Schreiner (3-5, 0-3, ASC) at 6/6 Hardin-Simmons (7-0, 3-0, ASC)

Jesse Burleson Show - https://youtu.be/H-JzINQ06-s
Mason Butchee Player Spotlight - https://youtu.be/T5Zdwa5I2zE
 
Hardin-Simmons Cowboys

2026 Record	7-0, 3-0 ASC
Ranking	6 D3football.com/6 AFCA
Head Coach	Jesse Burleson
Alma Mater, year	Hardin-Simmons, 1999
Record at HSU	123-36 (16th season)
Career Record	Same

 
Schreiner Mountaineers

2026 Record	3-5, 0-3 ASC
Ranking	NR
Head Coach	Keith Allen
Alma Mater, year	Oklahoma, 1997
Record at Schreiner	3-5 (first season)
Career Record	27-42 (seventh season)

 
Opening Kickoff
Hardin-Simmons will play its final home game of the regular season as the Cowboys honor their 34 seniors at both the coin toss and halftime on Saturday against Schreiner. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. The Mountaineers are in their first season in the rebirth of their program that had been dormant since 1956. The Cowboys come into the game with a record of 7-0 and 3-0 in conference play. Schreiner won three of its first four games of the season but have lost four straight contests.
 
The Broadcast
The broadcast will be back on FloSports for the remainder of the regular season. You  can get a subscription here. Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased here. FloCollege has made a significant investment in its technology and production capabilities to provide fans with a first-class viewing experience. FloCollege is available through the web, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and smart TV platforms including Roku, Samsung, Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, LG and VIZIO. This partnership will also allow HSU Athletics to reach more viewers and provide our fans with greater access to Cowboy and Cowgirl contests. We encourage you to sign up for your subscription before the first games of the season.
 
The Series
This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Up Next
The Cowboys will travel to Mary Hardin-Baylor for what seems like an annual battle for the American Southwest Conference title. The winner of the HSU-UMHB game has won or shared the ASC title every year since 1998. The last two years the two teams played twice in the regular season, but the streak still holds.  
 
In The Polls
Hardin-Simmons stayed at No. 6 in both the D3football.com Top 25 and the American Football Coaches Association poll. The Cowboys have been ranked for 138 consecutive weeks, including 79 weeks in the top 10. HSU owns the nation's third-longest active ranking streak. North Central leads the way with 234 consecutive weeks, followed by Saint John's at 149. Wheaton ranks fourth with 92 consecutive weeks. HSU was ranked No. 9 in this week's NCAA NPI rankings of the season. The NPI rankings are used to select and seed teams for the NCAA playoffs.
 
A Cowboy Win Would
• Be the 536th victory in school history.
• Be the first win against Schreiner.
• Be the 124th win of the Jesse Burleson era.
• Set up a winner-take-all matchup with Mary Hardin-Baylor next week in Belton.
 
Streaks
• HSU has won 27 straight games in October, dating back to Oct. 26, 2019. The last October loss came on a walk-off field goal by Mary Hardin-Baylor.
• The Cowboys are 27-1 in their last 28 conference games.
• HSU has won 35 straight games against ASC teams other than UMHB.
• HSU has at least four sacks in every game this season.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Howard Payne before the Yellow Jackets scored the final 17 points of the first half, including a field goal at the buzzer, to take the lead. The defense then shut out HPU in the second half. Cayden Jones gave the Cowboys the lead with a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, Pedro Altamirano nailed a 45-yard field goal and Lucas Ragsdale got a sack on fourth down to end the game.
 
Sustained Success
Hardin-Simmons has won at least nine games in each of the last five seasons. The Cowboys are one of only six current Division III programs with at least nine wins in five consecutive seasons. The others are DePauw, Johns Hopkins, Mount Union, North Central and Susquehanna. HSU has advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs in four consecutive seasons, the longest playoff streak in school history. HSU has posted a winning record in 34 of the last 35 seasons. The Cowboys have won at least eight games every season since 2015, excluding the COVID-shortened season. Only three teams in the nation have a longer streak than HSU's nine consecutive seasons with at least eight victories - Mount Union (35), Saint John's (11) and Delaware Valley (11). Delaware Valley and Mount Union need two more wins to get to eight this season.
Sack Attack
HSU added five more sacks last week against Howard Payne, all in the second half. HSU has at least four sacks in every game this season and lead the nation at 4.29 per game. Kaiden Roden leads the way 5.5 sacks and Tyett Morris and Ikwuemesi each have 4.5 and Lucas Ragsdale has four. Not only have the Cowboys put the quarterback on the ground, they are also getting there a ton. Sophomore linebacker Colyn Donnelly has 11 quarterback hurries on the year, which is already a single-season record. HSU has 36 quarterback hurries on the season.
 
Take Away
The Cowboys' two All-Americans Harrison Foster and Kaiden Roden each forced a fumble last week where they basically just ripped the ball away from the offensive players. Both have forced a pair of fumbles this season.
 
Living In The Backfield
Senior defensive end Lucas Ragsdale had one of his best days of his career against Howard Payne as he had three sacks and four tackles for loss. Ragsdale moved to defensive end from linebacker in the middle of the year last year and put on weight in the offseason and has been a big reason for the Cowboys' success on the defensive line this year.
 
Keeping Them Clean
The Cowboy offensive line has done a great job this season of keeping the quarterbacks clean. They have allowed just three sacks on 186 passing attempts. They are also paving the way for 5.7 yards per carry by the running backs and 246.9 yards per game. Mike McAfee was the only returning starter among the group, but the line has come together and been one of the strengths of the team.
 
Third Down Success
The Cowboys lead the nation in third-down conversion percentage at 60.8 percent (62-of-102) on the year. They have converted over 50 percent of the third downs in five of the seven games and HSU is 60-0 all-time under Jesse Burleson when it converts more than 50 percent of its third downs. The defense leads the conference and is 30th nationally allowing just 30.3 percent on the year (33-of-109). The defense has allowed 63 first downs all year, which is 33rd nationally.
 
Senior Day
The 33 seniors who are playing their final regular-season game at Shelton Stadium will come out for the coin toss. This group is 34-6 in their four years, 20-1 in ASC play, and 18-1 at Shelton Stadium. They have won three straight American Southwest Conference titles, played in three consecutive NCAA Playoffs and are in position to make it four of both this season. They also recorded a video that will be played at halftime.
 
About Schreiner
Schreiner won three of its first four games of the year in its first season since 1956. They are averaging 430.3 yards of offense and allowing 509.8 yards. They are playing at the fastest time per play in Division 3. Six different players have more than 100 yards rushing on the year. They average 78.6 plays per game on offense. Isaac Ponce is 117-of-778 for 1,444 yards and seven touchdowns and Major Luna is 58-of-112 for 768 yards. The two have combined for 11 interceptions. President Calamaco has 54 catches for 801 yards. Triston Wilson leads the defense with 55 tackles.
 
 

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