The Teams: Tarleton Texans (7-3, 3-2 UAC) at Abilene Christian Wildcats (5-4, 3-2 UAC)
Where: Abilene, Texas
Stadium: Wildcat Stadium (12,000)
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Zach Carlye, Joseph Chapa, Connor Mullins)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Laura Sadler)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
With already their best season at the NCAA Division I level in hand, the Texans can cap it off with their longest winning streak and win over rival Abilene Christian on Saturday.
 
Tarleton's game, set for 2 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Zach Carlye, Joseph Chapa and Connor Mullins 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, Keltin Wiens and Laura Sadler leading the broadcast.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• After not meeting since 2013, this makes three straight years that Tarleton and Abilene Christian match up, the 38th all-time meeting. The Texans last beat the Wildcats in 2013 in 2OT 41-34.
• Tarleton State and ACU are tied for fourth in the United Athletic Conference at 3-2. The Texans have the tied-most overall wins (seven).
• ACU is 3-1 at home, with its one loss coming to No. 9 UIW 27-20.
• Seven of ACU's nine games have been decided by 14-plus points. Four of the last five games between TSU-ACU have been one score results.
• ACU has a plus-four TO margin this year, third in the UAC, tied-29th in FCS.

 
QUICK HITS

• With a win Saturday, Tarleton would match its longest winning streak at the D1 level (four, March 6-27, 2021).
• Victor Gabalis and Qua'Shawn Washington are the reigning UAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.
• Now at seven, Tarleton already has their most wins in a single season since becoming an NCAA Division I program. Among all reclassifying schools (D2 to FCS) since 2004, only three have won 8-plus games in a season (North Dakota State twice in 2006-07, Central Arkansas twice in 2006 and 2008, North Dakota in 2011).
• Tarleton has a guaranteed fourth straight winning season at the NCAA Division I level, just the third reclassifying program since 2004 to post four winning seasons in their four reclassifying years, joining North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Among all reclassifying schools since 2004, the Texans now have the tied-third best winning percentage at .600 with South Dakota State (27-18, 2005-08). North Dakota State had a .750 winning percentage (33-11, 2005-08) and Central Arkansas posted a .630 (29-17, 2006-09).
• The Texans already have their most road wins in a single-season (three) at the NCAA Division I level.
• The Texans are an undefeated 6-0 when wearing their traditional purple helmets this season.
• Kayvon Britten has scored a TD in nine of 10 games. He has the most TD's in the UAC (14), tied-fifth in FCS.

 
RIVALRY SATURDAY
Tarleton and Abilene Christian are clashing once again Saturday, a battle of close proximity programs on I-20, separated by about 90 miles. There have been 18 meetings since 1998, with the teams splitting those 9-9. 
 
This year, the two enter Saturday with 3-2 conference records. Statistically, there is a fairly wide difference though. In the United Athletic Conference, the Texans have the third highest scoring offense at 33.5 points per game, while Abilene Christian has the third lowest (27.3 PPG). Tarleton is second in points allowed at 24.0 PPG, and ACU allows 27.8 PPG (fifth). Rushing, Tarleton is second in the UAC at 197.9 yards per game, and ACU is sixth at 153.4. Rushing defense, Tarleton is third best at 148.5, and ACU is second worst at 210.2. When it comes to sacks, Tarleton leads the conference with 25 on the season. As for ACU, they have the fewest in the UAC at 10.
 
As far as homegrown talent, both teams have a difference-maker at linebacker from the other's town. Tarleton has one of the top players in the UAC at inside linebacker, Qua'Shawn Washington. Washington is a 2017 graduate of Abilene High School, where he played four years of varsity football, capped off by a unanimous 6A Defensive Most Valuable Player award as a senior, while also being named Second Team All-District at wide receiver. From 2017-19 he played 22 games at ACU, the first year as a running back and the last two years at linebacker, before transferring to Tarleton in 2021. On the other side, ACU has Reese Young from Stephenville High School at linebacker, who has the tied-fourth most tackles on the team. Young helped SHS to a perfect record in 2021 on their way to the state championship.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Stephen F. Austin hadn't made the trip to Stephenville in 49 years. It might be another 49 years before they agree to visit Tarleton State again.
 
