McMurry Athletics Blog

Don't forget to check out the photo gallery and purchase your favorite photos from McMurry's 51-19 victory over Howard Payne. Check that gallery here.

- And before we get into the football notes, remember that McMurry's swim season starts this weekend and that the first official NCAA basketball practices are Oct. 15!

• In the NCAA era, McMurry had only strung together two consecutive games where the defense held its opponent to under 300 yards of offense. However, in 2010, McMurry’s defense has opened the year by keeping its opponents under 300 yards all five games.
• McMurry’s 51 points give the team at least 50 in two games this season; the last time that happened was in the 2000 season.
• The win Saturday night was Hal Mumme’s 115th career collegiate win; in his 20th season as a college head football coach, he’s 115-111, and he’s 2-0 against Howard Payne
• The McMurry defense held Howard Payne to its lowest offensive output of the season at 293 yards. HPU’s 40 yards rushing was the lowest total by McMurry’s three ASC opponents this season.
• Jake Mullin moved to second all-time on McMurry’s career passing yardage chart, and it took just 14 games. Mullin has 4,700 passing yards in 14 starts and passed Kurt Ashmore for second. Ashmore played for four seasons from 1984-1987 and passed for 4,361 yards. Braxton Shaver’s 8,721 yards will be in Mullin’s sights next. Mullin’s career yards per game average is 335.7 through 14 games; if he keeps that pace, he’ll pass Shaver after the third game of his senior season.
• Senior wide receiver Marcus Franklin needs just 91 yards to move into McMurry’s top 10 for career receiving yardage. At 1,381 yards through his first 15 games in a McMurry uniform, he, along with teammate R.J. Long also each have 15 career touchdown receptions. That number is good for third all-time among McMurry players in the NCAA era.
• R.J. Long caught a touchdown pass for the sixth consecutive game Saturday night. Last season, he had a touchdown reception in the season finale and has at least one touchdown catch in each of McMurry’s five games in 2010. The last McMurry player to accomplish that feat was Rory Peacock who caught touchdown passes in seven consecutive games spanning from the last six games of the 1999 season to the first game of the 2000 season. Later, in the 2000 season, he also went on another 6-game streak with at least one touchdown catch. Peacock is also McMurry’s career receptions, receiving yards leader and touchdown receptions leader.
• Desmond Baker’s two blocked kicks Saturday night tied him with Gavan Bass for the most blocked kicks among McMurry players in the NCAA era with three. Baker also has the team lead with eight pass breakups through eight games
• Through five games, McMurry is the No. 1 defense in the ASC by an average of 141 yards. McMurry’s defensive unit has allowed just 208.2 yards per game through the first five contests; HPU is next at 349.2 yards per contest.
• McMurry has scored in 18 of 19 red zone attempts this year including five against Howard Payne Saturday night.
• Baker’s blocked field goal, which turned into a 53-yard touchdown return by D.J. Baiza, was the first blocked kick return for a touchdown since Oct. 21, 2006 when Joe Alexander returned a blocked punt against Sul Ross State 26 yards for a touchdown. It is the only blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the NCAA era for McMurry.
• 132 team rushing yards for McMurry Saturday night was the second-highest total since Hal Mumme took over in 2009. McMurry ran for 143 yards against Mississippi College Sept. 19, 2009.
• Austin Brooks’ 1-yard touchdown was the first rushing score by a McMurry running back in 2010 and just the second overall. Jake Mullin has the only other rushing touchdown against Texas College earlier this season.