The Matchup
>> Texas A&M-Kingsville returns to Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium to host Western New Mexico for a Lone Star Conference contest with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT
>> Saturday's contest is the 2018 Homecoming Game sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank
>> The Javelinas will be wearing throwback jerseys as part of the festivities
>> The white jerseys are from when the university was named Texas A&I and will feature the name on the front
>> The game will broadcast on the Javelina Athletics YouTube account as well as KTAI 91.1 with Mark Inserra and Nate Kotisso on the call
>> This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the teams as the Mustangs defeated TAMUK in 2017
>> The Javelinas won the first two meetings as WNMU joined the LSC in 2016 with the first meeting coming on Oct. 16, 1976
 
Scouting the Mustangs
>> Western New Mexico has yet to win a game this as first-year head coach Frank Tristan took over the program in the spring of 2018
>> Blayne Armstrong has been the primary passer for WNMU as he owns 1134 yards through the air with six touchdowns and six interceptions
>> DeAndre Williams owns 307 yards on the ground for the Mustangs with zero touchdowns
>> Justin Harris and Arkemus Baskerville have both breached the 100-yard mark on the season as they own 148 and 123 yards, respectively
>> Kourde Roberts is the leading receiver with 330 yards on the year and two scores
>> Evan Beebe and Elijah Jones both have over 200 receiving yards on the year, at 246 and 225, respectively, and two touchdowns each
>> Michael Bandy also has two touchdowns with 111 yards all in one game, but hasn't played since the beginning of the year
>> Roosevelt Calhoun leads the defense with 54 tackles with six for loss, while James Lee has five sacks
 
Last Time Out
>> The Javelinas had an even count against then-No. 9 Tarleton midway through the second quarter last Saturday but ultimately fell behind on five unanswered scores from TSU en route to a 59-21 defeat
>> Junior transfer Koy Detmer Jr. was responsible for all three scores as he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another
>> Detmer Jr. snuck in his first touchdown from one yard out to set the score at 7-7 with 11:37 remaining in the second quarter
>> Detmer Jr. connected with Tyler Wilson for 14 yards at the 6:35 mark of the same frame to tie the game yet again at 14-14
>> The final touchdown came with 4:44 remaining in the third after Aaron Dilworth brought down a 16-yard pass from Detmer Jr. to set the score at 49-21
 
Check the Rankings
>> Tarleton took a step up in the rankings following the win over TAMUK, now ranked eighth
>> MSU Texas was idle last week and remained at No. 10
>> The Lions remained at No. 18 following a 55-7 win over WNMU
>> West Texas A&M fell to ENMU at 28-0 but still received 15 points in the poll
 
Hogs at home in the LSC under Wilkinson
>> The Javelinas are currently 4-9 at home in LSC games with head coach Daren Wilkinson at the helm
>> TAMUK dropped a 31-14 decision to ENMU in the fourth week of the season
>> The Hogs also fell to then-No. 12 MSU Texas on Oct. 13 at 69-14
>> The Javelinas went 1-2 at home in the LSC in 2017, 3-2 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 hanful 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 147
>> 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 101 with a perfect 54-for-54 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