Skip To Main Content

Houston Christian University Athletics

OFFICIAL SITE OF HCU ATHLETICS
HCU ATHLETICS
ESPN Plus Logo
Braxton Harris
Juan DeLeon Creative

FB: Huskies Kick Off New Era on Saturday Evening

HCU’s first game under new head coach Braxton Harris is set for 6:00 p.m. at Husky Stadium


 
Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes (0-0) at HCU Huskies (0-0)
Saturday, Sep. 2 – 6 p.m.
Husky Stadium – Houston
 
Watch: ESPN+ (Garrett Jones / Jonathan Fleming)
Live Stats
 
Tickets
Gameday Information
 
HOUSTON – The new era of HCU football makes its highly anticipated public debut this Saturday evening at Husky Stadium when head coach Braxton Harris's team opens the 2023 season against Arkansas Baptist at 6:00 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+ with Garrett Jones handling play-by-play duties and former Husky letterwinner Ja'Halen Norris serving as analyst.
 
HCU heads into the season-opener with a roster featuring the top signing class in program history and an array of transfers mixed with nine offensive and seven defensive starters from last season returning. Defensively, the linebacker corps is led by all-American Rodney Dansby and the Southland Conference's leader in tackles for loss last season, Jalyx Hunt, along with FBS-transfers Josh Ferguson and Xavier McIntyre.
 
The Huskies' secondary is anchored by a number of returners in junior preseason all-conference cornerback Devion Hargrove, senior cornerback Jordan Oliver, junior safety Isaiah Cash and sophomore safety Caleb Flagg. Juniors Zae Smith and Lordswill Uwa-Ndukwe return on the interior of the defensive line with a quartet of transfers (Tausagafou Ho Ching, Joe Cadette, Charles Gonzales and Judas McKenzie) poised to make an impact at the defensive end positions.
 
The offensive line added depth to a talented group of returners, led by Christian Hood, with a number of transfers, including Mahdi Hazime, Nonso Omezi and Jaden Edmonson. At running back, transfers Champ Dozier and Jesse Valenzuela pair with returners RJ Smith, Fudge Woods and Darryle Evans.
 
Senior quarterback Colby Suits comes in with 16 games and eight starts under his belt at the FBS level for ULM and played in offensive coordinator Jason Bachtel's system in high school at North Forney. The Huskies' receiving corps boasts returners Ismael Fuller and Karl Reynolds, who have totaled more than 950 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns across three full seasons combined.
 
This offseason, under Harris and his staff, the program signed a top-10 FCS recruiting class nationally and the number one FCS class in the state of the Texas. HCU's transfer class was ranked in the top-40 in the FCS.
 
NAIA member Arkansas Baptist played its first season of football in 2021 and posted a 1-7 record last year. The Buffaloes averaged 230 yards of offense last year with 116 of those coming on the ground. Sophomore Atavian Ray was the team's top running back last season and put up a 94-yard, one-touchdown performance in a loss at Louisiana Christian.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Huskies begin a three-game road stretch that begins in Bowling Green, Ky. against Western Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 9.
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories