A big-time matchup is on tap in Whitewater
With UMHB Football set to play at No. 3 UW-Whitewater on Saturday, here's a look at some of the top performances by Texas D3 programs against Top 25 competition this season
It has finally arrived. The rematch between UMHB and UW-Whitewater is just over 24 hours from kicking off. For the fourth straight season, we will see two of Division III’s most well-respected programs battle it out, and a nationwide audience is sure to be keeping an eye on the way it unfolds. That’s the way it is with a matchup like this one.
UMHB enters the game unranked, not currently in the D3football.com or AFCA Top 25. UWW is third in both national polls, as has been since the season started. Yet, with the familiarity between these non-conference opponents and the magnitude of the atmosphere sure to be found at Whitewater’s Perkins Stadium on Saturday, rankings more or less go out the window. The talent is there for both teams, and so is the experience. UWW is the favorite, no doubt, especially at home, but UMHB proved last year that it was more than equipped for the challenge and the physical style of play that has helped UWW maintain consistent success year after year.
“There’s nothing negative about taking this game,” UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said at his press conference on Monday. “If you want to be in the top eight in the playoffs and have a chance to really make a run at being a national champion, you have to be able to play in these games and win these games. To have the opportunity to have this kind of an environment in Week 3 is nothing but a positive.”
Indeed, this is one of the top matchups in Division III football this weekend, with UMHB aiming for its first-ever regular season win over the Warhawks. Will The Cru pull off the road upset? Tune into the WIAC Network at 1 p.m. CT to find out. And check out True To The Cru’s Game Preview here.
The anticipation for this matchup got us thinking…what have been the best performances against Top 25 opponents by Texas D3s so far this fall?
Southwestern volleyball’s opening-weekend win over No. 21 UW-Stevens Point: These two programs hadn’t played since the 2000 season—a 3-2 win for UWSP—but the August 31 matchup on opening weekend saw Southwestern take charge, aiding the Pirates being named to the AVCA’s Top 25. Southwestern’s 25-12 victory in Set 1 set the tone, as the Pirates swept a solid UWSP team that is no longer ranked, but still receiving votes in the Top 25.
Trinity volleyball defeats ETBU in five sets: Technically, ETBU was unranked at the time, but the Tigers received the most points of any unranked team in the AVCA preseason poll, and the general feeling was that it was only a matter of time before ETBU found its way into the Top 25. At home, Trinity handed ETBU its only loss to date, winning 3-2 in a thrilling battle between Texas’ top two volleyball powers. Mackenzie Logan put up 23 kills for Trinity in what remains Trinity’s best win so far, as the Tigers held off ETBU’s rally and won 15-8 in Set 5.
UMHB men’s soccer’s stunning win at No. 1 St. Olaf: Taking down the top-ranked team in the country is the upset of all upsets, and UMHB stunned the Oles on their home field, adding to the surprise factor of the win. Freshman Drew Cooley provided the game-winning goal for The Cru in the 72nd minute, and UMHB is 2-1 since that victory.
Texas Lutheran football’s 35-20 victory at No. 13 Trinity: While Trinity was potentially ranked higher than they should have been in the preseason, the Tigers proved in last week’s 55-10 win over Belhaven that they have the firepower to contend nationally. Yet, in the season-opener in San Antonio, TLU took down Trinity by a convincing 15-point margin, earning the Bulldogs first win over the Tigers since 2016, and the program’s first Top 25 win since 2019. Amongst football results in Texas through the season’s first two weeks, that win remains the most impressive, considering how TLU handled the road environment and built its lead, making game-changing plays in all three phases on offense, defense, and special teams.
ETBU volleyball’s upset of No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps: The five-set win on Saturday afternoon capped a perfect 4-0 weekend for the Tigers in sunny Southern California, as ETBU dominated its West Coast competition. CMS, who reached the national semifinals last fall, actually won the first two sets of the match against ETBU, seemingly in position for its third Top 25 win of the year. Instead, the Tigers responded with a statement, winning three consecutive sets, including a 15-11 win in the decisive fifth set. Graycee Mosley led the charge, as the All-American tallied 25 kills and 13 digs in ETBU’s most memorable victory thus far. As a result, the Tigers surged into the AVCA’s Top 20, moving up six spots to No. 17, the highest ranking ever in program history.
