BELTON, Texas – Going toe-to-toe with the top ranked team in NCAA Division III, the East Texas Baptist University football team fell short of knocking off #1 the University Mary Hardin-Baylor, 31-21, in the season finale. Through three quarters, ETBU and UMHB were tied at 21 before the Crusaders scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. ETBU finishes their season with seven wins for the third season in a row and in third place in the American Southwest Conference.
 
ETBU's offense gave a strong push to the #3 defense in the nation scoring 21 points scored which were the most scored on the UMHB defense all year. ETBU also scored two rushing touchdowns as the UMHB defense had only allowed two the entire season along with adding 76 yards of rushing offense. UMHB only averaged giving up 46 yards per game.  
 
Individually, Richard Johnson caught five passes for 138 yards his 15^th touchdown reception of the year which should put him in the top three in nation. He also surpassed the 1,000 yard receiving club finishing with 1,070 yards for a career high. On defense, Ty Parsons had nine tackles, which broke the ASC single season record with 143 tackles surpassing UMHB's Javicz Jones who had 141. Caleb Taylor also had eight tackles which puts him at 123. Both Parsons and Taylor surpass the old individual single season ETBU record for tackles of 122 by Greg Washington set in 2003. 
 
Brian Baca continued his outstanding season with a 27-of-33 performance for 267 yards and a touchdown pass. He also led the team in rushing with 27 carries for 33 yards. Austin Morriel (11 rushes, 35 yards) and Daylonzo Freeman (six rushes for 10 yards) each had a rushing touchdown, too. Caleb Taylor led ETBU with nine tackles while CJ Johnson added two sacks on the game. Zack Biles and Grant LaPoint-Teate each grabbed an interception in the game. 
 
ETBU won the toss and elected to receive. But after one first down, they were forced to punt. UMHB would take three plays before they struck on a forty-four yard pass and led 7-0 (11:49). After a three-and-out, ETBU punted again. But the momentum changed when LaPoint-Teate intercepted a pass. One play later, Baca connected with Richard Johnson from forty-two yards out and ETBU tied the game at seven (9:02) in the first quarter. ETBU then forced UMHB to punt on their next drive only to see a punt returned for a Crusader touchdown and a 14-7 lead (5:00). After one quarter, UMHB held onto a seven-point advantage, 14-7.
 
ETBU then drove down their next possession going 80 yards on 14 plays in the second quarter ending on a Morriel one yard touchdown run. The extra point was missed and ETBU trailed 14-13 (13:22). The rest of the quarter was a defensive battle as both defenses kept the offense from entering the red zone.  ETBU would drive down the field and have a chance to take the lead on a field goal but the kick was blocked and UMHB led after one half 14-13. 
 
The second half started when Biles intercepted a pass on the second play at the UMHB 43-yard line. Yet, ETBU couldn't capitalize and were forced to punt. UMHB would make a quarterback change and they would march down the field to score from 13-yards out for a 21-13 lead with 9:41 left in the third quarter. But on ETBU's next possession, Freeman scored from two yards out to make it 21-19 as ETBU went 82-yards on 10 plays. ETBU elected to go for two and it paid off when Baca shot-putted the ball to Freeman to tie the game (6:08). The rest of the quarter stayed tied at 21 as both teams entered the final quarter battling for the lead. 
 
In the fourth quarter, UMHB would use a strong running game to take the lead at 28-21. ETBU would have an attempt to tie the game on their next possession, but UMHB stopped them on fourth down and took over the ball with just over seven minutes left in the game. UMHB would then convert on a field goal with 3:45 left to push their lead to 10 points, 31-21. ETBU looked to cut the lead with time winding down, but UMHB's defense stopped them short.
 
This was the closest ETBU has played UMHB since 2010 when they fell, 34-28. With three winning seasons under their belt now and taking the number one team in the nation to the fourth quarter, ETBU has made some noise now and is building a culture.