Saturday, September 21, 1996

McMurry travels to Millsaps College for non-conference bout
By MARK WILSON
Staff Writer

JACKSON, Miss. - After one blowout victory and one loss to a team ranked No. 9 in the nation, changes are in store for the McMurry University football team.

Head coach Steve Keenum said he expects to have at least five switches in his starting lineup when the Indians take on Millsaps College in a non-conference game today.

The Tribe lost a rain-soaked 21-7 decision last Saturday to Howard Payne after a season-opening 57-0 win over a first-year program, Southwestern Assemblies of God.

Keenum said that the new starters for McMurry today will include Nathan Cooper at tight end, Coby Yowell at left offensive guard, Jon Rhiddlehoover at offensive tackle, Adam Boland at defensive tackle and Charles Alexander at cornerback.

"We're just giving those guys an opportunity to see how well they can perform," Keenum said. "Hopefully, it will energize us. Older guys sometimes get a little complacent. We want to get the football team going, to get to the next level."

In last week's loss, the Indians got 94 yards on 25 carries from former Wylie running back Darren Bailey.

But McMurry's passing game failed to make a dent in the tough HPU defense, with starting quarterback Eric David completing just 6 of 26 passes for 50 yards while a steady rain fell for most of the game.

Boosted by their easy season-opening win, the Indians rank fourth in the nation in total team defense, and are No. 7 in pass defense.

Millsaps stayed unbeaten through two games with its 28-22 victory over Rhodes College. The Majors began the season with a 25-7 win over Rose-Hulman.

"It looks like they are more physical this year," McMurry coach Steve said Keenum, whose team fell 28-18 to Millsaps a year ago. "They're not a flashy team, but their kids play hard. We're going to be challenged.

"They're one of those kind of teams that they're not going to make a mistake. They throw the ball fairly conservatively. They make you beat them, which means we've got to execute on offense. We've got to be consistent."

Keenum said he was concerned with the effect of the team's long bus ride to Jackson, Miss., which he expected to take almost 11 hours in all. The Indians left early - Thursday at midnight - and planned to stop off in Eric David's hometown, Bossier City, La. along the way.

McMurry at Millsaps College
-- Where: Jackson, Miss.
-- When: 1:30 p.m.
-- Records: McMurry 1-1; Millsaps 2-0
-- Last year's score: Millsaps 28, McMurry 18
-- Key injuries: None.
-- Radio: KHXS 106.3 FM