The Teams: No. 14 Tarleton State Texans (4-1, 1-0 UAC) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (2-3, 1-0 UAC)
Where: Cedar City, Utah
Stadium: Eccles Coliseum (8,500)
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Spencer McLaughlin, Dallin Richards, Kendall McGuire)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Ty Walker)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
The chaotic Texan-Thunderbird all-time series will play another chapter on Saturday, the fourth game in four years. The previous three outcomes have been decided by a combined eight points, the last two by a combined three points.
 
Tarleton's game, set for 7 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Spencer McLaughlin and Dallin Richards 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 Ty Walker leading the broadcast.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This is the fourth meeting. All three over the past three years have been close; SUU won 27-26 in Stephenville last year, Tarleton won 42-40 in Cedar City in 2022, and SUU won 40-35 in Arlington in '21.
• This is the third time in six games SUU is facing a top-15 team. SUU opened at FBS No. 12 Utah, then hosted FCS No. 15 UC Davis in its last home game on Sept. 14, losing 24-21.
• SUU just won its UAC opener at Austin Peay 28-17.
• These are two strong rushing teams; TSU is 13th at 212.6 rushing yards per game, and SUU is 28th at 185.2 rush yards per game.

 
QUICK HITS

• Tarleton moved up two spots in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this past week and is now No. 14 in both. These are the highest rankings of the season for the Texans.
• The Texans have started 4-1 for the third straight season. The Texans have won nine straight non-conference games against non-FBS opponents dating back to 2022 and 13 of their last 14 dating back to 2021.
• The Texans have won eight of their last nine games, dating back to Oct. 21 of last season.
• With a win Saturday, Tarleton would have its best start after six games in its D1 era at 5-1. It would mark the Texans' best start through six games since 2019, when they started 6-0 (which turned into 11-0).
• Kavyon Britten is on pace to break the 1,000 yard mark on Saturday, in Game No. 6. Sitting at 834 yards, Britten is averaging 166.8 rush yards per game. If on pace Saturday, he'd end the day with 1,001 yards. He'd trail just two in FCS history by fewest games needed in a season to reach 1,000 rush yards; Butler's Arnold Mickens ran for 1,106 yards in five games in 1994, and Sacramento State's Charles Roberts rushed for 1,018 yards in five games in 1999.
• Ty Rawls is the reigning UAC Defensive Player of the Week after a key fumble recovery and FF vs. SLU.
• Tarleton State has the tied-second best turnover margin in the FCS at +9. The Texans have won the turnover battle in every game (+4 in Week 0, +1 in Week 1, +1 in Week 2, +2 in Week 4, and +1 in Week 5).

 
BRITTEN TOP OF THE FCS
Kayvon Britten continues to pour it on this season, logging his fourth 150+ yard game in five games this past Saturday. He's now at 834 rushing yards on the season, the most in the FCS and second most in all of NCAA Division I, just 11 yards behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. Britten, who is averaging 166.8 rush yards per game through five games, needs 166 on Saturday to reach the 1,000-yard plateau, and he is on pace to break the 2,000-yard mark as of now. Tarleton State has never had a 2,000-yard rusher. In fact, the Texans have had a 1,500-yard rusher just twice, Derrick Ross who cross the threshold in both 2004 and 2005.
 
If Britten reaches 1,000 yards on Saturday, only two FCS players will have reached 1,000 yards in fewer games; Butler's Arnold Mickens ran for 1,106 yards in five games in 1994, and Sacramento State's Charles Roberts rushed for 1,018 yards in five games in 1999. Last year, Britten became the 10th 1,000-yard running back in Texan Football history, and he can became the third running back in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in two different seasons (Derrick Ross, Daniel McCants).
 
