but Gaige Sanders forced and recovered a Cayden Jones fumble. Landon Norton and Joey Johnson each intercepted Tucker Griffin on the Cowboys’ last two drives to seal it.

Horton completed 16 of 24 passes for 192 yards and the touchdown. Stewart had a team-high five catches for 46 yards, and Ja’Quaylon Silas ran for 93 yards on 14 carries. Johnson had 10 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. Gavin Brzezinski also had 10 tackles, and Aidan Ross had two sacks.

For HSU, Jones ran for 103 yards on 30 carries. Harrison Foster, Kade Sink and Rowdy Rowan each had nine tackles. Foster forced a fumble at the HSU 5 in the third quarter, and Colyn Donnelly recovered it to keep UMHB off the board.

UMHB earns the ASC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) on NCAA.com, and first-round games kick off Saturday, Nov. 21.