The Teams: No. 10 Tarleton State Texans (1-0, 0-0 UAC) at Army Black Knights (0-0, 0-0 American)
Where: West Point, New York
Stadium: Michie Stadium (approximately 30,000 in 2025)
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan, Adam Breneman, Tina Cervasio)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Byron Anderson, Kyle Masters, Keltin Wiens, Ty Walker)
 
TEXAN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
It's a Friday night game for Tarleton State and the Texans' fifth ever game against an FBS opponent. The No. 10 Texans will face off at Army in West Point, New York, the Black Knights' season opener and Tarleton State coming off of a 42-0 season-opening win.
 
Tarleton State's game, set for 5 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, with Dave Ryan, Adam Breneman and Tina Cervasio 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 first all-time meeting, and Tarleton State Football's first ever game in the state of New York.
• This is the fifth time Tarleton State faces an FBS opponent, all since 2021. The Texans beat New Mexico State on Feb. 21, 2021, and lost at TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor each of the last three seasons.
• Army is coming off of its most wins (12) in a season and its first ever American Conference championship.
• Last season, Army had the No. 1 rushing offense across the FBS at 300.5 yards per game. The Black Knights were also No. 1 in time of possession, third in fewest penalties, and No. 4 in scoring defense.

 
QUICK HITS

• The Texans are playing an FBS opponent on the road on Week 1 sitting at 1-0 for the second straight season.
• This is the first Friday game in Tarleton State Football history. This marks the first non-Saturday game for Tarleton State since the Texans opened the 2022 campaign on a Thursday night at home.
• At kickoff Friday, Tarleton State will have traveled nearly 5,700 miles between a 7-day stretch for two games (nearly 4,000 miles roundtrip to Hillsboro, Oregon, and nearly 1,700 miles to West Point, New York).
• Tarleton State shut out Portland State 42-0 on the road on Saturday. This was Tarleton State's largest season-opening win since 2002 (62-0). The Texans forced Portland State's first FCS shutout loss since 2006 and first shutout loss at home since 2003. Tarleton State earned the first shutout on Week 0 by any FCS team since Week 0 became an annual start to the FCS season in 2014. This was Tarleton State's first road shutout since 2009.
• Three players had breakout games on Saturday; Tre Page III rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns (11.3 YPC), Ty Rawls had two interceptions and Omar Emmons had a forced fumble and interception return for TD.
• In both of the FCS' major polls, the Texans are ranked in the top-10 of each. In the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll, the Texans are No. 10, and in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, the Texans are No. 8.

 
DEALING A 0 ON WEEK 0
Tarleton State is one of four teams nationwide with a win across all of FBS and FCS, having played in one of eight completed games on Week 0 this past weekend (Mercer and UC Davis game was deemed a no contest due to lightning).
 
In its first ever game in the state of Oregon, Tarleton State felt right at home, winning each of the four quarters and blanking Portland State 42-0. Head coach Todd Whitten postgame addressed his team and called it "possibly the best opener he's seen" out of Tarleton State. This was Tarleton State's largest season-opening win since 2002 (62-0).
 
It was the hottest game temperature wise in Portland State Football history, reaching triple figures in the normally mild climate. On the field, Tarleton State began hot and then scorched the turf in the second half to run away with it and win its fifth season opener over the past seven years. The Texan defense didn't budge all game, stifling the Vikings and forcing Portland State's first FCS shutout loss in nearly 20 years (2006) and first shutout loss at their home field since 2003.
 
The Texans forced four turnovers, with three interceptions, including an interception return for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery. Ty Rawls came down with two picks on the day, both on tipped balls. Omar Emmons had the interception return for a touchdown (37 yards) and a forced fumble. Jadan Aubert had the fumble recovery for Tarleton State.
 
Texan redshirt freshman running back Tre Page III stole the show in the first half, 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 has 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 2019.
 
Quarterback Victor Gabalis only had to play the first three quarters with the game in hand, finishing 14-of-24 for 152 yards and two touchdowns, both scores to tight ends. Dawson Hearne caught a 14-yard score in the third quarter, followed by Danny Joiner's 4-yard touchdown reception two minutes later.
 
