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STEPHENVILLE - The Tarleton Texans (3-3, 3-2 LSC) will host the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas (3-4, 2-3 LSC) in Lone Star Conference action this Saturday, Oct. 20 in Tarleton's 52nd annual homecoming contest. Kickoff between the Texans and Javelinas is slated for 6 p.m. at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in Stephenville.

QUICK HITS

THE SERIES

The Texans trail 6-19 in the all-time series against the Javelinas, but have won two of the previous three contests, which includes a 57-56 double-overtime win over TAMUK in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division II playoffs.

Tarleton took last season's game, 41-34, over the Javelinas in Kingsville. The Texans are just 2-9 when playing the Javelinas in Stephenville, with its last win at Memorial Stadium coming back on Oct. 6, 2007 (31-21).

HEAD COACH CARY FOWLER

Tarleton head coach Cary Fowler is in his third year at the helm of the Texan Football program. Fowler took over the team in January 2010 after then-head coach Sam McElroy departed to Texas Tech for an assistant coaching position.

Fowler went just 3-8 with the Texans in his first campaign as head coach in 2010. But the team and his coaching staff bounced back in 2011 with a 6-5 mark, which included going 5-3 in Lone Star Conference play and winning its final five games of the regular-season.

Fowler heads into this weekend's game with an overall record of 12-16 and a 1-1 mark against the Javelinas.

TAMUK HEAD COACH BO ATTERBERRY

Texas A&M-Kingsville head coach Bo Atterberry is in his sixth season with the Javelinas. Atterberry was named TAMUK's eighth head coach on June 1, 2007. He joined the Javelina staff in January of 2007 as defensive coordinator after serving at the same position at Southeastern Oklahoma the previous three seasons, but he was then elevated to head coach after an unexpected coaching change that summer.

Atterberry, who was named the South Central Region Coach of the Year following the 2010 season, heads into Saturday's contest with a 38-26 record in six seasons at the helm of the Javelina football program. Atterberry guided the Javelinas to a 10-2 record mark in 2010, giving TAMUK its first 10-win season since 1989.

After going just 3-8 in his first season, Atterberry has led the Javelinas to four-straight winning seasons. Under Atterberry's guidance, TAMUK has one Lone Star Conference Championship (2009) and made two appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs (2009, 2010).

LAST WEEK

Tarleton jumped out to an early 10-0 lead against A&M-Commerce, but the Lions came roaring back to tie the game 10-10 following a pick-six and a field goal. That would turn out to be the only point A&M-Commerce would score as Tarleton rolled 23-straight unanswered points on the Lions en route to a 43-10 win.

Blake Barnes (K, Fr, Stephenville) kicked a school record-tying five field goals in the win and Zach Henshaw (RB, Fr, Fischer) rushed a career-high 119 yards with three touchdown runs.

The Texan Defense held A&M-Commerce to just 205 yards in the game, which included just 20 yards on the ground.
The defensive front posted six sacks for a total of minus-31 yards, while the secondary had two interceptions.

The Lions were held scoreless in the first quarter for a sixth-straight game this season and posted another two goose eggs in the second half.

SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS

Texas A&M-Kingsville snapped a four-game losing streak last week with a 20-17 win over Incarnate Word in Kingsville. The Javelinas picked up a win over Abilene Christian early in the season, but lost by 30 points to West Texas A&M at the Lone Star Conference Football Festival en route to another three losses (Midwestern State, A&M-Commerce, North Alabama) before picking up the win last Saturday.

The Javelinas rank seventh in the league in scoring offense (19.9), but are fourth in the conference in scoring defense (23.4). Since giving up back-to-back 40-point efforts on defense to West Texas A&M (40) and Midwestern State (45), TAMUK has not allowed more than three touchdowns to its next three opponents.

TAMUK ranks fifth in total offense (362.9) and third in total defense (331.3). After finishing the 2011 season ranked second in rushing offense with more than 168 yards on the ground, the Javelinas rank just fifth in 2012 in the same category with 114.3 yards.

Quarterback Nate Poppell has completed 104 passes for 1,123 yards and four touchdowns with four picks. Running back Randall Toney leads the team with 312 rushing yards, while wide-out Robert Armstrong leads the squad with 442 yards receiving.

Jeremy Aguilar leads the Javelina offense with 60 total tackles (30 solo), while Zane Brown tops the team with 3.5 sacks for a total of minus-26 yards. Four different Javelina players are tied with one interception each.

DEFENDING THE RUSH

Tarleton ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in rushing defense, giving up just 119.8 yards to opponents on the ground. The Texans rank 39th in the nation in the same category.

