Steve
Keenum
Head Coach
McMurry University
head football coach Steve Keenum knows the former TIAA conference
well as both a player and a coach. Keenum a 1980 McMurry
graduate, played from 1977-80 for Coach Spud Aldridge on some of
the best teams McMurry has ever fielded. In addition, Keenum has
been an assistant coach and head coach at four American Southwest
Conference schools.
An all-district football player at Duncanville High School, he
played three years for the Indians from 1978- 80 end was an
offensive lineman on the 1980 TIAA championship team that
advanced to the NAIA national playoffs. Keenum served as the
offensive line coach at Ballinger High School from 1981-85,
helping the Bearcats to four district and bi-district titles and
a 47-14-2 record. He spent two seasons at Brownwood High School
before becoming the offensive coordinator at Tarleton State
University from 1988-90. Keenum spent the 1990-91 season as the
offensive coordinator at Abilene Cooper High School and was head
football coach at Sul Ross State University from 1991-93, when he
joined the Hardin-Simmons University staff as the offensive line
coach.
Keenum has honed his coaching skills under some of the top high school and small college coaches around, including Cooper and former Ballinger and Brownwood head football coach Randy Allen and Jimmy Keeling, head football coach at Hardin-Simmons University.
Although the Indians have been a run oriented offense in the past, Keenum has opened the offense with a more aggressive passing attack and one- back option running attack. The first real signs of the new offensive style were evident last season. But Keenum has also helped establish a strong defense that was ranked first in the American Southwest Conference in 1996.
Keenum and his wife Susan, a 1982 McMurry graduate and three- sport athlete for the Lady Indians, have three children: a son Case (9) and two daughters, Lauren (6) and Allison (3). (top of page)
With 42 returning letterman, McMurry University is ready to step up to the next level, according to fourth-year head coach Steve Keenum. The Indians finished 5-5 in 1997. It was only the second time since 1983 that the Indians enjoyed a .500 or better record.
Leading the way for McMurry this season is all-America candidate Braxton Shaver (6-1, 181), a junior quarterback from Haltom City, who led the American Southwest Conference in passing last year. He has been named the American Southwest Conference's pre-season Offensive Most Valuable Player for the 1998 season. Shaver threw for 2,260 yards, completing 205 of 374 passes (54.8 percent). Shaver set 14 school records in 1997, including throwing 21 touchdown passes. In his short 16-game career at McMurry, Shaver has completed 332 of 616 passes for 3,834 yards and 30 touchdowns. He earned honorable mention All-Conference honors as a freshman and second team honors as a sophomore.
Shaver's receiving corps is led by Waxahachie senior Reggie Sterns (5-10, 165) and a trio of sophomores — Woodson's Rory Peacock (6-1, 185), Lubbock Coronado's Andrew Cox (6-0, 175) and Carrollton Newman Smith's Jeremy Childers (5-10, 175). Sterns, who was a preseason all-America selection in 1997, returns after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the first game of the season last year. Sterns received a medical redshirt for 1997 and should play havoc in the open field with his 4.3-second speed. Peacock, Cox and Childers all were key reasons for the Indians' success in 1997. Peacock was a second team All-Conference selection at wide receiver, catching 25 passes for 475 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns. Cox pulled in 19 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, earning honorable mention honors as a freshman. Childers had 24 receptions for 260 yards.
In the backfield, McMurry returns a trio of letterman — Odessa junior David Harmon (5-10, 200), Big Lake senior Jeramie Ellison (6-1, 205) and Buda junior Jason Rodriquez (5-7, 190). Harmon, Ellison and Rodriquez platooned last year at McMurry's one-back position. Harmon, who earned second team all-ASC honors, came on strong at the end of the 1997 season racking up 665 yards and six touchdowns on 156 carries. He became the first Indian more than a decade to rush for more than 200 yards in a game, when he ran for 218 yards on 40 carries against Howard Payne.
Up front, McMurry is led by all-America candidate Jon Rhiddlehoover, a 6-4, 270-pound offensive guard who earned second team All-Conference honors as a sophomore. Rhiddlehoover, who started as both a fresham and a sophomore, is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the American Southwest Conference, grading out consistently between 80-85 percent. Rhiddlehoover is joined up front by former Abilene Cooper teammate Matthias Royals (OG, 6-2, 295), Odessa Permian's Buddy Brooks (C, 6-2, 230), Waxahachie's Coby Yowell (OT, 6-2, 275) and Houston Jones' Victor Picon (OT, 5-6, 260).
