The Teams: No. 16/17 Tarleton State Texans (2-1, 0-0 UAC) at North Alabama Lions (0-4, 0-0 UAC)
Where: Florence, Alabama
Stadium: Braly Stadium (14,215)
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Ty Walker)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
The Texans will begin United Athletic Conference play with their third straight road game, facing North Alabama in Florence.  
 
Tarleton's game, set for 6 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Benjamin Ray and Bryan Neece 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 fifth meeting, with the Texans leading 3-1. The two have played in each of the past two years, with Tarleton winning 52-31 at home last year and 43-28 at UNA in 2022. In 2012-13, the teams played a home-and-home set, with the road team winning each time.
• The Texans and Lions were featured in two of just seven college football games in Week 0.
• UNA is 3-21 over its past 24 games, dating back to Sept. 17, 2022.
• Tarleton is tied-second in average turnover margin on the season at +2.0. The Lions are tied-second worst at -2.0 with the most turnovers in the FCS (13).  

 
QUICK HITS

• Tarleton's rankings in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll did not change week-over-week, despite Tarleton's bye. At 16 and 17, these mark the highest rankings of the season for the Texans.
• This is the start of conference play for both teams. Tarleton has won two straight conference openers.
• For the first time this year, Tarleton's QB situation is uncertain entering the game. TSU has already started its most quarterbacks (three) in a single-season since at least 2008, doing so in three games. Victor Gabalis started Week 0, but didn't play the second half (thumb). Jaden Pete played the rest of Week 0 and the first quarter of Week 1 (knee). Daniel Greek played the rest of Week 1 and all of Week 2, leading TSU to a 35-18 win at HCU.
• The Texans have won six of their last seven games, dating back to Oct. 21 of last season.
• With a win Saturday, Tarleton would start its season 3-1 for the third straight year. The Texans were also 2-1 entering their game at North Alabama in 2022, improving to 3-1 then, as well. TSU could improve to 2-1 on the road for the third straight year. The Texans have won five of their last six road games at FCS opponents.
• Tarleton State has the tied-second best turnover margin in the FCS at plus-6, only behind Morgan State at +7. The Texans were +4 in Week 0 (three fumbles, one interception), +1 in Week 1 (two interceptions to one pick thrown), and +1 in Week 2 (two interceptions to one pick thrown).

 
OPPOSITE TRENDS
Tarleton State and North Alabama both opened the college football season nationally on Week 0, with the Texans hosting McNeese at home and North Alabama playing at the Cramton Bowl against Southeast Missouri. Since kickoff, the teams have trended in opposite directions in multiple categories, needing to look no further than records to start.
 
The Texans are 2-1, looking to make it 3-1 for the third straight year. They are 6-1 over their last seven dating back to last season. North Alabama is now 0-4 for the first time since 2021, a year they started 0-6, and the Lions are 0-7 over their last seven. Since leading 15-7 against Southeast Missouri in the season opener, the Lions allowed 77 unanswered points over the course of three games before getting on the board again. They allowed 30 straight to Southeast Missouri to lose 37-15, they got shut out 40-0 at Memphis on Aug. 31, then gave up a game-opening touchdown drive against Illinois State.
 
Turnovers also show opposite trends for the two. Tarleton State has the tied-second best turnover margin in the FCS at +6, and is tied-second best in average turnover margin at +2.0. The Texans have the tied-third most takeaways in the country with eight (tied-third in INT with five, tied-11th in fumble recoveries with three). Tarleton is tied-17th in turnovers lost with two through three games. Last year, turnovers were a problem for the Texans at the start of the year, as they had eight in the first three games. North Alabama has had the turnover woes this year, coughing it up 13 times in four games, most across all of college football (FBS and FCS). The next closest teams in the FCS are at nine. The Lions have the worst turnover margin in the country at -8, and the tied-second worst average turnover margin at -2.0.
 
Tarleton has not only controlled the ball, they have controlled possession this year, clocking in with the 10th best average time of possession in the FCS at 34:13. Last year Tarleton averaged 27:47 TOP, tied-17th lowest in the FCS among 127 programs. North Alabama is 81st at 28:20.
 
UNDER CENTER
The quarterback situation for both teams is unclear entering Saturday's game.
 
For Tarleton State, the Texans have been without starting quarterback Victor Gabalis for two straight games and five straight halves. Gabalis has started 12 games under center for the Texans, leading them to a 9-3 record. In the season opener, he pushed Tarleton to a 26-7 lead at the break on 11-of-18 throwing for 140 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a thumb injury.
 
Jaden Pete finished the Week 0 game for Gabalis and played three drives in the first quarter to start the game at Baylor before departing with a knee injury.
 
Daniel Greek spelled Pete and looked poised in the pocket, especially against a Power Four conference team. He earned his first collegiate start in Tarleton's last game and led the Texans to a 35-18 win at Houston Christian. Greek was efficient in his first Texan start, completing 15-of-22 for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He found three different receivers in the end zone, connecting with Cody Jackson from 24 yards out, Mikey Henderson from 18 yards away and Darius Cooper from nine yards away. Greek became the third QB in Tarleton's NCAA Division I era to throw three touchdowns in his first career start. Against Baylor, Greek completed 7-of-13 passes for 80 yards.
 
