TARLETON

NEXT UP
    The Texans will try to build off their big win over Texas A&M-Commerce last week as they take on the Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday, Oct. 22 in Kingsville.  The Javelinas are dominating the Texans in the all-time series 19 games to five for Tarleton.  TAMUK won last year's meeting 13-10, upsetting the Texans on their homecoming night in Stephenville.

LAST WEEK
    Tarleton picked up just their second win of the season with a 54-27 whooping of Texas A&M-Commerce last Saturday at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.  The Texans racked up 425 yards and scored eight touchdowns in their biggest margin of victory since Nov. 26, 2009.  Cordell Valentine caught a touchdown and returned a kick-off 87 yards for a score.  Courtney Vaughn rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while Nick Stephens went 21-for-33 for 256 yards and a touchdown.
    Rufus Johnson anchored a solid performance by the defense, recording six tackles for loss and two sacks.  He also forced a crucial fumble in the third quarter that was picked up in the end zone for another Texan touchdown.  Marquis Wadley, the LSC's leading tackler, led the Texans with eight total tackles, while Desmond Jackson recorded an interception for Tarleton.
 that Shaver represented to the Texans.  This year, the Texan coaching staff chose senior defensive lineman Jason Billings.

TURN ON THE OFF-ENSE
    Tarleton's offense had a break-out game against TAMUC, scoring six of their eight touchdowns.  The running game has stepped up as of late, as the Texans now average 92.7 yards per game on the ground.  The passing game has been consistent all year, and is contributing 266.9 yards per game to the Tarleton offense.
    The Texans are led by senior quarterback Nick Stephens, who has a quarterback rating of 113.2 through seven starts.  The Flower Mound native is 149-for-276 with 1734 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.  His go-to target has been freshman wide out Clifton Rhodes, who has 34 catches, 591 yards, two touchdowns and four 100-yard games receiving.  His 84.4 yards per game lead the LSC.  Roddy Green has added 26 catches, 304 yards and two scores.
    Courtney Vaughn is Tarleton's leading-rusher with 332 yards and two touchdowns.  Brandon Lowery has rushed for four scores, with Evan Robertson and Justin Sturns adding touchdowns of their own.

CONFIDENCE BUILDER
    The Texan defense is coming off a phenomenal outing against the Lions of Commerce.  Tarleton held TAMUC to just 369 yards of total offense and just 15 yards on the ground.  Going into the game, the Texans were giving up over 160 yards per game to opponents.  Tarleton also forced a pair of turnovers and blocked a pair of kicks.  The Texans took advantage of those plays as well, turning the forced fumble into a touchdown and a block extra point attempt into a two-point play.
    On the season, Tarleton is giving up 35.7 points, 431.3 yards and 33:14 of possession each game to opposing offenses.  Marquis Wadley leads the team and the conference with 80 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss.  Rufus Johnson has 10.5 tackles for loss on the season and 2.5 sacks, while Logan Johnson has a team-high five sacks.  Dashaun Phillips has four interceptions, with Desmond Jackson contributing two more.

LSC PLAY
    Tarleton currently sits in fifth place in the Lone Star Conference standings, directly behind Texas A&M-Kingsville.  The Texans are 2-3 in league action, while the Javelinas are 2-2.  Tarleton's three LSC losses are to the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in Midwestern St., Abilene Christian and West Texas A&M respectively.

VALENTINE'S DAY
    Texan wide out and kick returner Cordell Valentine was named Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the second week in a row after returning the opening kick of the second half last Saturday 87-yards for the touchdown.  Valentine also had 50 yard receiving and caught a touchdown against the Lions.  One week prior, the Vicksburg, Miss. Native returned a kick 76 yards for the score against No. 18 Midwestern St.

BREAKING THE BARRIER    
    Junior running back Courtney Vaughn became the first Texan back this season to break the 100-yard mark in a game.  Vaughn, another Mississippi native, rushed for 117-yards on 23 yards and two touchdowns.  He almost broke the barrier against Midwestern St. when he finished with 90 yards in the contest.

TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE

LAST WEEK
    Texas A&M-Kingsville held off a late Cardinal rally and escaped with a 41-38 victory from San Antonio after defeating Incarnate Word on their home turf.  The Javelinas improved to 4-3 on the year and 2-2 in LSC play.  
    With 558 yards of total offense, TAMUK controlled both aspects of the game.  The Javelinas had 208 yards rushing and 373 yards passing, while holding the Cardinals to just 393 yards overall.  Daniel Ramirez finished the game with 25-of-39 passing, four touchdowns and just one pick.  Jonathan Woodson had a stellar game with 162 yards rushing, 106 yards receiving, 94 return yards, one rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns.  Sherman Batiste also caught a pair of scores and added 91 yards for the Javelinas.

EVERYTHING STARTS WITH THE OFFENSE
    The Kingsville offense is averaging 30.6 points, 151.7 yards rushing and 299.0 yards passing per game.  With 450 yards of total offense per game, the Javelinas have been causing headaches for opposing defenses all season.
    Ramirez has a quarterback rating of 147.2 through seven games, and has 11 touchdowns to just three picks.  Nate Poppell has also seen a lot of time at quarterback, going 76-for-131 with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.  Robert Armstrong is the No. 1 receiver with 588 yards and eight touchdowns, while Batiste has 408 yards and four touchdowns.
    Woodson is TAMUK's leading rusher with 633 yards and five touchdowns on 105 carries.  Toney has added two scores and 203 yards to the attack, while Ramirez has 39 rushes, 131 yards and a touchdown.

DON'T FORGET THE DEFENSE
    TAMUK is fifth in the LSC, allowing 29 points per game.  The Javelinas compound their high-powered offense with a defense that gives up just 324.7 yards per game overall.  Turnovers have helped Kingsville as four fumbles and eight interceptions keep the defense fresh and the offense on the field.
    Jeremy Aguilar leads the Javelinas with 55 tackles, followed by Demontrelle Smith with 33 and Marcus Sanders with 30.  Roderick Benman has a team-high eight sacks, while Rockeem Collins has three interceptions.

ALL-AROUND THREAT
    Kingsville running back Jonathan Woodson is the conference's No. 1 rusher with his 90.4 yards per game, which is 36th best in the nation.  Tarleton's defense can expect to see a heavy dose of Woodson at both running back and receiver.  As far as all-purpose yards go, the Marshall native is No. 4 in the country with 196 yards per game.

Live stats will provided by Texas A&M-Kingsville Sports Information, while fans can follow along with the live radio feed courtesy KSTV 93.1 FM.