14/16 Hardin-Simmons (1-0) at 12/14 UW La Crosse (0-1)
Saturday, Sept. 12 - 1 p.m.
Veterans Memorial Stadium - La Crosse, Wis.
Full Game Notes | Broadcast
Jesse Burleson Show
Player Spotlight: Kade Sink
Opening Kickoff
Hardin-Simmons hits the road for La Crosse, Wis., for a nationally ranked matchup with UW-La Crosse. HSU enters the game with a 1-0 record after beating Chapman 44-24 in last week's season opener. UWL lost its opener at Saint John's, 24-21. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs last season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Last week, HSU won its 12th consecutive season opener. Chapman scored on a double-reverse pass on the second play of the game, but the HSU defense clamped down after that. The Cowboys settled for field goals in the first half and trailed 7-6 at halftime.
Dylan Hardin changed the complexion of the game when he returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Shawn Kazouh then intercepted a pass and Ty Thompson ran 17 yards for a touchdown. HSU scored on every possession of the second half and cruised to the win.
The Cowboys will charter out of Abilene on Friday and return home after the game Saturday evening. It is the Cowboys' sixth charter trip since 2022.
On the Air
UW-La Crosse will provide a free broadcast at .
HSU vs. UW-La Crosse
This marks the Cowboys' fourth game against UW-La Crosse, and the road team has won the three previous meetings. HSU won 28-21 in La Crosse in 2023.
This is the first game of a home-and-home series between the two teams, with the Eagles coming to Abilene next season.
Series Results
2007: UW-La Crosse 47, HSU 21 — Abilene
2008: HSU 24, UW-La Crosse 23 — La Crosse, Wis.
2023: HSU 28, UW-La Crosse 21 — La Crosse, Wis.
In the Polls
Hardin-Simmons is ranked No. 14 in the D3football.com poll and No. 16 in the American Football Coaches Association poll. The Cowboys have been ranked for 116 consecutive weeks, including 73 weeks in the top 10.
UWL is No. 12 in the D3football.com poll and No. 14 in the AFCA poll.
Up Next
The Cowboys will return home for a game against Clutch City Prep. The game will not count in the NPI standings.
UWL will play at Division II Wayne State.
A Cowboy Win Would ...
- Be the 530th victory in school history.
- Be the 118th victory of the Jesse Burleson era.
- Be the fourth consecutive win against a team from the WIAC, all on the road.
- Be the 17th consecutive regular-season nonconference win.
- Move HSU's record to 28-1 since 2014 in regular-season nonconference action.
Versus the WIAC
Hardin-Simmons has played teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, widely regarded as one of the top conferences in Division III football, nine times and is 7-2 all-time against teams from the league.
HSU defeated La Crosse 28-21 in 2023 in the teams' most recent meeting. HSU is 5-1 all-time in Wisconsin.
Results
| Date |
Year |
Opponent |
Result |
HSU |
Opp. |
| Sept. 11 |
1999 |
at UW-Whitewater |
W |
25 |
7 |
| Sept. 9 |
2000 |
UW-Whitewater |
W |
37 |
8 |
| Sept. 13 |
2003 |
UW-Stout |
L |
21 |
31 |
| Sept. 3 |
2005 |
at UW-Stevens Point |
W |
38 |
12 |
| Sept. 2 |
2006 |
UW-Stevens Point |
W |
49 |
17 |
| Sept. 1 |
2007 |
UW-La Crosse |
L |
21 |
47 |
| Sept. 6 |
2008 |
at UW-La Crosse |
W |
24 |
23 |
| Sept. 17 |
2022 |
at UW-Platteville |
W |
41 |
0 |
| Sept. 9 |
2023 |
at UW-La Crosse |
W |
28 |
21 |
Model of Consistency
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 33 of the last 34 seasons.
The Cowboys have won at least eight games every season since 2015, excluding the COVID-shortened season. Only four teams in the nation have a longer streak than HSU's nine consecutive seasons with at least eight victories.
Oh, Captain, My Captain
Hardin-Simmons will have three offensive captains, three defensive captains and one quick reaction forces captain. The captains were selected by a player vote following spring practice.
Harrison Foster and Kaiden Roden are serving as captains for the second time. The remaining captains are serving in the role for the first time.
For Starters
Keyon House, Caden Sampson-Stuckey, Matt Pascuzzi, Harrison Foster and Lucas Ragsdale were returning starters on defense, while Mike McAfee and Wes Douglas returned as starters on offense.
