The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0, 0-0 UAC) at McNeese Cowboys (0-0, 0-0 SLC)
Where: Lake Charles, Louisiana
Stadium: Cowboy Stadium
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Jeff Palermo, Kip Texada)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Laura Sadler)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
The 2023 Tarleton Football season will get underway on Saturday in Louisiana, as the Texans face the McNeese Cowboys to begin their fourth season at the NCAA Division I level.  
 
The game, set for 7 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Jeff Palermo and Kip Texada 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

• This is the fourth all-time meeting between these two programs, with McNeese leading 3-0. The most recent meeting was Tarleton's first game as a D1 program -- McNeese won it 40-37 in 2OT in 2021.
• After starting last season 1-7, McNeese closed with three straight wins to finish 4-7. It marked their first three-game winning streak since 2019. They haven't won 4-plus since they won six straight from 2017-18.
• Last year, McNeese favored the run, finishing 19th in FCS in rushing offense (200.5 YPG) compared to 114th in passing (144.8).
• The Cowboys averaged the tied-third fewest penalties in 2022 at 3.7 per game.

 
QUICK HITS

• This is the third time in eight seasons that Tarleton will face McNeese in their season opener.
• The Texans have won three of their last five season openers, including a 29-13 win over Mississippi Valley State last year. Tarleton had a 67-yard touchdown scoring drive to start the game and never looked back.
• Head coach Todd Whitten has returned for his 14th season and eighth straight year at the helm of the Texans.
• Tarleton ended 2022 with a 49-7 blitzing of Houston Christian at home. Tarleton outgained HCU in total yardage 516-135, forcing Houston Christian to -21 rushing yards. The Texans rushed for a season-high 309 yards.
• The Texans are now in their final year of reclassification. They are just the fourth program since 2004 to start a reclassification period with three straight winning seasons (North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Central Arkansas). Tarleton's .567 winning percentage since the reclassification period began is the fifth best winning percentage among schools done with reclassification or with a year left in that same time frame.
• The Texans have 40 wins since the start of 2018, the most wins in Texas by an NCAA Division I or II program. They have a .727 winning percentage since the start of 2018, the highest mark across all D1/D2 programs in the state.  The Texans are one of two Texas D1 or D2 schools with all five winning seasons since 2018 (Sam Houston).

 
RECLASSIFICATION SUCCESS
Usually for programs reclassifying from the NCAA Division II level to Division I, it's a struggle. It's challenging to recruit with the certainty of no postseason play. Fans can become disengaged, knowing the regular season games will amount to no championship, win or loss. Plus for some, Tarleton State included, the schedule features a majority of Division I programs when it was a rarity to play them before. So for Tarleton State to have three straight winning seasons to start its reclassification period, there should be no other word uttered except for this -- success.
 
Since 2004, only four reclassifying programs have started the period with three straight winning seasons; North Dakota State and South Dakota State both did it all four years from 2005-08, while Central Arkansas had three straight to start in 2006-08 before going 5-7 the fourth year in 2009. That's nationwide mind you. Let's compare that to other locally relevant programs. Abilene Christian had just one winning season in all four years of their reclassification period from 2013-16. Incarnate Word had two winning seasons, their first and third years, of the reclassification window. And Utah Tech, who is on the same timeline as Tarleton? They have started with three straight losing seasons.
 
As for overall record, only four programs had a higher winning percentage than Tarleton State through three years.
1. North Dakota State: .750 (33-11, 2005-08)
2. Central Arkansas: .630 (29-17, 2006-09)
3. South Dakota State: .600 (27-18, 2005-08)
4. Bryant: .591 (26-18, 2008-11)
5. Tarleton: .567 (17-13, 2020-22)
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The 2020 (spring 2021) season-opener was memorable for several reasons. It marked Tarleton's first ever game as an NCAA Division I program. It was played on Feb. 13, 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the usual fall season in 2020. Finally, it was a cold and miserable night. The typical Texas heat of a season-opener turned into a February frigid night with temperatures in the 20s. On the field, however, were fireworks...
 
The Texans fell to McNeese State in nail-biting fashion, 40-37 in double overtime on Cowboy quarterback Cody Orgeron's walk-off 19-yard touchdown run. After trailing 10-0 in the first nine minutes of the game, Tarleton State All-America defensive back Devin Hafford made a game-turning defensive stop on fourth down on the Texan 10-yard line to force a turnover on downs. The stop sparked the Texan offense, who in turn heated up as kicker Adrian Guzman kicked a 38-yard field goal for the first points as a Division I program. The two teams went into halftime tied at 10-10.
 