For North Alabama, the Lions have TJ Smith, Ben Harris and DC Tabscott listed as game time decisions regarding the start at quarterback Saturday. The Lions have already had four quarterbacks throw passes through the first four games, with two different starters. Ari Patu started the first three games and completed 48-of-86 (.558) for 535 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Tabscott started last week and completed 6-of-13 (.462) passes for 149 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith has played in all four games, completing 3-of-3 (1.000) passes for 40 yards, while Harris has played in three games, going 7-of-19 (.368) for 81 yards and an interception. UNA's team completion percentage of .529 is 18th lowest in the FCS. North Alabama's starting quarterback the last two years, Noah Walters, entered the transfer portal in April and is not on a collegiate roster this season.
 
RESPECT THAT!
In the two polls recognized by the NCAA for the FCS, Tarleton State was ranked No. 16 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and 17th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this past week, after Week 3. They were ranked the same 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. They were as high as No. 16 in the College Football Poll, and in the two NCAA recognized polls, they were No. 27 and No. 28, respectively.
 
The active Nos. 16 and 17 spots in the 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.
 
BYE WEEK SUCCESS
This is the third time Tarleton has played a game following a bye week (the Texans' bye week last year fell on the last week of the regular season) since reclassifying to NCAA Division I. The Texans are 2-0 in such games, with both wins coming in Utah. In 2022, Tarleton staved off a last minute Southern Utah comeback attempt in Cedar City to win 42-40. In 2021, Tarleton beat then-Dixie State 41-20, scoring on five of their first six drives of the game, including four touchdowns.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST
Tarleton's home opener last year against North Alabama provided all of the fireworks, including a four-touchdown game by Keylan Johnson. Tarleton State couldn't be stopped in the second half, outscoring North Alabama 35-3 in the final 30 minutes to win 52-31 at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville.
 
The Texans won the first ever United Athletic Conference game, dropping the Lions. Victor Gabalis and Johnson connected on four touchdowns, as Johnson tied the program record for touchdowns scored. He had six receptions for 219 yards, finishing with the fifth most receiving yards in a single-game in team history.
 
Based on the team stats, one might think the score would be flipped. North Alabama ran 109 plays to Tarleton's 55, they outgained the Texans 565-477 in total yardage, and owned the time of possession advantage of 36 minutes to Tarleton's 24. But Tarleton State was much more efficient. They averaged 8.7 yards per play to UNA's 5.2 and had 23.2 yards per completion to the Lions' 9.5.
 
The Texans also forced five fumbles and three turnovers, including a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Robert Rios to seal the game.
 
Saturday started with a kickoff delay of about 40 minutes due to lightning in the area. UNA began with a 64-yard drive, but the Texans forced the turnover to hold off the scoring threat, as Blake Smith forced a fumble, recovered by A.J. Sargent. The Lions scored touchdowns on their next two drives to make it 14-0 UNA in the first quarter. The Texans responded with a Derrel Kelley III 12-yard touchdown rush to cut the deficit in half, then Gabalis found Johnson for his first of four touchdowns just before the first quarter expired to tie the game 14-14 at the break.
North Alabama then traded their two touchdowns in to go back up 14 late in the first half. With two minutes left, Adrian Guzman nailed a 25-yard field goal to make it 28-17 at halftime.
 
From there, it was all Texans. Gabalis found Johnson from 64 yards out to make it 28-24, then after a UNA field goal, the two hooked up again from 55 yards out this time to tie the game 31-31 with eight minutes to go in the third.
 
Texan running back Kayvon Britten gave the Texans their first lead with an 8-yard scoring rush with 4:17 to play in the third. Early in the fourth, Johnson caught his fourth touchdown from Gabalis to make it 45-31, then Rios' pick-six capped off the 52-31 final.
 
Gabalis completed 13-of-22 passes for 301 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. His 22 pass attempts compared to UNA's 64 on the game, including Lion starting quarterback Noah Walters, who went 36-of-63 for 342 yards, zero touchdowns and a pick. Britten finished with 64 yards on 13 carries and a score, while Kelley had 56 yards on 11 attempts with a touchdown. Gabalis also rushed for 41 yards.
 
Smith ended up with two forced fumbles, to go with nine tackles. The Texans had four fumble recoveries on the night, one each by Qua'Shawn Washington, Kyle Taylor, Sargent and Jed Whitney.
 
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.
 
