(October 7, 2008)--The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football held on to its ranking as the nation’s #3 team in this week’s American Football Coaches Association’s Top 25 Poll this week. The Cru has been #3 in the country in every AFCA Top 25 Poll this season and this week’s point total of 915 was one-point short of last week’s total. Mount Union picked up 29 first-place votes and 989 total points to hold down the top spot again. Defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater is second with the other 11 first-place votes and 967 total points. Hardin-Simmons dropped from 11th to 17th in the country with 367 total points after falling to the Cru 20-18 last Saturday in Belton. Trinity University climbed from 13th to 12th in this week’s poll to give the state of Texas three teams in the top 17 in the country.

The Cru also held on to the #3 spot in the country in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 Poll. UMHB totaled 579 points in that poll and trails only #1 Mount Union and #2 Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“We are pleased that the hard work of our players and coaches is recognized on a national level,” Cru head coach Pete Fredenburg said. “But our goal is to get better each and every week and that is what we will try to do in practice this week. We were pleased to get a big win last Saturday and now we have to get ready to take on Louisiana College and we know that we will get their best shot.”

UMHB is 4-0 overall and 3-0 in ASC play following that 20-18 victory over Hardin-Simmons University last Saturday. The Cru will now travel to Pineville, Louisiana to take on Louisiana College (2-2, 0-2 ASC) in a 1:00 PM kickoff this Saturday. Louisiana College is coming off a 21-19 loss to Mississippi College last Saturday.