Cowboys Set To Host UMHB In NCAA Playoffs - Hardin-Simmons University (2025)

Opening Kick
Hardin-Simmons and Mary Hardin-Baylor will battle for the third time this season and the third time in seven weeks…HSU has won 14 straight games at Shelton Stadium…HSU comes into the game with three straight wins over the Crusaders…HSU is looking for its 11th win for the first time since the 2000 season, a campaign that ended in the national semifinal…HSU is also looking to snap an 11-game losing streak in the playoffs. All 11 of those games have been to either Mary Hardin-Baylor, Trinity or Linfield, all three teams who are in the HSU side of the bracket this year.

How We Got Here
Hardin-Simmons comes into the game as an automatic qualifier as the champion of the American Southwest Conference. The Cowboys are 10-0 on the year and making their 13th trip to the NCAA playoffs. Mary Hardin-Baylor comes into the tournament as an at-large bid and they advanced to the second round with a 29-22 win over Trinity.

ASC Champions
Hardin-Simmons claimed its second-straight and 10th overall American Southwest Conference Championship this season. HSU has won ASC titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2023 and 2024.

In The Polls
HSU is ranked fourth in the D3football.com poll and is fifth in the American Football Coaches Association poll. HSU has been ranked for 101 straight weeks and in the top 10 for 64 of those weeks.

Broadcast Note
The NCAA will stream all NCAA Division III playoff games 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. There will not be a local stream available. Al Pickett and Ty Crain will have the call.

Up Next
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the third round and play the winner of the Linfield/Texas Lutheran game. If HSU wins, the game will be in Abilene. If HSU loses, the season is over.

A Cowboys Win Would
? Be the 519th in school history.
? Be the fourth-straight against UMHB.
? Be the first win in the playoffs since the 2000 NCAA quarterfinals against Trinity.
? Be the 14th straight win at Shelton Stadium.

Last Time Versus UMHB
Hardin-Simmons beat Mary Hardin-Baylor, 27-19, on Nov. 9 in Abilene to claim its second-straight American Southwest Conference title. The Cowboys led 27-3 after the third quarter. UMHB scored on a pair of Daunte Blake short touchdown runs of four and two yards and both times the Crusaders converted the two-point conversion. UMHB had the ball with a chance to tie the game with 1:48 to play but LeBron Tah and Hayden Hays split a sack on first down and Charlie Patterson added one of his own on second down. UMHB couldn't convert on third and fourth down and the Cowboys ran out the clock on the victory. The Cowboys limited the Crusaders to 238 yards of offense in the game. Heading to the fourth quarter, UMHB only had 77 yards in the contest. UMHB finished the game with 45 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Charlie Patterson was a dominant force in the contest recording 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks for 27 yards. LeBron Tah had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Hey, Have We Met?
This will be the third meeting between Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons this season. The only time the Cowboys played an opponent three times was 1995 when they played Howard Payne twice in the regular season and again in the NAIA playoffs.


Common Foe
HSU is making its 13th trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs and this will be the sixth time that HSU and Mary Hardin-Baylor have faced off. UMHB has won the previous five playoff meetings.

HSU-UMHB Series
UMHB owns a 24-9 advantage in the all-time series on the field. The Crusaders lead 11-5 all-time in Abilene. However, the Cowboys have won three straight games in the series. With a win, the Cowboys' four-game winning streak would tie the longest streak in the series for HSU. The Cowboys do not have a player on their roster that has played for UMHB. Tyler Woods, a tight end who scored last week against Trinity, is the only Crusader player who has played for the Cowboys.

Roster Tidbits
Obviously getting to the playoffs is a big goal but for a team that has played 106 different people in a varsity game there are some players that have played and some that have even started in every game on special teams that don't make the 58-man playoff roster. Position flexibility is always a key. The roster has been basically set with a couple of players that are waiting to see if they can play with injuries. There will be some adjusting to the last couple of spots. The roster breakdown is 20 seniors, 19 juniors, 11 sophomores and 11 freshmen. The 10 freshmen on the NCAA roster are the most in a playoff game for the Cowboys. Last year the Cowboys had six and only two played in the game. HSU has 29 players on the roster this year who were on the playoff roster last year. Braden Hargrove is the only expected defensive starter on Saturday that started last year. Eight offensive players started a year ago and are slated to start Saturday ­-- Noah Garcia, Tailon Garrett, Brock Gibson, Dozie Ifeadi, Hayden Philpot, Khalil Spivey, Garrett Tittle and Bode Walters.

