HOUSTON – The HCU football team fell short in its 2024 home opener on Saturday evening at Husky Stadium, dropping a 35-18 decision to 20
th-ranked Tarleton State in the program's first-ever non-conference home matchup with a ranked opponent.
The Huskies (0-2) started the game with the ball, moving 47 yards on eight plays with a pair of quick completions to Calvin Stewart and a 20-yard scamper by
Champ Dozier but the drive stalled out at the Tarleton State (2-1) 29 when a fourth-and-10 attempt failed in the face of strong winds. The Texans then took over and moved the ball 30 yards on eight plays before ultimately failing to convert on fourth down themselves, giving HCU the ball at the HCU 42.
The game remained scoreless through the first quarter with the visitors in the midst of a drive that became an 11-play, 84-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter. The Huskies began their next possession at their own 23-yard line but a
Cutter Stewart pass on second-and-10 was picked off by Donta Stuart, setting up Tarleton State with a short field. Two plays later, Daniel Greek found Cody Jackson in the end zone for another score and a 14-0 advantage.
HCU answered on their next drive, however, with
Deuce McMillan totaling 30 yards on a pair of receptions and
Calvin Hill rushing for consecutive 13-yard gains to put the Huskies at the visitors' six-yard line. Dozier then rushed twice and scored on a three-yard gain to cut the HCU deficit in half with 9:49 left in the half.
The Texans tacked on another score with just 2:21 remaining thanks to a 13-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 7:22 off the clock and sent the teams into the locker rooms at the half with Tarleton State leading, 21-7.
On the opening drive of the second half, safety
Xavier Toliver intercepted a pass at the HCU 44 and returned it 41 yards down the Texans' 15 to give HCU a short field and a chance to get back within seven. The Huskies moved up to the six-yard line on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty but couldn't punch it in to the end zone and settled for a 23-yard
Dillon Fedor field goal.
Tarleton State put together another long touchdown drive in response, again taking it 75 yards on 15 plays and taking more than seven minutes off the clock, extending its lead to 28-10. The Huskies went three-and-out on their next drive and the Texans took advantage, pushing their lead to 25 on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Greek to Darius Cooper with 13:57 on the clock.
The Huskies moved the ball on the ensuing possession, taking it 53 yards on nine plays in just over two minutes before coming up just short on a four-yard completion from Stewart to
Jesse Valenzuela on fourth-and-five at the Tarleton 22. The Texans missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on the next drive, leaving HCU with the ball at its own 23. Stewart then went 6-of-10 on the next HCU possession, marching 77 yards downfield and connecting with
AJ Wilson for a 19-yard touchdown. Stewart then found Wilson in the endzone for a successful two-point conversion to pull HCU back to the final of 35-18.
Wilson led the Huskies with 51 yards receiving on four catches with a score while Wiggins also hauled in four passes for 50 yards. Stewart finished the night 17-of-36 for 201 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Defensively,
Taylor Behl totaled 13 tackles and
D.J. Harris added 10.
The Huskies finished with 289 yards of offense compared to 446 for the Texans with 267 of Tarleton State's yards coming on the ground. The duo of Kayvon Britten and Derrel Kelley III accounted for 260 of those yards.
HCU remains at home next weekend, hosting Louisiana Christian at Husky Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 6:00 p.m.
