MARSHALL, Texas – After a week off from the season opener in Wisconsin, East Texas Baptist University heads into their second week of play with their American Southwest Conference football opener against McMurry. ETBU is 12-10 in ASC openers and this is the fourth time McMurry will be the opener for the Tigers.
 
"The ASC is one of the best conferences out there, if not the best," says head football coach Brian Mayper. "Anybody can do something each week and McMurry has had some close games. Jordan Neal does a super job, his guys get after it, and they are going to come ready to play."
 
ETBU is coming off a 52-13 loss to #19 Wisconsin-Oshkosh opening up their season on the road. The first quarter brought a 14-0 score but ETBU cut the lead to eight, 14-6, at the beginning of the second quarter. UWO then reeled off 38 straight points to control the game as ETBU fell to 0-1. Alek Child went 17-of-27 for 132 yards while Melek Hamilton rushed for 77 yards. ETBU had 203 yards of total offense.
 
This will be the second road contest of the season for ETBU as they travel to Abilene for the ASC opener. Last year, ETBU won a hard, fought battle in Marshall, Texas, 24-15, and hold a 15-4 advantage over McMurry. The last time McMurry defeated ETBU came in 2015 in Marshall as the season opener, 49-22.
 
The game will start at 1:00 p.m. at Wilford Moore Stadium
 

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McMURRY SERIES
ETBU is 15-4 all time against McMurry and won the last five meetings. The last time McMurry defeated ETBU came in 2015, 49-22, in the season opener. ETBU is 6-2 in Abilene at McMurry and won the last two meetings. In 2018, ETBU won, 62-7, and then had a 67-31 win in 2016. The last time ETBU fell in Abilene came in 2011, 63-31.
 
UP NEXT
After this week, ETBU will head back to West Texas to face Howard Payne University on Saturday, September 24. This will be the third straight road game for ETBU.
 
ASC OPENERS
ETBU is 12-10 in ASC openers since the start of football in 2000. In 2021 they had two seasons thanks to CoVID with a five-game spring season and 10-game fall season. They won their spring opener, 28-17, on the road in Georgetown, Texas, at Southwestern but then fell to #1 UMHB last fall, 34-14, in Belton.
 
On the road, ETBU is 7-6 with ASC openers on the road and has opened. The past two seasons, both in 2021, ETBU has been on the road and is 1-1. They had a four-game road opening ASC win streak with wins in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021 before falling in fall 201 to UMHB.
 
This will be the fourth time ETBU has opened ASC play vs. McMurry and is 3-0. The last time ETBU opened up ASC play came in 2016 in Abilene under first-year head coach Scotty Walden with a 64-31 win. Before that it was in 2003 in Abilene, 38-17, and 2002 at Marshall, 31-21. ETBU is 2-0 in Abilene in ASC openers vs. McMurry.
 
2021 - @ #1 UMHB 34, ETBU 14
2021 S – ETBU 28, @ Southwestern 17
2019 – TLU 31, ETBU 21
2018 – ETBU 51, @ Southwestern 21
2017 – ETBU 28, @ Southwestern 10
2016 – ETBU 64, @ McMurry 31
2015 – ETBU 44, Louisiana College 34
2014 – HPU 54, ETBU 53
2013 - @ Louisiana College 31, ETBU 24
2012 - #21 Louisiana College 29, ETBU 17
2011 – TLU 44, ETBU 34
2010 – @ TLU 17, ETBU 14
2009 – ETBU 33, @ SRSU 20
2008 – ETBU 35, SRSU 21
2007 – ETBU 20, HPU 18
2006 - @ HPU 24, ETBU 17
2005 – ETBU 16, @ Austin College 6
2004 - @ HPU 58, ETBU 45
2003 – ETBU 38, @ McMurry 17
2002 – ETBU 31, McMurry 21
2001 – Mississippi College 31, ETBU 28 (OT)
2000 - @ Mississippi College 50, ETBU 6
 
ASC PRESEASON POLL
ETBU was picked to finish fourth in the ASC this season with 104 votes behind Howard Payne University in third. UMHB is the overall favorite with Hardin-Simmons in second. McMurry is predicted to finish in seventh place.
 