The McMurry defense is led by a pair of all-America candidates in cornerback Charles Alexander (5-9, 170) and linebackerManse Draper (6-2, 215). Alexander is the lone starter returning in the defensive backfield, who led all defensive backs in tackles with 44 takedowns, one interception, a blocked kick and three pass breakups. The junior from Henderson should be joined by Dickinson senior Mike Meador (6-0, 175), Ranger College transfer Marcus Smith (5-9, 165) and Fort Worth Richland strong safety Jason King (6-0, 180). Draper, a junior from Lufkin, is also the lone returner at his position. He had a remarkable sophomore season recording 71 tackles, five for a loss, forcing five fumbles, and making 5.5 quarterback sacks for a loss of 50 yards.
The defensive line is anchored by a pair of returning starters in defensive end Brian Valenzuela (6-1, 220) and defensive tackle Adam Boland (6-2, 230). Valenzuela, a sophomore from Andrews, racked up 70 tackles, eight for a loss, and five sacks in 1997. Boland, a junior from San Antonio, added 23 tackles and three sacks last season. Joining the pair on the defensive line are Arlington Lamar's Jacob Maurer (6-1, 220), Houston Cypress' Torik Banks (5-11, 230). Maurer had 12 tackles, three for a loss and a half a sack last year, while Banks had 22 tackles and three sacks. (top of page)
RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES........... (8-2-0) (4-1-0) (4-1-0) (0-0-0) CONFERENCE.......... (6-1-0) (3-0-0) (3-1-0) (0-0-0) NON-CONFERENCE...... (2-1-0) (1-1-0) (1-0-0) (0-0-0) DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE ATTEND ------------ -------------------- --- ----- ------ Sep 12, 1998 TRINITY UNIVERSITY L 20-58 - Sep 19, 1998 at Millsaps College W 31-14 - Sep 26, 1998 OKLA. PANHANDLE ST. W 55-26 - *Oct 3, 1998 MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR W 41-25 - *Oct 10, 1998 at Texas Lutheran W 55-0 - *Oct 17, 1998 at Sul Ross State W 47-0 - *Oct 24, 1998 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE W 31-10 - *Oct 31, 1998 at Austin College W 31-24 2077 *Nov 7, 1998 HOWARD PAYNE W 33-27 - *Nov 14, 1998 at Hardin-Simmons LOT 24-30 - * Denotes ASC Game |
1997 Results (5-5,2-3) ----------------------------------------------- 9/13/97 at Trinity............. 7-38 9/20/97 SW ASSEMBLIES OF GOD... 35-7 9/27/97 at Panhandle State..... 32-27 10/4/97 MILLSAPS............... 38-7 10/11/97 at Sul Ross State...... 14-34 10/18/97 at Hardin-Simmons...... 25-34 10/25/97 at Austin College...... 20-21 11/1/97 SUL ROSS STATE......... 49-29 11/8/97 at Howard Payne........ 26-23 OT 11/15/97 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE.... 22-45 |
1998 Team StatisticsTEAM STATISTICS MCMURRY OPP -------------------------------------------------------- SCORING....................... 368 214 Points Per Game............. 36.8 21.4 FIRST DOWNS................... 229 192 Rushing..................... 88 78 Passing..................... 120 90 Penalty..................... 21 24 RUSHING YARDAGE............... 1832 1438 Yards gained rushing........ 2055 1761 Yards lost rushing.......... 223 323 Rushing Attempts............ 400 407 Average Per Rush............ 4.6 3.5 Average Per Game............ 183.2 143.8 TDs Rushing................. 17 7 PASSING YARDAGE............... 2773 2450 Att-Comp-Int................ 365-209-10 325-156-13 Average Per Pass............ 7.6 7.5 Average Per Catch........... 13.3 15.7 Average Per Game............ 277.3 245.0 TDs Passing................. 35 20 TOTAL OFFENSE................. 4605 3888 Total Plays................. 765 732 Average Per Play............ 6.0 5.3 Average Per Game............ 460.5 388.8 KICKOFF RETURNS: #-YARDS...... 26-611 40-709 PUNT RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 18-135 16-80 INT RETURNS: #-YARDS.......... 13-166 10-43 KICKOFF RETURN AVERAGE........ 23.5 17.7 PUNT RETURN AVERAGE........... 