Hardin-Simmons (6-1, 3-0 ASC) vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor (4-3, 3-0 ASC)
Oct. 28, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Shelton Stadium | Abilene, Texas
Game Notes | Broadcast | Jesse Burleson ShowÂ
The Teams
Hardin-Simmons comes into the game with a 6-1 record after a 55-7 win at Sul Ross State on Saturday. Mary Hardin-Baylor is 4-3 on the year and has won four straight after an 0-3 start to the year. Both teams are nationally ranked and undefeated in American Southwest Conference action at 3-0.
The Coaches
Jesse Burleson is in his 13th season as the head coach for the Cowboys and has posted a 94-32 record at HSU. He has led the Cowboys to the NCAA playoffs on five different occasions. Larry Harmon is in his second season as the head coach for the Cru after a long stint as their defensive coordinator. He is 16-5 in his two seasons.
In The Polls
The Cowboys are ranked No. 20 in the D3football.com poll and No. 22 in the American Football Coaches Association poll. Mary Hardin-Baylor is now No. 23 in the D3football.com poll and No. 25 in the AFCA poll. The Cowboys have been ranked for 88 straight weeks and in the top 10 for 56 of those weeks.
Senior Day
Saturday will mark senior day for 24 Cowboys who will be playing their final regular-season game at Shelton Stadium. The seniors decided to do the ceremony before their warmup so the senior introductions will go off at 11:50 a.m. Each player will walkout with their parents and guests. We will have a separate senior day broadcast stream at www.hsuathletics.com for family and friends who can't make the game.
Broadcasts
HSU will be broadcasting home games only this season on www.hsuathletics.com. Al Pickett is back for his 19th season as HSU's play-by-play man and he will be joined in the booth by former Cowboy player Ty Crain.
Tickets
All tickets for HSU home games can be purchased on www.hsuathletics.com.
Last Time Out
HSU scored on the opening possession and never looked back in a 55-7 win over Sul Ross State in the most complete game the Cowboys have played this season. Mary Hardin-Baylor won at Austin College.Â
Next Up
The Cowboys will close out the regular season with two straight games on the road. They will play at Austin College next weekend in Sherman and close the season with a game at East Texas Baptist.
A Cowboy Win Would
? Be the 507th win in school history.
? Give Jesse Burleson win No. 95 as the Cowboys' head coach.
? Be the first over UMHB since 2015.Â
? Give the Cowboys the outright lead in the ASC.
? Send off 24 seniors with a victory in their final home game.Â
The Hardin Bowl
The game between Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons always brings extra attention because since 1998 the winner of the game has won at least a share of every American Southwest Conference title. The battle has always been intense and the Cru have found ways to come out with a victory in 22 of the last 23 meetings. Every game seems to come down to 2-3 critical plays. Last year, HSU led 20-16 late in the first half when the game turned in a matter of :46 seconds. The Cru scored three touchdowns in :46 seconds and took control of the game. In 2019, UMHB won on a walkoff field goal 15-14, in the spring of 2021 UMHB won 23-15 in Abilene and in the fall of 2021 the Cru rallied from a 28-7 deficit for a 34-28 win, sealing the game with a late interception in the end zone.
Getting It Over With Early
The Cowboys had played three straight one possession games that all went down to the wire going into last week. Against Sul Ross State the Cowboys put the game away early with 34-point second quarter. It allowed the Cowboys to rest some key players in the second half. HSU attempted only four passes in the second half and none in the fourth quarter.
To The House
Dameon Gomes broke a long punt return against Texas Lutheran but was tackled short of the end zone. Against Sul Ross State, he again broke open and this time found the end zone for a 68-yard punt return touchdown. He earned ASC special teams player of the week honors. He finished the day with 136 yards on four punt returns. That was just 10 yards shy of Collin McCormick's school record of 146 yards in a game in punt returns. It was Gomes second straight game with more than 100 yards in punt returns.
