Saturday, September 14, 1996

McMurry hosting powerful Howard Payne
By MARK WILSON
Staff Writer

For the first time in a long while, the McMurry University football team is coming off a dominant performance.

The Indians, who rolled over Southwestern Assemblies of God College 57-0 last Saturday, will need all the positive carryover they can get as they host 10th-ranked Howard Payne tonight. The non-conference game will serve as a preview of the American Southwest Conference matchup between the same two teams, in Brownwood on Oct. 19.

The Yellow Jackets also had an impressive season opener, ending Thomas More College's 12-game winning streak with a 30-18 win in Bellevue, Ky.

McMurry was 1-9 last season, the first at the helm for Steve Keenum. Temporarily, at least, the 1996 Tribe leads the nation in total defense and is fourth in total offense.

The Indians recorded 439 yards in total offense against the Lions, who are in their first season of intercollegiate football. The defense held the Lions to minus two yards in total offense and no first downs while intercepting six passes.

McMurry's Darren Bailey, a senior running back from Wylie, busted through for 19.3 yards per carry - 116 yards and three touchdowns on just six attempts.

Also in the game, McMurry quarterback Erid David completed 9 of 10 passes for 95 yards with no interceptions.

On the defensive side, junior strong safety Cole Adams intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown. Bailey and Cole were among four American Southwest Conference players of the week.

"It's a great confidence builder," Keenum said. "I felt like we executed overall real good. We stayed focused even when the game was out of control. We prepared well and did the things necessary to win."

The Yellow Jackets, co-champions with Hardin-Simmons in the conference a year ago, has one of the most effective NAIA Division II defenses in the nation. HPU held the Saints to 59 yards rushing.

Thomas More's 12-game win streak was the second-longest in NCAA Division III at the time.
Gibson said he was particularly happy with his team's kicking game. Ty Brown notched two touchdowns, returning a kickoff 80 yards and a punt 90 yards, and Billy Young kicked was three-for-three on field goals.

"We played a real good football team, and we beat them at their place," Howard Payne coach Vance Gibson said. "They were a very solid football team. It was a big win for us."

But starting running back Cliff Hall will be out of action indefinitely because of a dislocated shoulder. Gibson said that sophomore Andrew Lawrence and freshmen Paul Smith and Jeff Williams will all share playing time at running back.

Gibson predicted that the Indians "will be executing better and their intensity will be a lot higher," because they are in their second season under Keenum.

The Indians will have to find a way to deal with the same advantage Howard Payne has over most teams it will play - outstanding overall speed.

"They have a great football team," Keenum said. "They're extremely fast on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they're explosive. Probably the No. 1 thing that concerns me is that they're so fast on offense, and their defense is just as fast. This team may be a little better than last year, especially on defense.

"In this conference, they may be one of the fastest teams I've been around. Overall, from top to bottom, they could be one of the strongest defenses I've ever seen."