In case those haven't been following Britten's run this season, he's been incredible throughout, his best game coming at North Alabama to the tune of 273 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries, averaging 13.0 yards per carry. Britten was named the FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and the UAC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Britten made history that day as he set the new single-game rushing record in program history. He surpassed Derrick Ross' 269 yards rushing vs. Western New Mexico on Sept. 10, 2005. Britten's 273 rushing yards are the most in a single-game across all of NCAA Division I this season, with the FBS leader at 267 (Boise State's Ashton Jeanty) and the second-most by a FCS player at 207 (Davidson's Mari Adams). Britten's four rushing touchdowns are the tied-second most in a game at the FCS level this season and tied-third most across all of D1. Britten tied the program record in scoring with his four touchdowns, joining six other players (four running backs, two wide receivers). Before Britten, the most recent to score four times in a game was Xavier Turner vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville on Oct. 20, 2018. In the second quarter at North Alabama, Britten scored his first touchdown on a 96-yard run, which marked the longest run in Tarleton State Football history. It's the third longest rushing play across all of D1 this year, just a yard short of UIW's Dekalon Taylor (Sept. 21) and Saint Francis' DeMarcus McElroy (Sept. 14).
 
Career-wise, Britten has now logged over 3,000 rushing yards, split between two seasons at Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1,294 in 19 games) and two seasons at Tarleton State (1,984 in 16 games). He is 16 yards short of breaking the 2,000-yard mark at Tarleton State. Since Derrel Kelley III already has 2,000 rushing yards with the Texans, Britten and Kelley would become the third duo across the FCS who each have rushed for 2,000 yards for the same program, joining Central Arkansas' ShunDerrick Powell and Darius Hale, and William & Mary's Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh.
 
TRENDY
The Texans are 4-1 for the third straight year, looking to make it 5-1 for the first time in their D1 era. They are 8-1 over their last nine dating back to last season. Tarleton State has the tied-second best turnover margin in the FCS at +9, and is tied-third best in average turnover margin at +1.8. The Texans have the seventh most takeaways in the country with 12 (tied-seventh in INT with seven, tied-sixth in fumble recoveries with five). Tarleton is tied-13th in turnovers lost with three through five games. The Texans have yet to lose a fumble this season, one of 15 such teams in the FCS. Last year, turnovers were a problem for the Texans at the start of the year, as they had 13 in the first five games. Tarleton has not only controlled the ball, they have controlled possession this year, clocking in with the 43rd best average time of possession in the FCS at 30:48. Last year Tarleton averaged 27:47 TOP, tied-17th lowest in the FCS among 127 programs. Tarleton's offensive line, which has five starters returning, has allowed the tied-15th fewest tackles for loss per game (3.6) and the tied-43rd fewest sacks per game (1.6).
 
RESPECT THAT!
In the two polls recognized by the NCAA for the FCS, Tarleton State was ranked No. 14 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and 14th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this past week, after Week 5. They climbed two spots to No. 14 in both polls week-over-week. They were ranked 16 and 17 after Week 2, climbing from their 20th and 21st spots, respectively, after Week 1. They were ranked 21st in both polls in the preseason.
 
Last year, the Texans ended their regular season with a splash and found themselves in the conversation for being ranked for the first time at the NCAA Division I level. In the two NCAA recognized polls, they were No. 27 and No. 28, respectively.
 
The active No. 14 rankings mark the highest for Tarleton State since becoming an NCAA Division I program. The Texans were ranked No. 3 nationally at the very end of their NCAA Division II days in November 2019
  
LAST TIME AGAINST
After a strong first half, Tarleton State wasn't able to keep the momentum going and Southern Utah mounted a late comeback to take the United Athletic Conference matchup.
 
The Texans fell 27-26 at Memorial Stadium to the Thunderbirds on Oct. 7, 2023. Tarleton led 20-0 at halftime and 26-14 in the fourth quarter, but Southern Utah scored two touchdowns over the final three minutes to steal the win.
 
SUU QB Justin Miller found an open Targhee Lambson for a 12-yard score with 2:55 left, then safety Trevon Gola-Callard forced a Kayvon Britten fumble, which Josh Lopez returned 23 yards for the go-ahead, and eventual game-winning, touchdown with 2:29 remaining.
 
Texan QB Victor Gabalis finished 13-of-31 for 152 yards and a touchdown, tossing his score to Jaden Smith from 14 yards out in the first quarter. Britten rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries (5.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown, scoring on an 11-yard scamper to make it 20-0 in the second quarter. Running back Caleb Lewis carried it 13 times for 82 yards (6.3 YPG) and his first Texan touchdown, an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter to make it 26-14. Benjamin Omayebu led the receiving group with 44 yards on six catches. Darius Cooper played his first game since the season opener, finishing with three catches and 38 yards.
 
Defensively, Kasyus Kurns picked off Miller on Southern Utah's first drive of the game that set up Smith's touchdown for the Texans. Kurns also added eight tackles. Patrick Jones and Devin Sterling each led the team with 10 tackles apiece. Kyle Taylor had nine tackles and a sack.
 
On special teams, Adrian Guzman shined, going 4-for-4 on kicks, 2-of-2 on field goals from 40 and 35 yards out. He also averaged 42.6 yards across five punts, including a 58-yard boot that pinned the Thunderbirds inside the 5-yard line. Deangelo Rosemond had three kickoff returns cover 107 yards, peaking at 51 yards long.
 
For Southern Utah, they were led by Miller's 34-of-45 passing for 314 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Aubrey Nellems had a game-high 14 tackles, and the Thunderbirds had three sacks.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Family Weekend always brings a strong showing to Memorial Stadium, and the best Family Weekend crowd in Tarleton State history enjoyed a Texan Football Victory on Saturday. No. 16 Tarleton State improved to 4-1 for the third straight year with its 36-33 win against Southeastern Louisiana in Stephenville. The Texans won in front of a Family Weekend record crown, as 22,312 fans were on hand to witness Tarleton's first game at Memorial Stadium in over a month.
 
Tarleton State clawed out a narrow victory for the second straight year in this meeting, the first two matchups in series history. This was Tarleton's final non-conference regular season game of the year, as the Texans finished the slate 3-0 against Southland Conference teams.
 
Darius Cooper had his best game of the season with nine receptions for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kayvon Britten raced for 174 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries (6.2 YPC). Victor Gabalis completed 15-of-26 for 203 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
 
Defensively, Blake Smith ended the game with an interception as the Lions faced a 4th and 10 their own 47-yard line with 1:05 to play. Ty Rawls changed the game in the third with a forced fumble and fumble recovery three plays after Tarleton retook the lead. The Texans followed up with a touchdown on the next play to go up 29-19.
 
It was a true nailbiter, back-and-forth contest throughout. The first quarter ended without a score, with the first five drives combined ending in punts. The Texans got things going from there, stringing together a 12-play, 90-yard drive that ended in a Britten 2-yard rushing touchdown, his sixth TD of the season. The Lions answered with their own long drive, a 12-play, 75-yard march that ended on a fake field goal rushing touchdown by Justin Dumas to make it 7-7. Tarleton turned it over two plays later, and the Lions took advantage with an Antonio Martin Jr. 3-yard touchdown rush. The Lions missed the extra point to make it 13-7 SLU. The Texans settled down and responded with a 75-yard scoring drive to take the lead back. Gabalis capped it with a 27-yard touchdown to Cody Jackson with 47 seconds remaining in the half. SLU moved quickly down the field to take the lead into the locker room, booting a 20-yarder through as the first half clock expired. The Lions led 16-14 at the break.
 
Southeastern Louisiana started its offensive footing in the second half with a field goal to go up 19-14 before Tarleton started to take control back. The Texans retook the lead after a 9-play, 83-yard drive, which Derrel Kelley III bulldozed his way through on for an 11-yard touchdown. Tarleton State succeeded on its two-point conversion, Gabalis to Benjamin Omayebu, to make it 22-19. Rawls then forced the turnover, and Gabalis found Cooper for their first of two scoring connections, this one from 23 yards out to put Tarleton ahead 29-19. SLU's running back Martin broke free for a 57-yard touchdown run to stop the bleeding for SLU. Tarleton took a 29-26 lead into the fourth quarter that was quickly erased by Martin's third touchdown rush of the game, this one from two yards out to put the Lions up 33-29. Down four, the Texans marched down to take the lead for good, covering 75 yards on 11 plays, ending on a 4-yard Cooper touchdown catch from Gabalis.
 