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 .725 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 50 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	.725
2.	Angelo State	LSC	.701
3.	Texas	SEC	.671
4.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.657
5.	SMU	AAC	.649
6.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.638
7.	Texas A&M	SEC	.632
8.	UTSA	C-USA	.588
9.	Midwestern State	LSC	.561
10.	TCU	Big 12	.558

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Texas	SEC	53
2.	Tarleton State	UAC	50
	SMU	AAC	50
4.	Texas A&M	SEC	48
5.	UTSA	AAC	47
	Angelo State	LSC	47
7.	Incarnate Word	SLC	46
8.	Sam Houston	C-USA	44
9.	Baylor	Big 12	43
	TCU	Big 12	43

 
LAST TIME OUT
On their third starting quarterback in their third game, the Texans needed a quarter to get going offensively. When things started to click in the second quarter, paired with a strong defense, there was no stopping Tarleton State at Houston Christian. The Texans had five different players score a touchdown, including three in the second quarter, to knock off HCU at Husky Stadium in Houston 35-18. This was the first time Tarleton State played at HCU, and the Texans left their purple imprint, improving to 2-0 in the series with a total 84-25 margin of victory.
 
Tarleton rushed for 271 yards on the night, led by the dynamic duo of Kayvon Britten and Derrel Kelley III. Britten raced for 155 yards on 26 carries (6.0 YPC) and his first touchdown of the season, while Kelley ran for 109 yards on 23 carries (4.7 YPC) and his second touchdown of the year. Tarleton last had two players rush for 100-plus yards in the same game by these same two players less than a year ago, when the two combined for 289 rushing yards at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 14. This year, Britten now has 387 yards on 64 carries (6.0 YPC). Kelley, who had 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Tarleton's 49-7 win over HCU in 2022, now has 348 yards rushing and three touchdowns in two games against the Huskies all-time.
 
Quarterback Daniel Greek got the nod under center, Tarleton's third starting QB through three games. Greek was efficient in his first Texan start, completing 15-of-22 for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He found three different receivers in the end zone, connecting with Cody Jackson from 24 yards out, Mikey Henderson from 18 yards away and Darius Cooper from nine yards away. Greek became the third QB in Tarleton's NCAA Division I era to throw three touchdowns in his first career start.
 
Tarleton State outgained HCU 447-289, and led the time of possession 40:43 to 19:17. The Texans won the turnover battle for the third straight game to start the year, now plus-six overall.
 
SEASON'S STANDOUTS
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.
 
In Week 0 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. After Week 3, Britten sits in second across the FCS in total rush yards at 387.
 
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. He has the tied-most fumble recoveries in FCS at two.
 
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.
 
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)
 
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
In the United Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Texans were picked to finish second out of nine teams in the UAC. The Texans slated narrowly behind the preseason favorite Central Arkansas. The Bears led the field with 77 points, earning five of nine first-place votes, while the Texans secured 74 points and three first-place votes. There was a large separation from the top-two teams and the rest of the field, with Southern Utah in third at 54 points. Austin Peay netted the other first-place vote, finishing fifth in the poll.
 
Britten was named the UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, then named to the 2024 FCS Preseason All-America First Team by Stats Perform, and was one of 35 players in FCS to be named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Britten was a UAC First Team All-Conference running back a season ago, also logging 2023 FCS Football Central All-American Third Team and Phil Steele FCS 2023 All-American Fourth Team accolades. He was one of the best running backs in the nation, finishing with 1,150 yards on 183 carries (6.3 yards per rush) and 16 rushing touchdowns. Britten scored in 10 of Tarleton's 11 games, averaging 104.6 rushing yards per contest, plus he added 106 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches, finishing with 17 total touchdowns on the season. Conference-wise, Britten was first in rushing touchdowns (third in the FCS) and total touchdowns (tied-fifth in FCS), second in total rushing yards (ninth in FCS), second in rushing yards per game (tied-11th FCS) and second in yards per rush (21st in FCS). Across Texan Football program history, he had the sixth most rushing yards in a season and the eighth most rushing yards per game in a season. Since 1977, he finished with the tied-third most rushing touchdowns in a season in program history (Gaylon Bowser 1987), behind Xavier Turner's 22 touchdowns in 2018 and Derrick Ross' 22 in 2004.
 
Britten was one of five Texans to earn a spot on the Preseason All-Conference teams. WR Darius Cooper and C Tuli Teuhema, DL Brandon Tolvert, and RS Deangelo Rosemond also made the preseason teams.
 
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.	Alabama	SEC	.895
2.	Georgia	SEC	.894
3.	Ohio State	Big 10	.883
4.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.865
5.	Clemson	ACC	.833
6.	James Madison	SBC	.818
7.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.813
8.	Princeton	Ivy	.800
9.	Oklahoma	SEC	.778
10.	Cincinnati	Big 12	.734
11.	Appalachian State	SBC	.732
12.	Tarleton State	UAC	.725

 
4: Keylan Johnson was one of four FCS players (one of six D1) to have four receiving touchdowns in a game in 2023 (doing so against UNA), and one of two across all D1 with 200-plus yards and four touchdowns.
 
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
After more than a month away from home, the Texans will finally be back in Stephenville with a Saturday, Sept. 28, game at 6 p.m. It will be Family Weekend at Memorial Stadium. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.