Replacing good players is something the Cowboys have become accustomed to over the years and the 2005 version will have to find a way to replace six All-Americans.
The Cowboys lost three-time All-American Will Hansen at cornerback, two-time All-American guard Adam Hernandez, one-time tackle Garet Black, one-time running back Lance Moore, one-time tight end Matt Moskosky and one-time middle linebacker Brent Gailey.
Now for the good news. The Cowboys return two All-Americans from a team that went 10-0 in the regular season and won the American Southwest Conference. Will Galusha was a first-team All-American and returns for his junior season. Kick returning specialist Jared May was also tabbed for postseason All-American honors last season and he returns for his senior campaign.
However, the cupboard is not bare for the Cowboys. For HSU it will start up front where junior guard Joseph Hernandez played like an All-American at times last season and Tye Conry will be a three-year starter at tackle. The second unit played a lot of big minutes for the Cowboys and Josh Knox, Jordan Daniel and Aaron Terrell are ready to fill the holes on the line.
HSU averaged 507.9 yards per game, 5.9 yards per carry and allowed only five sacks all of last season. How fast they come along as a unit will play a big role in the Cowboys' success.
The frontline will protect All-American candidate Jordan Neal at quarterback. The three-year starter will likely break all of the school passing records at some point during the season. He is extremely accurate and had an efficiency rating of 165 last season as he completed 66 percent of his 238 passes for 2,686 yards and 24 TDs.
HSU returns most of its receiving corps. Triandos Sherrard is gone in the slot, but May steps into the starters' role. He caught 33 balls for 554 yards and 16.8 yards per catch last season as mainly a backup. He also averaged almost 17 yards per touch last season on rushes, returns and receptions.
On the outside, starters Josh Howard and Matt Epperson return. Epperson had 21 catches and two TDs and Howard came on strong and had 18 catches, many of the spectacular variety. Jon Williams and Patrick Shelby along with Clint Pace in the slot give the Cowboys' six quality receivers going into the season.
The Cowboys must replace its two-headed rushing attack of Lance Moore and Donta' Hayward. Moore ran for 1,204 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. The leading candidates are Quinton Jones, who had 354 yards on 39 carries, and Thurston Ashley, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry on 16 carries. Jones brings speed and power, whereas Ashley is blazing fast.
Plenty of talent returns to the other side of the ball.
Jermaine Walker and Ruben Reyes are back at the end and give the Cowboys' ability to get to the quarterback. Mike Schroeder and Tony Richards also saw time at end and are back. Most of the defensive tackle rotation is also back. Eric Shults, Terrence Penns and Chris Jones all return in the middle. Shults could be an All-American in the middle.
Gailey is gone after starting every game for three seasons at linebacker, but there is abundant talent in the middle of the defense. Anthony Thomas is back after recording 71 tackles, good for second on the team and part-time starters Richard Sullivan and Robert Galusha are back after solid campaigns. Sullivan may be the fastest linebacker in the conference. Senior starter Jason Rupert is back after tearing his ACL in the third game of the season. He started two seasons ago in the middle and can play all three positions.
The secondary lost one side when three-time All-American Alex Hansen graduated, but Will Galusha had eight interceptions in eight games, before breaking his leg. He will be back and a force. James Revada played well in Galusha' absence and is back and Josh Turner as well as several young cornerbacks will be back in the mix for starting time at corner. The Cowboys' used several safeties last season and return Brody Devaer, Chase Holland, Jake McLean and Cody Deaver all of whom played well last season. Ryan Baker is back after an injury forced him to miss all of 2004.
The kicking game is in good hands with sophomore Shane McCord kicking field goals (5-6) last season, Josh Howard will punt after averaging 41 yards per punt and Cole Martin is back as the kickoff specialist. He was solid kicking the ball deep last season. Jared May returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and was an All-American kick returner last season.
Cowboys Looking For 11th Title in 2005
Hardin-Simmons goes into the 2005 season looking for its third straight American Southwest Conference title. Since reinstating football in 1990, the Cowboys have won 10 conference titles. Jimmie Keeling's crew won its first title in the old Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1993 and proceeded to win TIAA titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996. There is little doubt that the level of play has improved by the year in the American Southwest Conference, but the Cowboys have continued the dominance in the ASC. HSU won titles in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 and shared the title in 2003 and won it outright in 2004. In all, the Cowboys have won 10 of the last 12 conference titles.