On Tarleton's first drive in the third quarter, quarterback Steven Duncan connected with Tariq Bitson in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass that gave the Texans their first lead of the game, 17-10. In the second half, the offense relied on true freshman Braelon Bridges. He broke free on a 27-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to give Tarleton a two-score lead at 24-10, which marked 24 unanswered points for the Texan offense. After Orgeron ran in his first of two touchdowns on the ensuing possession to cut it to a one-score game, Bridges added another touchdown to extend the lead on a 1-yard run. In his first career collegiate game, Bridges ran for 112 yards on just 15 carries and a pair of touchdowns.
 
The Texans had a 31-17 lead with three minutes left in the game when McNeese scored on a touchdown pass to cut it to a one-score difference. The Cowboys then recovered the onside kick and found the end zone once again with 35 seconds on the clock that forced the game to overtime.
 
In the first overtime, both teams kicked field goals to even the score at 34. After Guzman drilled his third field goal of the game in the second overtime, a 45-yard attempt, the Cowboys turned to Orgeron who scored on a 19-yard run, finishing the game with 108 yards on the ground and the game winner.
 
The Tarleton defense was led by ChadWick Thibodeaux, who had a game-high 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Zech Hopkins also posted double figures in tackles with 10.
 
THE YOUTH MOVEMENT
Saturday will feature youthful players on both sides...
 
For the Texans, the majority of their returning leaders still have two-plus years of eligibility remaining, and their scheduled new starters are similar. Tarleton's top-three skill players from a season ago are all back for their junior years; leading rusher Derrel Kelley III, leading receiver Darius Cooper, and leading scorer (besides kicker Adrian Guzman) Jaden Smith. Sophomore Victor Gabalis is set to start at quarterback, sophomore Dawson Hearne at tight end, and an offensive line consisting of four juniors and a sophomore. On the offensive two-deep, Tarleton has just one senior in the mix -- back-up WR Dejuan Miller.
 
Defensively, it's a different story for the Purple and White. Of the 11 positions, the top man on the two-deep in six spots is a senior, with only three filled by underclassmen. Senior returners Qua'Shawn Washington and D.J. Harris will plug the middle, Bryson Collins will play SAM, Patrick Jones will roam the secondary, and Jalen Carr will play tough coverage at CB. Senior transfer Ahmir Crowder is set to start at NOSE.
 
As for McNeese, they're full of young newcomers. The Cowboys have 57 newcomers on the roster, and out of 109 players, they have just four seniors.
 
NEW PLAY CALLER
For the first time in head coach Todd Whitten's time at Tarleton State, he will hand over play calling duties. Whitten hired Mason Miller in January to be his offensive coordinator and to take over the play calling, so Whitten can better serve as "the CEO" of the team. Miller inherits a successful offense from a season ago, a group that led the WAC in yards per game (436.7) and rush yards per game (174.6), finishing second in scoring average (31.0 PPG).
 
This is Miller's fourth season overall with the Texans, but first since 2016. He was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2014-16 at Tarleton, serving under head coach Todd Whitten in 2016. He went on to Nevada (2017), Washington State (2018-19) and Mississippi State (2020-22) before returning home. Miller joined the late Mike Leach's staff as offensive line coach upon his arrival to Mississippi State. Over his final two years, Miller's offensive line ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 15 in the FBS in offensive line efficiency. MSU also led the SEC and ranked No. 3 in the FBS in lowest percentage of tackles for loss allowed during that period. Miller coached left tackle Charles Cross for two seasons before he was selected No. 9 overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
 
At Washington State, the Cougars had the top passing offense in the FBS for both of Miller's seasons, leading the nation with 437.2 passing yards per game. They allowed 20 sacks in 2019 and 13 in 2018, both pacing the Pac-12.
 
At Tarleton State, Miller led his line to third nationally in total offense in 2014, averaging 522.8 yards per game, scoring 43.7 points per game.
 
NIXING THE OFFENSE
Tarleton State's defensive coordinator returns for his second season in Stephenville. The SEC-experienced DC Tyrone Nix had a strong first unit, a defense that held four opponents under 14 points, going 4-0 in those games.
 
The Nix-led defense opened the season with a bang, holding Mississippi Valley State to just 13 total points and 273 total yards. The Texans held the Delta Devils to just 73 passing yards and forced six punts. A 41-6 shellacking of Eastern New Mexico saw Nix's defense hold the Greyhounds without a touchdown and limited them to 112 total yards on the day to pair with the Texans forcing three turnovers. A 24-10 win over Southwest Baptist was once again another impressive performance from the Texan defense as they held Southwest Baptist to just 62 yards rushing and intercepted two passes. Tarleton ended the season with a 49-7 win over Houston Christian as Nix's defense held the Huskies to just 10 first downs, -21 net rushing yards and a -0.8 average yards per rush while forcing four turnovers. The Texans also forced a season-high 10 punts to go with nine tackles for loss.
 
