The Matchup
>> Texas A&M-Kingsville will hit the road for the first time in a month to take on No. 9 Tarleton in Lone Star Conference play
>> Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT in Stephenville, Texas at Memorial Stadium
>> The game will broadcast live on TarletonSports.com
>> KTAI 91.1 will also carry the contest with Mark Inserra on the call
>> The Javelinas are 22-10 all-time against Tarleton, but the Texans have won five of the last seven meetings
>> TSU defeated the Hogs at home in 2017, 41-34, in a contest that was featured on the Division-II Showcase
>> Nick Pelrean ran for a career-high 171 yards and added 53 receiving yards for two total touchdowns
>> TAMUK is 3-1 against Tarleton in its last four meetings in Stephenville, including a 43-25 win over the Texans in the 2015 LSC Playoffs

Scouting the Texans
>> The Texans are riding a six-game winning streak after defeating then-No. 7 A&M-Commerce, 47-21
>> Ben Holmes has started every game under center and owns 1371 yards through the air on 86 completions to go with 14 touchdowns to only four interceptions
>> Zimari Manning has been Holmes' favorite target as he has made 26 catches for 523 yards and eight touchdowns
>> J.F. Thomas and Savon Rollison both have over 200 receiving yards on the year with three combined scores
>> Tarleton has rotated their backfield throughout the year but has Daniel McCants leading the way with 647 yards on the ground and five scores
>> He is topped by Xavier Turner who has seven touchdowns on the heels of 422 rushing yards
>> Five different players have run for a touchdown on the year as D'Anthony Hopkins has three, Adam Berryman has two and Holmes has one
>> Jai Edwards leads the defensive unit with 45 tackles, while E.J. Speed has eight tackles for loss and Chris Radford owns four sacks

Last Time Out
>> The Javelinas fell behind early to then-No. 12 MSU Texas last week behind a pair of special teams mishaps and ended up on the backend of a 69-14 decision
>> The Mustangs went three-and-out on the first drive of the game but blocked a 30-yard field goal attempts from Julio De La Garza and returned it for a touchdown
>> Torrey Thomas took a seven-yard screen pass from Koy Detmer Jr. midway through the third quarter for the first Hog score
>> Brandon Jones added a 41-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown as he stripped the ball late in the fourth on a read-option run and single-handedly took the loose ball to the house

Check the Rankings
>> Tarleton leapfrogged the other LSC programs in the AFCA rankings all the way up to No. 9 following a win on the road over A&M-Commerce
>> The Lions took a tumble to No. 18 following the loss
>> MSU Texas bumped up to No. 10 after the win over TAMUK
>> West Texas A&M inched closer to the top-25 rankings, currently receiving 20 points in the poll after defeating Angelo State, 26-18

Hogs on the Road in Conference under Wilkinson
>> The Javelinas are currently 4-10 on the road in LSC games with head coach Daren Wilkinson at the helm
>> TAMUK fell to then-No. 1 A&M-Commerce, 37-36, in double overtime to open the 2018 slate
>> The Hogs also suffered a defeat at the hands of Angelo State, 30-14, back on Sept. 15
>> The Javelinas went 1-4 on the road in LSC games in 2017, 3-1 in 2016 and 0-3 in 2015

Home Non-Conference Matchups
>> The Hogs are currently 5-3 all-time at home in non-conference matchups under Wilkinson
>> TAMUK is currently 2-1 this year with a 52-10 win over Texas Wesleyan to open the 2018 home slate, a 33-30 comeback win over New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 29 and a 13-7 loss to Western Oregon on Oct. 6
>> The Javelinas went 1-1 in 2017 after dropping a 34-10 decision to Central Washington to begin the year but rebounded with a last-minute 38-34 win over William Jewell to close the season
>> Texas A&M-Kingsville won its only home non-conference game in 2016, a 68-7 thrashing of Simon Fraser
>> The Hogs went 1-1 in Wilkinson's first year after defeating Missouri S&T, 38-20, and falling to West Alabama, 31-22

De La Garza
>> Senior kicker Julio De La Garza in closing in on several Javelina kicking records in his fourth year while currently ranking in the top five in program history in a handful of categories
>> De La Garza has made 36 field goals in his four-year career, good for second all-time at TAMUK
>> The Brownsville, Texas, native is also third in PAT conversion percentage at 97.9% with a minimum of five attempts
>> Among kickers with 100+ PAT attempts, De La Garza has the highest conversion percentage
>> De La Garza is currently fourth in program history in PATs made at 144
>> The top spot for field goals made is owned by Richard Hammond (2002-05), who kicked 49 in his career
>> Hammond also made 155 PATs in his career for third all time, while Richard Ritchie (1973-76) has made 156 for second
>> The top spot in PATs made is owned by John Cortez (1992-95), who made 176
>> Among all active kickers in the nation, De La Garza is currently atop the list of consecutive PATs made with 98 with a perfect 49-for-49 mark in the last two years after making his final 47 PATs his sophomore year

Showcase Showdown
>> This is the second year in a row where the Hogs have been featured on the NCAA Division-II Showcase
>> Top-ranked A&M-Commerce held on for a 37-36 win in double overtime in the season opener for both programs after the Hogs went ahead 36-30 in the second extra frame
>> TAMUK and Tarleton faced off in Kingsville in 2017 on ESPN3 as the Texans took away a 41-34 decision

The Javelina Connection
>> Assistant coaches Scott Brown and Eddie Moten have had football careers that went beyond the college gridiron
>> Brown coached in Division-I up until 2012 when he became the scout for the San Francisco 49ers and eventually the defensive line coach
>> Brown has coached several players who played into the NFL, including Craig Sauer (Atlanta Falcons - 1996, 6th round) and Fred Washington (Chicago Bears - 1990, 2nd round)
>> Brown also played under legendary TAMUK coach Ron Harms, who coached at Adams State from 1970-73 when Brown was a student-athlete for the Grizzlies
>> Moten had a successful career in the Arena Football League for the Philadelphia Soul, winning the 2008 ArenaBowl XXII