2021 Houston Baptist Huskies football team

The 2021 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 0–11 with a mark of 0–8 in conference play, placing last out of six teams in the Southland. Houston Baptist played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.

2021 Houston Baptist Huskies football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	0–11 (0–8 Southland)
Head coach	Vic Shealy (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Cedric Cormier (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Shane Eachus (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Roger Hinshaw (9th season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	Husky Stadium

2021 Southland Conference football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
Nicholls		5	–	3					6	–	5
McNeese State *		3	–	5					4	–	7
Northwestern State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Houston Baptist		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from STATS Poll

Preseason

Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll in July 2021. The Huskies were picked to finish sixth in the conference. In addition, six Huskies were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team.

Preseason All–Southland Teams

Offense

1st Team

• Christian Hood – Offensive Lineman, SO

2nd Team

• Dreshawn Minnieweather – Running Back, SR

Defense

1st Team

• Patrick Wolfe – Defensive Back, SR

2nd Team

• Segun Ijiyera – Defensive Lineman, JR
• Philip Ossai – Defensive Lineman, SO
• Brennan Young – Linebacker, JR

Personnel

2021 Houston Baptist Huskies football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Tyson Thompson  Fr RB 2 Ean Beek Jr TE 3 Coleman Robinson Sr WR 5 DJ Dormeus So WR 6 Darrion Sherfield  Fr WR 7 Aaron Marquez Jr QB 7 Christian Pack  Fr QB 10 Desmond Young  Fr WR 11 Branden Walker So WR 12 Jaylon Johnson Jr WR 14 Vernon Harrell So TE 15 Josh Alfaro Jr WR 17 Ismael Fuller  Fr QB 18 Blaise Bentsen  Fr WR 19 Jaylon Coleman  Fr RB 20 Ladarius Dickens Sr WR 23 Nathan Culbreath  Fr WR 24 Lane Botkin Sr RB 24 RJ Smith  Fr RB 25 Fudge Woods  Fr RB 27 Darryle Evans  Fr RB 28 Dreshawn Minnieweather Sr OL 55 Christian Hood So OL 62 Victor Buenrostro So OL 65 Jade Ashalintubbi So OL 68 Dylan McCreery Jr OL 70 Nathan Morrow So OL 71 William Brewer Jr OL 75 Gabriel Martinez Jr OL 76 Spencer Blake Jr OL 77 Edouard Paradis So OL 77 Kendal Septs  Fr WR Isaiah Bibb  Fr RB Xzavier Ford  Fr WR Saleim Kahleh  Fr QB Orion Olivas Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 1 Patrick Wolfe Sr CB 2 Keaton Dickey So S 3 Isaiah Cash  Fr CB 5 Coi Miller Jr CB 6 Fred Johnson Jr.  Fr DL 7 Luke Horner  Fr S 8 Colton Manning Jr DL 10 Segun Ijiyera Jr CB 11 Devion Hargrove  Fr LB 13 Danny Lenard II So S 14 Corey Smooth  Fr LB 15 Christian Guillory So CB 16 Delon Smith Sr S 18 Joshua Graham  Fr S 19 Darius St. Cyr So CB 20 Kenneth Kemp  Fr CB 21 Joel Davila  Fr CB 22 Channing Canada So CB 24 Donovan Sanders  Fr CB 25 Derrick Wilson So CB 26 Tekaari Slaughter So DB 27 Dameon Dawson So LB 28 Ethan McCollum  Fr LB 29 Peyton Kennedy  Fr LB 30 Archie Bijou So LB 33 Cole Averette So LB 34 David Williams  Fr LB 41 Jeremy Ardoin Sr LB 42 Brennan Young Jr LB 43 Christian Hart So DL 45 Vejon Wallis Sr DE 46 Carter Couch Sr DL 47 Chase Stokes So DL 48 Philip Ossai So DL 49 Delvin Mason Jr DL 90 Kyler Baugh So DL 92 Lordswill Uwa-Ndukwe  Fr DL 94 Chad Opoku Jr S Marcus Edwards  Fr DT Joe Marino Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 31 Kaleb Halfmann  Fr LS 36 Garrett Scott Jr K 37 Gino Garcia So K 38 Cade Hill So P Brady Buell Jr	Head coach Vic Shealy (Richmond) Coordinators/assistant coaches Cedric Cormier (Colorado) Offensive coordinator/inside receivers Shane Eachus (James Madison) Defensive coordinator/s Roger Hinshaw (Appalachian State) Co-defensive coordinator/lb Tyler Schovanec (Case Western) Special teams coordinator/rb Jared Kaster (Texas Tech) Run game coordinator/ol Kendrick Kitchens (Jackson State) Wide receivers Gabe Lynn (Oklahoma) Cornerbacks Issac Mooring (North Carolina) Defensive linemen Drake Smithton (Oklahoma State) Quarterbacks Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 18 July 2021

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	at New Mexico*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	L 17–27	15,908
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Northern Colorado*	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	L 13–45	2,135
September 18	6:00 p.m.	at Prairie View A&M*	Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX	L 27–37	8,476
October 2	3:00 p.m.	at Nicholls	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	L 17–48	5,840
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Northwestern State	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	L 17–21	1,987
October 16	4:00 p.m.	at No. 11 Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	L 24–61	7,389
October 23	7:00 p.m.	Nicholls	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	L 14–44	2,362
October 30	3:00 p.m.	at No. 22 Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	L 21–49	2,711
November 6	3:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	L 24–28	3,621
November 13	2:00 p.m.	McNeese State	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	L 3–44	2,325
November 20	2:00 p.m.	No. 18 Incarnate Word	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	L 14–55	1,931
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