The Texans stomped the Lumberjacks 59-17 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Tarleton Football won their third straight game, finished 4-1 at Memorial Stadium this season, and set a new single-season record for wins in their NCAA Division I era. The Texans sent SFA to their fourth straight loss, their longest losing streak since 2019.
 
This was a season-high in points for Tarleton, their highest scoring game at the D1 level, their most since dropping 66 on Midwestern State on Nov. 2, 2019. It marked their third 50-plus point game of the season, their most such games in a season since 2019 (four).
 
Texan quarterback Victor Gabalis had five touchdowns on the night, completing 15-of-19 passes for a season-high 389 yards. He threw a season-high four touchdowns, plus ran a touchdown in from two yards out. Kayvon Britten added two more rushing touchdowns to his total, finishing with 63 yards. He's scored six rushing touchdowns over the past three games, now at 13 on the year. Darius Cooper recorded five receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including an 85-yard TD grab. Trevon West and Dawson Hearne each had a touchdown reception, and Kristian Dalton sealed the night with a 70-yard rushing score.
 
The Texan defense forced five takeaways on Saturday, all fumbles. Qua'Shawn Washington had two of those recoveries, adding a team-high 10 tackles, to go with two pass breakups. Ty Rawls had a fumble recovery with seven tackles, Greg Eggleston Jr. had a recovery, and Bryson Collins forced a fumble at the 1-yard line that went out of the end zone for a touchback. Josh Griffis had a strip sack in the first quarter that Washington recovered.
 
The Texans started with a 28-spot in the first quarter. The Texans had 389 passing yards to SFA's 203, averaging 20.5 passing yards per attempt to SFA's 4.1. The Texans outgained the Lumberjacks overall 577-411.
 
RECLASSIFICATION SUCCESS
The Texans have guaranteed themselves a fourth straight winning season at the D1 level, becoming just the third team since 2004 to have four winning seasons in all four years of reclassification, joining North Dakota State and South Dakota State. As for overall record, only two programs had or have (through three years) a higher winning percentage than Tarleton. The Texans are .600 (24-16) since becoming D1. The only higher ones:
1. North Dakota State: .750 (33-11, 2005-08)
2. Central Arkansas: .630 (29-17, 2006-09)
T-3. Tarleton: .600 (24-16, 2020-current)
T-3. South Dakota State: .600 (27-18, 2005-08)
 
SHINING IN CONFERENCE PLAY
The Texans are enjoying their best season since becoming an NCAA Division I program. In conference play, they're outright shining.
 
In conference games only, Tarleton has the No. 1 scoring offense (39.4 PPG) and the No. 2 defense (27.8 PPG). They have the No. 1 rushing attack (210.6 YPG), are No. 2 in overall average yardage (454.4 YPG), and defensively, allow the tied-second fewest yards per play (5.2).
 
Individually in conference play, Victor Gabalis has really excelled, throwing 12 touchdowns to just three interceptions. His 12 passing touchdowns are tied-second most in the UAC, while his 4:1 TD:INT ratio is fourth best. Darius Cooper is the top wide receiver in UAC play at 103.3 yards per game and 25.8 yards per catch. He's tied second with four receiving touchdowns. Kayvon Britten has the most rushing touchdowns at seven, with the next closest (EKU's Braedon Sloan) at four. Britten is averaging the second most rushing yards per game at 113.6. Finally on the offensive side, Adrian Guzman is scoring the most points per game at 9.4, with Britten fourth at 8.4.
 
Defensively in UAC play, Qua'Shawn Washington is averaging 8.4 tackles per game, good for seventh most in the conference. Washington has the most fumble recoveries (three), while three of the top four tied at the top of fumbles forced at two are from Stephenville; Jalen Carr, Josh Griffis and Blake Smith
 
REIGNING PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Everything surrounding Tarleton State's game vs. Stephen F. Austin went well on Saturday, and the United Athletic Conference agreed, announcing Monday that two Texans deserved weekly awards for their performances.
 