ETBU had four players on the ASC Watch List in Alek Child (QB/P), Kaleb O'Bryan (WR), KJ Kelley (DB), and Joey Johnson (LB).
 
2022 ASC Preseason Football Poll

 
FIRSTS AT ETBU
Four players had their first big accomplishments at ETBU vs. Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
 
Melek Hamilton – first touchdown, first start
Kylon Ashton – first touchdown
Cornelius Banks – first pass reception – 6 yards to Dony Givens in 2^nd quarter
Trint Scott – first interception of the year
 
PICKED OFF
Trint Scott recorded his third interception of his career and first of the year vs. Wisconsin-Oshkosh. With UWO up 7-0 and driving, Scott grabbed the pass from Kobe Berghammer at the ETBU 24 yard line to end the threat. Last year, he had two interceptions against McMurry.
 
BETTER NOT MESS WITH THIS CARR
Sophomore Jahkamian Carr received his first start on the defensive line vs. UWO. He made the most of it with six tackles to lead the team as all of them were solo. Last year he was an All-ASC honorable mention selection with 29 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was on the Longview High School State Championship team and was an All-State honorable mention selection. His father is Robert Henson who played for the Washington Redskins.
 
HAMILTON, THE FOOTBALL PLAYER
Melek Hamilton played in his first game at ETBU after transferring in from UMHB. In his first start he had 75 yards rushing on 21 carries and one touchdown. He scored from one-yard out at the beginning of the second quarter to make it 14-6. His longest run of the game was 14 yards.
 
RED ZONE ALERT
ETBU went into the red zone three times vs. Wisconsin-Oshkosh scoring twice. They were also 2-of-2 on fourth down conversions. It was their fourth drive of the game that went into the red zone first finishing on a Melek Hamilton rush for a touchdown. ETBU went 10 plays for 71 yards on the score. The second time came in the third quarter as ETBU drove to the 15-yard line but was then intercepted. It was the longest possession of the game with 16 plays for 60-yards talking 4:47 off the clock. The final red zone attempt came in the fourth quarter as Kylon Ashton scored. ETBU had an eight-play 65-yard drive. ETBU only went across the 50-yard line four times in the game with three being in the red zone.
 
 
50/50 ON BYE WEEKS
ETBU is coming off a bye week after their first game and is 10-9 overall when playing after that week. They have lost the past three seasons coming off their bye week with their last win in 2018 over Southwestern, 51-21. ETBU has never played McMurry off their bye week and has been since 2017 when they had this early of a bye week. Six bye weeks have been the first week of the season as their season opener then came the following week. When that happened, ETBU was 4-2.
 
Off of Bye Week (10-9)
2021 – Lost to #8 HSU, 34-0
2021 spring – Lost to Louisiana College, 23-17
2019 – Lost to TLU, 31-21
2018 – Beat Southwestern, 51-21
2017 – first week of season – won opener over SWAGU, 59-17
2016 – Beat Belhaven, 60-47
2015 – Lost to TLU, 55-27
2014 – Lost to TLU, 55-49
2013 – first week of season – won season opener over Austin College, 52-34
2012 – lost to TLU, 34-28
2011 – no bye week
2010 – beat HPU, 24-0
2009 – beat HPU, 42-7
2008 – beat SRSU, 35-21
2007 – last week of season
2006 – last week of season
2005 – beat HPU, 23-20
2004 – lost to HPU, 58-45
2003 – first week of season – lost season opener to SE OK State, 35-14
2002 – first week of season – lost season opener to SE OK State, 34-20
2001 – first week of season – won season opener over SWAGU, 49-7
2000 – first week of season – won season opener over SWAGU, 42-6