Hardin-Simmons (8-1, 5-0 ASC) at East Texas Baptist (5-4, 3-2 ASC)
Nov. 11, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Ornelas Stadium | Marshall, Texas
Full Game Notes | Broadcast
The Teams
Hardin-Simmons comes into the game with an 8-1 record after a 59-19 win over Austin College on Saturday in Sherman. HSU is alone at the top of the ASC standings and is looking for its first ASC outright title since 2004. They have already clinched the automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs. East Texas Baptist comes into the game at 5-4 on the year and 3-2 in league play. They lost 21-12 at Mary Hardin-Baylor last week.
The Coaches
Jesse Burleson is in his 13th season as the head coach for the Cowboys and has posted a 96-32 record at HSU. He has led the Cowboys to the NCAA playoffs on six different occasions, including this year. Calvin Ruzicka is in his first season as the head man for the Tigers.
In The Polls
The Cowboys are ranked No. 19 in the D3football.com poll and No. 18 in the American Football Coaches Association poll. ETBU is not ranked. The Cowboys have been ranked for 90 straight weeks and in the top 10 for 56 of those weeks.
Gunning for Outright ASC Title
The Cowboys have clinched the American Southwest Conference auto bid to the NCAA playoffs and have at least a share of the ASC title. HSU is looking for the outright title with a win over ETBU on Saturday (or a UMHB loss to Howard Payne). The Cowboys have not won an outright ASC title since 2004. They last shared a crown in 2015.
Regional Rankings
The Cowboys were ranked third in the NCAA Division III Region 3 rankings this week behind Randolph-Macon and Trinity. These are the official rankings used to make the selections and bracket for the NCAA playoffs. The NCAA selection show is slated for 4 p.m. central on Sunday on NCAA.com.
Broadcasts
The broadcast for Saturday's game can be found at https://goetbutigers.com/watch/live.
Last Time Out
HSU scored three non-offensive touchdowns and still rolled up 483 yards of offense, averaging 8.3 yards per play in a 59-19 rout of Austin College. The Cowboys were able to play plenty of players in the second half. The win gave the Cowboys a share of the ASC title and the automatic bid into the NCAA Playoffs.
Next Up
HSU will be making its 12th trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs. They have an all-time record of 4-11 and are looking to snap a nine-game losing streak in the first round. The selections will be announced on Sunday at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com. Kickoff for the first round game will be at noon wherever it is played.
A Cowboy Win Would
? Be the 509th win in school history.
? Give Jesse Burleson win No. 97 as the Cowboys' head coach.
? Be the seventh straight against East Texas Baptist.
? Give the Cowboys their first outright ASC title since 2004.
Model of Consistency
Hardin-Simmons has been a model of consistency. HSU has had a winning record in 33 of the last 34 years and they have won at least eight games every year since 2015 (minus the COVID shortened season). Only five teams in the nation have a longer streak than the Cowboys' eight straight eight or more win seasons.
Mount Union 33
Johns Hopkins 14
Wheaton (Ill.) 9
Saint John's 9
Delaware Valley 9
HSU 8
Special Forces
The Cowboys' special teams units have been a big part of the success this season. HSU has two punt returns for touchdowns on the year, two kickoff returns for touchdowns and lead the nation in net punting. The Cowboys have also blocked four kicks and allow just 4.1 yards on punt returns and 18.1 on kickoff returns.
Gomes Breaks HSU's Single-Season Record For Punt Return Yards
Sophomore Dameon Gomes set the school record for punt return yards in a season on his 80-yard punt return touchdown last week. He now has 420 punt return yards, breaking Barry Donham's previous record of 417. He is one of only two players with a pair of punt returns for touchdowns in the nation this season. Zach Poff of Alma has three. His 24.7 yard per return average ranks second nationally.
To The House
K.J. Peoples returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to start the second half last week. It was his second kickoff return for a touchdown this season. He ranks second nationally with his two kickoff returns for TD.
Pick Six
Cason Hanna started the game off right for the Cowboys as he intercepted a pass on the opening possession and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. He finished the day with four tackles, 1.5 for losses, a half sack and a pass break up.
Sack Party
The Cowboys added six more sacks on Saturday against Austin College, giving them 11 in the last two games. Six different players were in on sacks on Saturday.
Century Marks
K.J. Peoples and Tailon Garrett each hit the century mark for receiving yards on Saturday. Peoples had seven catches for 105 yards and Garrett had six catches for 115 yards. It was Peoples' second 100-yard game of the season and Garrett's first.
Tag Team
The Cowboys' running back duo of Noah Garcia and Colton Marshall continue to be the top two backs in the conference. Garcia has 760 yards and 10 touchdowns and Marshall has 592 yards and 12 touchdowns. Both scored touchdowns on Saturday. Marshall moved to fifth on the HSU all-time rushing TD charts with his 28th. He also moved into 10th all-time in touchdowns scored with 30 (he has a pair of receiving touchdowns in his career.
Glynn Nearing 4K
Gaylon Glynn needs 245 yards to move into the top 10 in career passing yards. He currently sits at 3,871. He needs 129 for 4,000 yards for his career. He has moved into the top 10 in career total offense with 4,645 yards. He will move to eighth with a normal game on Saturday.
Harral Continues To Boom
Senior punter Cody Harral continues to be a big weapon for the Cowboys. He nailed a season-best 61-yarder last week and averaged 46.3 yards on three kicks. His high booming kicks have led to 12 fair catches and 14 have been downed inside the 20. He is second in the conference and 11th nationally at 41.3 yards per kick and the Cowboys lead the nation in net punting at 39.2 yards per kick. Only 15 of his 40 punts have been returned and opponents only have 62 returns yards on the season.
To The Top
The Cowboys have continued to improve throughout the season and now rank second in the conference at 34.3 points and 414.9 yards per game on offense. Defensively, the Cowboys lead the league in scoring defense at 19.1 points per game and are third allowing just 336.2 yards per game.
About The Tigers
The Tigers are second in the conference allowing 334.6 yards per game and are tied for the league lead with 28 sacks on the season and are second with 12 interceptions. On the flip side, they have allowed 36 sacks on the year and are eighth in the league averaging just 19.3 points per game and 295.6 yards per game. Paul Woodard is the leading back at 334 yards on the season. The Tigers average just 2.7 yards per rush. Carlos Garibay, formerly the starter at McMurry, is the Tigers quarterback and he is 62-of-127 for 782 yards and five TDs with four interceptions. Zay Thomas leads the team with 34 catches. Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox has 33 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns. Joey Verret is the leading tackler for the Tigers with 72 on the year. Jahkamian Carr leads the ASC with 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks and Dominick Williams has 6.5 sacks and Christian Booker has 4.5 sacks.
