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Football

Tarleton at SFA, top 2 in ASUN-WAC Power Rankings, clash on Saturday

The Teams: Tarleton Texans (4-1, 1-0 WAC) at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (3-3, 0-0 WAC)
Where: Nacogdoches, Texas
Stadium: Homer Bryce Stadium (14,575)
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, Matt Miller, Keltin Wiens)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin have a lot to play for on Saturday, most notably, to become the presumed frontrunner in the Western Athletic Conference. In fact, both squads are Nos. 1 and 2 in the first official edition of the ASUN-WAC Power Rankings that were announced this week.
 
The game, set for 6 p.m. CT, 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, Matt Miller and Keltin Wiens leading the broadcast.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
  • This is the second straight year Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin face each other, the first time the two meet in consecutive years since 1969-75 (seven running seasons of matchups).
  • Tarleton has won two of their last three games against SFA and three of their last five.
  • This is the sixth straight time SFA will play host to Tarleton when the teams match up, dating back to 1975. Tarleton last played SFA in Stephenville in 1974.
  • SFA has won 12 straight home games, last losing on Oct. 26, 2019.
 
QUICK HITS
  • On paper, this matchup not only features two of the top teams in the WAC, but also the nation. In the first edition of the ASUN-WAC Power Rankings, SFA was No. 1 and Tarleton was No. 2. Also, in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, SFA was ranked No. 20, while Tarleton received votes to put them at tied-29th.
  • The Texans are 4-1 and 1-0 in conference play. This is Tarleton's first 4-1 start at the NCAA Division I level. At the end of their D2 days, Tarleton started 4-1 or better each of the last three years.
  • Tarleton has won three straight games, their second-longest winning streak since becoming a D1 program (four straight from March 6-27, 2021). At 34.4 PPG, Tarleton is averaging the 23rd most points in the FCS.
  • The Texans have scored 40+ points in three straight games, their longest such stretch since Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 2019 (four straight). .
  • Tarleton is on its last leg of three straight road games, going 2-0 thus far. Last time they had 3+ straight away from Stephenville, they went 3-0 (2013). The Texans last played three straight true road games in 2011.
  • Donovan Banks was just named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week, Tarleton's fourth such award this year.
  • Beau Allen just threw for 406 yards, becoming the 12th QB in team history with 400+ pass yards in a game.
 
CHAOS IN CEDAR CITY
There might not be a crazier game in college football this year than the one Tarleton just played at Southern Utah. The Texans won 42-40 in Cedar City, holding off the Thunderbirds to win their first conference game. There were no points scored in the first quarter, only for there to be 82 combined the rest of the game, including 58 in the second half. After Tarleton scored a touchdown on virtually five straight drives (not counting their two rushes to run out the first half clock), including all three of their drives in the third quarter, Southern Utah flipped the script in the final frame. SUU won the quarter 27-7, getting within two points with 33 seconds remaining and the two-point attempt incoming. Tarleton brought pressure and forced the incompletion, seemingly winning the game. Alas, an onside kick ensued, and the Thunderbirds came up with it, starting their potential game-winning drive in good field position. On the very first play of that drive, Tarleton's Patrick Jones intercepted QB Justin Miller with 21 seconds left to seal the Texan win, celebrating with a flip on the field. 
 
Also in the game; Tarleton scored three defensive touchdowns initially, but two were disallowed, one on a review and the other on a penalty that was upheld after discussion between the officials; Beau Allen threw the 12th 400+ yard game in Tarleton program history; the Texans won the turnover battle 2-1 against the top turnover differential team in the FCS; both Darius Cooper (131 yards) and Antwoine Ware (101 yards) reached the century mark in receiving, the first time Tarleton had two receivers go for 100+ yards in the same game since  Del'Michael High (126 yards) and Bubba Tandy (100 yards) did so at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Oct. 29, 2016.
 
SIZING EACH OTHER UP
Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin have history dating back to 1963, and also have several connections, both in past years and the current one. Right now, SFA and Tarleton are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the first official ASUN-WAC Power Rankings out of the 10 teams ranked. SFA has played one of those 10 teams, beating Abilene Christian this past Saturday 41-38, while Tarleton has played three of them, going 3-0. In the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, Tarleton and SFA are separated by just nine spots.
 
