THE GAME
No. 3 Tarleton will travel to Liberty, Missouri for a non-conference matchup against William Jewell on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. at Greene Stadium. The Texans, who have already clinched a share of the Lone Star Conference title for the second straight season, enter the game with the highest ranking in school history at No. 3 and 9-0 on the year. The Texans are also the No. 1-ranked team in the Super Region 4 rankings for the second straight week. William Jewell is 1-8 this season in the GLVC and have lost eight straight games entering this week's contest.
 
GAME COVERAGE
A complete broadcast of the game can be heard on the Tarleton Sports Network presented by
the North Texas Ford Dealers. The Tarleton Sports Network team of Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Jarrett Bopp, and Keltin Wiens have the call on the flagship station of Tarleton Athletics – KTRL 90.5 FM in Stephenville – and worldwide at TarletonSports.com/ListenLive. A link to live Stats can be found on the football schedule of TarletonSports.com. A video broadcast of the game can be seen on the GLVC Sports Network at glvcsn.com/jewell.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to Greene Stadium on the campus of William Jewell are $8 for general admission, $5 for visiting college students and seniors. Tickets can be made by calling the WJ ticket office at 816-415-5990.
 
ATOP THE REGION
For the second straight week, Tarleton is No. 1 in the Super Region 4 rankings – which puts the Texans in line for a first-round bye and hosting rights throughout the regionals in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The No. 3-ranked Texans are 9-0 on the season and 7-0 against in-region and Division II opponents – including a pair of wins over top 25 teams in then-No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce and then-No. 23 Angelo State. Minnesota State is second in the rankings, followed by Colorado School of Mines (3), Colorado State-Pueblo (4), Angelo State (5), Texas A&M-Commerce (6) and Augustana (7) to round out the playoff teams. On the outside looking in is Sioux Falls (8), Winona State (9) and Dixie State (10).
 
ABOUT THE TEXANS
Tarleton enters week ten as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation after a 9-0 start. They're also the No. 1-ranked team Super Region 4 regional rankings for the second straight week, which puts the Texans in line for a first-round bye and hosting rights throughout the regional tournament. The Texans have been ranked in the top five for 10 straight weeks and the top 10 for 16 straight weeks. The Texans received a first-place vote in the AFCA poll for the seventh consecutive week. The Texans rank in the top 20 in the nation in five major categories: Total Offense: 2nd, 538.1 yards; Total Defense: 18th, 286.7 yards; Rushing Offense: 7th, 277.2 yards; Scoring Offense: 3rd, 47.2 points per game; and Defensive Touchdowns: 2nd, 6 TDs. The Texan offense has accounted for at least 420 yards in all nine games, including six 500-yards games and three 600-yard games in wins over SFA (school-record 673 yards) UT Permian Basin (632) and Doane (609 yards). Defensively, the Texans have yet to allow a first quarter touchdown since week one against SFA and have outscored opponents 143-20 in the opening quarter this season. The Texans enter week nine with a 19-game regular season winning streak and lead the nation with 13 straight home wins dating back to 2018. The Texans have also won 15 straight Lone Star Conference games since 2018. The Texans have also had road success, winning eight straight regular season road games since 2018. The Texans are averaging 47.2 points and holding teams to 16.4 points while out-gaining teams in total yards 538-286 per game. Ben Holmes comes in ranked second in the LSC with 2,295 passing yards and an LSC-leading 25 TD's, despite playing only the first half in four lopsided wins. Holmes' top targets have been Zimari Manning, who is third in the nation with 1,070 yards and leads all of college football at any level with 17 TD's, and J.F. Thomas (638 yards, 5 TD). Daniel McCants, Khalil Banks, Ryheem Skinner and Thomas McDonald lead a four-headed rushing attack with all four backs over 150 yards. McCants leads the way with 1,220 yards and 13 TD's. McCants now has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, making him the second player in school history to accomplish that milestone (Derrick Ross). Banks has 539 yards and 9 TD's. Skinner (260 yards) and McDonald (178 yards, TD) have also been weapons out of the backfield. Defensively, B.J. Jefferson leads the team with 72 tackles and tops the LSC with 18.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. Jai Edwards and Ronnell Wilson are right behind with 60 and 54 tackles, respectively. Prince Robinson leads the team with four interceptions and three touchdowns, while Benjie Franklin (3) and Ronnell Wilson (2) each have multiple interceptions, with Franklin also recording a pick six. Tre Johnson and Jordan Wells each have a defensive TD this season with fumble returns.
 
ABOUT WILLIAM JEWELL
William Jewell enters the game 1-8 overall and 0-6 in the GLVC. The Cardinals have lost eight straight games coming into the matchup with Tarleton. WJ's lone win came in week 1 against Southwest Baptist, 29-9. The Cardinals are averaging 19 points on 346 yards per game while the defense surrenders 41 points on 454 yards to opponents per game. Quarterback Will Schneider has thrown for 1,958 yards and 11 touchdowns to go with 5 interceptions. His top target has been Jalik Jaggwe, who has 765 yards and 6 TDs. Running the ball will be Brad Dee, who has 400 yards and three scores this season. Defensively, Brock Geisz leads the Cardinals with 82 tackles while Kole Wagener's 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks leads the team.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Tarleton and William Jewell are meeting for the first time in program history on Saturday.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will travel to Silver City, New Mexico to take on Western New Mexico with a chance to clinch the outright Lone Star Conference title for the second straight season on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.