By Bradley Melchor, Staff
After suffering a brutal 44-21 defeat to arch rivals No.6 Hardin-Simmons at home on Oct.12, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team made a drastic change that could determine the fate of their season.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Wright was named the team's starter after the loss to Hardin-Simmons after another disappointing performance from previous starter Isaac Phe, throwing three interceptions and just seven yards against the Cowboys.
Wright shined in his first career start for the Cru, throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns against Howard Payne University as he led the Cru to a 41-0 victory.
UMHB Head Coach Larry Harmon praised Wright’s performance, saying “He had a very good pocket presence throughout the game and did a good job going through his progressions. He delivered the ball on time and got it where it needed to go based on what the defense gave him.”
While all eyes were on Wright leading up to the game, the rest of the Crusader roster also stepped up on Saturday. “It’s not easy to hold a team scoreless, but our defense took on that challenge and executed our game plan all afternoon. We also dominated on the offensive line, and when you win a game in the trenches, you have a really high chance of being a successful football team” stated Harmon.
Currently sitting in second place with a conference record of 2-1, the Cru will need to win all three remaining conference games and defeat Hardin-Simmons by at least 21 points to win the ASC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament. However, due to their impressive record, winning out the season could more than likely be enough for the Cru to secure an at-large bid to the National Tournament.
The Cru will be back in action on Saturday, Nov.2 at 1 p.m. when they travel to Marshall to take on East Texas Baptist University to begin the second half of the conference round robin.