Offensively, both teams are separated by just 2.3 PPG, with SFA averaging 36.7 PPG and Tarleton at 34.4 PPG. The few times the Texans and Lumberjacks have scored fewer than 20 points, they are a combined 0-4, and a combined 7-0 when scoring 20+ points. The main difference in their offensive games, however, is total yards. Tarleton is averaging nearly 100 yards more per contest at 475.4, and SFA at 379.2. At WR, both teams have absolute studs, led by Jaden Smith and Xavier Gipson. Smith has 30 catches for 568 yards and six touchdowns, while Gipson, the WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has 29 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Defensively, both teams are giving up a nearly identical number, Tarleton at 29.2 PPG, SFA at 29.3 PPG. Tarleton has been stronger against the run, and SFA stronger against the pass, but both are close in total allowed yardage (TAR at 389.2, SFA at 402. 5).
 
Historically, Tarleton and SFA matched up nine times from 1963 through 1975. Then there was a 23-year break until a matchup in 1998. Over the next 21 years, they played just once more, until now, with the 2022 contest marking the third meeting in four seasons. Both teams' head coaches have plenty of experience facing the other side, dating back to Todd Whitten's tenure at Sam Houston and Colby Carthel's run at Texas A&M-Commerce. This will be Whitten's eighth time coaching against SFA and Carthel's 11th meeting with Tarleton. Between Whitten and Carthel themselves, this will be the 11th game the two have faced each other in a coaching capacity. As Tarleton head coach, Whitten went 4-1 against Abilene Christian defensive coordinator Carthel from 2000-04. Texas A&M-Commerce head coach Carthel went 2-1 against Tarleton head coach Whitten from 2016-18. And as the head coaches of Tarleton and of SFA, the two are tied 1-1. So between Whitten and Carthel all-time, Whitten leads the matchup 6-4.
 
#BEAUKNOWS
Beau Allen has matched the incredible hype he faced going into the season. Through five games, Allen is looking like, and playing like, a star QB, leading the WAC in pass touchdowns (13), pass yards per game (309.0), pass efficiency (153.8), yards per completion (17.6), and yards per attempt (9.5). He also has the most 400+ yard games (one) and the most 300+ yard games (four).
 
Last week in Tarleton's 42-40 win at Southern Utah, Allen threw for a career-high 406 passing yards, adding three touchdowns, while leading the team in rushing with 55 yards on 11 attempts. His 406 yards passing are the 11th most in Tarleton Football history and the 12th 400+ yard game in program history. His 406 are also the most thrown by a WAC QB this year and the 12th most in a game at the FCS level this season.
 
In the game prior,  Tarleton's 43-28 win at North Alabama, Allen earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for a then-career-high 316 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, while adding 32 yards on seven carries.  His four touchdown passes are tied for the most TD passes by a WAC QB this season, and his 86-yard pass to Jaden Smith during the game is the longest pass in the conference this year.
 
In four of his first five games to start his Tarleton career, Allen has thrown for 300+ yards and multiple touchdowns. He already has the 10th most 300+ yard games in program history, and he is the first to have four 300+ yard performances in his first five Tarleton games.
 
In Allen's season debut, his 300 yards passing were the most in a Tarleton season-opener since Ben Holmes had 375 at SFA on Sept. 7, 2019, while his three touchdown passes were the most in a Tarleton season-opener since 2007, when Scott Grantham fired three scores against East Central. As for Texans making their first career start at QB, Allen is the first to throw for 300 yards since Zed Woerner (302) against Angelo State on Nov. 1, 2014.
 
Affectionally given the social media hashtag of #BeauKnows by his Kentucky Wildcat family, Beau Allen originally joined his hometown college as a four-star prospect by both ESPN and Rivals. At Lexington Catholic High School, he ranked as high as the No. 3 QB in Kentucky, and a top-15 QB across the nation overall. He won the Paul Hornung Award his senior year, given to the top high school player in Kentucky, starting all four years at the prep level, compiling 11,439 passing yards and 127 touchdowns, top-five marks in the state all-time. At Kentucky, he primarily spent his time in the No. 2 QB role, playing in five total games, completing 11-of-19 (.579) passes for 132 yards, plus a rushing touchdown. Allen chose Kentucky over offers from Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Maryland, Washington State, West Virginia, Marshall and Duke, among others. He said he picked Tarleton as his transfer school mostly because of the coaching staff, with ties to head coach Todd Whitten and pass game coordinator/QB coach Adam Austin, who was part of Eastern Kentucky's staff tasked to recruit Allen to Richmond.
 