Regular-Season Perfection
The Cowboys completed their first undefeated regular season since 2004. HSU has only had three perfect regular seasons in its Division III history (1999, 2000 and 2004). There are 11 undefeated teams in the nation: Cortland State, DePauw, HSU, Hope, Lake Forest, Mount Union, North Central, Saint John's, Salisbury, Springfield and UMass-Dartmouth. HSU and Texas Wesleyan are the only undefeated college teams in the state of Texas.

Third-Down Efficiency
The Cowboys have converted 50 percent on third down this season, which is 17th nationally. HSU is 5-0 this season and 52-0 all-time under Jesse Burleson when they convert over 50 percent in a game on third down. On fourth down, the Cowboys are converting at 78.6 percent clip, which ranks third in the country. The defense ranks 30th nationally allowing just a 30.7 percent conversion rate. HSU is 5-0 on the year and 41-2 all-time under Burleson when allowing teams to convert at a rate of 25 percent or less.

Playing In Front
HSU has scored first in all but two games this season. ETBU scored first in the last game and led for 6:38 and UMHB kicked a field goal in the last meeting and led for 7:13. HSU also trailed 1:40 against Endicott. In total, the Cowboys have trailed just 16:31 out of the 600 minutes this season.

Balanced Attack
HSU always strives for a balanced attack and this year is no exception. HSU averages 223.4 yards per game passing and 184.7 yards per game on the ground. HSU is averaging 6.5 yards per play this season and averages 37.6 rushing attempts per game and 25.3 passing attempts.

Taking Care of Business Early
The Cowboys have been dominant in the first quarter this season, outscoring opponents 113-16 in the opening frame. ETBU scored on the first possession in the last game, which is the first time this year has scored either on the first possession of the game or the first possession of the second half. HSU's defense has forced a punt in 14 of those 20 first drives. The Cowboys have outscored opponents 149-50 in the second quarter and 92-7 in the third quarter. Opponents scored 102 of their 175 points on the Cowboys in the fourth quarter.

Much Needed Bye
The Cowboys had their bye this season after the second game and they played eight straight games. The earned bye last week came at the right time as the Cowboys were able to heal up some nagging injuries and get refreshed for what they hope is a five-game playoff stretch.
Non-Offensive Scores
Both teams have had a history of finding ways to score either in the kicking game or on defense. HSU has recorded six non-offensive touchdowns and two safeties this season. Dameon Gomes has three kickoff returns for touchdowns, Brandt Patek had a fumble recovery for a touchdown against North American, Micah Henderson returned an interception in the first UMHB game for a score and Mike Akinbisola scored on a 65-yard blocked field goal return against ETBU. Keyon House's interception in the UMHB game in Abilene right before half was returned 46 yards and set up a field goal on the last play of the half for the Cowboys to push the lead to 20-3.

Model of Consistency
Hardin-Simmons has been a model of consistency. HSU has had a winning record in 34 of the last 35 years and they have won at least eight games every year since 2015 (minus the COVID shortened season). Only four teams in the nation have a longer streak than the Cowboys' eight straight eight or more win seasons – Mount Union 34, Johns Hopkins 15, Wheaton (10) and Saint John's 10.

Offensive Notes
? Jeff Whitehead is in his 14th season as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and his teams are always among the national leaders in total offense and scoring offense.
? His teams have averaged over 400 yards every year and over 500 yards a game on four different occasions. The Cowboys have averaged over 35 points a game in all but one season under Whitehead.
? The Cowboys lead the ASC in scoring at 45.1 points per game and rank 16th nationally.
? HSU is averaging 45.1 points per game with a new quarterback, three new receivers and a freshman running back that is second on the team in rushing.
? The Cowboys led the ASC with 184.7 yards rushing per game. It is the third-straight year the Cowboys have led the league in rushing. HSU needs 153 more rushing yards to hit the 2000-yard mark as a team for the seventh-straight season.

