STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton football team exploded out of the gate against Incarnate Word on Homecoming night and never looked back, as the Texans conquered the Cardinals 48-10.

Tarleton got on the board at the 7:52 mark in the first quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nick Stephens to Ford Renfro, capping off a six play, 91-yard drive that lasted just 1:19.  Jose Serrano's field goal made it 7-0. 

Next it was the defense's turn to step up, as defensive back Joe Jones intercepted a fourth-down conversion attempt and took it back 72 yards for the score.  Serrano again nailed the extra point and made it a 14-0 ball game.

In the second quarter, the Texans didn't wait long to add to their lead.  On the first drive of the second quarter, Tyra Waits caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Stephens before Serrano's kick made it 21-0.  That capped off a six play, 65-yard drive that took just 1:41.

Just a few minutes later, Stephens hooked up with Brad Croak for his third touchdown of the game, an eight-yarder making it 28-0 as the game started to get out of hand.

Serrano added a 40-yard field goal at the 0:38 mark, as the Texans entered the half with a healthy 31-0 lead.

After 30 minutes of play, Stephens had 261 yards, three scores on 15-of-23 passing.  Courtney Vaughn had 41-yards rushing on four attempts.  The leading receiver was Clifton Rhodes with 52 yards on three catches.

Marquis Wadley had six tackles to lead the way while Joe Jones, Dan Jackson and Dashaun Phillips all had five tackles.

In the second half, the Texan offense calmed down somewhat, but managed to still put points on the board. 

With 11:03 to go in the third quarter, Stephens got touchdown number four on an eight-yard pass to Roddy Green, pushing the lead to 38 points.

Incarnate Word was finally able to get on the board wt the 7:59 mark when Andrew Mocio caught a four-yard pass from Eric Massoni, ending Tarleton's shutout attempt.  The field goal made it 38-7 in the Texans' favor.

Tarleton would get those seven points back though on the next drive when Stephens rushed from one-yard out for the score, his fifth touchdown of the ball game.  Serrano made it 45-7 with 5:02 remaining in the third.

As the fourth quarter got under way, the Cardinals put together a smooth nine-play, 56-yard drive that took four minutes to complete.  The score only made it a 35-point deficit however.

The Texans capped off the night with Serrano's 37-yard field goal with 8:28 left in the game.  That would be the final score of the contest, as Tarleton walked away with a 48-10 final.

Tarleton improves to 4-5 on the year and 4-3 in the LSC.  That also runs their winning streak to three straight games.

The Texans had 523 yards of total offense and 381 yards passing.  They held UIW to just 333 yards of total offense.

Stephens finished the game with 20-of-32 passing, 325 yards, four touchdowns and a rushing score.

Courtney Vaughn rushed for 61 yards on five carries, while Colton Watson saw his first action of the year and rushed for 61 yards on six carries.

Roddy Green caught six passes for 85 yards and a score, with Brad Croak adding 40 yards and a touchdown.

The defense was led by Marquis Wadley, who had nine tackles and a forced fumble.  Dashaun Phillips and Joe Jones both had interceptions while Jones ran his back for a score.

Tarleton stays in Stephenville for their next game against Millsaps College.  The Texans will look to make it four in a row on Military Appreciation Night.

For more information regarding the 2011 Tarleton football season, check out TarletonSports.com.