Shot at Stagg Bowl

Posted By Stacy Fannin on Nov 16, 2010

Just completing their regular season, the Crusader football team is American Southwest Championship bound again. And with this being my fourth and last season watching them, I couldn’t be happier for the Cru.

The men have gone undefeated this season with only one or two close calls, especially the game in overtime against East Texas Baptist. But once the pressure was on, the Cru got the job done by running an 11-yard gain to win the game.

The Cru is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA regional ranking and, here’s the big ranking — fourth in the overall NCAA. Beating out the Cru for the higher spots in that ranking are University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Mount Union and Wesley. In fact, in all my years of attending UMHB, I think those are always the three teams that have claimed the top three spots.

But there seems to be something slightly different about the team this year.

The coaches and players have always seemed to have that special click that has always made them unbeatable, but this season everyone seems like a family. And I can see that as they play on the field.

Not that Texas Lutheran University was any sort of threat, 81-3 is a score that is comical.

With that win, the Cru outright won the ASC title and now will advance to NCAA play. This is the seventh straight season they are a seed.

I really believe that the Cru have as good a shot as ever to go to the Stagg Bowl this upcoming December. They will have to stay united and work together as they did in 2004 when they went to the Stagg Bowl, but if they can continue to play the way they have, then some of these teams should be scared.

A few of the teams will be tough, especially the top two or three seeds, but the Cru has the skill and attitude to accomplish something the football program has yet to do.