Cowboys Come Up Short Against Cru in D3 Playoffs
ABILENE, Texas — The third time was the charm for Mary Hardin-Baylor as the Crusaders topped Hardin-Simmons 17-13 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at Shelton Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys beat the Cru twice in the regular season but could not complete the trifecta and were knocked out of the playoffs early as the number two overall seed.
UMHB jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and made it stick. Da’Marion Morris returned a punt 61-yards that set up the first score, then after a Cowboy turnover Jake Wright found Jerry Day for a 26-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 at the 3:03 mark of the first quarter.
HSU pulled within 14-7 at the half on an 18-yard Noah Garcia touchdown run. They got as close as 14-13 on a pair of Ethan Brumgard field goals, but Brumgard also missed two more kicks that could have given the Cowboys a better shot at the win.
Mary Hardin-Baylor advances to the round of 16 and will visit Linfield, who blew out Texas Lutheran 65-3 Saturday.
The Cowboys wrap up the season with a 10-1 record.
