GAMEDAY INFORMATION

When: Saturday, Sept. 13 | 7 p.m. (CST)

Where: Canyon, Texas | Happy State Bank Field at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium

Series: Texans trail 10-13 | Streak: Texans, Won 1

Last Meeting: Tarleton State 31, West Texas A&M 27 - Oct. 12, 2013

Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on KTRL 90.5 FM | Listen Live

Web Stream: GoBuffsGo.com

Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

Live Stats | Game Notes

DRIVING DIRECTIONS FOR TRAVELING FANS

The Game
The preseason is finally over for No. 16 Tarleton State (0-0) as the Texans are finally kicking off the 2014 football season Saturday night against No. 22 West Texas A&M (0-1) at 7 p.m.
 
Celebrating 20 years
This season will celebrate Tarleton's 20 years in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Texans joined the NCAA Division II in 1994.
 
Preseason Favorites
Tarleton State was named the Lone Star Conference preseason favorites at Media Day in late July. This is the first time Tarleton was named the preseason favorites of the conference since being chosen to win the LSC South Division in 2006.
 
Season opener
This marks the first time in the history of the Tarleton-West Texas A&M series that the Texans and Buffs will square off in Tarleton's season opener. Since joining the NCAA in 1994, Tarleton is 10-10 all-time in season openers and 2-2 in the first game of the season with Fowler as the head coach. Both of the season-opening wins under Fowler have come against Midwestern State in each of the past two seasons.
 
LSC Championship Title Notes
Tarleton State is coming off its third LSC Championship season in school history. The Texans went 5-1 in conference action last season and secured the title with a 45-20 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Tarleton against the Buffs
In last year's meeting, Tarleton State erased a 24-point half time deficit to end a nine-game losing streak to West Texas A&M and earn a 31-27 win in their home debut. The Texans got a breakout performance from wide receiver Le'Nard Meyers, who caught two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. The Tarleton defense shut down the Buffalo offense by blanking then-QB Dustn Vaughan over the final 30 minutes. In the overall series, Tarleton State trails West Texas A&M 10-13.
 
Quest for LSC win No. 100
Since moving into the NCAA in 1994, Tarleton State has won 98 conference games. The next two victories over conference opponents will be wins No. 99 and No. 100 in the Lone Star Conference as a Division II affiliate.
 
Ranked nationally by AFCA
Tarleton State checked in at No. 17 in the nation in the AFCA preseason polls and moved up to No. 16 in the most recent polls. Tarleton was ranked in the top 25 for the first time in Fowler's tenure last season, moving as high as No. 14.
 
Last Time Out For The Texans
The Tarleton State Texan football team dropped its regular season finale on Nov. 16, falling 44-7 to North Alabama in non-conference action at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in Stephenville. The Texans (7-3), who went into the game ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Super Region Four rankings, missed the postseason despite being the champions of the Lone Star Conference. The Texans' only touchdown of the game came with 8:42 left to play in the third quarter when Collin Strahan completed a 19-yard pass to Bubba Tandy in the end zone.
 
A win over The Buffs Would...
• Start Tarleton 1-0 for the third straight season. The last time they started three straight seasons 1-0 was 2007-09.
• Give the Texans their first winning streak over the Buffs since 2004.
• Bring the all-time series record to 11-13 since the inaugural meeting in 1990.
 
AFCA Poll History
The Texans had been ranked inside the AFCA Top-25 for 84 different weeks since becoming a member of the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference. Tarleton was ranked inside the AFCA Poll for five straight weeks last season before falling out. They have been in both polls to begin this season. 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.
 
Texans under Fowler
The Texans are now 22-20 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 18-14 against LSC opponents and 4-6 overall against non-conference schools.

Texans against ranked Opponents
Since 2000, Tarleton is 12-23 when playing against a 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.
 
Texans in the LSC
The Texans are 98-134 (.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.
 
Record Breakers
The Texans ran 106 offensive plays at Delta State last season, which broke the previous school record of 102 plays that was set against West Texas A&M back on Oct. 12, 1996. Tarleton ran 66 passing plays and 40 rushing attempts in the contest.
 
Tarleton's Scoring Streak
The Texans have now scored a touchdown in 37 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 47 straight games heading into Saturday's game. The Texans have not been shutout since Nov. 8, 2008.
 
Up Next for the Texans
Following Saturday's game, the Texans turn their attention to the annual Lone Star Conference Football Festival at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Texans are scheduled to be the home team against Florida Tech in the 5 p.m. game.