ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' fifth-ranked football team moved to 7-0 with a 38-22 win over East Texas Baptist on Homecoming Saturday at Shelton Stadium.
 
The Cowboys forced a punt on the game's opening possession, then went 71 yards in eight plays and Kyle Brown found Tailon Garrett on a 67-yard touchdown pass to take the early lead.
 
On the next drive, ETBU tried a fake punt and Cason Hanna sniffed it out and stopped the play setting the Cowboys up with the ball at the ETBU 47-yard line. Noah Garcia then carried the ball three straight times and went 28 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.
 
The defense forced another punt on the first play of the second quarter and HSU responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:06 off the clock. It looked like the Cowboys were going to settle for a short field goal, but holder Braden St. Ama took the snap and ran a fake into the end zone, behind the lead block from his kicker Grayson Bearden. HSU led 21-0 after the PAT with 7:45 to play in the half.
 
ETBU scored its first points of the game with an 18-yard Drinkard Hymond touchdown run with 2:02 to play in the first half.
 
The two teams traded punts on the first drives of the second half. HSU's defense has forced a punt on every first drive of the second half this season.
 
Dameon Gomes 34-yard punt return set the Cowboys up in ETBU territory and Brown found Wes Douglas for a 38-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 28-7. The defense forced another punt, and HSU scored on a 21-yard field goal from Bearden to make the score 31-7 with 3:04 to play in the third quarter.
 
ETBU scored on a one-handed catch by Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox on the next drive.  
 
HSU pushed the lead out to 38-14 on a Colton Marshall 12-yard touchdown run with 14:10 to play. ETBU scored on a Jordan Woodard 12-yard touchdown run on the next drive.
 
Kyle Brown was 18-of-25 for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys outgained the Tigers 454-353. Garrett had nine catches for 112 yards. Garcia had 87 yards rushing and a touchdown and Marshall had 76 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown. Marshall moved to 10^th on the all-time rushing chart at HSU.
 
Charlie Patterson had a monster game for the Cowboys with 12 tackles, two sacks and another quarterback hurry as he harassed Kaden Brown all day. Brown finished the day 14-of-21 for 120 yards. The Cowboys sacked him five times.
 
HSU is now 7-0 on the year and 3-0 in ASC play. The Cowboys will host Howard Payne next week at 1 p.m. East Texas Baptist fell to 4-2 on the year and to 1-2 in league play.
 
 
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