File photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
ABILENE — UMHB had just 36 yards of total offense at the half. Hardin-Simmons had 178. And unsurprisingly, given those numbers, the score was one-sided in favor of the Cowboys by the time the two headed to the locker room with two quarters left to play.
HSU’s 20-3 lead at that point set the tone, and despite a fourth-quarter comeback from The Cru, time ran out. Time ran out in Saturday’s game and time ran out on UMHB’s aims at the 2024 American Southwest Conference title. To preserve any chance at the league championship, UMHB needed, at minimum, a win inside Shelton Stadium. Ideally, a win by 21 or more.
But a lack of efficiency on offense and a 20-point second quarter surge from HSU resulted in the Cowboys preserving their undefeated record in a 27-19 victory, simultaneously sweeping both regular season meetings against UMHB. HSU has now won 13 consecutive home games, dating back to September 2022.
It also marks HSU’s third-straight win over the Crusaders, the longest win streak for the Cowboys in the series since four consecutive wins from 1998 to 2001.
HSU finished with 300 yards of offense to UMHB’s 238, yet it was the Cowboy defense that really paved the way to their victory. Coming into the game, UMHB’s offensive line had allowed just three sacks, yet HSU recorded double of that amount on Saturday alone, with six for a total loss of 43 yards. HSU intercepted UMHB quarterback Jake Wright twice as well, and held The Cru to just a third-down conversion rate of just 27.2% (3-of-11).
How it happened
UMHB led 3-0 through the opening quarter, with the lone scoring drive in the first 15 minutes coming for The Cru. After the two sides exchanged punts, Durand Hill stepped in front of Kyle Jones’ second pass of the drive, giving the offense possession on the Cowboys’ 28-yard line. A pair of penalties on the ensuing drive set UMHB behind the chains, but Edwin Lopez’s 37-yard field goal split the uprights, giving The Cru its first—and as it turned out, only—lead of the contest.
The counter from the Cowboys came in the form of a lengthy drive that seemed to slowly push back the UMHB defense as HSU edged closer to the goal line. 75 yards were covered in 16 plays, taking seven minutes, 13 seconds off the clock. But that was just the beginning for the HSU offense, who scored on three of its final four drives of the opening half. UMHB held HSU to a field goal on the drive that followed the touchdown, but the kick return game stepped into play majorly with just under five minutes in the second quarter.
Backed up deep in their own territory on the 17-yard line, Lopez’s punt went just 32 yards, and was taken in the other direction by Dameon Gomes for a 42-yard return. That put HSU on The Cru’s seven-yard line, with the Cowboys leading 10-7. It took just one play for Braylon Henry to find the end zone, as the Cowboys extended their advantage on a 7-yard rushing score around the left side of the line.
HSU carried the momentum into halftime in part because of that, but also due to the final two plays of the second quarter. With the clock ticking down and UMHB aiming to get in field goal range before the end of the quarter, Jake Wright took the snap on first down from the Crusader 43-yard line. But rather than finding its way into the hands of a UMHB receiver, HSU defensive back Keyon House intercepted the pass and tacked on a 46-yard return, kept out of the end zone only by a tackle from Asa Osbourn. HSU settled for a 23-yard field goal, but more than anything, the interception and unexpected points late in the quarter seemed to put the Cowboys in firm control.
The same felt true in the third quarter, as UMHB managed just two yards on its first three plays of the second half, and the second drive ended with Wright’s second interception of the afternoon. Between those two, HSU put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive that took five minutes off the clock and widened the lead to 27-3 with 8:10 left in the third.
The fourth quarter was a different story entirely. UMHB’s offense suddenly found a second wind, scoring on consecutive drives for the only time on Saturday afternoon. A 12-play, 79-yard drive saw Daunte Blake carry the ball across the goal line from four yards out for The Cru’s first touchdown, and the two-point conversion was successful. The defense picked up there, forcing a punt, as the UMHB offense took possession with 7:07 left. It took almost no time at all—just four total plays—for Wright to march the offense 87 yards and into the end zone. Completions of 29 and 55 yards highlighted the drive, as Jerry Cephus caught a pass down the left side of the field and took it all the way to the two-yard line. It set up Blake’s second rushing touchdown of the fourth, and with the two-point conversion attempt successful for the second time—this time on a run from Wright—UMHB found itself within one possession, trailing by eight.
Yet again. the defense forced a punt, putting the ball back in Wright’s hands with 1:48. The opportunity was there for a game-tying drive, even with UMHB starting on its own 38-yard line. There was enough time on the clock, but back-to-back sacks sent the Crusader offense backwards on the first two plays. Facing 3rd & 24, Wright found T.J. Rone for a gain of 16, but needing a first down on 4th & 8, the pass to Jerry Day Jr. was broken up by HSU’s Micah Henderson.
The Cowboys sealed the win there, improving to 9-0 overall, and 5-0 in ASC play. UMHB drops to 4-3 overall, and 3-2 against conference opponents. The regular season finale against Howard Payne is set for 1 p.m. in Belton next Saturday. HPU is 2-7 overall and winless in conference play, at 0-5. The Crusaders won the first meeting against the Yellow Jackets, 41-0, in Brownwood.
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