# 2021 Mary Hardin–Baylor Crusaders football team

The 2021 Mary Hardin–Baylor Crusaders football team represented the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor as a member of the American Southwest Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division III football season. Led by 23rd-year head coach Pete Fredenburg, the Crusaders compiled an overall record of 15–0 with a mark of 9–0 in conference play, winning the ASC title.
Mary Hardin–Baylor beat Trinity (TX) in the first round, Birmingham–Southern in the second round, Linfield in the quarterfinals, and Wisconsin–Whitewater in the semifinals before playing in the 2021 Stagg Bowl where they played North Central (IL) and won 57–24 to secure the school's second-overall and first-non vacated title. Mary Hardin–Baylor played home games at Crusader Stadium in Belton, Texas.

## Preseason
### ASC media poll

ASC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 196 (17) |
| 2 | Hardin–Simmons | 179 (2) |
| 3 | East Texas Baptist | 153 (1) |
| 4 | Texas Lutheran | 140 |
| 5 | Belhaven | 115 |
| 6 | Howard Payne | 95 |
| 7 | McMurry | 69 |
| 8 | Austin | 62 |
| 9 | Southwestern | 54 |
| 10 | Sul Ross | 41 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 6:00 p.m. | Simpson* | No. 1 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 84–6 | 3,441 |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | East Texas Baptist | No. 1 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 34–14 | 5,006 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Southwestern (TX) | No. 1 | Birkelbach StadiumGeorgetown, TX | W 54–3 | 0 |
| September 25 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 7 Hardin–Simmons | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 34–28 | 7,018 |
| October 2 | 1:00 p.m. | at Austin | No. 2 | Apple StadiumSherman, TX | W 56–0 | 1,037 |
| October 16 | 1:00 p.m. | Texas Lutheran | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 49–3 | 3,024 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | at Sul Ross | No. 2 | Jackson FieldAlpine, TX | W 72–14 | 0 |
| October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | Belhaven | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 29–0 | 2,377 |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | Howard Payne | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX | W 59–14 | 2,797 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at McMurry | No. 2 | Wilford Moore StadiumAbilene, TX | W 77–3 | 1,750 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 16 Trinity (TX)* | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX (NCAA Division III First Round) | W 13–3 | 0 |
| November 27 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 19 Birmingham–Southern* | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX (NCAA Division III Second Round) | W 42–7 | 1,455 |
| December 4 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 7 Linfield* | No. 2 | Crusader StadiumBelton, TX (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal) | W 49–24 | 0 |
| December 11 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Wisconsin–Whitewater* | No. 2 | Forrest Perkins StadiumWhitewater, WI (NCAA Division III Semifinal) | W 24–7 | 2,519 |
| December 17 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 North Central (IL)* | No. 2 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame StadiumCanton, OH (Stagg Bowl) | W 57–24 | 1,830 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from D3 Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| D3Football.com | 1 (10) | 1 (12) | 1 (13) | 2 (10) | 2 (8) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 1 (25) |

## Regular season
### Simpson

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Storm | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 1 Crusaders | 21 | 21 | 28 | 14 | 84 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: September 4
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,441
* Referee: Kenny Kelarek
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SIM | MHB |
| First downs | 9 | 27 |
| Total yards | 146 | 601 |
| Rushing yards | -9 | 330 |
| Passing yards | 155 | 271 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:08 | 29:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Simpson | Passing | Seth Howard | 11/25, 155 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Simpson | Rushing | Hunter Ogle | 10 rushes, 19 yards |
| Simpson | Receiving | Reed Worth | 5 receptions, 83 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 14/19, 201 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Kenneth Cormier | 12 rushes, 69 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 5 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD |

### East Texas Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 1 Crusaders | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,006
* Referee: James Minor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ETB | MHB |
| First downs | 12 | 21 |
| Total yards | 205 | 353 |
| Rushing yards | 102 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 103 | 145 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:07 | 31:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Texas Baptist | Passing | Troy Yowman | 10/24, 75 yards |
| East Texas Baptist | Rushing | Cornelius Merchant | 11 rushes, 96 yards |
| East Texas Baptist | Receiving | Tariq Gray | 4 receptions, 81 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 6/12, 145 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 26 rushes, 99 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 2 receptions, 55 yards |

### At Southwestern (TX)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Crusaders | 20 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 54 |
| Pirates | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Birkelbach Stadium, Georgetown, Texas
* Date: September 18
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Duane Martin
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | SW |
| First downs | 25 | 7 |
| Total yards | 569 | 145 |
| Rushing yards | 277 | 68 |
| Passing yards | 292 | 77 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 37:05 | 22:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 11/18, 246 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Tommy Bowden | 2 rushes, 91 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | K. J. Miller | 7 receptions, 139 yards, 2 TD |
| Southwestern | Passing | Landry Gilpin | 6/13, 56 yards, 2 INT |
| Southwestern | Rushing | Jaquon Marion | 11 rushes, 27 yards |
| Southwestern | Receiving | Ethan Powell | 2 receptions, 40 yards |

### No. 7 Hardin–Simmons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Cowboys | 7 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 7 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 34 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,018
* Referee: Larry Brown
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | UMH |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 382 | 435 |
| Rushing yards | 220 | 202 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 233 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:01 | 28:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Hardin–Simmons | Passing | Kyle Jones | 19/33, 162 yards, TD, INT |
| Hardin–Simmons | Rushing | Myles Featherson | 8 rushes, 94 yards, TD |
| Hardin–Simmons | Receiving | Gatlin Martin | 4 receptions, 48 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 17/25, 233 yards, 5 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Kenneth Cormier | 13 rushes, 90 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 6 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD |

### At Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 21 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| Kangaroos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Apple Stadium, Sherman, Texas
* Date: October 2
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 1,037
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | AC |
| First downs | 26 | 8 |
| Total yards | 480 | 117 |
| Rushing yards | 297 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 183 | 28 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:22 | 32:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 8/10, 141 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 9 rushes, 63 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brenton Martin | 3 receptions, 61 yards, 2 TD |
| Austin | Passing | Tyler James | 7/15, 28 yards |
| Austin | Rushing | Maurice Reed | 7 rushes, 31 yards |
| Austin | Receiving | Maurice Reed | 3 receptions, 17 yards |

### Texas Lutheran

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,024
* Referee: Andy Dunklin
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Texas Lutheran | Passing |
| Texas Lutheran | Rushing |
| Texas Lutheran | Receiving |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving |

### At Sul Ross

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 7 | 31 | 14 | 20 | 72 |
| Lobos | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Jackson Field, Alpine, Texas
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Jeff Bell
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | SRS |
| First downs | 26 | 7 |
| Total yards | 573 | 219 |
| Rushing yards | 208 | 42 |
| Passing yards | 365 | 177 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 20:58 | 39:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Ryan Redding | 10/13, 201 yards, 3 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 14 rushes, 86 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Benton Martin | 5 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TD |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 5/16, 173 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 12 rushes, 20 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 2 receptions, 85 yards, TD |

### Belhaven

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 7 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 29 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: October 30
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 2,377
* Referee: Joe Horn
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Belhaven | Passing |
| Belhaven | Rushing |
| Belhaven | Receiving |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving |

### Howard Payne

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Yellow Jackets | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 21 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 59 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 2,797
* Referee: Robert Newton
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Howard Payne | Passing |
| Howard Payne | Rushing |
| Howard Payne | Receiving |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving |

### At McMurry

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 28 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 77 |
| War Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
at Wilford Moore Stadium, Abilene, Texas
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,750
* Referee: Dal Watson
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving |
| McMurry | Passing |
| McMurry | Rushing |
| McMurry | Receiving |

## NCAA Division III playoffs
### No. 16 Trinity (TX) (First Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Tigers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: November 20
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Steve Heyman
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TRN | MHB |
| First downs | 10 | 15 |
| Total yards | 212 | 307 |
| Rushing yards | 22 | 179 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 128 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:11 | 31:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Trinity | Passing | Tucker Horn | 20/40, 190 yards, 2 INT |
| Trinity | Rushing | Winston Hutchinson | 16 rushes, 26 yards |
| Trinity | Receiving | Ryan Merrifield | 5 receptions, 58 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 10/22, 128 yards, INT |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 26 rushes, 118 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brenton Martin | 3 receptions, 60 yards |

### No. 19 Birmingham–Southern (Second Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Rain, 48 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,455
* Referee: Jeffry Davis
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | BSC | MHB |
| First downs | 10 | 21 |
| Total yards | 243 | 450 |
| Rushing yards | 101 | 199 |
| Passing yards | 142 | 251 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:35 | 33:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Birmingham–Southern | Passing | Trey Patterson | 11/23, 142 yards, INT |
| Birmingham–Southern | Rushing | Robert Shufford | 10 rushes, 60 yards |
| Birmingham–Southern | Receiving | Race Marin | 3 receptions, 56 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Ryan Redding | 14/23, 251 yards, 3 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Kenneth Cormier | 16 rushes, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 3 receptions, 101 yards, TD |

### No. 7 Linfield (Quarterfinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Wildcats | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
at Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
* Date: December 4
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Jack Thorn
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LIN | MHB |
| First downs | 22 | 24 |
| Total yards | 472 | 538 |
| Rushing yards | 30 | 135 |
| Passing yards | 442 | 403 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 32:11 | 27:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Linfield | Passing | Wyatt Smith | 42/51, 442 yards, 3 TD |
| Linfield | Rushing | Connor McNabb | 11 rushes, 48 yards |
| Linfield | Receiving | Joel Valadez | 13 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 24/32, 345 yards, 6 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 9 rushes, 60 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 7 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TD |

### At No. 3 Wisconsin–Whitewater (Semifinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 3 Warhawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Forrest Perkins Stadium, Whitewater, Wisconsin
* Date: December 11
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 36 °F (2 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,519
* Referee: Coady Adams
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | UWW |
| First downs | 17 | 16 |
| Total yards | 378 | 271 |
| Rushing yards | 69 | 64 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 207 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:20 | 29:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 22/33, 309 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 26 rushes, 79 yards |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brandon Jordan | 11 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TD |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Passing | Max Meylor | 23/32, 207 yards, TD, INT |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Rushing | Alex Peete | 20 rushes, 43 yards |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Receiving | Tyler Holte | 6 receptions, 91 yards, TD |

### Vs. No. 1 North Central (IL) (Stagg Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 16 | 3 | 14 | 24 | 57 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio
* Date: December 17
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST/8:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,830
* Referee: Stuart Hindman
* TV: ESPNU
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | NCC |
| First downs | 28 | 18 |
| Total yards | 596 | 287 |
| Rushing yards | 133 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 463 | 202 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 28:48 | 31:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Kyle King | 22/29, 436 yards, 3 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 13 rushes, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Brenton Martin | 9 receptions, 196 yards, TD |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 18/27, 202 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| North Central | Rushing | Ethan Greenfield | 25 rushes, 124 yards, TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Andrew Kamienski | 8 receptions, 115 yards |