STEPHENVILLE - Tarleton will host their final home game of the season when they welcome Millsaps College for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.  The Texans are 4-5 on the season, while the Majors are 4-4.  This will be the first meeting ever between the two teams.

LAST WEEK
    The Texans continued to roll through opponents, picking up their third win in a row last week with a 48-10 victory over Incarnate Word on Homecoming Night.  Tarleton racked up 523 yards and six touchdowns in their most dominant performance of the season.
    Quarterback Nick Stephens contributed four passing touchdowns and rushed for a score to lead the way for the Texans.  He went 20-for-32 on the night and passed for 325 yards and no interceptions.  Roddy Green caught six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Courtney Vaughn ran for 71 yards on five carries.
    The defense stepped up in a big way, holding the Cardinals to just 10 points and 333 total yards.  Joe Jones ran back an interception 72 yards for a touchdown, with Deshaun Phillips adding a pick of his own, his fifth of the year.  Marquis Wadley had nine tackles, while JOnes added six and Phillips added seven.

HONORING A FALLEN BROTHER
    The Tarleton football team lost a fellow Texan last season in Zach Shaver.  Shaver was a freshman defensive lineman for Tarleton who suffered a head trauma on a routine play in practice on March 27.  He passed away two days later on March 29 in Fort Worth.  Shaver was a spark plug for the Texan defense and was expected to fight for playing time in only his second year.  After such a tough loss, his teammates have pledged their season in honor of Shaver, No. 96.
    Beginning this year, head coach Cary Fowler will choose one player annually to wear the No. 96 jersey in honor of Shaver.  This player represents everything a Tarleton football player should be.  A good work ethic, integrity, spirit and teamwork are just a few of the ideals that Shaver represented to the Texans.  This year, the Texan coaching staff chose senior defensive lineman Jason Billings.

CONTINUING EXCELLENCE
    In the past three games, all victories, the Tarleton offense has averaged over 47.7 points 458.7 yards per contest  The Texans average yards per rush and pass have also increased as the “air raid” attack begins to gain momentum.
    On the season, Tarleton is averaging 102.8 yards per game on the ground and 282.6 yards per game through the air.
    Senior quarterback Nick Stephens has stepped his game up as well, completing 55.2 percent of his passes and recording 2,353 yards with 17 touchdowns and just six interceptions.  He also has not thrown a pick since Oct. 15.
    Junior running back has amassed 555 yards on 111 carries while picking up three touchdowns.
    Clifton Rhodes leads Tarleton with 46 receptions for 738 yards and three scores.  Roddy Green has also caught three touchdowns to go with his 37 catches and 471 yards.  The Texans have 17 different receivers that have caught a pass this season.

SHOW STOPPERS
    Just as the offense has built momentum, so has the defense which has held its last three opponents below their season average point total.  On the year, Tarleton is giving up 32.7 points, 270.0 yards passing and 154.4 yards rushing each game.
    Turnovers have been a big part of the Texans' game plan, with Tarleton forcing 23 fumbles and recording 11 interceptions.
    Dashaun Phillips leads the team with five interceptions while Desmond Jackson has two.  Joe Jones has a pick-six, which came last week against the Cardinals.  Phillips also leads the LSC with 11 passes defended and is second in interceptions.
    Marquis Wadley not only leads the Texans in tackles with 100, he also leads the Conference by averaging 11.1 tackles per game. That total is 16 more than second place and 29 more than third place.  Dan Jackson and Desmond Jackson are also in the top 15 in the conference in tackles with 62 and 54 respectively.

LSC PLAY
    Tarleton has a strong hold on fourth place in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 4-3 record.  Midwestern State remains undefeated at 7-0, followed by West Texas A&M and Abilene Christian who are both 5-1.  A&M-Kingsville trails the Texans with a 3-3 record.

EVEN STEPHENS
    Senior quarterback Nick Stephens has not only thrown for over 2,300 yards on the season, but he also did something a Tarleton quarterback has not done since 2007.  In last Saturday's win over Incarnate Word, the Flower Mound native combined for five total touchdowns with four passing and one rushing.  The last Texan do equal that was Scott Grantham on Oct 27, 2007 when he passed for six touchdowns in Tarleton's 70-63 loss to Abilene Christian.



MILLSAPS COLLEGE

LAST WEEK
    Millsaps College fell on their homecoming night in a heartbreaking 24-22 loss to Centre College last Saturday in Jackson, Miss.  The Majors compiled 344 passing yards and 61 rushing yards, but gave up 167 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the loss.
    Junior quarterback Garrett Pinciotti finished the game 28-for-42 with two touchdowns and one interception, while Thomas Theriot rushed for 57 yards on 17 carries. Jason O'Rear had a strong game for the Majors with six catches for 114 yards and a score.
    The defense only allowed one passing touchdown, but were bludgeoned by a dangerous Centre running game.  Jeb White and Marvis O'Sirio both had 10 tackles in the game and each contributed to a couple of tackles for loss.

MAJOR OFFENSE
    The Majors have struggled somewhat offensivley this year statistically, but still have the ability to reak havoc on opposing defenses.  Millsaps is only averaging 21.8 points per game, but average 101.4 yards rushing which is their bread and butter.
    Garrett Pinciotti has taken over at quarterback and completes 52.2 percent of his passes.  He has thrown for 1,319 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year.
    Jason O'Rear is his main targer as O'Rear has hauled in 39 catches for 685 yards and six touchdowns.
    Thomas Theriot is the go-to-guy for the running game, and has 125 carries for 614 yards and three touchdowns.

DISCIPLINED DEFENSE
    Millsaps has had some difficulty getting things going offensively, but their defense is as strong as ever.  The Majors are only giving up 26.6 points per game and 320.9 yards of offense each contest.  They also have fewer penalties and penalty yards than their opponents as well.
    With only seven interceptions and 12 forced fumbles, turnovers are not a big part of their game, but containment is.  Millsaps is holding its opponents to just 3.6 yards per carry.  Look for the Tarleton offense and Millsap defense to battle on the front lines for those few extra yards.
    Jeb White is the captain of the Major defense with 75 tackles on the year.  Marvis O'Sirio has 59 tackles and 11 tackles for loss while Jonathan Moore leads the team with three interceptions.

STAY OUT OF THE RED ZONE
    The Majors have had a few woes this season on offense, but none more severe than their red zone offense.  Millsaps has touchdowns on just 42% of their scoring opportunties in the red zone.  That is 32% less than what they are allowing.

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