TRIPLE THREAT
The overwhelming majority of Tarleton's passing attack has centered around three receivers -- Jaden Smith, Darius Cooper and Gabe Douglas. Of the 1,545 yards through the air, those three have accounted for 1,392 of those yards, 90.1 percent.
 
On a game-by-game basis, Smith has proven to be one of the top players in the country. Through just five games into his Tarleton tenure, Smith has 30 receptions for 568 yards and six touchdowns. Through a national perspective, only three FCS players are averaging more receiving yards per game than Smith, who is at 113.6 YPG (Fordham's Fotis Kokosioulis is at 128.3 YPG, Utah Tech's Joey Hobert is at 127.2 YPG, Texas A&M-Commerce's Andrew Armstrong is at 121.0 YPG). Including FBS, only six players across all of NCAA Division I are averaging more. Looking at TD's, only six FCS and 14 total D1 players have more receiving touchdowns than Smith. Through a conference perspective, Smith has the most touchdown receptions, the second most receiving yards, and the third most receptions. Through a team perspective, he's two TD away from the top-10 of Tarleton TD receptions in a season, with six games to go.
 
Cooper is coming off of a career-best performance, going for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Southern Utah, one of them coming on an outstretched two-try haul-in. He's third in the WAC in receiving yards per game (89.0) and tied-third in receiving touchdowns (four).
 
Douglas had one of the best plays of the season last week at Southern Utah, out-maneuvering his defenders and overpowering the last one to get into the endzone. He had two catches for 55 yards and a score on the day. He's sixth in the WAC in receiving yards per game (57.8), so the trio of Smith, Cooper and Douglas are all in the top-six of the WAC receiving leaderboard.
 
STRENGTH IN THE TRENCHES
Touted as one of the strengths of the team entering the year, Tarleton's offensive line has lived up to the billing. Look no further than the pass protection, and it shows Tarleton has allowed just five sacks through the first five games of the season. Only four FCS teams have allowed fewer sacks than Tarleton, and only nine are averaging fewer sacks allowed per game than Tarleton's 1.0. Last season, the O-Line allowed the tied-12th fewest total sacks in the FCS at 13, the tied-14th fewest sacks per game at 1.18, going for the 10th fewest amount of negative yardage at 77. In tackles for loss, the big men up front allowed the tied-14th fewest in the FCS at 49, the tied-18th fewest per game at 4.45. Four of the five starters from last year returned -- Blake Haynes, Kendall Dearth, Austin Whitehead and Layton Ernst. Dillon Brooks is the fifth starter this year, and has quickly shown he belongs. In Preseason All-WAC awards entering 2022, the offensive line was the lone position to feature multiple Texans in Haynes and Dearth.
 
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 a .776 winning percentage since the start of 2018, the highest mark across all of the NCAA Division I and II programs in the state.  The Texans have 38 wins since the start of 2018, the most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II program. Tarleton is one of three Texas D1 or D2 schools with all four winning seasons since 2018, along with Texas A&M and Sam Houston. The Texans have the fewest amount of losses among Texas D1/D2 schools since 2018 at 11.  The list of the top scholarship programs in Texas over that span are as follows:
 
# School Conf. Win Pct.
1. Tarleton WAC .776
2. Sam Houston WAC .735
3. Texas A&M-Commerce LSC .721
4. Angelo State LSC .702
5. Texas A&M SEC .685
6. Baylor Big 12 .636
7. West Texas A&M LSC .622
8. Texas Big 12 .618
9. SMU AAC .615
10. Midwestern State LSC .600
 
# School Conf. Wins
1. Tarleton WAC 38
2. Texas A&M SEC 37
3. Sam Houston WAC 36
4. Baylor Big 12 35
5. Texas Big 12 34
6. Angelo State LSC 33
7. SMU AAC 32
8. Texas A&M-Commerce LSC 31
9. UTSA C-USA 30
10. Incarnate Word SLC 29
 
NICE TO BE RECOGNIZED
Last week, Tarleton took home their fourth WAC weekly award of the year, with Donovan Banks named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week after his vital 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in Tarleton's win at Southern Utah. This was Banks' first career weekly award, as the senior scored his first career touchdown. Through six weeks of the season, Tarleton has won four awards.
 