Nix helped coach DB Donovan Banks to First Team All-WAC honors as well as linebackers Patrick Jones and Qua'Shawn Washington to the All-WAC Second Team.
 
TARLETON LORE
Several Texans had monumental seasons last year, some of the best single-seasons in program history...
 
Top-10 Single-Season Rushing Yards:
Derrel Kelley III (1,004) had the ninth most rushing yards in a single-season at Tarleton, surpassing Ricky Bush (984, 1980) and Alfred Knox (969, 1972).
 
Top-10 Single-Season Receiving Yards:
Darius Cooper (1,063) shot up the single-season leaderboard for receiving yards in Tarleton history on the final day, finishing with the third most ever. Only Zimari Manning (1,462 in 2019) and Will Moody (1,140 in 2003) had more than Cooper in a single-season.
 
Top-10 Single-Season Receiving Touchdowns:
Jaden Smith (10) had the tied-sixth most receiving touchdowns in a single-season in team history; Del'Michael High (2016), Jeremy Madkins (2006), Will Moody (2003) and Damien Jackson (2001).
 
TOP OF THE PFF BOARD
According to Pro Football Focus, Tarleton may have the best offense in all of the FCS. According to their own offensive summary rankings, Tarleton is No. 1 with a score of 87.6. The top-five rounds out with Sacramento State (86.8), Furman (85.2), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (84.2), Tennessee Martin (82.6).
 
VICTOR READY TO 'BALL' – YES
Victor Gabalis will be the starting QB for Tarleton, a transfer from Utah Tech. In the second-to-last game of 2022, he beat Tarleton State, finishing 22-of-36 for 272 yards and two touchdowns. In the season finale against BYU, he threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Gabalis had back-to-back five-touchdown performances at SFA (23-35, 377 yards) on Oct. 29 and vs. Southern Utah (24-36, 463 yards) on Nov. 5. His 463 yards were the fourth highest single-game total in team history.
 
Gabalis began at Washington State, where he played two seasons in 2020-21. He played in three games in 2021, completing 17-of-36 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Gabalis started the second half of the Sun Bowl against Central Michigan on Dec. 31, 2021, finishing 11-of-23 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. WSU was down 21 points when he entered in the second half and rallied the Cougars to within three. He also played against USC on Sept. 18, 2021.
 
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 40 wins since the start of 2018, the most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II program. They have a .727 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	.727
2.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.722
	Angelo State	LSC	.722
4.	Texas A&M-Commerce	SLC	.673
5.	Texas A&M	SEC	.650
6.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.643
7.	SMU	AAC	.617
8.	Texas	Big 12	.613
9.	Baylor	Big 12	.603
10.	Midwestern State	LSC	.600

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Tarleton State	UAC	40
2.	Texas A&M	SEC	39
	Sam Houston	C-USA	39
	Angelo State	LSC	39
5.	Texas	Big 12	38
	Baylor	Big 12	38
7.	SMU	AAC	37
	UTSA	AAC	37
9.	TCU	Big 12	36
	Incarnate Word	SLC	36

 
NEW CONFERENCE, WHO DIS?
Like most of the nation, you'll almost never know which conference Tarleton Football is in year-to-year. For the fourth time in five seasons, the landscape has changed for the Texans, now members of the United Athletic Conference. The UAC is a brand-new, football-only conference that features both WAC and ASUN programs. There will be nine participating teams in 2023-24, with a 10th program set to start in 2025; Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Utah Tech. Before the UAC, Tarleton was in the Western Athletic Conference in 2022 and 2021, independent in 2020, and in the Lone Star Conference in 2019.
 
FACILITY UPGRADES ON UPGRADES
Tarleton State's fieldhouse underwent its final stage of renovation this summer to further enhance recruiting, as well as the student-athlete and coaching experience. Completed additions include a multi-purpose room, nutrition bar, film room, nine coaches' offices, an academic advisement office and a full service barber shop. In 2021, Tarleton opened its multi-million dollar field house and locker room. The facility also includes a unified locker room, training room, hydro room and equipment space. Memorial Stadium has also undergone major upgrades recently, including new north end zone seating to boost capacity to 24,000 last season. In 2019, a grandstand was built on the west side of the stadium, plus a video board was added on the south side, a $26 million renovation.
 