The conference named Texan quarterback Victor Gabalis the UAC Offensive Player of the Week and Texan linebacker Qua'Shawn Washington the UAC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
This marks each player's first conference weekly award of the season, and for Tarleton State, their sixth and seventh. The Texans have also had Adrian Guzman win two UAC Special Teams Player of the Week awards, Patrick Jones and D.J. Harris win UAC Defensive Player of the Week awards, and Keylan Johnson a UAC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
 
Gabalis had five touchdowns and 389 passing yards in Tarleton State's romping of conference opponent SFA 59-17. He completed 15-of-19 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns, plus had a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Gabalis is the first Texan with five or more total touchdowns in a game since 2015 (QB Zed Woerner vs. Oklahoma Panhandle on Oct. 24, 2015), as he set season-highs in touchdowns and passing yards. Gabalis had the most overall touchdowns in the UAC last week and was the only QB with 350+ yards and four passing TD's.
 
Washington, on his Senior Night, had two fumble recoveries, a team-high 10 tackles and two pass breakups. He had the most takeaways in the UAC last week with two, and was the only player in the UAC with 10-plus tackles and a takeaway. Washington has the tied-most fumble recoveries this season across all of FCS (three), and the most in the UAC. He is the first Texan with multiple fumble recoveries in a game since Devin Hafford also had two against SFA on Sept. 4, 2021. Tarleton had five takeaways on Saturday, all on fumbles.
 
The Texans had the largest margin of victory among all UAC teams last week (42).
 
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?
It's been a busy week for wide receiver Darius Cooper with the notoriety he's received on social media and media requests since his big day Saturday. Tarleton has a running tradition called Pointe Du Hoc of gathering at the statue of Lt. Col. Rudder about three hours before kickoff for a motivational speech before a cannon fires and the band and cheer teams lead the football team to Memorial Stadium. Upon the blessing by head coach Todd Whitten, athletic director Lonn Reisman and president Dr. James Hurley, Cooper shared the spotlight to propose to his girlfriend of seven years. Of course, she said yes.
 
In the game, Cooper celebrated his first of two touchdowns by getting on one knee and proposing to the goal post, an idea he claims came from fellow wide receiver Jaden Smith. The imagery of both his real proposal and fake one went viral, and Cooper said it's been one of the busiest weeks of his life. And oh yeah, he also added an 85-yard touchdown on Saturday, finishing with five catches for 168 yards and two scores.
 
TURNOVER TURNAROUND
Despite starting the season 4-1, Tarleton State struggled with turning the ball over, coughing it up 13 times over the first five games. Since then, the Texans have secured the rock, giving possession away just four times over the past five games, and just once over the last three. They had no turnovers in the last two home games, and had just one in Conway during a downpour that maintained nearly the entirety of the contest.
 
RUNNING WILD
Tarleton's running attack has been superb all season, especially over the past four weeks. Over the span, they ran for 316, 317, 208 and 188 yards, respectively. Their first two games marked their first stretch of 300-plus rushing yard games since 2019. That was also the last time they had three straight 200-plus yard games.
 
Overall this season, Tarleton is rushing for 197.9 yards per game, their highest at the NCAA Division I level. They're second in the conference this year, only behind Central Arkansas' 207.2 rushing yards per game average. Tarleton is 17th in the FCS in average rush yards per game, and also 20th in yards per rush at 5.11.
 
The Texans have 1,515 yards split between their top two backs, Kayvon Britten and Derrel Kelley III. Britten leads the team with 974 rushing yards, averaging 97.4 per contest and 6.0 yards per rush. He's eighth in the FCS in total rush yards. Over his past four games, he's ran for 549 yards (137.3 yards per game) on 74 carries (7.4 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Britten has a rushing touchdown in nine of 10 games this season. He has 13 rushing touchdowns on the year, most in the UAC and tied-fourth in the FCS. At 14 total TD's, he's got the most in the UAC, tied-fifth most in the FCS.
 