Twelve different players made the first starts of their careers. Chris Woodley, Mason Butchee and Bruin Wright each had one career start before Saturday.
Offensive Recap
The Cowboys recorded 28 first downs and had 450 yards of total offense in the opener. HSU ran for 206 yards and threw for 255 yards while averaging 5.8 yards per play.
HSU did not commit a turnover in the contest. The Cowboys were 5-for-5 in the red zone and 7-for-16 on third down. HSU held the ball for 34:44.
Defensive Recap
The Cowboys held Chapman to 322 yards of offense, with 283 coming through the air. HSU stopped the running game, allowing just 39 yards on 25 attempts, an average of 1.6 yards per rush.
The Cowboys held Chapman to 3-for-15 on third down.
QRF Recap
Pedro Altamirano went 3-for-3 on PATs and field goals in the game and had five touchbacks on kickoffs.
Kaden Turner averaged 50.7 yards on three punts. Dylan Hardin had a 94-yard kickoff return and totaled 107 yards on two returns.
Thompson Solid in Debut
Sophomore quarterback Ty Thompson was 23-for-32 for 255 yards passing and ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns in his first start as a Cowboy.
Toting the Rock
The Cowboys are expected to use a variety of backs this season. J.T. Washington was solid in his first career start, rushing for 84 yards on 14 carries and scoring one touchdown.
Guy Powell added 30 yards, while Cayden Jones had 14 yards. Keagan Ables had four carries for 14 yards in the short-yardage package and scored a touchdown.
New Receiver Room
The Cowboys' new receivers had good debuts. Jairdyn Anderson led the unit with six catches for 89 yards.
Justin Herman had two catches for 63 yards, while Dylan Hardin had three catches for 25 yards.
Returners Harison Brockway, with four catches for 31 yards; Wes Douglas, with two catches for 17 yards; and Guy Powell, with four catches for 28 yards, also contributed.
To the House
Dylan Hardin, a transfer in his first game with the Cowboys, changed the course of the game when he returned the opening kickoff of the second half 94 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game.
HSU would not trail the rest of the way.
Kazouh Gets First Pick
Safety Shawn Kazouh picked up his first career interception in the third quarter against Chapman. He returned it 28 yards to set up a Ty Thompson touchdown run.
It was the only turnover of the game for either team.
Sack Party
The Cowboys had four sacks in the opener. Freshman Tyett Morris recorded a sack in his first career game. Transfer Chuks Ikwuemesi had a sack, Lucas Ragsdale had a sack, and Matt Pascuzzi and Kaiden Roden shared one.
About UWL
The Eagles went 8-3 last season and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III playoffs before falling 35-27 to eventual national runner-up North Central.
They rely on senior quarterback Kyle Haas. He was 25-for-42 for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Saint John's. He has thrown for 4,701 yards and 41 touchdowns in his career.
Brodie Mickschl had eight catches for 142 yards last week. Jack Janke had three catches for 26 yards against the Johnnies, but he had 77 catches for 1,029 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
UWL had just 26 yards rushing on 35 attempts last week. Stephen Munson led the Eagles with eight tackles.
Jesse Burleson is in his 16th season as head coach of the Cowboys. HSU is coming off four consecutive NCAA Division III playoff appearances and three straight American Southwest Conference championships.
Burleson enters the season with a 117-36 record at Hardin-Simmons. His 117 victories rank 16th among active Division III coaches. His .765 winning percentage ranks 15th among active Division III coaches.
Staff Updates
Matt Mitchell was promoted to defensive co-coordinator during the offseason and will call the defense. Mitchell moved from coaching the linebackers to coaching the safeties.
Matt Tyler is the lone new member of the coaching staff. He serves as co-defensive coordinator and coaches the linebackers.
Jeff Whitehead enters his 16th season as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator. During Whitehead's tenure, HSU has averaged 40.7 points and 465.7 yards per game.
Last season, the Cowboys averaged 43.3 points and 458.5 yards per game. HSU gained more than 500 yards in five games last season, surpassed 600 yards twice and 700 yards once.
HSU scored more than 50 points four times and more than 60 points three times last season. The Cowboys produced 61 plays of at least 20 yards.
J.J. Elkins returns as the quick reaction forces coordinator. Under Elkins, the Cowboys have routinely been among the top special teams units in Division III.