7.5 5.0 INT RETURN AVERAGE............ 12.8 4.3 FUMBLES-LOST.................. 14-6 20-14 PENALTIES-YARDS............... 73-685 74-680 Average Per Game............ 68.5 68.0 PUNTS-YARDS................... 52-1968 55-2121 Average Per Punt............ 37.8 38.6 Net punt average............ 36.3 36.1 TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME....... 28:33 31:08 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 52/127 52/126 3rd-Down Pct................ 41% 41% 4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 10/18 7/18 4th-Down Pct................ 56% 39% SACKS BY-YARDS................ 24-142 17-115 MISC YARDS.................... 45 10 TOUCHDOWNS SCORED............. 52 28 FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS.......... 4-5 8-13 PAT KICKS-ATTEMPTS............ 38-46 20-26 ATTENDANCE.................... 0 2077 Games/Avg Per Game.......... 5/0 5/415 BY QUARTER 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total ------------ --- --- --- --- --- --- Team........ 105 96 70 97 0 - 368 Opponents... 59 64 46 39 6 - 214 |
RUSHING G Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------------
RUSHING G Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------------
David Harmon 10 177 1022 43 979 5.5 9 40 97.9
Jeramie Ellison 10 115 659 17 642 5.6 4 64 64.2
Jason Rodriguez 7 41 159 8 151 3.7 1 29 21.6
Chris Rodgers 7 25 139 2 137 5.5 3 23 19.6
IsaiahNaverrete 8 11 49 19 30 2.7 0 10 3.8
Keidric Dixon 10 3 17 12 5 1.7 0 13 0.5
Rory Peacock 10 1 3 0 3 3.0 0 0 0.3
Reggie Sterns 9 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 2 0.2
Manse Draper 9 2 0 1 -1 -0.5 0 0 -0.1
Eric Luna 2 3 0 3 -3 -1.0 0 0 -1.5
Braxton Shaver 10 21 5 118 -113 -5.4 0 3 -11.3
Total.......... 10 400 2055 223 1832 4.6 17 64 183.2
Opponents...... 10 407 1761 323 1438 3.5 7 43 143.8
PASSING G Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
Braxton Shaver 10 147.32 335-192-10 57.3 2492 34 62 249.2
IsaiahNaverrete 8 151.39 29-17-0 58.6 281 1 63 35.1
Jeremy Hampton 10 0.00 1-0-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Total.......... 10 147.24 365-209-10 57.3 2773 35 63 277.3
Opponents...... 10 123.63 325-156-13 48.0 2450 20 85 245.0
RECEIVING G No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
--------------------------------------------------
Andrew Cox 10 50 624 12.5 8 49 62.4
Rory Peacock 10 41 662 16.1 8 55 66.2
Reggie Sterns 9 40 637 15.9 4 62 70.8
Keidric Dixon 10 32 309 9.7 3 36 30.9
Nathan Cooper 7 19 169 8.9 6 22 24.1
Jeremy Childers 7 9 168 18.7 3 50 24.0
David Harmon 10 6 44 7.3 1 12 4.4
Jeff Hale 5 6 33 5.5 1 7 6.6
Jason Rodriguez 7 2 31 15.5 0 16 4.4
Ryan Rivera 2 1 63 63.0 1 63 31.5
D. Black 1 1 17 17.0 0 17 17.0
JeremiahButchee 1 1 13 13.0 0 13 13.0
Jeramie Ellison 10 1 3 3.0 0 3 0.3
Total.......... 10 209 2773 13.3 35 63 277.3
Opponents...... 10 156 2455 15.7 20 85 245.5
PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
---------------------------------------
Keidric Dixon 16 111 6.9 0 15
Mike Meador 1 4 4.0 0 4
Patrick Pierce 1 20 20.0 0 20
Total.......... 18 135 7.5 0 20
Opponents...... 16 80 5.0 0 10
INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long
---------------------------------------
Kenneth Epps 5 72 14.4 0 31
David O'Shields 3 7 2.3 0 5
Jeremy Hampton 2 40 20.0 0 22
CharlesAlexnder 2 9 4.5 0 9
Ashley Quinn 1 38 38.0 0 38
Total.......... 13 166 12.8 0 38
Opponents...... 10 43 4.3 0 35
KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
---------------------------------------
Keidric Dixon 15 394 26.3 0 73
Chris Rodgers 6 114 19.0 0 26
Patrick Pierce 5 103 20.6 0 41
Total.......... 26 611 23.5 0 73
Opponents...... 40 709 17.7 0 58
FUMBLE RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
---------------------------------------
Andre Smith 1 27 27.0 0 27
Cale Melton 1 9 9.0 0 9
Total.......... 2 36 18.0 0 27
Opponents...... 2 10 5.0 1 10
TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G
----------------------------------------------
Braxton Shaver 10 356 -113 2492 2379 237.9
David Harmon 10 177 979 0 979 97.9
Jeramie Ellison 10 115 642 0 642 64.2
IsaiahNaverrete 8 40 30 281 311 38.9
Jason Rodriguez 7 41 151 0 151 21.6
Chris Rodgers 7 25 137 0 137 19.6
Keidric Dixon 10 3 5 0 5 0.5
Rory Peacock 10 1 3 0 3 0.3
Reggie Sterns 9 1 2 0 2 0.2
Manse Draper 9 2 -1 0 -1 -0.1
Eric Luna 2 3 -3 0 -3 -1.5
Total.......... 10 765 1832 2773 4605 460.5
Opponents...... 10 732 1438 2450 3888 388.8
|------ PATs ------|
SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf - Pts
------------------------------------------------------------
David Harmon 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 60
Rory Peacock 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 - 52
Andrew Cox 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0 - 50
Nathan Cooper 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 36
Clayton Runyon 0 2-3 25-29 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 31
Jeramie Ellison 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 24
Reggie Sterns 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 24
Keith Handrick 0 2-2 13-17 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 19
Keidric Dixon 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 18
Chris Rodgers 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 18
Jeremy Childers 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 18
Ryan Rivera 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 6
Jeff Hale 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 6
Jason Rodriguez 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 - 6
IsaiahNaverrete 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 - 0
Braxton Shaver 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3-4 0 0 - 0
Total.......... 52 4-5 38-46 0-0 3 3-6 0 0 - 368
Opponents...... 28 8-13 20-26 0-1 1 1-1 0 0 - 214
ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR FR Tot Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------
David Harmon 10 979 44 0 0 0 0 1023 102.3
Keidric Dixon 10 5 309 111 394 0 0 819 81.9
Rory Peacock 10 3 662 0 0 0 0 665 66.5
Jeramie Ellison 10 642 3 0 0 0 0 645 64.5
Reggie Sterns 9 2 637 0 0 0 0 639 71.0
Andrew Cox 10 0 624 0 0 0 0 624 62.4
Chris Rodgers 7 137 0 0 114 0 0 251 35.9
Jason Rodriguez 7 151 31 0 0 0 0 182 26.0
Nathan Cooper 7 0 169 0 0 0 0 169 24.1
Jeremy Childers 7 0 168 0 0 0 0 168 24.0
Patrick Pierce 7 0 0 20 103 0 0 123 17.6
Kenneth Epps 10 0 0 0 0 72 0 72 7.2
Ryan Rivera 2 0 63 0 0 0 0 63 31.5
Jeremy Hampton 10 0 0 0 0 40 0 40 4.0
Ashley Quinn 10 0 0 0 0 38 0 38 3.8
Jeff Hale 5 0 33 0 0 0 0 33 6.6
IsaiahNaverrete 8 30 0 0 0 0 0 30 3.8
Andre Smith 8 0 0 0 0 0 27 27 3.4
D. Black 1 0 17 0 0 0 0 17 17.0
JeremiahButchee 1 0 13 0 0 0 0 13 13.0
Cale Melton 10 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 0.9
CharlesAlexnder 10 0 0 0 0 9 0 9 0.9
David O'Shields 9 0 0 0 0 7 0 7 0.8
Mike Meador 5 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 0.8
Manse Draper 9 -1 0 0 0 0 0 -1 -0.1
Eric Luna 2 -3 0 0 0 0 0 -3 -1.5
Braxton Shaver 10 -113 0 0 0 0 0 -113 -11.3
Total.......... 10 1832 2773 135 611 166 36 5553 555.3
Opponents...... 10 1438 2455 80 709 43 10 4735 473.5
FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Handrick 2-2 100.0 0-0 1-1 0-0 1-1 0-0 43 0
Clayton Runyon 2-3 66.7 0-0 2-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 24 0
FG SEQUENCE McMurry University OPPONENTS
----------------------------------------------------
Trinity University - (32),(29),(44)
Millsaps College (25) 40
Okla. Panhandle St. - -
Mary Hardin-Baylor - (33),(27),35
Texas Lutheran - -
Sul Ross State - -
Mississippi College (21),35 (21)
Austin College (43) (31)
Howard Payne - 35,42
Hardin-Simmons (24) (19),35
Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.
PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd
-----------------------------------------------------
Jeremy Hampton 52 1968 37.8 62 1 0 1 0
Total.......... 52 1968 37.8 62 1 0 1 0
Opponents...... 55 2121 38.6 63 0 0 1 1
(top of page)
|-------Tackles-------| |-Sacks-| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP UT AT Total ForLoss No-Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Jeremy Hampton 10 51 17 68 . . 2-40 9 . . 1 . . 52 Brian Valenzula 10 35 27 62 5-11 2.0-11 . 1 . 2-0 1 . . 37 Cale Melton 10 38 21 59 4-9 1.0-6 . 2 . 2-9 . . . 20 Manse Draper 9 35 21 56 11-36 1.0-7 . 5 . 1-0 2 1 . 91 Shawn Boyd 10 35 19 54 7-33 5.0-35 . 1 . . . . . 46 Kenneth Epps 10 43 6 49 2-4 . 5-72 10 . 1-0 . . . 1 CharlesAlexnder 10 34 11 45 2-6 . 2-9 4 . . . . . 45 Jeff Duncan 10 29 14 43 6-20 . . . . 1-0 . . . 13 Mike Martinak 10 27 13 40 2-4 . . 6 . . . . . 90 Adam Boland 10 18 17 35 6-20 5.0-19 . 3 . 1-0 3 . . 49 Andre Smith 8 22 13 35 2-3 . . . . 1-27 . . . 28 David O'Shields 9 17 11 28 . . 3-7 4 . . . . . 99 Will Herron 8 14 11 25 5-14 2.0-11 . . . . 1 . . 86 Ashley Quinn 10 17 8 25 3-17 1.0-7 1-38 . . 2-0 . . . 97 Torik Banks 8 10 9 19 . . . . . . 1 . . 5 DaKeatonSurrell 9 13 5 18 1-3 . . 2 . . . . . 43 Evan Williams 8 9 6 15 . . . . . . . . . 34 Mike Bigham 6 9 5 14 4-11 2.0-14 . . . 3-0 1 . . 47 Karl Beck 5 8 5 13 1-3 . . . . . . . . 11 Patrick Pierce 7 6 2 8 . . . 3 . . . . . TM Team 2 7 1 8 4-45 . . . . . . . . 54 Gabe Moreno 6 2 5 7 1-9 1.0-9 . 1 . . . . . 93 Bobby Ramsay 4 5 2 7 . 2.0-10 . . . . . . . 22 Mike Meador 5 5 2 7 . . . 1 . . . . . 29 Ken O'Conner 7 3 3 6 . . . 2 . . . 1 . 56 Robert Wells 3 3 2 5 1-1 1.0-13 . . . . . . . 94 Jake Maurer 6 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . . 92 Steve Miller 3 2 3 5 1-8 . . . . . . . . 39 Keith Handrick 7 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . . 84 Rory Peacock 10 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . . 60 J. Rhiddlehover 3 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . . 57 Justin Siska 3 2 1 3 1-3 1.0-3 . . . . . . . 6 Keidric Dixon 10 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . . 38 Kris Thornton 2 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . . 25 Melvin Harper 2 1 1 2 1-2 . . . . . . . . 96 Aaron Armstrong 3 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . . 95 Justin Scott 2 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . 98 Eddie Hicks 2 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 36 Jimmy Kargl 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 42 Jason Smith 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 80 Reggie Sterns 9 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 67 Wes Tidwell 2 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 59 Dennis Conner 3 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . 53 Burt Wellmann 1 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . 8 Ryan Jackson 2 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . 30 Chris Fambro 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . Total.......... 10 522 270 792 70-262 24.0-145 13-166 54 . 14-36 10 2 . Opponents...... 10 - - - - 19.0-123 10-43 33 . 6-10 6 . . (top of page)