Preseason Predictions
Will Galusha has been named to a trio of preseason All-American first teams by Lindy's D3football.com and Street and Smith. Galusha was also named the preseason defensive player of the year by the American Southwest Conference. The Cowboys have been selected fourth by D3football and Lindy's and 10th by Street and Smith in the preseason national polls. HSU was picked second in the ASC. The two previous seasons the Cowboys' were picked second and finished first.
All-American Boys
Hardin-Simmons had what could be a record eight players named to an All-American team last season. The good news for Cowboy fans is two of those All-Americans return for 2005. Will Galusha, who broke his ankle in the eighth game last season, was a first-team selection after recording eight interceptions in eight games. He was also a dangerous return man for the Cowboys. Jared May was an All-American kick returner. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last season. The Cowboys lost cornerback Alex Hansen (a three-time All-American), offensive lineman Adam Hernandez was a two-time All-American and Brent Gailey, Lance Moore and Garet Black were named All-Americans last season and will not be back. Reggie Robinson had 12 tackles and was a first-team All-American at defensive end.
Clean Sweep
The Cowboys won every postseason individual player of the year award handed down last season by the American Southwest Conference. Lance Moore was the offensive player of the year, Brent Gailey was defensive player of the year and Jared May was special teams player of the year. Adam Hernandez was named offensive lineman of the year and Reggie Robinson was named defensive lineman of the year.
Scoring Every Game
The Cowboys go into the 2005 season with a streak of 120 straight games with a touchdown. The streak dates back to Dec. 11, 1993 in a 10-0 loss to Westminster, Pa. The Cowboys have scored 40 or more points 45 times during the streak and have averaged 37.9 points per game in the streak.
Tops in Texas
Dating back to the return of football in 1990 the Cowboys have been the top team in all of Texas college football. Here are some notes on Hardin-Simmons' success.
• Hardin-Simmons has the longest active winning season streak in the
state with 13.
• Hardin-Simmons is one win behind TAMU-Kingsville since 1990, but has
played 14 less games.
• Hardin-Simmons is one win behind UT in the last 10 years, but has
played 17 less games. It leads the state of Texas by a large margin in
winning percentage.
• Hardin-Simmons revived its football program in 1990 after 27 years of
no football on the Forty Acres.
Since 1990 By Pct.
Hardin-Simmons .774
Mary Hardin-Baylor .737
Texas A&M-Kingsville .719
Trinity .708
Texas A & M .695
Texas .695
Howard Payne .669
Texas Tech .561
Angelo State .554
TCU .540
Since 1990 By Wins
Texas A&M-Kingsville 128-50
Hardin-Simmons 127-37
Texas A & M 126-55-1
Texas 126-55-1
Trinity 119-49
Texas Tech 101-79
Howard Payne 101-50
TCU 93-79-1
Texas A&M-Commerce 89-85
Stephen F. Austin 88-77-3
Last 10 years By Pct.
Hardin-Simmons .835
Trinity .832
Mary Hardin-Baylor .737
Texas .734
Texas A&M-Kingsville .731
Howard Payne .710
Texas A & M .614
Stephen F. Austin .604
Texas Tech .602
TCU .581
Last 10 Years By Wins
Texas 92-33-1
Hardin-Simmons 91-18
Trinity 89-18
Texas A&M-Kingsville 87-32
Texas A & M 75-47-1
Texas Tech 74-49
Howard Payne 71-29
TCU 68-49
Stephen F. Austin 68-44-3
Mary Hardin-Baylor 56-20
Record Book Updates
The record book should get a makeover this season as the Cowboys have a trio of players that could make the leap to the top.
Jordan Neal
208 Pass attempts
123 Completions
1193 Passing Yards
15 Passing TDs
21 TDs for most TDs (passing and rushing)
891 yard of total offense
Jared May
Needs 89 yards to become the 14th receiver to top the 1,000-yard mark for his career.
Needs 229 kickoff return yards to become the all-time leader.
Clint Pace
Needs 293 kickoff return yards to become the all-time leader.
Matt Epperson
Needs 363 yards to become the 14th receiver to top the 1,000-yard mark for his career.