At New Mexico

Houston Baptist at New Mexico

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	10	0	7	17
• Lobos	14	7	3	3	27

• Date: September 2, 2021
• Location: University Stadium
  Albuquerque, NM
• Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3 hours and 3 minutes
• Game attendance: 15,908
• Game weather: • Weather: Sunny • Wind: TBD
• Referee: Cal McNeill
• TV announcers (KASY-TV/ESPN+): Jeff Siembieda (play–by–play) and George Carter (analyst)

    

Scoring summary

1	12:50	NM	Kyle Jarvis 11–yard pass from Terry Wilson Jr. (Andrew Shelley kick) (3 plays, 22 yards, 1:28)	NM 7–0
	08:16	NM	Trace Bruckler 4–yard pass from Terry Wilson Jr. (Andrew Shelley kick) (9 plays, 74 yards, 4:02)	NM 14–0
2	12:59	HBU	Tyson Thompson 44–yard punt return (Gino Garcia kick)	NM 14–7
	04:27	HBU	Gino Garcia 45–yard field goal (16 plays, 48 yards, 6:09)	NM 14–10
	02:40	NM	Keyonte Lanier 47–yard pass from Terry Wilson Jr. (Andrew Shelley kick) (4 plays, 59 yards, 1:40)	NM 21–10
3	06:22	NM	Andrew Shelley 30–yard field goal (10 plays, 38 yards, 5:42)	NM 24–10
4	04:03	HBU	Charles King 6–yard pass from Blaise Bentsen (Gino Garcia kick) (7 plays, 40 yards, 2:57)	NM 24–17
	01:38	NM	Andrew Shelley 37–yard field goal (4 plays, 7 yards, 1:21)	NM 27–17

See also: 2021 New Mexico Lobos football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	New Mexico
First downs	15	16
Total yards	187	308
Rushing yards	–9	129
Passing yards	196	179
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	26:47	33:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing	Blaise Bentsen	27/47, 196 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Dreshawn Minnieweather	5 carries, 21 yards
	Receiving	Charles King	7 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
New Mexico	Passing	Terry Wilson Jr.	20/26, 174 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Aaron Dumas	15 carries, 57 yards
	Receiving	Keyonte Lanier	3 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD

Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bears	14	7	17	7	45
Huskies	0	6	7	0	13

• Date: September 11, 2021
• Location: Husky Stadium
  Houston, TX
• Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance:  
• Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Northern Colorado Bears football team

Statistics	Northern Colorado	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Prairie View A&M

Houston Baptist at Prairie View A&M

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	21	3	3	0	27
• Panthers	20	3	7	7	37

• Date: September 18, 2021
• Location: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field
  Prairie View, TX
• Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance:  
• Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Prairie View A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Prairie View A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Nicholls

Houston Baptist at Nicholls

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	14	0	3	17
• Colonels	21	14	10	3	48

• Date: October 2, 2021
• Location: Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium
  Thibodaux, LA
• Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  3:03
• Game attendance:  5,840
• Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Cloudy and muggy • Wind: 7mph ESE
• Referee:  Nolan Dumas
• TV announcers (ESPN3):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Nicholls Colonels football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Nicholls
First downs	10	33
Total yards	182	650
Rushing yards	35	421
Passing yards	147	229
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	22:45	37:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northwestern State

Northwestern State at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Huskies			0

• Date: October 9, 2021
• Location: Husky Stadium
  Houston, TX
• Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance:  
• Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
• Referee:  
• TV announcers (ESPN+):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 11 Southeastern Louisiana

Houston Baptist at Southeastern Louisiana

Team	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
No. 11 Lions			0

• Date: October 16, 2021
• Location: Strawberry Field
  Hammond, LA
• Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance:  7,389
• Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
• Referee:  
• TV announcers (ESPN+):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Southeastern Louisiana
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Nicholls

Nicholls at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Colonels	27	3	7	7	44
Huskies	7	7	0	0	14

• Date: October 23, 2021
• Location: Husky Stadium
  Houston, TX
• Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  03:11
• Game attendance:  2,362
• Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Rain • Wind: 9mph S
• Referee:  Craig Helser
• TV announcers (ESPN+):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Nicholls Colonels football team

Statistics	Nicholls	Houston Baptist
First downs	30	15
Total yards	572	157
Rushing yards	347	8
Passing yards	225	149
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	36:52	23:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 22 Incarnate Word

Houston Baptist at Incarnate Word

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	7	7	7	21
• No. 22 Cardinals	14	14	14	7	49

• Date: October 30, 2021
• Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
  San Antonio, TX
• Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance: 2,711
• Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 7 mph
• Referee: Gary Leeper
• TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play, Shea Walker (analyst), Laura Sadler (sideline)

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Incarnate Word
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Northwestern State

Houston Baptist at Northwestern State

Team	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
Demons			0

• Date: November 6, 2021
• Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
  Natchitoches, LA
• Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance:  
• Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
• Referee:  
• TV announcers (ESPN+):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

McNeese State

McNeese State at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	14	14	3	13	44
Huskies	3	0	0	0	3

• Date: November 13, 2021
• Location: Husky Stadium
  Houston, TX
• Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time:  3:11
• Game attendance:  2,325
• Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 8mph
• Referee:  Ed Bourgeois
• TV announcers (ESPN+):  

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team

Statistics	McNeese State	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 18 Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 18 Cardinals	35	7	10	3	55
Huskies	0	14	0	0	14

• Date: November 20, 2021
• Location: Husky Stadium
  Houston, TX
• Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time:  
• Game attendance: 1,931
• Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 9 mph
• Referee: Craig Helser
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst), Laura Sadler (sideline)

Scoring summary

1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Statistics	Incarnate Word	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving