GAMEDAY INFORMATION

No. 21 Tarleton State Texans (4-0, 3-0 LSC) vs. No. 4 West Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0 LSC)

When: Saturday, Oct. 12 | 7 p.m. (CST)

Where: Stephenville, Texas (Tarleton Memorial Stadium)

Series: Buffs lead 13-9

Last Meeting: West Texas A&M 41, Tarleton State 21 (Sept. 29, 2012)

Radio: KSTV (93.1 FM) | Listen Online | Mobile Apps

Web Stream: TarletonSports

Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

Live Stats

Tickets

Game Notes

The Game
The No. 21-ranked Tarleton State Texans (4-0, 3-0 LSC) will make its long-awaited, home-opening debut this weekend hosting the No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M Buffaloes (5-0, 2-0 LSC) in Lone Star Conference action this Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff between the Texans and Buffs is set for 7 p.m. at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in Stephenville.
 
Covering the Game
Saturday's contest will be broadcast live on KSTV (93.1 FM) with Casey Hogan calling play-by-play and Mike Young joining him for color commentary. Joanna Hensley will provide reports from the sideline for the broadcast team.
 
The game can also be heard throughout the Cross Timbers area on 93.1 FM or via KSTV's "Listen Live" link that can be found at www.kstvfm.com.
 
Last Week
Tarleton opened the regular-season with four straight win away from home for the first time in school history following its 34-14 victory over Eastern New Mexico last week.
 
Having yet to host a home game this season, the Texans moved to 4-0 with all four wins coming on the road.
 
Senior quarterback Jake Fenske completed a season-high 27 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He attempted a career-high 50 pass attempts in the game.
 
Senior wide receiver Jeken Frye caught five passes for 57 yards and a game-high two touchdowns. Andre Plate, a sophomore wideout for the Texans, led the team with 70 receiving yards on the day.
 
Senior linebacker Marquis Wadley became the first Texan player to have at least 15 tackles in one game since he did it last season against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Wadley finished the game tying his career-high with 16 tackles on the day, with 11 of them coming unassisted. He had one tackle-for-loss and forced a fumble as well.
 
Texans in The Polls
The Texans moved into a tie at No. 21 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top-25 Poll, moving up one spot from last week's No. 22 ranking. Tarleton is currently tied with Indianapolis for the No. 21 spot.
 
The Texans made its season debut in the D2Football.com Poll this week as well, coming in at No. 25.
 
AFCA Poll History
The Texans have been ranked inside the AFCA Top-25 for 80 different weeks since becoming a member of the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference.
 
Tarleton's first-ever ranking inside the AFCA Top-25 Poll was a No. 24 national ranking on Nov. 6, 2001. The Texans went on to finish that season ranked No. 10 in the nation.
 
The Texans earned its highest ranking in school history in 2002, from Sept. 9-24, after earning the No. 6 spot for three consecutive weeks.
 
Tarleton has been ranked inside the AFCA Poll for three straight weeks this season.
 
Series History
The Buffs lead the all-time series 13-9, which includes having won eight straight against the Texans dating back to 2005. The last time a Tarleton team defeated Buffs came back on Oct. 30, 2004 when the Texans downed WT 34-14 in Canyon.
 
The Texans are just 5-6 all-time when playing the Buffs in Stephenville. WT also ranks as the only LSC team that head coach Cary Fowler does not have a victory against. He heads into Saturday's game with an 0-3 mark against the Buffs.
 
Coming Up for the Texans
The Texans return to the road next weekend as the team will make its longest road trip of the season with a game against Delta State next Saturday, Oct. 19, in Cleveland, Miss. It will be Tarleton's first-ever game played at McCool Stadium and just the second game ever played against the Statesmen. DSU defeated the Texans 38-35 on a waining seconds field goal last season.
 
Scouting the Buffs
The No. 4-ranked Buffs are coming off a 72-0 win over Central State (Ohio) last Saturday in Canyon. The 72-0 win was the most points for a WT team since scoring 75 points in a 75-13 win over Azusa Pacific on Sept. 13, 2008. It was also the largest margin of victory since a 77-0 win over Montezuma in 1924.
 
For the first time in school history, WT has scored at least 60 points in three consecutive games (72, 69, 62). In the last three games, WT has outscored its opposition 203-35 for a 67.67 to 11.67 per game margin.
 
The Buffs rank first or near the top of every statistical category in the LSC and are among the nation's best as well. WT ranks first in the LSC and second nationally in scoring offense (57.0 ppg) and rank first in the LSC and 24th nationally in scoring defense (17.4). They rank first in the LSC in total offense (539.2) and passing offense (426.4), while ranking second in the league in total defense (310.8).
 
