Teidrick Smith is a dominating force up front for the Cru. But he's not alone. UMHB athletics photo

Teidrick Smith is one of the best defensive players in the nation, and with that distinction comes a tidal wave of accolades for the junior Mary Hardin-Baylor defensive end.

Smith is the reigning American Southwest Conference Defensive Player and Lineman of the Year in 2014 and he’s the frontrunner for the honors again this year. To top it off, he was a D3football.com honorable-mention All-American last season and is a preseason All-American this year.

But ask Smith about the recognition and he will tell you it’s not something he thinks about.

“I try to block it all out because I’m all about putting the team first,” Smith said. “I want to be a leader and do what I can to help our team succeed and compete for a championship.”

Smith is doing just that, ranking third on the team in tackles (24) and second in sacks (7.5).

“I’ve played well,” Smith said. “But I can always be better and I work to get better every week.”

It’s a scary thought that Smith can be better considering what he has done already, racking up more than 100 tackles (108) and close to 20 sacks (18.5) in his first two seasons. His success is no fluke.

“He has an incredible work ethic,” Crusaders coach Pete Fredenburg said. “He’s a great role model for our younger players because he works hard in practice and expects a lot of himself and his teammates.”

The Cru has lived up to expectations so far, winning its first five games and giving up 20 or more points only once. UMHB is holding opponents to an average of 255.6 yards per game.

“We have great players on our defensive line. The front four has done a tremendous job of getting pressure on the quarterback,” Fredenburg said.

Smith said the work he and his teammates put in during practice makes a difference as well in the Crusaders’ ability to be one of the best defensive teams in the country.

“We take a lot of pride in being a great defense,” Smith said. “We do a lot of drills in practice that prepare us for each game and the coaches put us in a good position to execute our game plan every week.”

Expectations are high for the Cru, who hope to make another playoff run and contend for the national championship.

“We’ve established high goals here that the players want to achieve and developing good team chemistry is big part of our success,” Fredenburg said. “The big thing is that we work to get better every week.”

Smith plans to do what he can to keep the Cru on the right track.

“We can’t be satisfied,” Smith said. “It’s all about providing good leadership and staying focused on each game.”

Vikings prevail in key showdown

Berry stretched its win streak to five with a 24-17 overtime win at Chicago on Saturday. The Maroons came into the game unbeaten and ranked No. 24 in the nation.

Mamadou Soumahoro turned in a stellar defensive performance, racking up 12 tackles and helping the Vikings improve to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Southern Athletic Association. Soumahoro ranks sixth on the team in tackles (23) and is second in sacks (3.5) for a Berry team that allows 333.3 yards per game.

Since a season-opening 43-17 loss to Maryville, the Vikings have been tough to crack on defense, giving up 17 points or or less in their last five games. Their next challenge is a home game against Hendrix (4-1, 3-0), which has won four in a row and is undefeated in conference play as well.

Milestone win for Padron

Texas Lutheran head coach Danny Padron won the 100th game of his career Saturday as Texas Lutheran topped East Texas Baptist 55-27 win a wild game on the road.

Padron has won 35 games with the Bulldogs and won 65 games while coaching at O’Connor High School in San Antonio. Texas Lutheran is 5-1 overall and has won four consecutive games. Padron is 6-0 all-time against the Tigers, who had their three-game win streak snapped.

Padron is in his sixth year at Texas Lutheran and is a two-time Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. A year ago, he led the Bulldogs to a second consecutive conference title and an appearance in the NCAA playoffs for the first time in program history.

Cowboys continue successful ride

Hardin-Simmons rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense (490) and improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 31-13 win over McMurry.

The Cowboys took control of the Wilford Moore Trophy with the victory and is 25-4 all-time against the War Hawks.

Hardin-Simmons won despite losing quarterback Weston Garner to an injury. Ryan Breton came in during the second quarter and went 17-of-22 for 301 yards. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes while rushing for 40 yards. Breton has seen action in all five games this year, throwing for a little over 500 yards (529) to go along with seven touchdown passes.

Noteworthy

Centre quarterback Heath Haden threw for a career-high 405 yards and the Colonels snapped a two-game losing streak with a 31-17 win over Millsaps on Saturday. The game was tied at halftime (17-17) before Centre pulled away. Haden’s passing total is the most in a game since Brian Behrendt threw for 445 yards against Maryville in 2004. He was 23-of-36 and threw two touchdown passes. He has thrown for close to 1,400 yards (1,364) on the season.

Aurren Cooksey rushed for a new career-high against Belhaven, churning out 181 yards and a touchdown in Louisiana College’s 38-28 ASC victory. His effort helped the Wildcats improve to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference heading into next week’s showdown with Mary Hardin-Baylor. Cooksey has rushed for 610 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Contact Me

If you have a great story idea or notable accomplishments that deserve a mention in this column, feel free to reach out to me at brian.lester@d3sports.com. You can also follow on Twitter @BLester1993.