Kickoff 2023: Five things to watch for the McMurry football team this season
The McMurry football program has toiled in mediocrity much of the last decade, struggling to win games.
With 70 returning players, including much of its defense, the War Hawks hope to improve upon a 1-9 season — the lone win a 24-21 decision at Austin College in American Southwest Conference play.
Jordan Neal, who begins his fifth year as the War Hawks head coach, is 5-29 and likely feels the pressure to finally turn around a program that hasn’t had a winning season since going 8-3 and two rounds deep in the playoffs in 2012.
Here are five things the War Hawk faithful should be watching for as McMurry opens its season against Birmingham-Southern on Thursday, Aug. 31 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas:
Neal calling shots on offense
Neal, a standout quarterback at Cooper (1999-2000), will call the plays on offense, hoping to improve a unit that averaged 15.7 points a season. The War Hawks threw 14 interceptions last year, while throwing eight TD passes.
Newcomer Jess Hoel, an Abernathy grad, could make an impact as a freshman quarterback, along with receivers Walker Mulkey, a Flower Mound freshman, and redshirt junior Kristopher Martin (El Paso El Dorado), who led the team last year with 28 catches for 355 yards and a TD.
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Hagler’s rise
Anson grad Drew Hagler made the move from quarterback to running back last season and showed great promise, finishing second on the team in rushing with 217 yards and three TDs on 71 carries as a sophomore.
With four returning starters on the offensive line in Vern Angton (Arlington Martin senior), Donavan Valdez (Lancaster senior), Kobe Moore (San Angelo Central sophomore) and Zha’Destian Griffin (Lufkin senior) — the War Hawks should be much better than last year’s squad that averaged just 2.6 yards a carry and 86 yards rushing a game.
Getting defensive
McMurry’s defense was much improved last year, allowing 369.8 total yards after giving up 430.3 a game in 2021, and the War Hawks have every reason to believe it will be even better this year with 10 returning starters. Herman Lee, a Prosper linebacker, led the ASC with single-season school-record 9½ sacks as a sophomore last year. He’s surrounded by potentially dominant players in DL Kane Strohman (Katy Seven Lakes junior), DL Dorian LeBlanc (Beaumont United junior) and DB Tim Leatherman (Ingram Moore junior), while Chris Baker (Mansfield Summit) and Ke’Shaun Jnoffin (Baytown Goose Creek Memorial) also are fifth-year defensive backs who have been playing with the War Hawks since their freshman years.
Going out with a bang?
This is McMurry’s final season in the ASC. The War Hawks make the move to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference next year, along with league rivals Texas Lutheran and Austin College. While McMurry won’t have to deal with national powers Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons in league play after this year, the War Hawks will have to deal with another in Trinity.
Can the War Hawks make some waves in their final ASC run, something they haven’t done since going 7-1 in league play and two rounds deep in the Division III playoffs in 2011.
McMurry, which hasn’t won more than two league games in a season since winning three in 2016, ends the season with games against teams playing their final season in the ASC in Austin College, Texas Lutheran and Sul Ross State. Sul Ross makes the move to the Division II Lone Star Conference next year.
Big Country faces
Several Big Country grads could make an impact as freshmen with the War Hawks this season, including receiver Kason O’Shields who helped Hawley win its first state title last year. Others to watch are TE Tristan Hall (Abilene High), LB Kenneth Johnson (Abilene High), DB Mike Ramis (Cooper), OL Isaiah Lehr (Breckenridge) and Landrum Wells (deep snapper from Clyde).
McMurry Schedule
Aug. 31 … Birmingham-Southern …. 6 p.m. at Little Rock, Ark.
Sept. 9 … at Millsaps … 1 p.m.
Sept. 23 … at Mary Hardin-Baylor* … 6 p.m.
Sept. 30 … Lyon College … 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 … Hardin-Simmons* … 6 p.m.
Oct. 14 … at East Texas Baptist* … 1 p.m.
Oct. 21 … Howard Payne* … 1 p.m.
Oct. 28 … Austin College* … 1 p.m.
Nov. 4 … at Texas Lutheran* … 1 p.m.
Nov. 11 … Sul Ross State* … 1 p.m.
*American Southwest Conference game
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Five things to watch for the McMurry football team in 2023