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 a .732 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 the only Texas D1 or D2 institution with all six winning seasons since 2018. They have 52 wins since the start of 2018, the tied-second most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II program, behind Texas (who has played 10 more games). The list of the top scholarship programs in Texas over that span are as follows:
 

#	School	Conf.	Win Pct.
1.	Tarleton State	UAC	.732
2.	Angelo State	LSC	.706
3.	Texas	SEC	.679
4.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.662
5.	SMU	AAC	.658
6.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.648
7.	Texas A&M	SEC	.641
8.	UTSA	C-USA	.585
9.	Midwestern State	LSC	.559
10.	TCU	Big 12	.557

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Texas	SEC	55
2.	Tarleton State	UAC	52
	SMU	AAC	52
4.	Texas A&M	SEC	50
5.	UTSA	AAC	48
	Angelo State	LSC	48
7.	Incarnate Word	SLC	47
8.	Sam Houston	C-USA	46
9.	TCU	Big 12	44
10.	Baylor	Big 12	43

 
NEAR THE TOP
Tarleton is shining on the national stage, near the top of the nation as a team by placing...
- Tied-3rd in Average Turnover Margin at 1.80
- 13th in Rushing Offense at 212.6 rushing yards per game
- Tied-28th in Fewest Penalties Per Game at 5.40
- 36th in Net Punting at 38.86 yards
Individually, Tarleton has top-50 student athletes at...
- 1st in Rushing Yards (Kayvon Britten) at 834
- 1st in Rush Yards Per Game (Kayvon Britten) at 166.8
- 1st in Fumble Recoveries (Kasyus Kurns) at three
-  2nd in All-Purpose Yards (Kayvon Britten) at 168.0 per
- 11th in Yards Per Carry (Kayvon Britten) at 7.37
- Tied-12th in Rushing TD's (Kayvon Britten) at six
 
UAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Tarleton has garnered five UAC Player of the Week awards through Week 5.
 
In Week 0, Texan running back Kayvon Britten and punter Adrian Guzman were named the UAC Offensive and Special Teams players of the week, respectively, while defensive back Kasyus Kurns was named the UAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Britten rushed for the second most yards across all of college football, finishing with 164 yards on 25 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He was three yards short of the highest rushing total in the nation. Kurns had one of the best defensive games a player can have in Week 0, scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery, recovering two fumbles in total, forcing one fumble, adding a tackle for loss and six total tackles. His scoop and score marked the first fumble return touchdown by a Texan since March 6, 2021, vs. Mississippi College (both Zech Hopkins and Benjie Franklin). He also became the first Tarleton State player since 2014 to come up with two takeaways and a touchdown in the same game (Devin Figures vs. McMurry on Oct. 25). Kurns added an interception in Week 1 and now has the most takeaways across the FCS with three. Guzman had a solid day punting in Week 0, averaging 46.3 yards across his six boots, launching two 50+ yards and two inside the 20.
 
In Week 4, Britten earned his second weekly honor of the season after he set the program's single game rushing record with 273 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He broke a nearly 20-year-old program rushing record set by Derrick Ross on Sept. 10, 2005. Britten's four touchdowns were tied for the most by an FCS running back this season and his 273 rushing yards were just four yards shy of his career-high set during his time at Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
 
This past week, linebacker Ty Rawls was named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week, his first conference weekly award since joining the Texans. Rawls had a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, a tackle for loss and six total tackles in Tarleton State's 36-33 home win vs. Southeastern Louisiana. His forced and recovered fumble marked a crucial part of the game, key to Tarleton's 15-point swing from trailing by five to leading by 10. When the Texans were down 19-14, they scored to go up 22-19, and three plays later, Rawls forced the takeaway. On the very next play, the Texans scored again to lead 29-19. Rawls' fumble recovery was the second of his career, and it marked his first career forced fumble.
 
RECLASSIFICATION SUCCESS
There's no way around it, the Texans had one of the most impressive reclassification periods in NCAA history. The Texans posted a winning season in every year of reclassification, just the third team since 2004 to do so. The Texans also posted the third highest winning percentage in a reclassification period since 2004 at .610:
1. North Dakota State: .750 (33-11, 2005-08)
2. Central Arkansas: .630 (29-17, 2006-09)
3. Tarleton: .610 (25-16, 2020-23)
 
IT'S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT
After a season that felt a bit shorter than usual with no bye week, five home games and no playoff eligibility despite the Tarleton State football team going 8-3, that all changes this season. The Texans have six home games and 12 games overall with two bye weeks in the middle, making it their longest regular season in program history.
 
