The Teams: No. 3 Tarleton State Texans (5-0, 1-0 UAC) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-4, 0-1 UAC)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Kyle Youmans, Hek'ma Harrison, Kendra Sheehan, Blaine Tamez)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Ty Walker)
Game Sponsor: Texstar Kubota
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
It's the Legends Game, presented by Texstar Kubota. The Texans will be vying to start 6-0 while honoring the 2009-10 Texan Women's Golf Team and announcing the 2026 Tarleton State Athletics Hall of Fame class.
 
Tarleton State and Southern Utah will square off at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Kyle Youmans, Hek'ma Harrison and Kendra Sheehan 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.
 
GAME DAY FESTIVITIES
Texan Alley opens at 8 a.m. for tailgaters. The Pointe-du-Hoc rally will be at 2:40 p.m. at Rudder Way Statue, with special guest Tarleton State Athletics Hall of Famer James Dearth helping lead the event. Memorial Stadium gates will open at 4 p.m.
 
The Sound and the Fury will perform at 5:46 p.m., followed by the national anthem. The Texan Rider will lead the Texans onto the field at 5:57 p.m., and kickoff is scheduled for 6:02 p.m.
 
Single-game tickets can be purchased and claimed at TarletonSports.com/Tickets. Fans should add their tickets to their mobile wallet before arriving on campus.
 
Texan students should now use the Corq app to attend Tarleton State Athletics' games and events for free.
 
For maps of the area and complete tailgating policies, visit TarletonSports.com/TexanAlley. General Admission ticket holders and students should enter at the north and east sides, and reserved ticket holders should enter at the west side. Fans with GA tickets in the north end zone can enter through right lane at the north and east gates, while students with the Corq app should enter through the left lane at the north and east gates.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This is the fifth meeting, with the teams 2-2, a combined margin of victory of nine points, all one-possession games. Last year, TSU won 38-37 in OT on the road, SUU won 27-26 in Stephenville in 2023, TSU won 42-40 at SUU in 2022, and SUU won 40-35 in Arlington in 2021.
• This is Southern Utah's fourth straight game against a ranked team.
• With Fitzgerald at HC, SUU has played in 20 one-score games, going 6-14.
• Offense has been SUU's strength, owning the No. 13 ranked total offense in the FCS at 452.8 YPG (No. 15 in passing, No. 29 in rushing). The Thunderbirds are 14th in scoring at 36.0 PPG.
• It's a different story on defense (No. 101 in scoring at 36.6 PPG).

 
QUICK HITS

• The Texans are ranked No. 3 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and AFCA Coaches Poll for the fourth straight week. Only North Dakota State and South Dakota State rank ahead of the Texans in both polls.
• The Texans have started 5-0 for the first time in their NCAA Division I era. They last started 5-0 in 2019, a season they started 11-0. They are one of three 5-0 FCS programs (Presbyterian, Lehigh) and one of 12 D1 programs 5-0.
• With a win Saturday, Tarleton State would match its longest winning streak in its D1 era at six games. The Texans also won six straight last year (Sept. 7-Oct. 26), with a win over Southern Utah in the middle.
• Tarleton State is 4-0 against FCS programs, outscoring them 209-37, an average margin of victory of 43.0.
• The Texans have allowed just a single passing touchdown across five games. That's the tied fewest allowed across all teams that have played 5+ games, and the tied-second-fewest in the FCS (Columbia at 0 in 2 GP).
• Nationally, the Texans are No. 4 in scoring offense (47.8 PPG) and No. 5 in scoring defense (12.8 PPG).
• The Texans are best in the country in average turnover margin at 3.20. They have 17 takeaways and one turnover.
• The Texans have scored 50+ points in three straight games, their best such stretch since 2018 (Nov. 3-17). Tarleton State has never had a four-game stretch of scoring 50+ points in each game.

 
A PERFECT START
Tarleton State has had an extremely successful start to its NCAA Division I era, but this season is already beyond anything the Texans have done at the NCAA Division I level. The Texans are 5-0 for the first time since 2019, with their first true road win against an FBS program at the end of August, and a 209-37 point differential against four FCS opponents. Currently, the Texans have the No. 4 scoring offense in the FCS at 47.8 points per game and the No. 5 scoring defense in the country at 12.8 PPG. The Texans have allowed just a single passing touchdown on the year across five games. The Texans have scored as many defensive touchdowns (four) as they've allowed opposing FCS offenses to score (four) on the season. Across all five games, Tarleton State has scored 35 touchdowns this season compared to seven allowed.
 
