The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0 WAC) vs. Stephen F. Austin (0-0 WAC)
Where: Nacogdoches, Texas
Stadium: Homer Bryce Stadium
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Chris Mycoskie, D'Torian Smith)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Kyle Crews)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
WAC football is back for the first time since 2012, and the Tarleton Texans will face off against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks for the first intra-conference matchup of the year. The Texans are coming off of a 5-3 season played in the spring, while the 'Jacks finished their fall season 6-4.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Chris Mycoskie and D'Torian Smith 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 and Kyle Crews broadcasting live from Nacogdoches.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This is the second time in three seasons the Texans and Lumberjacks have opened their seasons playing against each other. The Texans won the opener 37-26 in 2019, also at SFA.
• This is the fifth straight meeting between the two teams at SFA, dating back to 1975. The Texans last hosted the 'Jacks in 1974. The Texans have won three of the last four against SFA, all in relatively close fashion; 37-26 in 2019, 27-24 (OT) in 2007, 15-14 in 1975. Stephen F. Austin leads the all-time series 8-4 since the first meeting in 1963.
• Tarleton head coach Todd Whitten returns to face his alma mater, who he is 5-1 against all-time as a head coach (1-0 with Tarleton, 4-1 with Sam Houston). He was inducted to the SFA Hall of Fame in 2001.

 
QUICK HITS

• Tarleton has won seven straight road games, last losing on Dec. 1, 2018, at No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato in the NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinals. With a win Saturday against SFA, the Texans would tie their longest road winning streak in team history, matching their eight-game runs in 2007-08 and 1989-90.
• The Texans have had winning seasons in each of the last three years, going a combined 28-5 (.848). It's their longest stretch of winning seasons since 2011-13, and their second highest winning percentage across three seasons in school history, only short of their .852 mark posted from 1925-27 (22-3-2). They last had 4+ winning seasons in a row from 2000-09 (10 straight).
• It has been 156 days since Tarleton last took the field (April 1). It is the shortest turnaround between games in different seasons since at least 1974-75 for the Texans, when dates of games started being recorded.
• This is the second time in three years Tarleton has opened their season at Stephen F. Austin. In 2019, Tarleton won 37-26, outscoring the 'Jacks 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Current Texans in that game had big days, including J.F. Thomas (7 catches, 196 yards, 2 TD), Ryheem Skinner (11 carries, 84 yards), and Ronnell Wilson (12 tackles).

 
YEAR 2
Tarleton is in its second year of a four-year transition period to being a permanent NCAA Division 1 school. In its first year at the Division 1 level in the 2020 season (held in the spring of 2021), the Texans finished 5-3, winning their first game against an FBS school with a 43-17 walloping of New Mexico State at a neutral location on Feb. 21. The Texans also knocked off four wins in a row from March 6-27, scoring 33+ points in each contest while allowing an average of 12.5 points in the span.
Now, take a look at the Texans' 2021 schedule. Many are calling it Tarleton's toughest schedule in school history, including head coach Todd Whitten himself, with eight of their 11 opponents NCAA Division 1 teams. Tarleton has five games against WAC opponents, beginning Saturday against Stephen F. Austin.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Texans haven't lost away from home in a while. It's been almost three years, in fact. The Texans last lost on the road on Dec. 1, 2018, at No. 1 Minnesota State- Mankato in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Tarleton has knocked off seven wins in a row on the road, going 6-0 in 2019 and 1-0 in 2020 (the win at New Mexico State was at a neutral location).  In those seven games, the Texans have averaged 45.1 points while giving up an average of 16.9 points per game. They've outscored their opponents by 198 points over the seven games, or by 28.3 points per contest.
Over the seven games, the Texan quarterbacks have been top-notch. Steven Duncan, Cameron Burston and Ben Holmes have thrown for a combined 2,358 passing yards (336.9 per game), 22 touchdowns (3.1 per game) and one interception (0.1 per game).
The Texans need a win Saturday at SFA to tie the longest road winning streak in team history. They won eight games in a row from Sept. 1, 2007, through Oct. 11, 2008, and from Nov. 11, 1989, through Nov. 17, 1990.
 
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Most players will say it doesn't matter what's predicted about them before the season starts, since they have to prove it on the field. But it sure is nice to be on notice before the games even get under way.
Four Tarleton players were named to the All-WAC Preseason Teams, two on offense and two on defense. Wide receiver Tariq Bitson and offensive lineman Zach Perry were named to the Preseason All-WAC Offense, while defensive back Devin Hafford and linebacker Ronnell Wilson were named to the Preseason All-WAC Defense.
 
DUNCAN DIMES
Quarterback Steven Duncan has returned after playing in seven of the Texans' eight games last season, starting in six of them. He finished the year with 1,542 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and three interceptions. His 11 touchdown passes would have tied for 20th most at the FCS level if not for the transition period, while his passing yards mark would have been 18th. Among FCS quarterbacks with 214+ pass attempts (Duncan's number of attempts), only one QB besides Duncan had fewer than four interceptions (Houston Baptist's Bailey Zappe).
Duncan not only studies defenses, he studies books. The junior at the NCAA football level just earned his MBA during Tarleton's summer graduation on Aug. 6. Now he's working on earning a second master's degree, this one in management and social media marketing over this next year.
 
