MARSHALL, Texas – Traveling to West Texas for a third trip this season, East Texas Baptist University will face #10 Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday. ETBU has played McMurry and Howard Payne already this season in West Texas.
 
ETBU enters game six of the 2022 season with a 2-3 record and is 2-2 in the American Southwest Conference. This will be the third ranked opponent in six weeks that ETBU will face as they have played #19 Wisconsin-Oshkosh and #4 Mary Hardin-Baylor. It is the first season since 2016 that ETBU has faced three nationally ranked teams in a season #21 Texas Lutheran, #3 UMHB, and #10 HSU.
 
It will be another tough challenge for ETBU facing their second straight top 10 opponent. HSU is 4-1 and 2-1 in the American Southwest Conference coming off a 70-35 win over Sul Ross State. They are averaging 51 points per game and almost 500 yards of offense.
 
"I've always thought that Hardin-Simmons has been one of the most physical teams in our conference. They get after it and their guys are ready to play each week. Coach Burleson does a super job of getting them geared up and they will be fighting for four quarters. We will have to get after it from the start of the whistle," says head coach Brian Mayper.
 
It has been since 2015 since an ETBU victory over Hardin-Simmons in the monsoon game at Ornelas Stadium. ETBU won 27-21 coming back in the second half for the win and a share of the ASC Championship. Overall, HSU holds the advantage in the series, 19-2. The other year that ETBU won came in 2011, in Marshall, 26-22. ETBU has never defeated the Cowboys in Abilene in their 10 meetings at Shelton Stadium.
 
The HSU offense is fifth in the nation in scoring at 51.0 points per game and 25^th in total yards per game (458.4 yards). They will have to face a defense that is fifth in the nation in sacks at 4.20 per game with 21 on the year which is seventh most in NCAA Division III. ETBU will have to contain the HSU running game as they are 23rd in the nation averaging 217.6 yards per game.
 
ETBU is coming off a 24-7 loss to #4 Mary Hardin-Baylor holding a team that averaged almost 44 points a game to just 24. Devian Wilson scored late in the fourth quarter for ETBU's only score as the offense had 222 yards of offense as 174 yards came in the air. Cornelius Banks has now started the last four games and has passed for 874 yards and six touchdowns. Kaleb O'Bryant has been the top receiver with 315 yards and one touchdown. Melek Hamilton continues to be the top rusher with 238 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Joey Williams leads the defense with 37 tackles and has two sacks. Jahkamian Carr has recorded four sacks to lead the team along with Christian Booker. The defense has seven interceptions and forced nine fumbles recovering three. ETBU has also only allowed one fourth down conversion this year in six tries.
 
The game will start at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, in Abilene as ETBU seeks to upset #10 HSU.