BEST IN TEXAS
Since the start of the 2018 season, Tarleton has been one of the best scholarship football programs in the entire state of Texas. The Texans enter Saturday's game with 47 wins since the start of 2018, the most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II program. They have a .723 winning percentage since the start of 2018, the highest mark across all of the NCAA Division I and II programs in the state. Tarleton is one of two Texas D1 or D2 schools with all five winning seasons since 2018, only joined by Sam Houston. The list of the top scholarship programs in Texas over that span are as follows:
 

#	School	Conf.	Win Pct.
1.	Tarleton State	UAC	.723
2.	Angelo State	LSC	.714
3.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.662
4.	Texas	Big 12	.648
5.	Texas A&M	SEC	.638
	SMU	AAC	.638
7.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.635
8.	UTSA	C-USA	.589
9.	Texas A&M-Commerce	SLC	.586
10.	Midwestern State	LSC	.574

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Tarleton State	UAC	47
2.	Texas	Big 12	46
3.	Angelo State	LSC	45
4.	Texas A&M	SEC	44
	SMU	AAC	44
6.	UTSA	AAC	43
	Incarnate Word	SLC	43
8.	Baylor	Big 12	41
9.	TCU	Big 12	40
	Sam Houston	C-USA	40

 
GREAT SEASON OFFENSIVELY FOR…
KAYVON BRITTEN
- Has 974 yards on 161 carries (6.0 YPC) and 13 TD's.
- Has 14 total touchdowns scored (13 rushing, one receiving), the tied-fifth most in the FCS, most in the UAC.
- His 13 rushing TD's are the tied-fourth most in the FCS and the most in conference.
- Has 549 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over the past four games.
- Has scored 17 touchdowns over his last 11 games.
- Has scored a TD in nine of Tarleton's 10 games.
DARIUS COOPER
- Leads the team in receiving yards at 578, averaging 96.3 per game.
- Has the tied-most receiving touchdowns on the team at five, desipte only playing six of a possible 10 games.
- Just had a season-high 168 receiving yards and a tied-season-high two touchdowns against SFA.
DERREL KELLEY III
- Has rushed for 541 yards on 109 attempts (5.0 yards per carry) and four touchdowns in nine games.
BENJAMIN OMAYEBU
- Leads the team in receptions by a wide margin, recording 54 catches for 508 yards this season. Next closest Texan in receptions is at 26 (Darius Cooper).
- Has the tied-14th most receptions across all of the FCS.
- Had a career-high 12 receptions at Texas Tech, Tarleton's first 12+ reception game in two years.
- Had 21 receptions over two games for 175 yards between Sept. 16-23.
KEYLAN JOHNSON
- Has 313 yards on 11 receptions and five touchdowns.
- Had four touchdowns on six receptions, with 219 receiving yards in the home opener. Entered the contest with six receptions for 96 yards and 0 TD in previous 10 games since 2020.
- Was UAC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2.
VICTOR GABALIS
- Just had a season-best game, completing 15-of-19 for 389 yards and four touchdowns, plus had a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
- Hasn't thrown an interception in three straight games, compared to six passing touchdowns.
- Was UAC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 10.
 
GREAT SEASON DEFENSIVELY FOR…
PATRICK JONES
- Leads the team in tackles with 67 (46 solo), plus has an INT returned for a touchdown and four pass breakups.
- Was UAC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 1.
QUA'SHAWN WASHINGTON
- Has the second most tackles on the team (58), to go with 3.5 TFL, three FR's, two PBU's and three QBH's.
- Just had two FR's, 10 tackles and two PBU's vs. SFA.
- Tied-first in the FCS with three fumble recoveries.
- Was UAC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 10.
BLAKE SMITH
- Has the third most tackles on the team (55).
- Had a 23-yard pick-six on the 1st defensive play at SLU.
- Had two forced fumbles in the home opener.
JALEN CARR
- Leads the team in pass breakups with eight, tied-23rd most in the FCS.
DEVIN STERLING
- Has a team-high 8.0 TFL, with 46 tackles.
JOSH GRIFFIS
- Has a tied-team-high four sacks, plus 6.5 TFL, to go with two forced fumbles.
O'TAY BAKER
- Has a tied-team-high four sacks, plus 5.5 TFL, to go with 24 tackles, one FF and two QBH.
TY RAWLS
- Had a 16-yard pick-six vs. Southwest Baptist.
ROBERT RIOS
- Had a 50-yard pick six vs. North Alabama.
 
