(November 4, 2008)--The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team climbed two spots in the American Football Coaches Association’s Top 25 Poll this week. The Cru moved up to #7 in the nation with 734 total points after beating East Texas Baptist University 27-6 last Saturday in Marshall. UMHB has been ranked in the top ten in the country in every AFCA poll this season. Mount Union is first again this week with 39 first-place votes and 999 total points. UMHB’s American Southwest Conference rival Hardin-Simmons University is 11th in the country with 593 total points and Trinity University is ranked 20th this week with 258 total points to give the state of Texas three top 20 teams in the AFCA Poll.

“I was proud of the way our guys played, especially with some many changes and guys moving around this week,” Cru head coach Pete Fredenburg said. “I thought our guys worked really hard after the loss to Southern Oregon a couple of weeks ago and I liked the way our team responded, especially the way our defense played.”

The Cru held steady at #8 in the nation in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 Poll. UMHB totaled 459 points in that poll.

The Cru is 7-1 overall and 6-0 in American Southwest Conference play. UMHB will play host to Howard Payne University for a 2:00 PM kickoff at Tiger Field in Belton this Saturday. The Cru can clinch at least a share of the ASC Championship and guarantee themselves the ASC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships with a win over the Yellow Jackets (2-6, 1-5 ASC).