The Texans have now started 5-0 for the third time under head coach Todd Whitten (2025, 2019, 2018) and for the 12th time in program history (also 2013, 2009, 2008, 2007, 1990, 1978, 1935, 1925, 1919). Between 2018-19, the previous two times Tarleton State started 5-0 (and 6-0), the Texans finished a combined 23-2 (.920).
 
Tarleton State is one of three FCS programs to start 5-0 (Presbyterian, Lehigh) and one of 12 across all of D1 football (others are Oregon, Iowa State, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Missouri, North Texas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt).
 
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
Offensively, Tarleton State is No. 1 in fewest turnovers (one), No. 1 in fewest interceptions (zero), No. 4 in scoring offense (47.8 PPG), No. 9 in average sacks allowed (0.8), No. 9 in pass yards per completion (14.7), No. 10 in rushing offense (211.8 YPG), No. 15 in total offense (450.2 YPG), No. 15 in first downs (108), and No. 25 in third down conversion rate (.444).
 
QB Victor Gabalis has yet to turn the ball over in five games, completing 69-of-111 (.622) for 966 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's tied-fourth in the FCS in pass touchdowns, most in the UAC. Gabalis is one of six quarterbacks in the FCS with 10+ pass touchdowns and either one or zero interceptions.
 
Tarleton State's No. 10 rushing offense has largely been a two-headed attack, with Tre Page III the leader in rushing yards (475 yards on 67 carries, 7.1 YPC) and Caleb Lewis the leader in rushing touchdowns (seven). Lewis now has the tied-sixth-most rushing touchdowns in the country, while Page is No. 11 in rush yards, along with No. 12 in yards per carry.
 
TE Dawson Hearne has been the threat in the red zone receiving wise, now with five touchdowns in five games, scoring in the first four games of the year. He has the most touchdowns by a Texan TE in the last 24 years.
 
WR Peyton Kramer is the team's leading receiver at 399 yards, earning his first collegiate touchdowns in Tarleton State's last game, scoring three of them on his birthday.
 
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Tarleton State has shut down its opponents in all five games, now No. 5 in the country in scoring defense at 12.8 PPG allowed. First the Texans shut out Portland State on the road, then allowed just 27 points in a double-overtime game on the road at the FBS' Army, who had the No. 1 rushing offense across all of the FBS just a season prior in the Black Knights' American Conference championship 12-2 campaign. After that, the Texans stifled Mississippi Valley State to a measly three points, allowed just 10 on the road in the UAC opener at UCA and a 24-point outing with a defensive TD vs. Chattanooga.
 
Tarleton State has forced multiple takeaways in each game this season, and the Texans have scored four defensive touchdowns. The Texans defense has scored as many touchdowns themselves (four) as they've allowed (four) to FCS opponents. Tarleton State's 17 takeaways are the most in NCAA Division I football by four.
 
It's been a full effort by the Texans on defense, with seven players recording a fumble recovery, six players with an interception, six players at 3.0+ TFL on the year, five with a sack on the season, five with a forced fumble and four with a defensive touchdown. Kasyus Kurns and Ty Rawls have the tied-fifth-most interceptions in the nation at three, Angelo Anderson has the tied-sixth-most sacks at five in just three games, and both Anderson and Omar Emmons have two forced fumbles, tied-fourth in the FCS.
 
BIRTHDAY WISH GRANTED
In Tarleton State's last game, wide receiver Peyton Kramer, on his birthday, recorded seven receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns in Tarleton State's 52-24 home win over Chattanooga as the Texans improved to 5-0 in front of a Memorial Stadium record 23,732 fans. Kramer is one of just three players across all of the FCS with three receiving touchdowns and 150+ receiving yards in a game this season (Bucknell's Sam Milligan, Monmouth's Gavin Nelson). Kramer recorded the fourth most receiving yards in a single game at the FCS level this season, and the most by a UAC player in a single-game this season. Since starting his collegiate career at Oklahoma State in 2021, Tarleton State's last game marked the first time Kramer has scored a touchdown – and he scored three times.
 
UAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Through just five games, Tarleton State has had five individuals named a United Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
 
After Tarleton State's last game, kicker Corbin Poston was named the Special Teams Player of the Week, his first career honor. Poston nailed a pair of long field goals, drilling one from 50 yards and the other from 49 yards, plus had 10 kickoffs cover 608 yards with seven touchbacks in Tarleton State's win. Poston is the only kicker across all of the FCS to make two field goals from 49-plus yards in a single game this season. His 50-yarder is the tied-14th longest field goal make in the FCS this season, and his 49-yarder is the tied-22nd longest. Poston is one of two kickers with multiple field goal makes of 49 yards or longer (New Hampshire's Nick Reed). Over the past 15 years, Poston is one of two Texans to make a 50-yard field goal.
 
After Weeks 0-1, Tarleton State had Kasyus Kurns named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week, kicker Brad Larson the UAC Special Teams Player of the Week, and running back Tre Page III the UAC Freshman of the Week. Kurns recorded two interceptions, a fumble recovery and four total tackles in Tarleton State's 30-27 double overtime win at Army. Kurns' three takeaways were all in the second half to help Tarleton State to one of its best victories in program history. Kurns earned a takeaway on three straight Army drives. Larson made the game-winning field goal in double overtime at Army. He went 3-of-3 on field goals, making a 30-yard field goal to give Tarleton State a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, then made a 28-yard field goal in the first overtime to give Tarleton State a 27-24 lead, and finally made a 37-yard field goal to win the game for Tarleton State in double overtime. These were Larson's first field goal attempts in his Tarleton State career. Page stole the show in the first half against Portland State on Aug. 23, racing for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter, then an 89-yard scamper for a score in the second quarter. Page had 160 rushing yards in the first half alone, finishing with 170 for the game and his two scores on 15 carries (11.3 yards per rush). Page had the most rushing yards in a season opener in Tarleton State Football NCAA Division I history, and the most since Daniel McCants had 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 20.
 
After Week 3, linebacker Yasir Holmes was named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week, his first career honor in his first season at Tarleton State. Holmes recorded a team-high three tackles for loss, a sack and a team-high seven total tackles in Tarleton State's 56-10 road win in its conference opener at Central Arkansas. Holmes is the first Texan with three tackles for loss in a game since Blaine Hoover had 3.0 TFL on Nov. 19, 2022, against Houston Christian.
 
HIGHLY RESPECTED
At the tail-end of its NCAA Division II era, Tarleton State had the respect and reputation for being an elite program amongst its peers. It hasn't taken long in the Texans' D1 era to reach that same level. Last year, the Texans were No. 12 in the final AFCA FCS Coaches Poll of the season, and No. 13 in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll of the season. They were ranked in both polls every single week of the 2024 campaign, from the preseason through the postseason, one of 11 teams nationwide to never leave the polls, joined by Idaho, Illinois State, Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, UC Davis, UIW and Villanova.
 
This season, Tarleton State is now ranked No. 3 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll. These are the highest rankings in Tarleton State Football's NCAA Division I era.
 
Amongst its conference peers, Tarleton State is the heavy favorite to win the UAC, picked by eight of the nine teams to finish No. 1. This is the first time the Texans have been picked in the preseason to win the conference since Tarleton State joined the D1 ranks. Since 2021, the first year Tarleton State Football was in a conference at the D1 level, the Texans have quickly elevated their positioning in the conference standings, going from fourth in 2021 and fifth in 2022 in the standings, to tied-second in each 2023 and 2024.
 
CULTURE IS KING
In the modern collegiate days of collective conference, roster and staff fluidity, Tarleton State does not fit the norm. The Texans have been able to retain their elite staff and players year-over-year, credit to the culture that head coach Todd Whitten solidifies at the helm.
 
The Texans' coaching staff tenures at Tarleton State are thus; 16 years (Todd Whitten), eight years (Scott Carey), eight years (Tate Whitten), six years (Michael Walton), five years (Adam Austin), four years (Tyrone Nix), four years (Fred Tate), three years (Jake Stone), three years (Pepe Pearson), two years (Devante Sims), Beau Blair (entering first season). The Texans have not replaced more than two assistant coaches on a staff in a given year  in their D1 era. Player-wise, the portal has not seen a lot of Texans go through. Since 2022, Tarleton State has seen just 1-2 contributors depart via transfer max per year.
 
