The Opening Kickoff
HSU will play conference rival Mary Hardin-Baylor in a 1 p.m. clash at Shelton Stadium. It will be the last regular-season home game of the season
 
Up Next
The Cowboys will close the season at East Texas Baptist for the second straight year. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Marshall. 
 
Last Time Versus UMHB
HSU intercepted four Mary Hardin-Baylor passes in the first half and jumped out to a 44-0 lead over the Crusaders after three quarters in a 44-21 win in Belton. It was HSU's first win in Belton since 2004 and the Cowboys became the first American Southwest Conference to win a game in Crusader Stadium. Freshman safety Micah Henderson intercepted a pair of passes and returned one for a touchdown. Kyle Brown went 16-for-23 for 307 yards and four touchdowns.

? Hardin-Simmons ends its three-game home stand and stretch of five games in a row in Abilene with another tilt with Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Cowboys can claim a second-straight American Southwest Conference title with a win. Hardin-Simmons and/or Mary Hardin-Baylor have won at least a share of every ASC title since the Crusaders came into the league in 1998. 
 
? Hardin-Simmons will honor its seniors prior to their last regular-season home game at Shelton Stadium. HSU has 30 seniors this season (two were honored last week). The seniors will be honored prior to the coin toss. This is a change from the original plan of doing the senior day prior to warmup.
 
 ? HSU is still fifth in both national polls. Mary Hardin-Baylor is ranked No. 24 by D3football.com and No. 25 by the AFCA. HSU has been ranked for 99 straight weeks and in the top 10 for 62 of those weeks.
 
? The NCAA announced this week that all playoff games will be streamed on ESPN+. This will require you to have a subscription to ESPN which is $11.95 per month. We want everyone to know in advance so you can plan accordingly.
 
A Cowboy Win Would
?Be the 517th in school history.
?Be the third straight against UMHB.
?Be the 13th straight home win.
?Be the 18th straight ASC win.
?Give the Cowboys their second-straight ASC title and 10th ASC title overall.
 
Oh Henry
With HSU's two veteran running backs Noah Garcia and Colton Marshall out of the game with injuries, freshman Braylon Henry stepped up and had a huge fourth quarter against Howard Payne. The Cowboys led 17-10 heading to the fourth quarter. Henry ran the ball 14 times for 73 yards and scored three touchdowns in the final frame. He scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and a 5-yard tote. He finished the game with a career-best 19 carries for 114 yards and was named the ASC offensive player of the week.
 
Meet At The Quarterback
Freshman LeBron Tah made life difficult for ASC-leading passer Zy Gravitt. He recorded a solo sack and was in on two more half sacks. HSU finished the game with six sacks in the contest. Kaiden Roden, Charlie Patterson and Braden Hargrove each had a solo sack and Hayden Hays and Mark Champion shared sacks with Tah. The Cowboys lead the ASC with 21 sacks on the year.
 
Irvin, Allen Get picks
Sophomore Tray Ervin has worked his way back into the starting lineup and he had an interception, five tackles and a tackle for loss in the win over Howard Payne. Senior safety Tre Allen recorded his second interception of the year and the eighth of his career. He also added his fourth pass break up on the year and 12th of his career.
 
Mr. Touchdown
Senior running back Colton Marshall scored a pair of touchdowns on Friday. He scored on an inside pitch for his first receiving touchdown of the year and scored on a 1-yard rush when he took the snap as the quarterback on the goal line. He now has 38 touchdowns in his career. He has 35 rushing scores and three TD receptions. His 38 touchdowns rank eighth all-time at HSU and his 35 rushing touchdowns are fourth. He is two rushing TDs away from second place.
 
Foster and Roden Tackle Battle
Junior safety Harrison Foster and sophomore linebacker Kaiden Roden are in a battle for the team lead in tackles and both have recorded 67 stops on the season. Roden led the way last week with eight stops. The two are tied atop the ASC in total tackles.
 
Two 100-Yard Rushers
The Cowboys rushed for 260 yards and four touchdowns against Howard Payne. Braylon Henry had 114 yards and Noah Garcia added 104. It was the second 100-yard effort for both players this season. Garcia now has eight 100-yard rushing games in his career. 
 
Dozie Finds The End Zone
Dozie Ifeadi found the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Kyle Brown against HPU. It is his fifth touchdown this season of over 20 yards. HSU has 12 touchdown connections of over 20 yards on the season.
 
Courtland Short's First Start
Freshman Courtland Short recorded a start at safety last week, becoming the 19th different Cowboy to earn a start on the defensive side of the ball this season.
 
Patterson Adds Another Sack
Senior linebacker Charlie Patterson added another sack last week against Howard Payne. His five sacks lead the American Southwest Conference this season. For his career, including his time at Illinois College he now has 16.5 sacks. He also has 39 career tackles for loss, including 7.5 this season.
 
Moving Up The Charts
Junior placekicker Grayson Bearden has now made 45 PATs and five field goals on the season. He has made a field goal in four straight games and his 60 points are second in the ASC only behind teammate Noah Garcia's 68.  For his career, he has made 123 PATs which is fourth all-time at HSU. His 14 field goals have him fifth all-time.
 
Century Mark
The Cowboys now have 100 players that have played in a game on the varsity level this season. The Cowboys have also played a greater than normal number of freshmen with 20 true freshmen playing in a game this season.
 
About The Crusaders
UMHB comes into the game with a record of 4-2 overall and 3-1 in American Southwest Conference play. Kamerin Ferguson (449 yards, six TDs), Asa Osburn (307 yards) and Daunte Blake (202 yards) lead a three-headed rushing attack. Jake Wright, who replaced Isaac Phe as the quarterback in the first HSU-UMHB game, has remained the starter. He has completed 48-of-80 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. T.J. Rone leads the receiving corps with 17 catches. All-American Durand Hill leads the defense with 51 tackles. Edwin Lopez has made four field goals on the year and handles the punting duties.
 

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