And looking ahead, UMHB Football won’t be the only Texas program heading out-of-state to face a Top 5 opponent this weekend…
Trinity women’s soccer is headed to the East Coast, set to face No. 5 Christopher Newport this afternoon at 4 p.m. CT. CNU has won all four meetings with Trinity since 2017, but the Tigers are 3-0-2 to start this season, with notable wins over UT-Dallas and Hardin-Simmons. Is this the year Trinity takes down the Captains? Three of the previous four matches between the two have been decided by just one goal, though Trinity has never scored against CNU’s strong back line. They will look to change that today.
Numbers of the Week
90 kills from ETBU Volleyball’s Graycee Mosley over the course of five matches in a four day span, including 25 in the Tigers’ 3-2 upset of ninth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday. Mosley’s 90 kills were the most of any Division III volleyball player in the nation this past week, with the second-highest total coming from Gallaudet’s Brielle Worley, who had 83. Mosley currently ranks sixth in the country in kills per set, at 4.73.
2 hat tricks in Louis Catchpole’s four-year career at Austin College, a stellar accomplishment for the senior forward. Catchpole was a large piece of AC’s offensive success in Sunday’s 9-0 drubbing of MUW, finding the back of the net three times in the first 48 minutes. The native of Kent, England, who finished the week with a SCAC-best four goals, scored his first two goals within the first 16 minutes of the match. As a team, it marked AC’s highest scoring performance since an Oct. 28, 2017 win over Centenary by a 7-0 margin.
6 touchdowns from ETBU quarterback Kaden Brown in last Saturday’s 63-28 win at Hendrix, a significant feat that earned him both his second-straight ASC Offensive Player of the Week honor as well as recognition as Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Non-FBS Player of the Week. The transfer from South Dakota State set new career-highs in passing yards (323) and rushing yards (158), recording his first game with 300+ yards through the air and 150+ yards on the ground. In all, Brown accounted for 481 yards of offense, giving ETBU its first 2-0 start since 2020.
6.95 digs per set for LeTourneau volleyball’s Morgan Nix, a mark that ranks fourth in the nation. For the third consecutive week, Nix earned the ASC’s Defensive Player of the Week award, setting yet another program record for digs in 3-set match (32) in the Yellow Jackets’ sweep of McMurry. Nix now holds every match, season, and career digs record in LETU history, and LETU still has 19 matches left in the regular season.
3 goals for Concordia Women’s Soccer in the second half of Monday’s 3-3 tie against Hardin-Simmons, as the Tornadoes battled back from a 3-0 halftime deficit. Despite taking just 12 shots to HSU’s 31, CTX found the back of the net on three occasions over the final 45 minutes, with Madelynn Murphy providing the equalizer in the 79th minute. Incredibly, it marked the first time in program history that Concordia finished a match even with HSU. The Cowgirls entered Monday’s duel with a 32-0 all-time record against the Tornadoes.
Game of the Week: Texas Lutheran at McMurry | Football | 6:00 p.m. CT | Abilene, TX
There’s a reason that these two programs were picked to finish 1-2 in the SCAC preseason poll. With the season just two weeks in, TLU and McMurry have already separated themselves, and are the only two teams in the SCAC with 1-0 records in league play. For TLU, the Bulldogs just need to keep winning, as a Pool C spot is not out of the picture, even with the SCAC not having an automatic bid to the D-III playoffs. And McMurry is seeking its first victory over TLU in Abilene since 2010. Both teams are led by efficient passing attacks, and the quarterback matchup between TLU’s Caden Bosanko (61.1% comp rate, 382 pass yds, 3 TDs) and McMurry’s Jess Hoel (68.8% comp rate, 569 pass yds, 6 TDs) will be one to watch. The ball will be thrown a lot in this one.
Other games we’ll be watching…
Trinity at No. 5 Christopher Newport | Women’s Soccer | Friday | 4 p.m. | Newport News, VA
No. 17 ETBU at LeTourneau | Volleyball | Friday | 6 p.m. | Longview
McMurry at UMHB | Women’s Soccer | Saturday | 7 p.m. | Belton
St. Thomas at Hardin-Simmons | Men’s Soccer | Saturday | 5 p.m. | Abilene
Austin vs LeTourneau | Volleyball | Saturday | 4 p.m. | Irving
UMHB at No. 3 UW-Whitewater | Football | Saturday | 1 p.m. | Whitewater, WI
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