DYNAMIC DUOS
The Texans' top two backs were both 1,000-yard rushers a season ago. Derrel Kelley III was Second Team All-WAC after rushing for 1,004 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 91.3 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry, and saved his best for last, racing for 239 yards on 24 carries (10.0 yards per rush) and two touchdowns in the season finale against Houston Christian. His 239 yards in that game marked the fifth most rushing yards in a single-game in program history, just 30 short of the all-time mark. He ran for 100+ yards five times in the season, including four times over the last five games. Across the WAC, he had the tied-most rushing touchdowns and the second most rushing yards (25th in FCS). He also had the most yards per rush at 6.5, the 17th best average in the country. Behind Kelley is Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer Kayvon Britten. Britten was First Team All-SWAC in 2022 after he rushed for 1,063 yards on 199 carries (5.3 yards per rush, 96.6 yards per game) and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. His 16 TD led the SWAC. He had five multi-TD games, including three three-plus TD performances and a four-touchdown game, part of a 277-yard night. In the season opener, Britten tallied 277 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 237 yards and three touchdowns. In the season finale, he scored three touchdowns, covering 160 yards.
 
At receiver, Tarleton is led by Darius Cooper and Jaden Smith. Cooper was All-WAC First Team, finishing with 54 receptions for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns. He had the most receiving yards on the team and marked the most by a Texan since 2019. Across the WAC, he had the third most receiving yards (ninth in FCS), the third most receiving touchdowns (tied-21st in FCS), and the fourth most receptions. He had five 100+ yard games, the tied-second most in the WAC. He posted a career-high 191 yards on nine catches, with two touchdowns, vs. Sam Houston. He scored a TD in seven of Tarleton's 11 games, including two multi-TD performances (at Southern Utah, vs. Sam Houston). He ended the year with three 150+ yard games in the final four weeks. Smith was Second Team All-WAC, finishing with 48 receptions for 822 yards and 10 touchdowns. Across the conference, he had the second most receiving TD's (tied-14th in FCS), the fourth most receiving yards and the fifth most receptions. His 10 receiving TD are the most by a Texan since 2019 and tied-sixth most in a single-season in team history. In the season opener, he caught three TD, hauling in 11 receptions for 95 yards. His first TD grab was an OBJ-like skying one-hander, No. 4 on SportsCenter's Top-10 Plays.
 
Tarleton is led by the tackling machine duo of Qua'Shawn Washington and D.J. Harris at linebacker. Washington was Second Team All-WAC, playing in nine games, leading the team in total tackles with 75 (37 solo). He also had a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss, plus 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. He led the WAC in average tackles per loss (1.5, tied-11th in FCS) and tackles per game (8.2). Harris recorded 68 total tackles (35 solo), 5.5 TFL, a sack and two quarterback hurries. He had the second most tackles on the team, the second most tackles per game on the team (6.8) and the eighth most in the WAC. He had the most tackles in a single-game by a Texan in 2022, going for 13 tackles in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 1. He had four games with 10+ tackles, including an 11-tackle game at TCU on Sept. 10. He had a season-best performance at Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 15, recording 12 tackles and a season-high 3.0 TFL.
 
BYE-BYE SCHEDULE
The Texans' 11-game slate alternates between road and home games the entire season, and features no bye week until the final week. This is the first time since 2009 that Tarleton has no consecutive home games or road games. The Texans went 10-3 that year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Of Tarleton's 11 opponents, 10 are NCAA Division I programs, the most they will have ever played against in a single season in program history.
 
With no bye week throughout the season, it's curious to check out when Tarleton's opponents have open weeks. Of Tarleton's 11 opponents, four don't have a game scheduled the week before taking on the Texans. Three of those four have their bye weeks ahead of a matchup with Tarleton; Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin. McNeese counts as the fourth, with the game being the season-opener for both teams.
 
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 winning percentage than the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Oregon, Iowa, USC, LSU, etc.
 

#	School	Conf.	Win Pct.
1.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.901
2.	Alabama	SEC	.899
3.	Ohio State	Big 10	.887
4.	Georgia	SEC	.882
5.	Princeton	Ivy	.875
6.	Clemson	ACC	.870
7.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.831
8.	Cincinnati	Big 12	.828
9.	James Madison	SBC	.806
10.	Oklahoma	Big 12	.769
11.	Appalachian State	SBC	.754
12.	Kennesaw State	Ind.	.750
	Dartmouth	Ivy	.750
14.	Tarleton State	UAC	.727

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
The Texans will host their home opener against new conference foe North Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. This will be a Purple Out night across the board, with Tarleton Athletics distributing 1,000 free purple shirts to fans.