Defensive Notes
Craig Neece is in his first season as the defensive coordinator and has brought an attacking-style defense that emphasizes getting to the quarterback.
The Cowboys lead the ASC with 29 sacks on the season. HSU has also forced 18 turnovers on the year, nine fumbles and nine interceptions.
As it turned out the Cowboys only had one player (Braden Hargrove) that started the season opener on defense that was a starter a year ago.
The defense has been fueled by three impact transfers that earned first-team all-ASC honors. Charlie Patterson and Kaiden Roden at linebacker and Harrison Foster at safety.
The Cowboys led the ASC in scoring defense allowing just 17.5 points per game. The Cowboys also led the conference in total defense allowing just 295.1 yards per game.

Special Teams Notes
The Cowboys' special forces units have been a true weapon this season. J.J. Elkins heads up the special teams unit.
HSU ranks third nationally, averaging 27.5 yards per kickoff return. HSU is 32nd nationally in net punting at 36.8 yards per kick. They lead the nation in punt return defense allowing -1.4 yards per return. HSU is 14th nationally in punt returns at 14.6 per return.
Dameon Gomes is fourth national in combined kick returns with 924 yards. He is first nationally with three kickoff return TDs, is fourth in kickoff return average at 31.9 and third in punt returns at 19.1 per return.
Freshman kicker Ethan Brumgard has been a weapon. He has 38 on 78 kickoffs, he is averaging 37.2 yards per punt. He has also taken over placekicking duties and went 9-for-9 on PATs and 3-for-3 on field goals in the final two games.
Senior Braden Hargrove has three blocked kicks on the season, he was an All-American special teams player a year ago when he had four blocks. He is the school's single-season and career (8) blocked kick leader.

Position-By-Position
Quarterback (3)
Coach: Jeff Whitehead
Kyle Brown, Braden St. Ama, Derrick Roberson
The Cowboys will suit up three quarterbacks for the playoffs. Kyle Brown is the starter and in his first season with the Cowboys. Braden St. Ama is the backup and is in his fourth season in the program. He also serves as the holder on placekicks. Derrick Roberson is a sophomore who transferred in from North Central, who played for the Stagg Bowl last season.
Brown transferred in from West Texas A&M last spring. He won the starting job in fall camp.
Brown has completed 66.3 percent of his passes, going 159-of-240. He has 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions on the year and has thrown for 2180 yards. He averages 13.7 yards per completion and 9.1 yards per attempt.
Brown has completed 66.3 percent of his passes, going 159-of-240. He has 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions on the year and has thrown for 2180 yards.
Roberson has a package in short-yardage situations and he scored on a touchdown run in the last game against UMHB.

Offensive Line (13)
Coach: Jesse Burleson
Kaden Bradshaw, Mason Butchee, Brian Hargrove, Johrdan Howard, Jadyn Lehde, Jaxon Lunsford, Mike McAfee, Hayden Philpot, Tristen Robinson, Khalil Spivey, Garrett Tittle, Bode Walters and Blake Wilson
The offensive line has allowed just 12 sacks on the year and has paved the way for 184.7 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry.
The Cowboys have started the same unit of Spivey (left tackle), Tittle (left guard) Philpot (center), Walters (right guard) and Lunsford (right tackle) in nine of the 10 games
Spivey was named the ASC offensive lineman of the year. It was the second straight year HSU has had the top offensive lineman and the seventh time under Jesse Burleson, who is the HSU offensive line coach.
Spivey, Tittle, Philpot and Walters were named first team All-ASC.
Tittle made his first career start last year against Trinity in the playoffs and it was Walters second career start in that game. HSU lost All-American Miguel Valdez and all-conference tackle Bryce Hernandez to knee injuries in the last two games of the year.

