The Teams: Tarleton Texans (5-5, 2-3 WAC) vs. Central Arkansas Bears (5-5, 1-1 ASUN)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (John Liddle, Richard Bartel)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Cody Vannoy, Keltin Wiens)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
It's Senior Night for Tarleton, where the Texans will say goodbye to 17 seniors who made everlasting contributions to the program. The team will look to end their careers on a high note and finish the 2021 season with a winning record, as they take on the 5-5 Central Arkansas Bears.
 
The game, set for 6 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with John Liddle and Richard Bartel on the call. The game can be heard on Tarleton Sports Network at 90.5 FM in Stephenville and surrounding areas, with Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Cody Vannoy and Keltin Wiens leading the broadcast.
 
GAME DAY FESTIVITIES
The season finale will play host to both Senior Night and Fan Appreciation Night. All general admission tickets are $5 for the game, and it will be a 500 Max Point event in the Tarleton Sports Mobile App.
 
The Texans will host a ceremony to honor 17 seniors finishing their collegiate careers in the purple and white.
 
Texan Alley Tailgate will open at 9 a.m. in Lot A. For maps of the area and complete tailgating policies, visit TarletonSports.com/TexanAlley. Non-tailgating lots will open at 2 p.m., while the stadium gates will open at 4 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This is the first ever matchup between the Texans and Bears, but it's not completely new for everybody. Tarleton head coach Todd Whitten has faced Central Arkansas four times, all while at the helm of Sam Houston from 2006-09. Whitten's Bearkats beat the Bears 17-14 on Nov. 14, 2009. That was his second-to-last game at SHSU.
• Central Arkansas plays in the ASUN Conference. Tarleton has played one other team this season from the ASUN -- Eastern Kentucky.
• UCA is outside of the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll, but they did receive votes. This year, the Bears have been ranked as high as #16.

 
QUICK HITS

• This is Tarleton's season finale. It's Senior Night, where the team will honor 17 seniors for their contributions to the program. That's 2,920 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns, 212 receptions, 3,407 receiving yards, 30 receiving touchdowns, 1,272 total tackles, 102.0 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, 24 interceptions, 156 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, and seven defensive touchdowns between the 17 players.
• On offense, departing seniors (8) are #0 Jayy McDonald, #1 Tariq Bitson, #4 Khalil Banks, #22 Ryheem Skinner, #35 Stephen Reeves, #61 Javon Chambers, #73 Zach Perry and #88 J.F. Thomas. Junior #93 Trooper Elwonger is also being honored Saturday for what will be his final game in three seasons for the purple and white.
• On defense, departing seniors (9) are #0 Devin Hafford, #1 Ronnell Wilson, #3 Tre Johnson, #7 Benjie Franklin, #9 ChadWick Thibodeaux, #20 Sean Walton, #30 Jaicorious Johnson, #33 Corban James and #44 Chris Radford.
• With a win, the Texans would finish with a winning record of 6-5. That'd mark their fourth straight season with a winning record. It'd be the 11th time in 12 seasons the Texans were .500 or better under HC Todd Whitten.
• The Texans have won two of their last three regular season finales, including a 58-0 shutout win over Western New Mexico at home in 2018.

