(October 21, 2008)--The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football maintained its ranking as the nation’s #3 team in this week’s American Football Coaches Association’s Top 25 Poll this week. The Cru continues posted 912 total points in this week’s poll, a drop of five points from last week’s total. Mount Union is #1 again with 30 first-place votes and 990 total points. Defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater is ranked 2nd with 10 first-place votes and 968 total points. Hardin-Simmons University climbed two spots this week to #13 in the country to give the American Southwest Conference a pair of teams in the top 15. Trinity University is ranked 11th in the country in this week’s poll to give the state of Texas three of the top 13 teams in the nation.

The Cru also held on to its #3 national ranking in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 Poll. UMHB received 581 total points in this week’s D3football.com poll, a drop of one point from last week’s total.

“We have really challenged our players to get better every week and that is our goal again this week,” Cru head coach Pete Fredenburg said. “No matter who we are playing, that is our focus. It is nice to get that kind of respect, but we have to pay attention to our goals.”

UMHB is 6-0 overall and 5-0 in ASC play following a 26-14 victory over Mississippi College last Saturday. The Cru will now travel to Ashland, Oregon to face Southern Oregon University (2-5) in the final non-conference game of the season. That game will kick off at 3:00 PM Central Time.