BEST IN TEXAS
Since the start of the 2018 season, Tarleton State has been one of the best scholarship football programs in the entire state of Texas. The Texans enter Saturday's game with a .741 winning percentage since the start of 2018, the highest mark across all of the NCAA Division I and II programs in the state. Tarleton State is the only Texas D1 or D2 institution with all seven winning seasons since 2018. They have 63 wins since the start of 2018, the second most wins in the state by an NCAA Division I or II programs. The list of the top scholarship programs in Texas over that span are as follows:
 

#	School	Conf.	Win Pct.
1.	Tarleton State	UAC	.741
2.	Angelo State	LSC	.738
3.	Texas	SEC	.688
4.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.674
5.	SMU	American	.663
6.	Texas A&M	SEC	.644
7.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.627
8.	UTSA	C-USA	.585
9.	TCU	Big 12	.582
10.	Baylor	Big 12	.559

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Texas	SEC	66
2.	Tarleton State	UAC	63
3.	SMU	American	61
4.	Angelo State	LSC	59
5.	Texas A&M	SEC	58
	Incarnate Word	SLC	58
7.	UTSA	American	55
8.	TCU	Big 12	53
9.	Baylor	Big 12	52
	Sam Houston	C-USA	52

 
GABALLER
Texans quarterback Victor Gabalis is proving why he was selected as the unanimous UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Through five games, Gabalis has completed 69-of-111 (.622) passes for 966 yards, 12 touchdowns, and has yet to turn the ball over. He is tied-fourth in the FCS in passing touchdowns. In Tarleton State's home opener, Gabalis completed 20-of-27 (.741) passes for 295 yards, five touchdowns and zero turnovers in Tarleton State's 59-3 win against Mississippi Valley State. His five passing touchdowns are the most in a game by a Tarleton State quarterback in 10 years, since Zed Woerner had five against Oklahoma Panhandle on Oct. 24, 2015. The five touchdowns mark Gabalis' most in his three seasons at Tarleton State, surpassing four four-touchdown performances, two in 2024 and two in 2023. His five touchdown passes are his most since throwing five against Southern Utah while with Utah Tech on Oct. 29, 2022.
 
This is Gabalis' sixth season at the collegiate level, having played two seasons at Washington State (2020-21), one season at Utah Tech (2022) and now in his third season at Tarleton State (2023-25). He's played in 42 career collegiate games, sitting at 8,488 passing yards and 72 passing touchdowns. In games Gabalis has started in his career, his teams have gone 25-8 (.756). At Tarleton State, Gabalis is 22-6 (.786) as a starter with 6,341 passing yards on 426-of-721 (.591) passing, 53 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Gabalis has surpassed Steve Kelly (51) on Tarleton's State's career passing touchdown list at No. 4, and he's four short of tying Scott Grantham at 57 (2007-09) at No. 3. Gabalis has surpassed Ben Holmes (5,997) at No. 5 on Tarleton State's all-time career passing yards leaderboard and is 920 short of Chad Cole (7,267, 1995-98) at No. 4.
 
During the preseason, Gabalis was named the unanimous UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and to the Preseason All-UAC Team. He was also named to the 2025 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, one of 30 players named to the list for an award that is equivalent to the Heisman Trophy at the FBS level.
 
Last season, Gabalis was named UAC Second Team All-Conference after leading the Texans to a 9-3 overall record as the starting quarterback, 6-2 in UAC play. He completed 193-of-309 (.625) for 2,883 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 12 games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Tarleton State Football improved to 5-0 following a 52-24 win over Chattanooga in front of a record-setting crowd at Memorial Stadium, a crowd of 23,732 fans for Tarleton State's Family Weekend. The Texans combined for 404 passing yards and 576 yards of total offense. The No. 3 nationally-ranked Texans recorded the most receiving yards in a single game since Oct. 8, 2022 (406 vs. Southern Utah).
 
Senior wide receiver Peyton Kramer recorded a career-high seven receptions, 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns to lead the Texan offense on his birthday. Kramer is the first Texan to record three receiving touchdowns in 2025, with the last Texan to do so being current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper.
 
Daniel Greek led the passing game with a season-best 214 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Page III recorded his second 100-yard rushing game Saturday night, netting 111 yards to go with a touchdown.
 