The 12 games mark the most regular season games in program history. Tarleton State has played 12 or more games in a season nine times, with each time featuring 10 or 11 regular season games plus playoff games or bowl games. They last played 12 games in 2019, their final NCAA Division II campaign in which they went 11-1, won the Lone Star Conference and made the playoffs.
 
With 91 days separating Tarleton's season opener and regular season finale, this is the longest regular season on record in program history. Tarleton's season opener serves as the earliest game played in a calendar year by the program since at least 1975 (not including the Spring 2021 pandemic season). The earliest date on record for Tarleton is Aug. 25, when the Texans hosted East Central in 2007, a 44-7 Tarleton win. Since at least 1975 when dates started being recorded, and not including the 2020 season played in spring 2021, Tarleton's Aug. 24 season opener is the seventh time they've started the season before September, and their Nov. 23 regular season finale is the latest Tarleton regular season game, a day beyond their previous known latest game of Nov. 22, 1975.
 
Like last year, all games will be on Saturdays again. All 12 of Tarleton's opponents are NCAA Division I programs, the most the Texans will have ever played against in a season, surpassing their 10 played last year.
 
OFFENSIVE LOYALTY
Tarleton State has been a rare program in the modern college football era that hasn't been affected by the transfer portal much. In fact, the Texans have had 10 of their 11 same offensive starters for most of 2024 begin games from a season ago. Tarleton State lost just one offensive starter to the transfer portal, wide receiver Jaden Smith, who went to Nevada.
 
NATIONAL LEADER
Across the country, only nine NCAA Division I teams (seven FBS, two FCS) have a better winning percentage than Tarleton since 2018 (Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio 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.	Alabama	SEC	.897
2.	Ohio State	Big 10	.886
3.	Georgia	SEC	.884
4.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.868
5.	Clemson	ACC	.837
6.	James Madison	SBC	.823
7.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.817
8.	Princeton	Ivy	.788
9.	Oklahoma	SEC	.771
10.	Tarleton State	UAC	.732
11.	Dartmouth	Ivy	.731
12.	Cincinnati	Big 12	.728

 
4: Kasyus Kurns has the tied-most takeaways in the FCS with four. He leads the FCS by himself in fumble recoveries with three. Kurns has recorded a takeaway in three of five Tarleton's games this season.
 
10: Offensive lineman Kariem Al Soufi brings a unique background to Tarleton coming from Germany. Al Soufi is one of just 10 players in FCS who is from Germany, and he is one of three international football players in the United Athletic Conference. He is the only UAC player from Germany, and he is just one of three German FCS players playing for a Texas School (two from Stephen F. Austin).
 
1: Whitten is the only coach at any NCAA level actively coaching in his third stint at his current school. He is just one of 37 coaches at any NCAA level to have three non-consecutive tenures at one school and he is the second coach in with three stints at Tarleton State (W.J. Wisdom, 1920-22, 1924-28, 1930-35).
 
53: With his first kick in the first quarter of his first game at Tarleton, kicker Michael James split the uprights on a 53-yard field goal. It marked Tarleton's first 50+ yard field goal make in 15 years. The last 50+ yard field goal make by Tarleton State was from 64 yards out on Nov. 14, 2009, by Garrett Lindholm at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
UP NEXT
Tarleton State will play its Homecoming game against Utah Tech on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Before the game, Tarleton State will host a Bart Crow concert in Texan Alley to further elevate the tailgate experience. After the game, Tarleton State will host a spectacular drone show at Memorial Stadium. Fans are encouraged to stick around to witness the hundreds of drones flooding the sky to make custom Tarleton State animations, a first-of-its kind experience at the university. Single-game tickets are on sale now for the Homecoming game, and can be purchased here, at www.tarletonsports.com/tickets or by calling the Tarleton Athletics Ticket Office at 254-968-1832. Texan Alley RV and tailgate passes are sold out.