This was Tarleton State's first shutout since also winning 42-0 during its Homecoming game against Utah Tech last season on Oct. 12. It was also Tarleton State's first shutout on the road since beating Northeastern State 6-0 on Sept. 5, 2009. It marked the first shutout on Week 0 by any FCS team since Week 0 became an annual start to the FCS season in 2014.
 
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 has been ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, and No. 10 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll before the first game was even played. Only well-known and most of FCS' powerhouses are ahead of the Texans in the polls; North Dakota State, Montana State, South Dakota State, Incarnate Word, South Dakota, Illinois State and UC Davis. TSU proved it belongs in the conversation with the powerhouses, nearly upsetting No. 4 South Dakota on the road in the second round of the FCS Playoffs last year.
 
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.
 
RUNNING BACK U
Tarleton State has had its fair share of elite running backs make their way through Stephenville, and it seems that will continue if Week 0 was any indication. Led by former elite running back himself, assistant coach Pepe Pearson, the RB's room consists of four capable tailbacks who could break out at any moment; Tre Page III, Braelon Bridges, Tylan Hines and Caleb Lewis. Page shined in Week 0, flashing the speed on an 89-yard rushing touchdown, finishing with 170 yards and a pair of scores on just 15 carries (11.3 YPC). This was just the redshirt freshman's third career game and he recorded his first collegiate carries. Through Week 0, Page is the second leading rusher across all of NCAA Division I football.
 
Since the beginning of last season, covering 15 games, Tarleton State has had an individual rush for 150+ yards eight times, with the Texans 7-1 in such games. Last year, Kayvon Britten led the entire FCS in rushing yards with 1,982, second in D1 football, only behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (2,601). In 2023, Tarleton State had a 1,000-yard back (Britten), and in 2022, the Texans had a different 1,000-yard back (Derrel Kelley III). Over the past seven seasons, Tarleton State has produced six 1,000-yard seasons by its running backs (Daniel McCants in 2019, McCants and Xavier Turner in 2018).
 
EVERYBODY EATS
Tarleton State Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Tyrone Nix preaches that if everyone does their job, then everybody eats at the end of the day, meaning everyone will get their recognition and the stats they desire. That proved true in the first game, with a 42-0 shutout by the defense, four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble recovery), a defensive touchdown, less than 300 yards of offense allowed and six negative plays forced. Among the four turnovers, three different players were involved, and of the six negative plays, eight had at least half a tackle for loss. Ty Rawls had a pair of interceptions, becoming the first Texan with multiple picks since Donovan Banks had two vs. Abilene Christian on Nov. 5, 2022. Rawls now has five career interceptions in his three years at Tarleton State, matching a season-high in picks in just the first game. Omar Emmons had a forced fumble and interception return touchdown, his first touchdown for the Purple and White, his first forced fumble and his third interception. Jadan Aubert, a Texan newcomer from Jones College, had the fumble recovery which led to a Tarleton State touchdown.
 
GABALLER
Texans quarterback Victor Gabalis shined in his first two seasons at Tarleton State, and now in his third, is expected to be the best offensive player in the United Athletic Conference. Gabalis was named the unanimous UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the second straight year that a Texan has earned the honor, following running back Kayvon Britten in 2024. Britten finished with the most rush yards across all FCS players last year at 1,982, and had the tied-fifth most total touchdowns in the country with 19.
 
Gabalis was also named to the 2025 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Gabalis was 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, averaging 240.3 passing yards per game, while also scoring a rushing touchdown and adding 53 yards on the ground. He set career-bests in pass yards, pass touchdowns, and increased his completion percentage by eight percent. Gabalis threw a season-high four touchdowns twice, including in the second round of the playoffs at No. 4 ranked South Dakota, where he also had a season-high 379 passing yards. He had six multi-TD games on the year, including four games with three or more touchdowns. Conference-wise, he was second in pass yards per, second in pass TD and second in total pass yards.
 