Tarleton State tested the Chattanooga defensive backfield early, with senior quarterback Victor Gabalis connecting with junior wide receiver Cody Jackson on a 45-yard gain on the game's first play. After holding the Texans to a field goal on the opening drive, Chattanooga found the end zone first off a 27-yard run. Gabalis once again found the open man on the Texans' next drive, setting up Kramer for a 68-yard touchdown and his first score in a Texan uniform. Tarleton State recovered Chattanooga's muffed punt shortly after, but the Mocs forced the Texans into a missed field goal. Chattanooga capitalized by finding the end zone again to take a 14-10 lead after the first quarter.  The Texans were unfazed with facing the early deficit, scoring 20 unanswered points to close the first half. Page started the scoring spree in the second quarter, going 48 yards to the house that allowed Tarleton State to retake the lead and keep it for good. Tarleton State turned to the birthday boy on its next drive, with Kramer catching a 39-yard pass for the score.  Corbin Poston kept the Texans lead at bay as the first half came to a close, calmly converting two long field goals. The Stephenville High School product knocked in a career-long 50-yard field goal and a 49-yarder to give the Texans a 30-14 lead going into the locker room. Chattanooga opened the second half with a field goal, but the Texans responded with a touchdown. After Greek found redshirt senior Trevon West for a 31-yard catch, he connected with Kramer for a 38-yard score for the wide receiver's third touchdown of the night. The scoring continued for the Texans, but it was the defense's turn to visit the house. Ty Rawls intercepted a Chattanooga pass with under two minutes left to play in the third quarter, going 57 yards for the score. The Texans capped off the defensive score with a trick play off a two-point conversion, where Marquis Willis completed a pass to Greek off a reverse. Chattanooga answered with a touchdown in the fourth quarter before Caleb Lewis ran 35 yards for his seventh touchdown of the season. The deficit was too much for the Mocs to overcome, with the Texans finishing off non-conference play in victorious fashion.
 
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Tarleton State Football is one of the best stories in the nation to start the 2025 campaign, and that was further proven recently, as the Texans were named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week following wins at Portland State and Army. On Aug. 29, Tarleton State won its first road game against an FBS program in its fourth try, and second win against an FBS program in five total matchups, having also defeated New Mexico State in El Paso in 2021. Army, meanwhile, won the American Conference championship last year and finished 12-2 overall. This was the Black Knights' first loss to an FCS program since 2015.
 
On Week 0 on Aug. 23, Tarleton State shut out Portland State 42-0 on the road at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon. It marked Tarleton State's largest season-opening win since 2002 (62-0), and the Texans forced the Vikings' first FCS shutout loss in nearly 20 years (2006) and first shutout loss at their home field since 2003.
 
NATIONAL LEADER
Across the country, only 10 NCAA Division I teams (seven FBS, three FCS) have a better win percentage than Tarleton State since 2018 (Ohio State, Georgia, North Dakota State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, South Dakota State, Oregon, James Madison and Montana State). So among some other elite programs, Tarleton State has a higher W% than the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, USC, LSU, etc.
 

#	School	Conf.	Win Pct.
1.	Ohio State	Big 10	.884
2.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.877
3.	Georgia	SEC	.870
4.	Alabama	SEC	.860
5.	South Dakota State	MVFC	.820
6.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.814
7.	Clemson	ACC	.800
8.	Oregon	Big 10	.798
9.	James Madison	SBC	.793
10.	Montana State	MVFC	.767
11.	Dartmouth	Ivy	.742
12.	Tarleton State	UAC	.741
13.	Oklahoma	SEC	.737
14.	Montana	Big Sky	.729
15.	Boise State	MWC	.728

 
7: Tarleton State is the only NCAA Division I program in Texas with seven straight winning seasons. Among head coach Todd Whitten's 15 completed seasons at Tarleton State, his team has finished .500 or better 14 times, the only losing record at 5-6 in 2016.
 
50: The Texans have scored 50+ points in three consecutive games after not reaching the 50-point plateau a single time last year. They last scored 50+ in three straight games in 2019 (Nov. 3-17) and have a chance to score 50+ in four straight for the first time ever.
 
9: Over his last 10 games, QB Victor Gabalis has gone turnover-free in nine of those games. Over his past 10, Gabalis has completed 168-of-247 (.680) for 2,472 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. Gabalis has now gone turnover-free 16 times at Tarleton State. The Texans are 15-1 in those games.
 
4: The Texan defense has as many touchdowns scored themselves (four) as they've allowed FCS offenses to score this season (four).
 
1: Whitten is the only coach at any NCAA level actively coaching in his third stint at his current school. He is one of 37 coaches at any NCAA level to have three non-consecutive tenures at one school and the second coach with three stints at Tarleton State (W.J. Wisdom, 1920-22, 1924-28, 1930-35).
 
UP NEXT
Tarleton State will head to St. George, Utah, to take on Utah Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.