LA CROSSE, Wis. - No. 14 Hardin-Simmons used a dominant rushing attack and a pair of late touchdown passes from
Ty Thompson to
Wes Douglas to earn a 28-20 road victory over No. 12 UW-La Crosse on Saturday at Roger Harring Stadium.
The Cowboys improved to 2-0 on the season and won their third straight meeting against the Eagles, overcoming three lost fumbles and a fourth-quarter push by UW-La Crosse.
Hardin-Simmons struck first midway through the opening quarter when
Cayden Jones broke loose for a 45-yard touchdown run to cap a 70-yard drive and give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.
UW-La Crosse answered in the second quarter on Jack Janke's 12-yard touchdown run, but Thompson directed a 12-play, 68-yard drive in the closing minutes of the half and found
Jairdyn Anderson for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds remaining to send HSU into halftime with a 14-7 advantage.
The Eagles cut the deficit to 14-10 on Maddox Pratt's 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. After a scoreless stretch that included a Hardin-Simmons red-zone turnover, the Cowboys delivered their longest drive of the day. Thompson completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Douglas with 7:19 remaining to push the lead to 21-10.
UW-La Crosse responded with a field goal to make it an eight-point game, but Thompson and Douglas connected again moments later on a 71-yard scoring strike that restored a two-possession lead at 28-13 with 2:32 to play.
The Eagles added a late touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Kyle Haas to Keaton Arendt, but Hardin-Simmons closed out the victory on its final possession.
Jones paced the Cowboys' ground game with 131 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, while Thompson completed 21 of 29 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns and added 62 rushing yards. Douglas posted a career-best performance with six receptions for 130 yards and two scores, and Anderson added five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Hardin-Simmons finished with 474 total yards, including 218 rushing yards, and converted 15-of-21 third-down attempts. The Cowboys controlled possession for 32:42 and outgained the Eagles 474-317.
Defensively,
Rowdy Rowan led HSU with nine tackles, while
Kaiden Roden recorded seven tackles, two and a half tackles for loss, and a sack. The Cowboys generated four sacks and limited UW-La Crosse to 41 rushing yards.
UW-La Crosse was led by Haas, who threw for 276 yards and a touchdown, while Arendt caught seven passes for 80 yards and a score. Janke added eight receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Hardin-Simmons will be back in action next Saturday against Clutch City Prep at Shelton Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
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