In Week 4 after Tarleton's 43-28 win at North Alabama, Beau Allen won Offensive Player of the Week and Adrian Guzman took Special Teams Player of the Week. This marked Allen's first career weekly award, and for Guzman his third, the second of the season. Allen completed 18-of-29 (.621) passes for a career-high 316 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, while adding 32 yards on seven carries. Guzman was perfect on the day, going 2-for-2 on field goals from 35 and 20 yards out, plus 5-of-5 on extra points.
 
In Week 2, Guzman brought home Tarleton's first WAC weekly honor of the season, named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week following his efforts at TCU. Guzman made his lone field goal attempt, a career-long 47-yarder, and both of his extra points in Fort Worth. His 47-yard successful try made back-to-back weeks for Guzman setting new career-longs in field goals.
 
LEADING THE WAC
Several Texans are atop WAC leaderboards this season...
Beau Allen:
  - 1st in passing touchdowns (13)
  - 1st in passing yards per game (309.0)
  - 1st in passing efficiency (153.8)
  - 1st in yards per completion (17.6)
  - 1st in yards per attempt (9.5)
  - 2nd in total passing yards (309)
Donovan Banks:
  - T-5th in pass breakups (4)
Jalen Carr:
  - T-5th in pass breakups (4)
Darius Cooper:
  - 2nd in yards per catch (22.3)
  - 3rd in receiving yards per game (89.0)
  - T-3rd in receiving touchdowns (4)
  - 4th in total receiving yards (445)
  - 5th in receptions per game (4.0)
Gabe Douglas:
  - 3rd in yards per catch (20.6)
  - 6th in receiving yards per game (57.8)
  - T-6th in receiving touchdowns (3)
Adrian Guzman:
  - 1st in field goal percentage (100.0)
D.J. Harris:
  - 2nd in tackles per game (8.8)
Segun Ijiyera:
  - 2nd in total forced fumbles (2)
Michael Irons:
  - T-5th in pass breakups (4)
Patrick Jones:
  - T-2nd in interceptions (2)
  - T-5th in pass breakups (4)
  - 8th in tackles per game (6.2)
Jaden Smith:
  - 1st in receiving touchdowns (6)
  - 2nd in receiving yards per game (113.6)
  - 2nd in receptions per game (6.0)
  - 2nd in total receiving yards (568)
  - 3rd in total receptions (30)
  - 6th in yards per catch (18.9)
 
TURNAROUND TODD
Tarleton head coach Todd Whitten is in his 13th season at the helm of the Texans. He's already the winningest head coach in program history, with opportunities this season to keep building on his historic career. Since joining the purple and white, Whitten has taken his Texan teams to a 94-46 (.671) record. In its senior college history, Tarleton is now above .500 all-time at 319-316-3. So, Whitten has boosted the Texans from a .455 winning percentage to .502, a hard feat to manage since the senior college sample size is 600+ games deep.
 
CHANGE IN SCHEME
With new personnel comes fresh ideas and different habits. The Texans have a brand-new defensive coordinator, Tyrone Nix, who has incorporated a 3-4 defensive formation, different from Tarleton's 4-3 defense last year.
 