The Texans had its best performance of the season against the rush last week, holding A&M-Commerce to just 20 yards on the ground. The Lions headed into the locker room with minus-two yards on the ground at halftime.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Aaron Doyle has found 13 different receivers this season and has completed at least one pass to 10 different receivers in three of Tarleton's six games.

RUNNING BACKS NEARING 500 YARDS ON THE GROUND

Tarleton running backs Vaughn Smith (RB, Jr, Melno Park, Calif.) and Zach Henshaw (RB, Fr, Fischer) are each nearing 500 yards rushing for the season. Smith enters Saturday's contest against Texas A&M-Kingsville needing 70 yards to break the 500-yard barrier, while Henshaw needs 101 yards to do the same.

Tarleton has had at least one, 500-yard rusher in 15 of the past 16 seasons.

CATCH THIS

Clifton Rhodes III (WR, So, Fort Worth) has a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season and Jeken Frye (WR, Jr, El Paso) recorded his first 100-yard game of the season this past week at A&M-Commerce. Rhodes has a total os six 100-yard receiving games after tallying four games with a 100 yards or more last season.

CATCH THIS TOO

Rhodes III leads the LSC averaging 6.0 receptions per game, while Frye ranks ninth in the league with 4.5 catches per contest. Rhodes III is fourth in the LSC with 70.5 receiving yards per game, while Frye ranks seventh with a 55.3 yards per game average.

Rhodes III enters Saturday's contest with 423 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. Frye enters the game with 332 receiving yards and a score.

GIVE ME FIVE... HUNDRED

The Texan offense has accumulated over 500 yards of total offense twice this season. Tarleton tallied a season-high 564 yards against Eastern New Mexico and 556 yards against Abilene Christian.

ISAAC PUNTS

Tarleton punter Isaac Arellano (K, So, Euless) is currently ranks second in the LSC with a 43.0 punts per game average. That average is tied for 10th in the nation as well.

In 22 punts this season, Arellano has booted five of them for 50 yards or more, has seven kicks inside the opponents 20-yard line and has just three touchbacks. 

COMING OFF A LOSS

The Texans are now 2-1 this season when coming off a loss. Tarleton went 2-3 following a loss last season and since the 2007 season, Tarleton is 12-8 in its next contest after falling the week before.

WINNING THE 1ST QUARTER

The Texans finally picked up a win this season when leading after the first quarter. The Texans led 10-0 over the Lions this past weekend in Commerce en route to a 46-10 victory. Previously this season, Tarleton had first quarter leads over Abilene Christian (14-7) and Delta State (14-8), but would end up losing both contests.

BARNES KICKS HIS WAY INTO RECORD BOOKS 

Blake Barnes (K, Fr, Stephenville) kicked five field goals in Tarleton's 46-10 win over A&M-Commerce this past weekend, tying a school record for most single-game field goals in the process. Barnes tied the mark, which was first set by Trampus Wilson back on Sept. 4, 1993 against East Central. J.W. Boren made five field goals as well back on Oct. 21, 2000 against Abilene Christian.

Barnes' game-tying field goal on Saturday came from 38-yards out and it followed a one hour and 50 minute lightning delay.

HONORED BY THE LSC 

Texan kicker Blake Barnes was named this week's LSC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, following his school-tying, five field goal performance in Commerce last Saturday. Barnes tied Tarleton's all-time record for most field goals in a game, sharing the record with Trampus Wilson and J.W. Boren.

Barnes becomes the third Texan to earn POW honors this season as both Jerome Regal (Offensive POW) and Marquis Wadley (Defensive POW) both earned the weekly honor following Tarleton's 20-17 win over Midwestern State in the first game of the season.

WELCOME BACK FORMER TEXANS AND TEXANNS

The Tarleton Athletics department welcomes back all former letterwinners to the 2012 Tarleton Homecoming game. This year, the 1977 football team will be recognized as more than 15 players from that squad will be back in town to celebrate another homecoming.

The 1977 team was the first Texan football team to bring home a conference championship as a TIAA member. The team went 7-3 overall and 4-0 in TIAA play under head coach Buddy Fornes.

Members from that group went on to finish the 1978 campaign with an 8-1-1 mark and another undefeated TIAA championship season at 7-0-1.

Former Texan Cheerleaders will be attending the game on Saturday as well, with more than 10 former cheer members on hand to help out the current Texan Cheer squad.

UP NEXT FOR THE TEXANS

The Texans will travel to San Antonio next Saturday, Oct. 27 to face Incarnate Word in Lone Star Conference action. Kickoff between the Texans and Cardinals is set for 7 p.m. at Benson Stadium.