KINGSVILLE, Texas, - With their first Lone Star Conference win of the season in the rearview mirror, the Texas A&M-Kingsville football team (2-4, 1-3) will take their show on the road to Odessa, Texas for a clash with the UT Permian Basin Falcons (1-5, 1-3) on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Ratliff Stadium.

The Hogs grabbed their second victory of the season on Oct. 7^th over West Texas A&M, knocking off the Buffaloes 37-9. Cade Dyal's three touchdown passes and Jordan Thomas's 113 yards receiving sparked the offense, while the defense registered eight sacks and forced two turnovers. The triumph was also the squad's first in LSC play in 2017 and keeps alive the chance to end the year with a winning record in the conference.

"We need to keep challenging our guys," said coach Daren Wilkinson, "and make sure last week isn't just a flash in the pan. We need keep making progress and moving forward."

UTPB began their slate with three straight setbacks including a loss to West Texas in their league opener. They earned a victory over Western New Mexico at home on Sept. 23^rd, besting the Mustangs in a 41-32 shootout, but they've dropped their last two contests, only managing to score 17 points in each. The Falcons average 18.2 points per game this season, which is eighth in the LSC.

"From week one to right now, [UTPB] is probably the most improved team in our conference," said Wilkinson. "They played tough teams in each of the first two weeks. They've gotten better and better each week and they're giving some good teams a run for their money. UTPB is a very dangerous football team."

Three players have spent time under center for the Falcons in 2017, but sophomore Kameron Mathis has been their main signal caller and has started in each of the last four weeks. Mathis has fired six touchdowns but has also been picked off five times and owns a completion percentage of 39.5% in 157 attempts. His best performance came against Tarleton State, when he threw for 244 yards and a pair of scores. Caden Coots started the first two match-ups on UTPB's schedule, but has only seven completions in 27 attempts and hasn't thrown a pass since week two.

Brandon Infiesto owns the title of top ground gainer for the Falcons with 312 yards to his credit and one touchdown. Marcus Simmons is second on the roster with 118 yards and he's averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The top receiver for coach Justin Carrigan is Leonard Mitchell with 19 receptions for 313 yards and two TDs. Kristian Brown has pulled down 17 passes for 312 yards and his three scoring catches lead the squad.

For TAMUK, Dyal will enter Saturday off his best day as a Javelina and he's moved into third place in the LSC in passing yards, completion percentage and touchdown passes.  Thomas has been Dyal's top target this year and he continues to rank among the top receivers in the league. Following his third 100-yard receiving game of the season, Thomas is second in the LSC in receptions (33) and yards (574) and tied for second in TD catches (5). Nick Pelrean remains the team's leading rusher with 329 yards. The junior is averaging 7.2 ypc.

"When you're a young quarterback," said Wilkinson, "you need to have guys that are helping you along. Cade's had [Thomas], Stehly Reden, Nico Brown.  He's had some playmakers out there."

The defense charged with slowing down Wilkinson's offense includes the top two players in the LSC in terms of tackles for loss. Linebacker Keegan Gray has amassed 13.0 and defensive tackle Frank Seiuli is second with 9.0. Gray had multiple TFL's in his team's first five games, including three against West Texas, while Seiuli collected 3.5 against Tarleton State on Sept. 30^th. Despite these two outstanding performers, the Falcons have struggled to stop opposing offenses this season and the 435.5 yards per game allowed are the worst in the LSC.

"We need to get the ball out of our hands," said Wilkinson. "Cade has to know what the coverages are before the ball is snapped and get the ball out quickly because those guys put on a good pass rush and they're great in the run game as well."

Kingsville's defense, on the other hand, is coming off their most impressive performance of the season. They totaled eight sacks while also forcing a pair of turnovers, one of which was returned for a score by Caleb Valentine. Valentine remains one of the unit's most outstanding players with 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 of which came against the Buffaloes, and a team-high 4.0 sacks. Sean Landez's fourth quarter interception was TAMUK's eighth of the season, a total that leads the LSC. Leading tacklers Trevor Moses and Peyton Tilley have helped forge a run defense that averages allowing just 89.3 yards per game, second-best in the league.

Saturday will mark the second time these two programs have met. The Falcons came to Javelina Stadium in 2016 as part of their inaugural season and Kingsville cruised to a 56-7 victory. Pelrean scored three TDs in the win and UTPB was limited to only 106 yards of total offense.

Fans can listen to the game live via javelinaathletics.com and WILD 105.5 and KTAI 91.1 with Mark Inserra on the call. Once the final gun sounds, javelinaathletics.com will also be your home for stats and a recap of all the action.