Nix has been a Division I coach for over 25 years, serving as the defensive coordinator for five previous D1 programs, including Ole Miss and South Carolina. He has spent 17 years as a defensive coordinator at the D1 level, holding that title at UTSA (2020), Middle Tennessee (2012-16), Ole Miss (2008-11), South Carolina (2005-07) and Southern Miss (2001-04). His other titles and stops include outside linebackers coach at Ole Miss (2019), safeties coach at Virginia Tech (2018), defensive analyst at Texas A&M (2017), and numerous defensive position titles among his full tenure at Southern Miss from 1995-2004. In all, Nix has coached at seven different Division I programs, spending 15 years in Conference USA, nine years in the Southeastern Conference, one year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and one year in the Sun Belt Conference. He's a former Broyles Award finalist, given to the nation's top assistant coach. In the SEC, Nix elevated as high as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at both Ole Miss, under head coach Houston Nutt, and at South Carolina, under head coach Steve Spurrier.
 
PRESEASON WATCH
Tarleton Football was voted to finish third in the conference by the other WAC head coaches, with five Texans named Preseason All-WAC. Offensive linemen Kendall Dearth and Blake Haynes are on the 2022 Preseason All-WAC Offense. Defensive lineman Javier Duran, linebacker D.J. Harris and defensive back Donovan Banks are on the 2022 Preseason All-WAC Defense.
 
NATIONAL LEADER
Across the country, only 13 NCAA Division I teams (eight FBS, five FCS) have a better winning percentage than Tarleton since 2018 (Cincinnati, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Appalachian State, Kennesaw State, North Dakota State, James Madison, Princeton, Dartmouth). So among some of the other elite programs, Tarleton has a higher W% than the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Oregon, Iowa, USC, LSU, etc.
 
# School Conf. Win Pct.
1. Alabama SEC .919
  North Dakota State MVFC .919
3. Princeton Ivy .912
4. Ohio State Big 10 .910
5. Clemson ACC .902
6. Georgia SEC .864
7. Cincinnati AAC .860
8. Notre Dame Ind. .839
  James Madison SBC .839
10. Dartmouth Ivy .818
11. Oklahoma Big 12 .810
12. Appalachian State SBC .780
  Kennesaw State ASUN .780
14. Tarleton WAC .776
 
6: Only six D1 teams (five FBS, one FCS) averaged more points than Tarleton (38.0 PPG) from 2018-21 (Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, UCF, Eastern Washington).
 
10: 10 D1 teams (five FBS, five FCS) allowed fewer points than TAR (18.3) from 2018-21 (Georgia, Clemson, Cincinnati, Iowa, San Diego State, North Dakota State, Dartmouth, James Madison, Princeton, Kennesaw State).
 
5: Not considering reclassification rules on leaderboards, Tarleton was one of five D1 teams in both top-15s of scoring and defense from 2018-21 - (Clemson, James Madison, Princeton, Kennesaw State).
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
The Texans will finally return home for their Pink Out against Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. CT. This will be Tarleton's first home game in nearly a month and begins a three-game homestand for the purple and white.
 
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Players Mentioned

Donovan Banks

#5 Donovan Banks

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Kendall Dearth

#71 Kendall Dearth

OL
6' 4"
Junior
D.J. Harris

#18 D.J. Harris

LB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Blake Haynes

#74 Blake Haynes

OL
6' 6"
Sophomore
Darius Cooper

#6 Darius Cooper

WR
6' 0"
Freshman
Adrian Guzman

#48 Adrian Guzman

K
6' 0"
Freshman
Austin Whitehead

#75 Austin Whitehead

OL
6' 6"
Junior
Layton Ernst

#54 Layton Ernst

OL
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Gabe Douglas

#2 Gabe Douglas

WR
6' 3"
Junior
Antwoine Ware

#17 Antwoine Ware

WR
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Donovan Banks

#5 Donovan Banks

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Kendall Dearth

#71 Kendall Dearth

6' 4"
Junior
OL
D.J. Harris

#18 D.J. Harris

6' 0"
Sophomore
LB
Blake Haynes

#74 Blake Haynes

6' 6"
Sophomore
OL
Darius Cooper

#6 Darius Cooper

6' 0"
Freshman
WR
Adrian Guzman

#48 Adrian Guzman

6' 0"
Freshman
K
Austin Whitehead

#75 Austin Whitehead

6' 6"
Junior
OL
Layton Ernst

#54 Layton Ernst

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
OL
Gabe Douglas

#2 Gabe Douglas

6' 3"
Junior
WR
Antwoine Ware

#17 Antwoine Ware

6' 0"
Junior
WR