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Contributed by Chad Grubbs, HSU Director of Athletic Communications
ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' football coach Jesse Burleson has announced the 2016 football schedule.
The Cowboys schedule will have a different look from the 2015 campaign in which the Cowboys went 9-1 in the regular season, but plenty of the schedule will look the same.
With the addition of McMurry and Belhaven to the league schedule in 2016 and Southwestern and Texas Lutheran in 2017 HSU will be back to playing a nine-game conference slate. HSU is playing Southwestern and Texas Lutheran in 2016 as non-conference games.
HSU will open the season on Sept. 3 at Southwestern. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. kickoff. HSU won 77-6 last year against the Pirates and leads the all-time series 6-2-2.
After an open date, the Cowboys will travel to Southwestern Assemblies of God for a 1 p.m. game on Sept. 17 in Waxahachie. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.
HSU will then host Texas Lutheran on Sept. 24 for a 1 p.m. game. HSU beat the Bulldogs with a late touchdown a year ago 35-27 and hold a 16-2 advantage in the series.
The Cowboys then open conference play against Sul Ross State on Oct. 1 in Abilene. HSU leads the series 34-3 and won 41-13 last season in Alpine. HSU then travels to Louisiana College on Oct. 8. HSU beat the Wildcats 82-18 in the final game of the regular season in 2015 and lead the all-time series 10-5.
For the second straight year, HSU will host Howard Payne for homecoming. The Cowboys won 63-7 last season and have a 38-24-4 lead in the all-time series.
The annual tilt with Mary Hardin-Baylor will be Oct. 22 in Belton. HSU beat the Cru 29-26 in the regular season last year before falling 37-19 in the playoffs. UMHB leads the all-time series 16-6.
HSU stays on the road for an Oct. 29 game at Belhaven. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.
The Cowboys close the regular season with a pair of home games. HSU will host East Texas Baptist on Nov. 5 and then host McMurry for the Wilford Moore game on Nov. 12. HSU lost 27-21 at ETBU last year and leads the all-time series 14-2 and won 31-13 over McMurry and leads that series 25-4.
HSU returns five starters on offense and five on defense from a team that went 9-2 and won the ASC title and went to the NCAA Playoffs.
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