 
FAREWELL, OLD FRIEND
The Texans will celebrate 17 seniors on Saturday for Senior Night. Junior Trooper Elwonger will be honored as well as this is his last game for TSU. All 18 Texans (nine offense, nine defense) have made tremendous contributions to the program. Most of them were part of Tarleton's transition to NCAA Division I, which has perks and sacrifices. Some perks are increased national profile, playing on bigger stages, enhanced gear and more opportunities. Sacrifices include tougher competition so the glory of an 11-1 record and conference champions becomes 5-3 with no chance of the playoffs because of a four-year reclassification period. Regardless, all 18 were Texans through and through, and deserve to be honored.
#0 Devin Hafford: Hafford has been with Tarleton for six seasons, part of the program since 2016. Across six seasons, he's logged 55 games, 237 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 12 interceptions, 57 passes defended, a FF and four fumble recoveries. His 12 picks are tied for the third most in a Texan's career, just two short of matching the record. Tarleton is 34-21 with him on the field.
#0 Jayy McDonald: McDonald joined the Texans for his last remaining year of eligibility as a grad transfer. He's recorded 504 rushing yards on 87 carries (5.8 yards per carry) and three rushing touchdowns in nine games.
#1 Tariq Bitson: Bitson has played two seasons at Tarleton, recording 84 receptions for 1,293 yards and 14 touchdowns in 17 games played. With one TD on Saturday, he'd join the top 10 leaderboard for receiving TDs in a single-season in Tarleton history.
#1 Ronnell Wilson: Wilson has been with Tarleton for six seasons, dominating since 2016. He's played in 50 games, earning 348 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions, 18 passes defended, four FF and three fumble recoveries. His 348 tackles are the second most all-time in Tarleton history, the most in their NCAA era. Tarleton is 35-15 with Wilson on the field.
#3 Tre Johnson: This is Johnson's sixth season with Tarleton, with the team since 2016. He's played in 55 games, recording 212 total tackles, 15 TFL, an interception, 48 passes defended and a fumble recovery. Tarleton is 39-16 with him on the field. He hasn't missed a game in his career since redshirting as a freshman.
#4 Khalil Banks: Banks is in his third season at TSU. His best year came in 2019, where he posted 644 rushing yards on 112 carries (5.8 YPC) and nine touchdowns.
#7 Benjie Franklin: This is Franklin's third season at Tarleton. He has seven interceptions in 28 games, a season-best four in 2019.
#9 ChadWick Thibodeaux: This is Thibodeaux's fourth season at TSU, joining in 2018. He's played in 33 career games, racking up 145 total tackles, 9.0 TFL, a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
#20 Sean Walton: Walton has been at Tarleton for five seasons, playing in 51 games since 2017. He's recorded 107 total tackles, 17.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. The Texans are 37-14 with Walton on the field.
#22 Ryheem Skinner:  Skinner has been with Tarleton for three seasons, playing 29 games at RB since 2019. He's racked up 1,433 rushing yards on 295 carries, a career 4.9 yards per carry average, with 12 rushing touchdowns. His best season was 2020, where he was the lead back, posting 687 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
#30 Jaicorious Johnson: This is Johnson's fourth season at Tarleton. He's played in 14 games, 10 in 2018. For his career, he's had 19 total tackles, 1.5 for a loss.
#33 Corban James: James has been at Tarleton for two seasons, playing in 13 games. He earned his first sack for the Texans at Eastern Kentucky this season.
#35 Stephen Reeves: Reeves has been at Tarleton for five seasons, serving as the team's long snapper for 42 games. He has four tackles to his name as well.
#44 Chris Radford: Radford has been with Tarleton since 2016, playing in five seasons. He's played in 40 games, totaling 80 tackles, 19 TFL, seven sacks and two FF.
#61 Javon Chambers: Chambers has played five seasons at TSU, leading the offensive line in 40 games.
#73 Zach Perry: Perry has played three seasons at Tarleton, blocking on the O-Line in 26 games.
#88 J.F. Thomas: Thomas has played four seasons at TSU, recording 99 catches for 1,928 yards and 16 TDs. He had 1,276 yards and 12 TDs his first two years.
#93 Trooper Elwonger: Elwonger has been a Texan for three seasons, appearing in two games in 2020.
 
BEST OF THE WAC
Tarleton is prominently featured across the top of the Western Athletic Conference stat leaderboards this year...
Steven Duncan:
- 2nd in total passing yards (2,281)
- 2nd in total completions (174)
- 3rd in total passing touchdowns (17)
- 3rd in completion percentage (.626)
- 3rd in passing yards per game (228.1)
Jayy McDonald:
- 2nd in average yards per carry (5.8)
- 3rd in rushing yards per game (56.0)
- 5th in total rushing yards (504)
- T-5th in total rushing touchdowns (three)
Derrel Kelley III:
- T-5th in total rushing touchdowns (three)
Ryheem Skinner:
- T-5th in total rushing touchdowns (three)
Tariq Bitson:
- 2nd in average yards per catch (16.6)
- 3rd in total receiving yards (679)
- 3rd in receiving yards per game (67.9)
- 3rd in total receptions (41)
- T-3rd in total receiving touchdowns (seven)
- 5th in receptions per game (4.1)
D.J. Harris:
- 3rd in total tackles (66)
- 4th in tackles per game (7.3)
Devin Hafford:
- 1st in interceptions (six)
- T-1st in fumble recoveries (two)
- T-3rd in total pass breakups (seven)
Ronnell Wilson:
- T-4th in total tackles for loss (6.5)
- 5th in tackles per game (6.4)
Marsean Fisher:
- T-5th in total pass breakups (six)
Benjie Franklin:
- T-5th in total pass breakups (six)
Tre Johnson:
- T-5th in total pass breakups (six)
Adrian Guzman:
- T-3rd in field goal makes (nine)
- T-3rd in extra point makes (33)
- T-5th in scoring (60 points)
Jake Walrath:
- T-1st in punts inside the 20 (15)
- 2nd in total punt yards (2,003)
- 2nd in average yards per punt (42.6)
 
BEST OF THE BEST
It's been quite the season for Devin Hafford. Through 10 games, the senior has six interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 13 passes defended and 44 total tackles (23 solo). His six interceptions match his career total he had entering 2021, which was five seasons, 45 games worth.
 
