/notables/2021/03/week8-wrapup-saturday

Cru wins ASC thriller; Macon extends Game streak

Kenneth Cormier Jr. got his first career start for UMHB and ran for 144 yards in the Cru's win.
UMHB athletics photo by Andrew Zavonia
 

The American Southwest Conference season came to a close, Randolph-Macon booked itself a berth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game, while Concordia (Wis.) led for the right 57 seconds of the game and Hanover won on a last-minute field goal. It's a week where Division III football games are scheduled for six different days, with Saturday the peak at nearly two dozen contests.

If you can remember back to the last time UMHB and Hardin-Simmons met -- you know, close to a year and a half ago -- the ASC automatic bid was decided on a long last-second field goal. The culmination of the 2020-21 ASC football season was slightly less dramatic, but no less thrilling, as UMHB won 23-15 at Shelton Stadium in Abilene. The Cru had Jefferson Fritz ejected for targeting, survived a blocked chip shot field goal and needed two fourth-quarter stops to come away with the victory.

The Cru took a 13-0 lead into halftime thanks in part to two long drives which culminated in short field goals by Brandon Cunningham. But the Cowboys (4-1) came out and got three big runs from Kolby Youngblood to establish that they were ready to compete in the second half, and quarterback Kyle Jones hit Gatlin Martin for a 2-yard score to get HSU on the board. However, UMHB came back with a touchdown and a 37-yard Cunningham field goal to extend the lead to 23-7.

The Cru dodged a bullet when Jayden Smith knocked the ball away from Rae Millsap at the 3-yard line, turning a 63-yard pass play into a fumble out the back of the end zone and a touchback. After a three-and-out, HSU got the ball back at midfield and got help from the targeting call on Fritz to get into the red zone before Myles Featherston took it in on a 4-yard touchdown run. That and the two-point conversion made it 23-15. The teams traded interceptions, giving the Cru the ball on the HSU 19, but the Cowboys blocked a 20-yard field goal with 2:15 left.

The Cowboys had one more deep strike in them, throwing deep downfield to Martin, who appeared to catch it, take two strides and get hit, with the ball coming out when Martin hit the ground. However, it was ruled an incomplete pass and UMHB eventually took over on downs, winning 23-15. Kenneth Cormier, Jr. ran for 144 yards in his first career start at running back for UMHB. King added 56 yards and a TD on the ground while completing 8of 15 passes for 130 yards.

Randolph-Macon earned a slot in the ODAC title game and won The Game for the seventh consecutive time, defeating Hampden-Sydney 28-0. Both teams had come into the game sporting 3-0 records. The Yellow Jackets held H-SC to just 97 yards of total offense on the afternoon and held the ball for more than 37 minutes. Randolph-Macon got its second score courtesy of a 98-yard drive in the second quarter and Cade Jones intercepted a Hampden-Sydney pass to set up a short drive and a 21-0 lead before half. Presley Egbers threw for two touchdowns and ran for two as well in the win, while Matt Vergara and Jacob Hutchinson had two and a half tackles for loss apiece. R-MC is in line to play Emory & Henry next week in the ODAC title game.

Austin Steurer kicked a 29-yard field goal with 13 seconds left, capping a back-and-forth game with Hanover coming out on top 27-24. In a game that nobody ever led by more than seven points, Rose-Hulman had tied it up with a 33-yard field goal from Adam Clark with 6:31 to play. Jared Frank caught six passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Down by 14 points in the third quarter, Concordia (Wis.) outscored Wisconsin Lutheran 22-7 the rest of the way, taking the lead on a gutsy two-point conversion attempt with 57 seconds left and holding on to win 39-38. The final 57 seconds were the only ones in which CUW led.

Benedictine dug out of a 21-3 first half deficit to record a 38-28 comeback victory against Eureka in its home opener. The Red Devils managed just 82 yards of total offense in the second half -- meanwhile, Benedictine scored five touchdowns in six drives. Tyler Jarnagin went 29-for-46 passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, while Alex Lopez caught two of those scores among his eight receptions and 134 yards.

McMurry picked up its second win of the spring season and ended Louisiana College's stint in Division III football by scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns, two of them in the final give minutes to get past the Wildcats 32-31. The War Hawks (2-3) trailed by 12 points midway through the fourth quarter before embarking on a 17-play, 84-yard drive. Dexter Wyble's 1-yard sneak cut the LC lead to five. McMurry got the ball back in Lousiana College territory when the Wildcats failed to convert on fourth down. Wyble scrambled for 19 yards on fourth-and-13, then Ricardo Luna later found Jermond Lovely in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left, giving McMurry the lead.

This recap will be updated.

Dec. 15: All times Eastern
Final
Cortland 38, at North Central (Ill.) 37
@ Salem, Virginia
Video Box Score Recap Photos
Dec. 9: All times Eastern
Final
North Central (Ill.) 34, at Wartburg 27
Box Score Recap
Final
Cortland 49, at Randolph-Macon 14
Box Score Recap Recap Recap Photos
Maintenance in progress.