GAMEDAY INFORMATION

When: Saturday, Oct. 4 | 7 p.m. (CST)

Where: Commerce, Texas | Memorial Stadium

Series: Texans lead 11-10 | Streak: TAMUC, Won 1

Last Meeting: TAMUC 22, TSU 20 on Oct. 26, 2013 in Stephenville, TX

Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on KTRL 90.5 FM | Listen Live | Pregame Show begins at 6:30 p.m.

Web Stream: LionAthletics.com

Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

Live Stats | Game Notes

THE GAME
Tarleton State will look to get back in the win column Saturday afternoon when the Texans visit Commerce for a 7 p.m. game against the Lions at Commerce Memorial Stadium.

PRESIDENT'S CUP
The winner of the contest will receive the President's Cup, which is the award given between these Texas A&M System universities.
 
COVERING THE GAME
Saturday's contest will be aired on the brand-new Tarleton Sports Network presented by North Texas Ford Dealers. The game will be broadcasted live on KTRL (90.5 FM) with Casey Hogan calling play-by-play and Andrew Hansen joining him for color commentary. Keltin Wiens will provide reports from the sideline for the broadcast team. The game can also be found online at www.tarletonsports.com/listenlive.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Texans found themselves in a defensive showcase for most of the game and could not pull out a win over No. 18 Midwestern State in the home opener.
 
GAME HISTORY: GAME NO. 4
Tarleton is 2-2 under Cary Fowler in the fourth game of the season, with the wins coming in 2011 and 2013. Since joining the NCAA, Tarleton has only started the season under .500 through the first four games on four different occasions.
 
TARLETON vs COMMERCE
This is the 22nd meeting all-time between the Texans and Lions, A&M-Commerce won the first eight meetings of the series but Tarleton has won 11 of the last 13 dating back to 1997.
 
IN THE SERIES
Tarleton State has dominated the series since winning its first game against the Lions on Nov. 15, 1997. That win started an 11-2 Tarleton advantage in the series in which Texas A&M-Commerce has not won back-to-back games over the Texans. Also, the 49 points Tarleton scored on Commerce in their first win on Nov. 15, 1997 was equal to the number of points Tarleton scored combined in all six of the 1970-era games played against Commerce.
 
QUEST FOR LSC WIN NO. 100
Since moving into the NCAA in 1994, Tarleton State has won 99 conference games. The next win against a Lone Star Conference opponent will be NCAA conference win No. 100 in Tarleton football history.
 
TEXANS UNDER FOWLER
The Texans are now 23-22 under head coach Cary Fowler and have claimed the school's first LSC title since 2009. Fowler's first LSC championship is just the third LSC championship for the Texans in school history. Fowler is 19-15 against LSC opponents and 4-7 overall against non-conference schools.
 
TEXANS IN THE LSC
The Texans are 99-135 (.420) all-time against opponents in the LSC. Tarleton had won six straight LSC games dating back to last season before a 22-20 loss to A&M-Commerce on Oct. 26. The Texans finished the 2013 season at 5-1 in LSC play en route to the school's third LSC title.
 
TARLETON'S SCORING STREAK
The Texans have now scored a touchdown in 40 straight games dating back to the 2010 season. The last time a Tarleton team was held without a TD came in a 65-3 loss to Abilene Christian back on Sept. 25, 2010. Tarleton has scored at least a field goal or touchdown in 48 straight games heading into Saturday's game. The Texans have not been shutout since Nov. 8, 2008.
 
RECORD TRACKER: CLIFTON RHODES III
Clifton Rhodes III is on pace to become one of the best wide receivers to ever don the purple and white. Entering Saturday's game, here is where he stands on his way to Tarleton history:
• With 2,359 yards, Rhodes is 255 yards away from passing Devin Guinn as the school's all-time receiving leader. Guinn, who played from 2006-09, is the current record holder with 2,613.
• With 173 career receptions, Rhodes is 16 catches away from breaking a 44-year old school record. Tarleton Hall of Fame member Harlan Wunsch, who played from 1967-69, has held the record for the previous four decades with 188 career receptions.
• With nine career 100-yard receiving games under his belt, Rhodes is two 100-yard receiving games away from passing Devin Guinn (10) for the all-time lead.
 
DUAL-THREAT QB: COLLIN STRAHAN
Quarterback Collin Strahan is the leading rusher for Tarleton State through the first two games of the season and is on pace to set for the greatest rushing season by a QB in school history. With 226 yards in three games, Strahan already has more net yards on the ground than the season totals of every Tarleton QB since Jimmy Hering in 1992, who was the last Texan signal caller to have at least 200 net yards in a single season with 585 in 10 games. Strahan is also getting things done from the pocket as the signal caller from Mesquite is coming off his first career 300-yard passing performance. Strahan threw for 305 yards on 23-39 passing against Florida Tech for the 57th 300-yard passing game in school history.
 
DEFENDERS ON RECORD PACE
Tarleton State has had only three Texans top the 100-tackle in a season plateau since 1999 and, through two games this season, there are already three Tarleton defenders on pace for triple-digit stops. Devin Figures leads the team with 46 tackles while Marc Martinez (43) and Charles Moore (31) are close behind. Only Michael Jackson (100; 2001), Ken Jones (111; 2003) and Marquis Wadley, who did it twice in 2011 (119) and 2013 (126), have topped 100 tackles in a season since the turn of the century.
 
TANDY'S BIG DAY
Bubba Tandy had a career game at the Lone Star Conference Football Festival last week, hauling in seven passes for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown. The 154 receiving yards for the sophomore is the 19th most receiving yards in a single game by a Texan and the most in a game since Saalim Hakim reeled in 166 on Oct. 2, 2010. He followed up his career day with five catches for 76 yards last week.
 
ON THE FENCE OF .500
Last week's loss dropped the overall football record of Tarleton State to 457-457-33 for an all-time winning percentage of .500. Tarleton was 194-170-30 as a junior college and are currently 263-284-3 all-time as a senior college program.
 
TOPS IN THE NATION
When Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce kick off Saturday, the game will feature two teams in the national spotlight in certain statistics.
 
Tarleton State ranks in the top 50 in the nation in…
Fewest Penalties (T8; 16 penalties)
Fewest Penalty Yards (13; 151 yards)
Rushing Offense (21; 234.3/gm)
Third-Down Conversion (50; .426 on third down)
 
Texas A&M-Commerce ranks in the top 50 in the nation in…
Scoring Offense (2; 54.5 ppg)
Passing Offense (4; 371.5/gm)
Total Offense (12; 529.5/gm)
Red-Zone Percentage (19; .917 in the red zone)
 
LOOKING TO AVOID A SKID
Tarleton State will look to get back in the win column Saturday and avoid a three-game losing streak. The Texans haven't lost three straight games since starting the 2011 season 0-3. They have since lost back-to-back games only four times, including this season.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will return home next weekend for a 6 p.m. game against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Homecoming Weekend in Stephenville.