Across all of NCAA Division I football (FBS and FCS), Hafford has the third most takeaways (eight), the tied-third most interceptions (six), and the tied-most multi-takeaway games (three). In takeaways, only Austin Peay's Johnathon Edwards and Montana's Justin Ford have more, each with nine on the year. Only Ford (eight) and Edwards (seven) have more interceptions. Edwards has three multi-takeaway games along with Hafford, who had two FR at SFA, two INT against SUU, and two INT vs. MSU.
 
In program history, Hafford's 12 career interceptions are the tied-third most in school history. He's tied with Dashaun Phillips (2010-13), only trailing Michael Dube (1989-92) and Lance Trinque (1979-82), who both had 14 interceptions in their Texan careers. His six interceptions this season are the tied-sixth most in a single-season in Tarleton football history, just two short of matching the most in one season in the program's total run. Craig Wright had eight in 1982, as did Walter Moeglin in 1966.
 
NICE TO BE RECOGNIZED
Several Tarleton individuals have been recognized for their great performances. Just last week, Devin Sterling was named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Here's everyone who has earned an individual award or some notice this season...
 
In Week 2, linebacker D.J. Harris was the TicketSmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Fort Lewis. Harris had 13 tackles (six solo), a safety, 1.5 sacks, 3.0 TFL and three quarterback hurries.
 
In Week 4, defensive back Greg Eggleston Jr. was named the TicketSmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-interception game against New Mexico Highlands. He's the first Tarleton freshman (true or redshirt) to have two interceptions in a single game since Dee Collins had two picks against Southwestern Oklahoma State in 2008 as a redshirt freshman.
 
In Week 7, wide receiver J.F. Thomas and kicker Adrian Guzman were named the TicketSmarter WAC Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week from their nights at Dixie State. Thomas pulled in six catches for 169 yards and a touchdown, with four of his receptions surpassing 30+ yards. It's his first 100+ yard game in over two years. Guzman made two field goals and all five of his extra point attempts. His two field goal makes tied a season-high for makes in a game, and both were 37-yard attempts, new season-longs for the freshman.
 
In Week 8, defensive back Devin Hafford was named the TicketSmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-interception game against Midwestern State. He also tallied two pass breakups and seven tackles. After the game, he led all of NCAA Division I in takeaways (eight), interceptions (six) and multi-takeaway games (three).
 
In the middle of Week 9, defensive back Marsean Fisher was one of 22 FCS players named to the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award watch list. The award is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision. At the time of the announcement, he was tied-third in the WAC in pass breakups (six).
 
In Week 10, linebacker Devin Sterling was named the TicketSmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for his nine-tackle, 1.5 TFL game against Lamar. Tarleton won the game in dominating fashion, 42-21.
 
THE BEST IN TEXAS
Since the start of the 2018 season, there has not been a better scholarship football program in the entire state of Texas than Tarleton State University. The Texans enter Saturday's game with 33 wins since the start of 2018, tied for the most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II program. The list of the top scholarship programs in Texas over that span are as follows:
 

#	School	League	Wins
1.	Tarleton	WAC	33
	Texas A&M	SEC	33
3.	Sam Houston	WAC	32
4.	SMU	AAC	30
5.	Texas	Big XII	29
6.	Baylor	Big XII	28
	A&M-Commerce	LSC	28
8.	Angelo State	LSC	25
9.	UTSA	C-USA	24
	West Texas A&M	LSC	24

 
MILESTONE WATCH
2: At 12 interceptions in his career, Devin Hafford is two short of tying Michael Dube (14, 1989-92) and Lance Trinque (14, 1979-82) for the most career interceptions by a Texan.
 
2: At six interceptions on the year, Devin Hafford is two short of tying Craig Wright (1982) and Walter Moeglin (1966) for the most interceptions in a single -season by a Texan.
 
3: At 17 TD passes, Steven Duncan is three short of cracking the top-10 for TD passes in a single-season in team history. He's one short of Steve Kelly's 18 in 2000, two short of Scott Grantham's 19 in 2009.
 
1: At six touchdown receptions on the season, Tariq Bitson is one short of tying six others for the 10th most touchdown catches in a single-season by a Texan.