Wide Receiver (6)
Coach: J.J. Elkins
Shemar Davis, Wes Douglas, Tailon Garrett, Dozie Ifeadi, Christian Marshall and Kris Sims
Tailon Garrett and Dozie Ifeadi were the only two returning receivers going into the season for the Cowboys but the group of receivers has been a strength of the team.
Davis, Douglas, Marshall and Sims are all transfers in their first season in the Cowboy program. In fact, all six HSU receivers are transfers into the program.
Garrett leads the group with 42 catches for 647 yards and four touchdowns. He is a reliable possession receiver but also can get over the top.
Sims has 26 catches for 428 yards and four scores. He has played in the slot.
Dozie Ifeadi is a big-play threat on the outside. He has 297 yards on 22 catches and leads the team with six touchdowns.
Wes Douglas has 19 catches for 288 yards and is a playmaker. He has scored on four of his 19 catches.
Davis and Marshall are big-play candidates but the other four have received the majority of the snaps with the first unit.

Running Back (4)
Coach: Cade Bell
Noah Garcia, Dameon Gomes, Braylon Henry, Colton Marshall
HSU has a deep stable of backs. Veterans Noah Garcia and Colton Marshall have battled injuries but that has let freshman Braylon Henry and Dameon Gomes (who moved over from receiver mid-season) to emerge as serious threats.
Garcia leads the way with 128 carries for 735 yards and 11 scores and is a threat with the ball in his hands as a runner and receiver. He is a big-play threat. He has 1,894 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in his career. He has eight 100-yard games in his career.
Marshall has been mainly just a short-yardage back this season and he will often run the wildcat formation at quarterback. He is hard to take down and has 234 yards and four scores. He has 35 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks third in school history. He has also started working some as a tight end/H-back.
Henry was the ASC co-freshman of the year and he has rushed for 564 yards on 105 carries and scored nine touchdowns. He gets the tough yards and had 85 yards on 26 carries against UMHB the last game when Garcia and Marshall both were out with injuries. He has a pair of 100-yard games this season.
Gomes is dynamic with the ball in his hands as a returner and has also played receiver but has made the move to running back and rushed for 130 yards on 12 carries. He had 48 yards on a season-best six carries against UMHB.

Tight End (3)
Coach Matt Fanning
Duncan Alexander, Brock Gibson, Jeremiah Richard
The Cowboys have used their tight ends more in the passing game this season, but they are used heavily in the blocking game. HSU features several two tight-end sets and sometimes three tight ends.
Brock Gibson has started 20 games in his career and has played in 26. He was a first-team all-ASC selection. He has a career-high 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Alexander and Richard each have one catch on the season. Alexander's was for a touchdown.

Defensive Line (9)
Coach: Thomas Niles
Mark Champion, Braden Hargrove, Hayden Hays, Seyi Joseph, Caden Sampson-Stuckey, Cayden Scott, Larry Smith-Bell, LeBron Tah, Keuntaye Williams
The defensive line was the No. 1 question for the Cowboys heading into last offseason because the Cowboys graduated four seniors that had played a lot of snaps at the position.
Braden Hargrove had started 23 games prior to this season. Hayden Hays was the only other Cowboy defensive lineman with a start.
Hays has been a steady player at defensive end and has 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.HSU has benefited from the emergence of three freshmen - LeBron Tah, Seyi Joseph and Larry Smith-Bell and two players that moved up from the Devo team - Mark Champion and Keuntaye Williams.
Sampson-Stuckey and Scott both played on varsity last year in reserve roles.
Hargrove was the ASC defensive lineman of the year and is a steady force and gets everyone in the right spots. He has 26 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss with two sacks.
Tah has emerged as a legitimate passing rushing threat and he is second on the team with 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. He has only played in six games. Joseph had a strong start to the with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. Injuries set him back in the middle year but he has all the tools to be a pass rusher.

