ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' football team dropped its season and home opener 37-14 to Texas Lutheran on Saturday afternoon in the first game on the new turf at Shelton Stadium.

Texas Lutheran took the opening kickoff and went 64 yards in 14 plays for a Marquis Barrolle 2-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs scored on their next possession on a 2-yard run by Trenton White to cap a four-play 11-yard drive that was set up by a Drake Dowling 48-yard punt return.

The Cowboys got on the board with :25 to play in the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by Bryce Johnson, on his first carry of the season.

A.J Saucedo made it 21-7 with a 3-yard touchdown run with :53 to play in the first half, capping a 70-yard, six-play drive.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Jeremy Harris scored on a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 21-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Cowboy defense then forced a punt and the Cowboys were driving when Dowling picked off a Weston Garner pass and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-14 with 10:51 to play.

Jessie Ramos took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back by an illegal block. The Cowboys were driving, when Darian Candler stripped the ball away from Stehl Ratlifff and the Bulldogs cashed it in for a field goal to make it 31-14 with 6:17 to play. Another punt return gave TLU a short field and Barrolle scored on an 18-yard run to make it 37-14.

Barrolle finished the day with 215 yards rushing on 45 carries. The Bulldogs had 333 yards of total offense on 85 plays in the game. HSU managed 293 yards on 63 plays.

Garner was 20-for-35 with two interceptions and 174 yards in his first career start.

James Place led the Cowboys with 13 tackles and Ryne Lewis had 12 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Trent Walker had a pair of sacks.

HSU is now 0-1 and will play at Wayland Baptist next Saturday at 2 p.m. TLU improved to 2-0 on the year.

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