WAC IS BACK
This marks the first season the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is sponsoring football since 2012, a nine-year break from its glory days.
There are six football teams playing in the WAC this season -- Abilene Christian, Dixie State, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Tarleton.
 
TARLETON IN SEASON OPENERS
Since joining the NCAA in 1994, Tarleton is 13-14 in its season openers, including a 6-5 mark under head coach Todd Whitten. The Texans have outscored opponents 248-69 in Whitten's six season-opening victories at Tarleton.
 
COMPETITION NEVER HURT ANYBODY
Entering their first game of the 2021 season, there are several competitions for the lead spot on the depth chart for the Tarleton Texans...
 
QB: Steven Duncan vs. Mike Irwin...Duncan is the incumbent, starting six of Tarleton's eight games last season and playing in seven. He threw for 1,542 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He had his best game at Dixie State on March 13, where he completed 23-of-33 (.697) passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns, both career-high marks. Duncan is more of a traditional quarterback – a tall, looming presence (6-6, 235 pounds) in the pocket with a big arm and a will to stay on his feet. Irwin on the other hand is quite different. He's listed at 6-1, 205 pounds, and serves as more of a dual threat, someone who can extend a play with his legs and keep the defense honest. Irwin was at Oregon for two years, redshirting his first season. He joined the Ducks after four years of starting at quarterback across three high schools. His senior year was spent at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,249 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 563 yards and eight touchdowns. During a game in his time at Mountain View High School in Bend, Oregon, Irwin scored five touchdowns, throwing for 262 yards and rushing for 256 yards.
 
RB: Jayy McDonald vs. Daniel Wright Jr....Both these players are brand new to the program, with McDonald transferring from Middle Tennessee State and Wright transferring from Weber State. McDonald is the speed guy, someone who can shoot through the hole before the defense knows what hit them. He played in all nine games and had three starts for Middle Tennessee State last season, finishing with 153 rushing yards on 37 carries (4.14 yards per) to go with nine receptions. His best game came at UTSA on Sept. 25, 2020, as he rushed seven times for a team-high 76 yards, including a 64-yard run. His junior year, he had a 92-yard scoring run against FIU which equaled the second longest in school history and tied for the fifth longest in C-USA history. Wright, meanwhile, is the tough and physical running back who makes you feel him in a meeting at the line. He was part of two Big Sky Championship teams at Weber State, playing in eight games in two seasons. He played in all six games in the last spring season, finishing eighth in the Big Sky in rushing at 50.5 yards per game (44 carries for 303 yards and three touchdowns). Wright had a season-high 11 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown in the FCS Playoff game against Southern Illinois.
 
WR: Tariq Bitson vs. Gabe Douglas vs. Cody Jones...This is for one of three wide receiver spots, with J.F. Thomas and Dray Roberson leading the way in the other two. Bitson had the best year of any Texan receiver last season, leading the WRs in touchdown catches (7), receiving yards (614), receptions (43) and receiving yards per game (87.7). His best game came against Dixie State in which he had 12 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-15 win. It was his first year at Tarleton following stints at Adams State and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Douglas meanwhile looks to do his damage with the big plays. He led the team in average yards per catch at 18.6, and had the Texans' longest offensive play of the year with an 86-yard touchdown on Feb. 21 against New Mexico State. He was second on the team in receptions (25), receiving yards (465) and receiving touchdowns (3), earning his best game against the Aggies with seven catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Last season was also his first at Tarleton following a stint at Kilgore College. Cody Jones, the most experienced out of the three in the Texan program, will have the most to prove, owning three receptions for 72 yards to his name. He played in seven games last season, but had all of his catches in 2019.
 
P: Jake Walrath vs. Trooper Elwonger...Who doesn't love a good punting battle? Walrath, a sophomore, recorded all of the punts last season for Tarleton. He averaged 37.5 yards over his 30 punts, with four 50-yard booms, a long of 55 yards. He pinned the opponents inside the 20-yard-line 10 times, with four touchbacks. Elwonger, a junior, is in his third season at Tarleton. He appeared in two games last season, making his Texan debut on Feb. 27 against Dixie State.
 
THE PATTON EFFECT
When Marcus Patton accepted the job as Tarleton's defensive coordinator in the spring of 2016, he inherited a Texan defense that had given up 296.3 rushing yards, 263.3 passing yards and 559.6 total yards per game – last in the nation at the D2 level. Over the last three seasons, Tarleton has cut those numbers essentially in half. While boasting a 28-5 record over the last two years, Patton's defense has allowed 118.9 rushing, 198.1 passing, and 317.0 total yards per game.
 
THE BEST IN TEXAS
Since the start of the 2018 football season, there has not been a better scholarship football program in the entire state of the Texas than Tarleton State University. The Texans enter Saturday's game with 28 wins since the start of 2018, 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	28
2.	Texas A&M	SEC	26
3.	Texas	Big XII	25
4.	Sam Houston	WAC	23
5.	SMU	AAC	22
6.	A&M-Commerce	LSC	21
7.	Baylor	Big XII	20
8.	TCU	Big XII	18
9.	North Texas	C-USA	17
	West Texas A&M	LSC	17

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
The Texans will head back to Stephenville for their home opener against Fort Lewis on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. Tarleton has never faced off against the Skyhawks, who play in the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.