Back In The Saddle
Senior linebacker Matt Mitchell made his return to the lineup after having an appendectomy the week of the Endicott game. Not only does he make a ton of plays for the defense he is like another coach on the field with his experience. The four-year captain gets everyone where they are supposed to be and he relays the signals. He had a huge forced fumble in the red zone last week. He led the team with six tackles. Fellow senior linebacker Cade Michna was also able to play a few snaps last week and is slated to start this week. He had been out since the first series of the Endicott game with an ankle injury.
Pound The Rock
HSU has had its best production this season on the ground. The Cowboys ran for a season-best 282 yards last week and five touchdowns. HSU has run for over 200 yards in five of the seven games this season. Noah Garcia had 54 and 15 yard touchdown runs, Colton Marshall had a 2-yard score, Mules Featherston punched in from a yard out and Kevin Martin had his first career touchdown a 9-yarder in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys lead the conference at 216.4 yards per game. Garcia (586) and Marshall (489) are the top two rushers in the league. Garcia has eight TDs and Marshall nine which also are tops in the conference.Â
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Block That Kick
Braden Hargrove became the school's all-time leader in blocked kicks with his fourth on Saturday against Sul Ross State. Five other Cowboys had three blocks in their career. Donavon Hailey, Randy Hirsch, Michael Tracy, Garrett Martin and Hunter Creasey. It was his third block kick of the season which ties him with Hailey for the most in a season by a Cowboy.
Touching Paint
Junior running back Colton Marshall continues to find his way to the end zone for the Cowboys. He has scored in six of the seven games, including the last four. For his career he now has 25 rushing touchdowns and he jumped up another notch on the chart to eighth. He needs two more to pass Matt Carroll and Tommy Cupil and three more will get him to fifth with Tevin Mitchell.
In The Backfield
Hayden Hays has made a huge impact in his first season on varsity for the Cowboys. The defensive end had three tackles for loss last week and was in the backfield the whole game against Sul Ross State.
Garrett, Peoples Combo
Like Garcia and Marshall in the running game, Tailon Garrett and K.J. Peoples are also two of the top receivers in the conference. Garrett ranks fourth with 36 catches and Peoples is right behind him with 35. Both had a touchdown last week and Peoples had three catches for 81 yards. Garrett had three catches for 73 yards.
Harral Continues To Boom It
Senior punter Cody Harral continues to be a weapon for the Cowboys. He had four punts last week for a 45.8 yard average. He had two downed inside the 20 one at the 1-yard line. On the year, he has 10 of his 30 kicks being fair caught and eight have been downed inside the 20. He is averaging 41.2 yards per punt on the year and 41.4 for his career in 93 punts. He does a great job of getting the ball off quickly as he has had just one punt blocked in his career and he has great hang time with 26 of his 93 kicks have been fair caught.Â
Take Aways
The Cowboys recorded four takeaways against Sul Ross. Tre Allen and Greg Hawkins each had their second interceptions of the year. Jamion Shaw and Justin Bingham had fumble recoveries and Matt Mitchell forced a funble in the red zone.
About The Cru
Mary Hardin-Baylor started the season with three straight losses to nationally-ranked teams. It was the first three-game losing streak for the Cru since their first season of football in 1998. They have responded by winning four straight games in decisive fashion. The Cru comes into the game averaging 34.7 points per contest and allowing 22 points per game. They employ a three-running back tandem. Kenneth Cormier has 442 yards, Ozias Wright has 314 yards and Kenneth Miller has 211 yards. The Cru is rushing for 130 yards per game. Isaac Phe has taken over as the starting quarterback after Jackson Tingler started the season. Phe is 99-for-164 on the year for 1,238 yards and 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He has 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in the four-game winning streak. The Cru has five players with 13 or more catches on the year and none with more than Jerry Day's 22 catches. Linebacker Durand Hill is one of the top tacklers in the conference with 63 tackles on the year and 10.5 tackles for losses. Myles Terry leads the team with 3.5 sacks.
