(Abilene) – Texas Lutheran football looks for its first ever two-game winning streak over Hardin Simmons on Saturday when the programs continue the 2021 spring season in an American Southwest Conference West Division showdown at Shelton Stadium in Abilene.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 19-3. The Bulldogs used three defensive touchdowns to win the 2019 meeting 38-27 in Abilene. TLU’s only other wins over HSU came in 2005 and 2014.
The Bulldogs moved to 2-0 in Ricky Matt’s first season as head coach with a 24-3 home win over Sul Ross State last Saturday.
Hardin Simmons opened coach Jesse Burleson’s 10th season with a 49-7 blowout of cross-town rival McMurry on the Warhawks’ home field last week.
The Cowboys piled up 604 yards of total offense against McMurry. All-ASC Honorable Mention quarterback Kyle Jones threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns while running for 71 yards on nine carries. Junior running-back Mark Reed, tasked with replacing the graduated ASC Offensive Player of the Year and All-American Jaquan Hemphill, rushed for 75 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.
Cade Bell (5 rec., 72 yds.) and Jalen Crawford (3 rec., 69 yds.) led the HSU receivers in the opener. First Team All-ASC performer Kevi Evans did not play against McMurry, but is listed as a starter on this week’s two-deep. He enters Saturday with 71 career catches for 1,396 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons with the Cowboys.
The Bulldogs will try to limit the opportunities for those HSU playmakers by controlling the clock with a rushing attack that averaged 299.5 yards in the first two games. Senior tailback Chris Monroe heads into the matchup with 237 yards and 38 carries after piling up 176 against Sul Ross State. Freshman DaKory Willis has 157 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
Sophomore quarterback Seth Cosme has thrown for 267 yards and two touchdowns while running for 138 yards and two scores. Second Team All-ASC quarterback Wade Freeman returned from a non-COVID medical issue last week to run for 27 yards and a score on nine carries.
Two Bulldogs collected weekly awards in the ASC West. Senior linebacker Dakwa Davis was named the division’s Defensive Player of the Week after recording 11 total tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss in the win over Sul Ross State. Junior kicker Juan Ocampo is the Special Teams Player of the Week after nailing a 34-yard field goal into the wind, finishing 3-3 on extra points, and averaging 51.8 yards on kickoffs.
Saturday’s kickoff at Shelton Stadium in Abilene is set for noon. The radio broadcast will air on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com, and a free live video stream will be available at tlubulldogs.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 11:30 a.m.