Dustin Vaughan comes in as the LSC's leading passer, having completed 161 of his 235 passes this season for 1,998 yards, 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is averaging nearly 400 yards threw the air and has a passing efficiency of 166.61.
 
Aaron Harris leads the Buffs on the ground with 60.4 yards per game. He has seven touchdowns and is netting 6.3 yards per carry.
 
Torrence Allen leads the team in both receptions (42) and yards (580). He is tied with Anthony Jackson and Trevor Hammargren for the team lead with four touchdowns on the year.
 
Taylor McCuller leads all defensive players with 51 total tackles, with 21 of them coming unassisted. He has 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack on the season.
 
Wild Streaks
The Texans opened the 2013 season with four straight games away from Tarleton Memorial Stadium for the first time in school history. The Texans went 4-0 during that span and are 4-0 to open the season for the first time since 2009.
 
With last weekend's win over ENMU, the Texans pushed its winning streak to seven games dating back to last season - the longest such streak among teams in the LSC.
 
Wild Streaks II
Tarleton's seven-game win streak also ranks tied for third longest among D-II teams behind Valdosta State (14 straight) and Ohio Dominican (10 straight). The current seven-game win streak is tied for seventh longest among D-II, FBS and FCS schools.
 
Tarleton has now won seven consecutive games away from Tarleton Memorial Stadium, which dates back to a victory over A&M-Commerce on Oct. 13 last season.
 
The last time a Texan team won at least seven straight away from home came during the 2007 and 2008 seasons when Tarleton won eight straight road contests from Sept. 1, 2007 to Sept. 27, 2008.
 
Texans under Fowler
The Texans improved to 19-17 under head coach Cary Fowler with Saturday's 34-14 win over Eastern New Mexico this past Saturday.
 
The Texans were just 4-13 in Fowler's first 17 games, but since then the Texans have won 15 of the last 19 contests under him.
 
Texan Leaders
Running back Jerome Regal leads the team in rushing with 100.2 yards per game. That is good enough to rank third in the LSC and 42nd in the nation.
 
Quarterback Jake Fenske leads the squad with 68 completions, 749 yards passing and nine touchdowns. He is averaging a team-best 187.2 yards passing per game.
 
Wide receiver Clifton Rhodes III leads the team with 21 receptions, while Le'Nard Meyers has a team-high 244 receiving yards. Rhodes and Jeken Frye are tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions on the season.
 
Linebacker Marquis Wadley leads the Texan defense with 41 total tackles on the season. Teammate Jake Blount tops the squad with 6.0 tackles-for-loss and a team-leading 3.0 sacks this season. Three different Texan defenders (Wadley, Devin Figures, Desmond Jackson) are each tied for the team lead with one interception.
 
Multiple TD's for Texan Receivers
Following Saturday's contest at Eastern New Mexico, Tarleton now has a pair of receivers with at least two touchdown receptions in one game.
 
Junior wide receiver Clifton Rhodes III caught three touchdown passes in TSU's win over Angelo State earlier this season, while Jeken Frye caught a pair of TD passes at ENMU last week.
 
Only Arthur Buckingham caught at least two TD passes in a single game for the Texans last season.
 
Texans against ranked Opponents
Since 2000, Tarleton is 12-22 when playing against ranked opponent, with six of those wins coming against a top-25 ranked MSU team. The Texans are 6-2 all-time against the Mustangs when they have been ranked.
 
The Texans are 0-7 all-time when facing a nationally ranked WTAMU team.
 
WIN No. 450 for the Texans
With Saturday's 34-14 win over Eastern New Mexico, the Texans picked up its 450th all-time win. Tarleton now brings in an all-time record of 450-453-22 (.498) to Saturday's contest. Since becoming a senior college in 1961, Tarleton is 259-279-3 all-time.
 
Texans in the LSC
The Texans are 96-133 (.417) all-time against opponents in the LSC. Tarleton has won five straight LSC games dating back to last season. The Texans are currently 3-0 in LSC play this season.
 
Tarleton's Scoring Streak
The Texans have now scored a touchdown in 31 straight games dating back to the 2010 season. The last time a Tarleton team did not score a TD came in a 65-3 loss to Abilene Christian back on Sept. 25, 2010.
 
Tarleton State has scored at least a field goal or touchdown in 42 straight games heading into Saturday's game.
 
When the Texans score First
Tarleton went 5-2 last season when the team put up the first points of the game. The two losses came to West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2012. The Texans are 15-8 overall when scoring the game's first points under head coach Cary Fowler.
 
Starting Strong on Offense
The Texans went 4-0 last season when scoring on its first offensive possession. Tarleton is 8-6 overall under head coach Cary Fowler when scoring on the first offensive possession.
 