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The Texans are allowing 24.0 points per game, the second fewest points allowed in the UAC. Tarleton's number is especially amazing when comparing time of possession and opposing plays. Tarleton's defense has defended 775 plays, the most across the entire FCS.
 
The Texan defense has proven to be explosive as well. Through 10 games, they've forced 17 turnovers, tied-18th most in the FCS and most in the conference. They just had five takeaways on fumbles in the last game. In four games, Tarleton has scored a defensive touchdown; a 71-yard pick-six by Patrick Jones in the fourth quarter of the season opener at McNeese; a 50-yard pick-six by Robert Rios in the fourth quarter of the home opener vs. North Alabama; a 16-yard pick-six by Ty Rawls in the fourth quarter of the Sept. 23 game vs. Southwest Baptist; a 23-yard pick-six by Blake Smith on the first defensive play of the Sept. 30 game at Southeastern Louisiana. With four defensive touchdowns, they have the tied-third most across all of D1 football, both FBS and FCS. The Texans have 25 sacks, the tied-12th most in the FCS, and they have 61 tackles for loss, the tied-19th most nationwide.
 
FEELING 100
Todd Whitten hit the century mark as the head coach at Tarleton State, winning his 100th game at the helm of the Texans on Sept. 30 at Southeastern Louisiana, now sitting at 103 wins (103-53, .660). Already the winningest head coach in program history, Whitten became just the 12th head coach among all current NCAA Division I schools in Texas to reach 100 wins with one program:
1. TCU's Gary Patterson (181-79, 2000-21)
2. Texas' Darrell Royal (167-47-5, 1957-76)
3. Houston's Bill Yeoman (160-108-8, 1962-86)
4. Texas' Mack Brown (158-48, 1998-2013)
5. Rice's Jess Neely (144-124-10, 1940-66)
6. Texas A&M Commerce's Ernest Hawkins (132-92-6, 1964-85)
7. Sam Houston's Ron Randleman (131-125-3, 1982-2004)
8. Baylor's Grant Teaff (128-105-6, 1972-92)
9. Texas A&M's R.C. Slocum (123-47-2, 1989-2002)
10. North Texas' Odus Mitchell (122-85-9, 1946-66)
11. TCU's Dutch Meyer (109-79-13, 1934-52)
12. Tarleton State's Todd Whitten (103-53, 1996, 2000-04, 2016-Present)
 
NATIONAL LEADER
Across the country, only 11 NCAA Division I teams (eight FBS, three FCS) have a better winning percentage than Tarleton since 2018 (Cincinnati, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Appalachian State, North Dakota State, James Madison, Princeton). 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.	Ohio State	Big 10	.901
2.	Alabama	SEC	.897
3.	Georgia	SEC	.896
4.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.875
5.	Clemson	ACC	.833
6.	James Madison	SBC	.831
7.	Princeton	Ivy	.813
8.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.811
9.	Oklahoma	Big 12	.770
10.	Cincinnati	Big 12	.753
11.	Appalachian State	SBC	.730
12.	Tarleton State	UAC	.723

 
3: Since 2004, only three reclassifying programs have started the period with four straight winning seasons; Tarleton (2020-22), North Dakota State (2005-08) and South Dakota State (2005-08).
 
2: Through three years of reclassification by teams since 2004, only two teams have posted a higher winning percentage than Tarleton (.600); North Dakota State (.750), Central Arkansas (.630).
 
13: Kayvon Britten has 13 rushing TD's. He already has the most by a Texan in their NCAA Division I era, surpassing Derrel Kelley III's eight in 2022. Over the past 15 years, Britten has the tied-third most rushing TD's in a single-season at TSU.
 
UP NEXT
The Texans will gear up for their 2024 campaign, which will be their first year they can compete for the playoffs and national championships.