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 38 career collegiate games, sitting at 7,674 passing yards and 62 passing touchdowns. In games Gabalis has started in his career, his teams have gone 21-8 (.724). At Tarleton State, Gabalis is 18-6 (.750) as a starter with 5,527 passing yards on 371-of-634 (.585) passing, 43 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Gabalis needs just two passing touchdowns (45, Chad Cole, 1995-98) and 470 passing yards (5,997, Ben Holmes, 2018-19) to reach the top-five in those categories among Texan QB's in their career.
 
Gabalis was turnover free in Week 0. It marked his 12th time without an interception in his 24 games at Tarleton State. The Texans are now 11-1 in those games.
 
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.
 
Looking at the staff alone, 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) and Beau Blair (entering first season). The Texans have not had to replace 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 Friday's game with a .728 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 59 wins since the start of 2018, the tied-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	.728
2.	Angelo State	LSC	.724
3.	Texas	SEC	.685
4.	Incarnate Word	SLC	.683
5.	SMU	American	.670
6.	Sam Houston	C-USA	.658
7.	Texas A&M	SEC	.628
8.	UTSA	C-USA	.589
9.	TCU	Big 12	.575
10.	Baylor	Big 12	.557

 

#	School	Conf.	Wins
1.	Texas	SEC	63
2.	Tarleton State	UAC	59
	SMU	American	59
4.	Incarnate Word	SLC	56
5.	Angelo State	LSC	55
6.	Texas A&M	SEC	54
7.	UTSA	American	53
8.	Sam Houston	C-USA	52
9.	TCU	Big 12	50
10.	Baylor	Big 12	49

 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Besides quarterback Victor Gabalis, who was mentioned heavily earlier, Tarleton State also had four others receive Preseason All-UAC honors. Offensive lineman Hunter Smith, defensive lineman Brandon Tolvert, linebacker Ty Rawls and defensive back Kasyus Kurns joined Gabalis on the list.
 
Smith, a senior, now has made 26 straight starts and 37 straight games played on the Texan offensive line. Last season he was Phil Steele FCS 2024 UAC Second Team All-Conference, helping the Tarleton State offense to national marks of sixth in red zone offense (.930), eighth in pass yards per completion (14.3), 17th in rushing offense (198.2 rush yards per game), 22nd in sacks allowed (1.23 per), 25th in turnovers lost (13), 27th in total offense (411.1 YPG) and 28th in scoring offense (30.7 PPG). Conference-wise, Tarleton State's offense ranked third in scoring offense, third in total offense, and third in rushing offense.
 
Tolvert, a senior, was UAC First Team All-Conference last year after also being named UAC Preseason All-Conference last season, as well. He played in all 14 games, posting career-highs across the board with 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, 63 total tackles (24 solo) and a pass breakup, along with four quarterback hurries. Tolvert led the team in TFL and was second in sacks. Conference-wise, he was tied-third in tackles for loss and tied-10th in sacks. Tolvert posted multiple tackles for loss in four different games, including a 1.5 sack night against Utah Tech. He had a career-best performance at North Alabama on Sept. 21, earning a career-high 2.5 TFL and a career-best 10 tackles (six solo). Plus he had 5+ tackles in eight games, and at least a 0.5 TFL in six games.
 
Rawls, a senior, was named UAC Second Team All-Conference last year. He started all 14 games, recording three forced fumbles (tied-team-high), two interceptions (tied-third), a fumble recovery (tied-third), six pass breakups (third), a sack (tied-fourth), three tackles for loss, and 41 total tackles. Conference-wise, he was one of four players with three or more forced fumbles, and was tied-ninth in interceptions. In Week 5 last year, he was named the UAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 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 on Sept. 28.
 
Kurns, a senior, was UAC Second Team All-Conference last year. He started all 14 games, recording three fumble recoveries (led team), three forced fumbles (tied-team-high), two interceptions (tied-third), nine pass breakups (led team), a sack (tied-fourth), six tackles for loss (third), 64 tackles (fifth, 46 solo), and a quarterback hurry. He was one of 14 players nationally with three fumble recoveries and led the UAC in the category. Kurns was one of four players in the conference with three or more forced fumbles, and finished second in the conference in passes defended (11). He opened last season on national television with two fumble recoveries, adding a forced fumble, a tackle for loss and six total tackles against McNeese on Aug. 24, to take UAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
 
"SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE"
Tarleton State Football is very community minded, always trying to help others in times of need or simply, just to help. Already this summer, Tarleton State has spent three days at the university's Duck Camp, helped fellow Texans with Move-In, and helped Gordon with its tornado relief efforts. After cleaning up the football field, the team helped the community lift heavy appliances, broken wooden fences and other large items caught in the tornado damage. Tarleton State Football student-athletes and coaches spent an entire afternoon helping the town of 500 people clean up its community. The tasks ranged from picking up trash to loading large debris into trucks, with no job being too big for the Texans. Morning runs and lifts at Memorial Stadium earlier that day did not slow Tarleton State student-athletes down.
 
COOPER'S MOMENT
Former Tarleton State Football wide receiver is making waves in the NFL through the preseason, shining in his in debut for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Cincinnati Bengals, going for six catches, 82 yards, and a touchdown. Last year for the Texans, he was First Team Associated Press FCS All-America, First Team Stats Perform FCS All-America, Dave Campbell All-Texas Non-FBS Team as best receiver, First Team Phil Steele FCS All-American, First Team Football Central All-American, First Team UAC All-Conference, Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-American, UAC Preseason All-Conference,  Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-WAC, and CSC Academic All-District. He started all 14 games, finishing second across NCAA Division I in receiving yards with 1,450 (second-most in single-season school history) and tied-sixth in touchdowns with 14 (third most in single-season school history; tied for third-most in FCS).
 
TEXANS ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE CENTER
Elite facilities are the norm across Tarleton State University, and for Tarleton State Athletics, another game-changing facility opened on July 18 that will service Tarleton State's student-athletes. In a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, Tarleton State opened its state-of-the-art Texans Athletic Performance Center, an all-sport strength and conditioning space.
 
Hundreds of Tarleton State student-athletes were onsite to help open the Texans Athletic Performance Center on Friday, a space that has replaced Wisdom Volleyball Gym. Texan Volleyball's permanent home is now Wisdom Gym, and both Texan Basketball programs will move into the EECU Center soon.
 
The Texans Athletic Performance Center is an 8,000-square foot space with 32-foot ceilings that offers resistance training, cardiovascular options, a plyometric area, injury accommodation, technology for assessment, technology for databasing, athlete hydration, plus office space for Tarleton State Athletic Performance staff.
 
Natural light has been added to the space with the addition of windows on the south wall of the facility, as studies show this improves the functionality of the space and athlete performance.
 
NATIONAL LEADER
Across the country, only 12 NCAA Division I teams (seven FBS, five FCS) have a better win percentage than Tarleton State since 2018 (Ohio State, Georgia, North Dakota State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, South Dakota State, James Madison, Oregon, Montana State, Florida A&M, and Dartmouth). 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	.879
2.	Georgia	SEC	.875
3.	North Dakota State	MVFC	.873
4.	Alabama	SEC	.865
5.	Notre Dame	Ind.	.828
6.	Clemson	ACC	.823
7.	South Dakota State	MVFC	.813
8.	James Madison	SBC	.795
9.	Oregon	Big 10	.787
10.	Montana State	MVFC	.776
11.	Florida A&M	SWAC	.743
12.	Dartmouth	Ivy	.733
13.	Tarleton State	UAC	.728
14.	Boise State	MWC	.727
15.	Oklahoma	SEC	.725

 
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.
 
3: Tarleton State just posted its third shutout over its past three seasons, all exactly 42-0 games (42-0 vs. Morehead State in 2023, 42-0 vs. Utah Tech in 2024, 42-0 at Portland State in 2025). This makes six shutouts for the Texans since 2018, all under Whitten.
 
5: Over his last six games, QB Victor Gabalis has gone turnover-free in five of those games. Over his past six, Gabalis has completed 113-of-160 (.706) for 1,658 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. Over his last five games, Gabalis has completed 93-of-132 (.705) for 1,417 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.
 
18: The Texans are now 18-6 (.750) when Victor Gabalis starts at quarterback.
 
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 Football will host its home opener on Sept. 6 against Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It will be a Purple Out, as the Texans encourage fans to don purple, along with the New Student Run before the game.