Texans in October
Following last weekend's win over ENMU, the Texans moved to 1-0 in 2013 and 8-7 all-time in games played during the month of October under head coach Cary Fowler.
 
The Texans are 41-32 all-time in the month of October since joining the LSC and NCAA Division II in 1994. The last time a Texan team went undefeated in the month of October came back in the 2006 season.
 
Tarleton is 6-7 all-time when playing WTAMU in the month of October.
 
30-Points to victory
The Texans are 16-3 overall when putting up 30 points or more under head coach Cary Fowler. That record includes an 8-0 mark when scoring 40 points or more. Tarleton was 5-2 last season when eclipsing the 30-point barrier.
 
Winning the Ground Attack
Under head coach Cary Fowler, the Texans are now 13-5 when out-rushing the opposition. Tarleton is just 6-12 over the past four seasons when the opposing team out-gains the Texans in rushing yardage, which includes last weekend's win over ENMU.
 
Nationally Speaking
The Texans rank among the nation's top 50 teams in 13 different statistical categories heading into its match-up with WTAMU this weekend.
 
Tarleton ranks first in the nation in fourth-down conversions, having converted eight-of-eight on fourth down attempts. Tarleton has converted 31-of-68 (46%) third-down conversions, which ranks 25th in the nation.
 
Penalty killers
The Texans rank first in the LSC in both fewest penalties (6.25) and penalty yards per game (59.25).
 
Passing Precision
Jake Fenske notched a 91.7 passing percentage in week two against Midwestern State after completing 11 of his 12 passes in the game. His only incompletion of the contest was an interception that came deep into the end zone at the beginning of the second quarter.
 
Fenske set a single-season school record in 2012 with a 66.2 pass-completion percentage. After taking over at quarterback in the final five games last season, Fenske completed 102 of his 154 passes.
 
Aaron Doyle finished the season with a 62.7 completion percentage, which rank third best in a single-season. He connected with 153 of his 244 passes last year.
 
Local Area Texans
The 2013 Texan Football squad boasts seven players (Alex Sanchez, Blake Barnes, Chase Varnado, Brayden Coverdale, Kade Cole, Nick Perez and Kody Travis) from Stephenville, with a pair of players (Cody Burtscher and Jared Thames) from Glen Rose and one player (Tyler Wright) from Granbury.
 
Wearing No. 96
Sophomore defensive end Patrick Bettiol was awarded the Zach Shaver Award this past spring and he will honor the memory of the former Texan by donning the No. 96 this season.
 
Shaver passed away from a traumatic brain injury on Mar. 29, 2010. As a memorial to Shaver, each year a Texan player is chosen to wear the No. 96 jersey because of their dedication, their attitude, their heart and their love for the game of football.
 
Texans in the National Spotlight
Tarleton had a handful of former players in the national spotlight this offseason and it began with former defensive end Rufus Johnson (2011-12) going to the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Johnson recorded four tackles in four preseason games with the Saints and will serve on New Orleans' practice squad to start the 2013 NFL season.
 
Former Texan quarterback Nick Stephens (2010-11) played in two preseason games for the Dallas Cowboys, which included the national televised Hall of Fame Game on NBC.
 
Former running back Derrick Ross (2004-05) and former kicker Garrett Lindholm (2006-09) squared off against each other in the Arena Football League's Arena Bowl this past August. Lindholm was named the AFL's Kicker of the Year, while Ross became the AFL's career leader in rushing yards.
 
Texans in LSC-Openers
The Texans moved to 2-2 in Lone Star Conference-opening games under head coach Cary Fowler. Since joining the league the Texans are 7-12 in conference-opening games.
 
Texans in AT&T Stadium
Tarleton State improved to 1-1 overall in games played at AT&T Stadium. The Texans are averaging 29.0 points inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys and average more than 188 yards on the ground. Defensively the Texans have limited its two opponents to just 67.0 yards on the ground after holding MSU to just 79 rushing yards back on Sept. 14.
 
Texans picked 3rd in LSC Poll
Tarleton State was picked to finish third in the Lone Star Conference after receiving one first-place vote for a total of 99 points. West Texas A&M was the top choice to repeat as the LSC football champion according to the preseason poll.
 
Preseason honors
The Texans had nine different players earn preseason All-American honors prior to the 2013 campaign.
 
Dashaun Phillips (1st Team) and Blake Barnes (3rd Team) were each tabbed D2Football.com Preseason All-Americans, while Jerome Regal (2nd Team), Marquis Wadley (2nd Team), Barnes (2nd Team), Zach Henshaw (3rd Team), Lucas Love (HM), Nick Perez (HM), Clifton Rhodes III (HM), Desmond Jackson (HM) and Phillips (HM) were all named to the USA College Football Preseason All-American Team.