STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The next college football season can't get here fast enough, but there is now a starting date in sight.
Tarleton Football announced on Monday its 2023 schedule, which begins on Saturday, Sept. 2, and goes through Saturday, Nov. 11.
The Texans have another 11-game slate that features five home games at Memorial Stadium and six true road games, including a Sept. 16 contest at Texas Tech in Lubbock. The schedule alternates between road and home games the entire season, and features no bye week until the final week of the college football regular season. This is the first time since 2009 that Tarleton has no consecutive home games and no consecutive road games. The Texans went 10-3 that year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
All games will be on Saturdays this season.
Of the 11 opponents Tarleton will face, 10 are NCAA Division I programs, the most the Texans will have ever played against in a single season in program history.
"As the Tarleton Football program enters its final year of reclassification, we continue to elevate our strength of schedule and that is evident once again this year," head coach Todd Whitten said. "This is again the best and most difficult schedule we've ever faced. The 2023 season will be our greatest challenge, but I know we're up for it."
Tarleton opens in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a rematch against McNeese on Sept. 2. The Texans and Cowboys played a double overtime thriller in Tarleton's first ever game as an NCAA Division I program in the 2020 season that played in the spring of 2021. The Texans last played on the road at McNeese in 2016, which served as Whitten's first game back with the program in his third stint.
The Texans' home opener will be a Purple Out on Sept. 9 against North Alabama. This will serve as a conference game for Tarleton as part of the continued ASUN-WAC partnership, which for the first time is serving as a single sport conference. The ASUN-WAC football group has nine participating institutions; Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton and Utah Tech. UTRGV will join the competition on the field in 2025. Tarleton went to Florence, Alabama, last year and snapped North Alabama's 16-game homecoming winning streak with a 43-28 victory, as the Texans outscored the Lions 23-7 in the second half.
Like last year, Tarleton will take on a Big 12 program on the road, this time Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. Whitten will take his Tarleton team to where he began his coaching career in 1988. The Texans have never played the Red Raiders in football. Last season, Tarleton played its first ever game against a Power Five conference program at TCU, who ended up playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
On Sept. 23, Tarleton hosts Family Weekend against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats, who the Texans beat last year. On Sept. 30, Tarleton will be at the Southland Conference's Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond. The Lions just advanced to the second round of the 2022 NCAA FCS Playoffs.
On Oct. 7, Tarleton's Legends Game will feature WAC foe Southern Utah, who heads to Stephenville for the first time. The Texans and Thunderbirds have split their meetings over the past two years in chaotic fashion, with Tarleton winning 42-40 in Cedar City, Utah, this past season, and SUU winning 40-35 at Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Park) in Arlington the year before. The Texans will honor the 2002-03 men's basketball program at the Legends Game this year, a team that went 29-4 overall on their way to the Lone Star Conference North Division title and a three-game run in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, held in Stephenville. Members of the team interested in attending the festivities should reach out to Tarleton Athletics Associate AD for Alumni Engagement and On-Air Broadcasting Byron Anderson at
banderson@tarleton.edu.
On Oct. 14, Tarleton will be back in Richmond, Kentucky, this time for a conference game against Eastern Kentucky. The two teams met as non-conference opponents in 2021. On Oct. 21, the Texans return to Stephenville for their homecoming game against Morehead State. The Eagles, out of Morehead, Kentucky, and the Pioneer Football League, will face the Texans for the first time.
Tarleton will then make their first trip to Central Arkansas on Oct. 28 in Conway to play the Bears. This will be a conference game for the first time, which wasn't the case when Tarleton hosted UCA in the 2021 season finale at Memorial Stadium. The Texans put on a show to win 24-3.
For the first time since 1974, Stephen F. Austin will travel to Stephenville. On Nov. 4, the Texans will clash with the Lumberjacks for the third straight season but for the first time at home in 49 years. The WAC rivalry game will also be Tarleton's Military Appreciation Game.
To conclude the 2023 campaign, Tarleton will head to Abilene to play Abilene Christian on Nov. 11. Tarleton's bye week is the last week of the regular season on Nov. 18.
The full schedule is below, and can be found
here. Tickets will be available at a later date.
| Date |
Opponent |
Theme |
Location |
| Sept. 2 |
McNeese |
|
Lake Charles, LA |
| Sept. 9 |
North Alabama* |
Purple Out |
Stephenville, TX |
| Sept. 16 |
Texas Tech |
|
Lubbock, TX |
| Sept. 23 |
Southwest Baptist |
Family Weekend |
Stephenville, TX |
| Sept. 30 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
|
Hammond, LA |
| Oct. 7 |
Southern Utah* |
Legends Game |
Stephenville, TX |
| Oct. 14 |
Eastern Kentucky* |
|
Richmond, KY |
| Oct. 21 |
Morehead State |
Homecoming |
Stephenville, TX |
| Oct. 28 |
Central Arkansas* |
|
Conway, AR |
| Nov. 4 |
Stephen F. Austin* |
Military Appreciation |
Stephenville, TX |
| Nov. 11 |
Abilene Christian* |
|
Abilene, TX |
| Nov. 18 |
BYE |
|
|
Dates and times subject to change | Home games in bold | * WAC-ASUN Games
