Southern Nazarene Game Notes
McMurry Game Notes
Great American Conference Notebook
BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene goes south of the border this week, well south of the Red River that is, as the Crimson Storm take on fellow NCAA Division II transfer McMurry (Texas). McMurry, located in Abilene, Texas, is meeting the Crimson Storm for the first time in school history. The two are playing at a neutral site, SNU's second straight year with a neutral site game, at Grand Prairie High School's Gopher-Warrior Bowl. SNU is looking for its first win of the season and is coming off its closest finish of the year with a 17-14 loss to Langston. The War Hawks are coming into Saturday's contest looking to win their third in a row. McMurry lost its opening games to Abilene Christian and FCS member McNeese State (La.), but bounced back with wins over Wayland Baptist and Oklahoma Panhandle State.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
For the first time this season The Crimson Storm out gained their opponent in total yards. SNU totaled 211 yards of offense and held Langston to just 164. The Crimson Storm threw for 138 yards. It was just the third time this season that SNU has had over 100 yards passing. SNU out gained Langston in rushing yards as well with 73 compared to the Lions' 66 yards, but the Storm lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
It was the fourth straight year that the series between the two schools came down to one possession. The average margin of victory over the last four seasons for the winner is 2.8 points. The win by Langston tied the series at six games apiece in what could be the last match up between the two schools.
McMurry is coming off a 42-33 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State, a former rival of SNU in the Central States Football League. The War Hawks threw for 440 yards and never trailed the entire game. Quarterback Jake Mullin went 34-for-45 passing with no interceptions and five touchdowns.
RECORD CHASERS
Dillon Brumbaugh moved into sixth all-time in school history in tackles with 15 against Harding. He now has 223 career tackles and needs six more to move into fifth place with D'Antae Mitchell (2000-04). Michael Hicks and Matt Pruitt are eighth and ninth all-time as Hicks passed 200 tackles (205) against Langston and Pruitt is one away from 200.
Derick Perkins needs 88 yards to become just the third rusher in school history to break the 2,000 career rushing yards mark. He currently stands third all-time in school history with 1,922 yards. He is also third all-time in rushing touchdowns with 20. He needs just three more rushing touchdowns to tie Branden Smith (2006-09) with 23. Perkins also needs just two more points to move into second all-time in school history in total points scored. He currently has 166 behind teammate Jarod Martin who has 168. Perkins passed Ryan Brock (2007-09) for third who has 162 points. Jason Kilmer is the all-time leader with 316.
Martin became the school's first 2,000-yard receiver with 46 yards against Langston. He already had the school record and has totaled 2,000 yards receiving on 121 catches. The 121 catches is also a school record.
Matt Pruitt is just one interception away from tying the school's all-time record of 15. The junior currently is tied for second all-time with 14 picks with Heath Emmert (2000-03). D'Antae Mitchell (2000-04) is the all-time leader with 15.
Pruitt is also the all-time leader in fumble return yards with 105 as all of those yards have come this season. The junior recovered a fumble and took it back 75 yards for a touchdown against Friends and then notched another fumble recovery for 30 yards against Harding.
ABOUT THE WAR HAWKS
Quarterback Jake Mullin (Burleson, Texas/Burleson H.S.) is on the precipice of joining a select college football “fraternity”: NCAA football players who have both thrown for 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns during their careers. Currently, Mullin has 10,253 yards passing…and is at 98 touchdown throws. In the history of NCAA football - at ALL levels (BCS, FCS, Division II and Division III) - there have been just 57 others who have accomplished this prior. Mullin would be joining a list that contains such names as Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Ty Detmer, Chad Pennington, Danny Wuerffel and Steve McNair, to name a few, to have accomplished the feat!
For McMurry head coach Hal Mumme – the father of the “Air Raid Offense” who brought the scheme to national prominence at Kentucky when he coached NFL No. 1 draft pick Tim Couch in the system – Mullin would be the third of his former players to join the list along with Dustin DeWald at Iowa Wesleyan (1989-91) and Valdosta State's Chris Hatcher (1992-94).
Lest anyone doubt how much Hal Mumme's “Air Raid Offense” has revolutionized and influenced college football, consider several facts. Prior to Mumme getting his first coaching job at Iowa Wesleyan University (1989) and introducing his revolutionary offense, just two players at any level of intercollegiate football - NCAA or NAIA - had both thrown for 10,000 yards and 100 TDs. The first to do so was Willie Totten (1982-85) at Mississippi Valley State (who had a fairly decent receiver in a guy named Jerry Rice) and UW-Stevens Point's three-time All-American Kirk Baumgartner (1986-89). Before the “Air Raid” gained national acclaim beginning in 1997 with Mumme at Kentucky, a total of just 10 players (who played the majority of their careers prior to '97) achieved the 10,000-yards/100-touchdown mark. Since 1997 and after Mumme protegee Tim Couch posted eye-popping numbers and was the NFL's top draft pick in 1999 out of UK, no less than 51 players have both passed for 10,000 yards and thrown 100 TD passes in their college careers since that time.
This is McMurry's 87th season of football competition, beginning in 1923 (the same year in which the school opened!). This is the 832nd game in school history, with a record of 354-443-34 (.446) all time.
In its win over Wayland Baptist (Sept. 22), McMurry put on a record-setting show. The War Hawks set team single game records for points scored (76, previous mark was 68 vs. Texas Lutheran in 1999) and total touchdowns (with 11, previously nine versus Texas College and Texas Lutheran, both in 2010). McMurry tied the school mark for passes attempted (64, done twice prior).