Linebackers (8)
Coach: Matt Mitchell
Tray Ervin, Cason Hanna, Javion Mays, Phillip Meyers, Brandt Patek, Charlie Patterson, Lucas Ragsdale, Kaiden Roden
Patterson and Roden, both transfers, have come in and been immediate impact players at linebacker.
Patterson was the ASC defensive player of the year after earning conference player of the year last year at Illinois College. He leads the ASC with 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Roden, a sophomore, leads the league in tackles with 88 and is right behind Patterson with 12 tackles for loss and he also has four sacks.
The star linebacker position has been a revolving door before sophomore Tray Ervin finally settled into the role. He has been increasingly making more and more plays.
The two's at linebacker are all three newcomers. Phillip Meyers and Brandt Patek are freshmen and Lucas Ragsdale moved up from the developmental squad. They have all had big moments and are key special teams players as well.
Cason Hanna, who is a team captain, has seen his role at linebacker diminish this season but he has been a great teammate and leader and is one of the top special teams players on the team.

Secondary (13)
Coach: Logan Floyd
Mike Akinbisola, Tre Allen, Jay Black, Corbyn Cornell, Perrish Cox, Mason Cravens, Harrison Foster, Stratton Hayes, Micah Henderson, Keyon House, Justin Moore, Courtland Short, Jaymarcus Wilson
Mason Cravens, Jaymarcus Wilson, Perrish Cox and Keyon House have seen the bulk of the action at corner.
Cravens has started every game and been the most consistent cover corner. Cox and Wilson have shared time as starters on the other side. Cox started the season as the starter and then was injured. Wilson took over and Cox has been slowly working back in the last couple of games. House has made big plays as a freshman.
Cravens has started every game and been the most consistent cover corner. He leads the team with six pass break ups. Cox and Wilson have shared time as starters on the other side. Cox started the season as the starter and then was injured. Wilson took over and Cox has been slowly working back in the last couple of games. House has made big plays as as a freshman. Jay Black adds depth and experience and is also a good player on special teams.
Mike Akinbisola and Harrison Foster started every game at two of the safety positions and both were first-team all-ASC performers. Foster leads the team with three interceptions, has forced a fumble and is second on the team with 80 tackles. He transferred from Abilene Christian and moved to safety after the spring, when he was playing wide receiver. Akinbisola has 30 tackles and is second on the team with five pass break ups.
The other safety spot has seen several different players. Senior Tre Allen and freshmen Courtland Short and Micah Henderson have seen the most snaps.
Corbyn Cornell and Stratton Hayes both moved over from offense and add depth along with Justin Moore. They also contribute on special teams.

Specialists (2)
Coach: J.J. Elkins
Ethan Brumgard and Cade Smillie
Ethan Brumgard will handle all of the kicking for the Cowboys.
He has handled kickoff and punting duties all season. He kicked FGs and PATs the last two games after Grayson Bearden had an appendectomy.
Smillie has had a solid season in his first season as the varsity deep snapper.

About UMHB
The Crusaders are back in the NCAA playoffs after a year's absence and are led by third-year head coach Larry Harmon. UMHB advanced to the second round with a first-round win at Trinity, 29-22. UMHB averages 31.9 points per game and 365.2 yards per game on offense. Defensively, they allow 20.8 points and 300.3 yards per game. Jake Wright replaced Issac Phe at quarterback during the first game with HSU and he has completed 59.1 percent of his passes (88-of-149) for 1,225 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Kamerin Ferguson (541 yards and seven TDs), Asa Osbourn (415 yards and two TDs) and Daunte Blake (252 yards and three TDs) give the Crusaders a three-headed option at running back. T.J. Rone leads the receiving corps with 27 catches for 242 yards. Jerry Cephus has 20 catches for a team-best 373 yards. A.J. Williams averages 20 yards per catch on his 11 receptions this season. Defensively, All-American Durand Hill is the leader and he has 72 tackles on the year with three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks. The Crusaders have forced 30 turnovers on the year (16 interceptions and 14 fumbles). Justin Hines-Moore leads the team with five sacks. Edwin Lopez is a quality kicker and punter. He is 11-of-14 on field goals, including making an ASC-record six in a game against Howard Payne. He averages 39.9 yards per punt. Rone averages 28.6 yards on 11 kickoff returns and Matthew Jackson has three returns for 128 yards, including an 86-yard score against Howard Payne. This is UMHB's 18th trip to the NCAA playoffs.