Jon Montoya

Football 9/7/2018 11:51:00 AM Jon Montoya, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

Hogs host Rams for 2018 Home Opener

Kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium

The Matchup

Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas Wesleyan will face off at the newly minted Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium for the second week of 2018
The contest is part of the Hall of Fame & Champions Weekend sponsored by Pepsi
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, September 8
The game will broadcast on the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel as well as KTAI 91.1
This is the second-ever meeting between the programs as the Hogs and the Rams last saw each other over 72 years ago in 1945
Texas Wesleyan football is experiencing a reboot as the program started competition in 1934 and suspended competition following World War II
This is the second season back in NAIA competition for the Rams

Scouting the Rams

TWU went 1-10 in the 2017 season and dropped the first contest of 2018, 42-7, to Kansas Wesleyan
The Rams got 282 passing yards in the loss to the Coyotes between Avery Childs and Donavan Isom
Jermarcus Jones led the TWU rushes with 129 yards on 18 carries
Isom ran the lone score in for the Rams late in the first quarter and finished with 25 rushing yards
Six receivers ended up catching a pass in the game, with Collier Ricks leading the way with four catches for 81 yards
Andrew Walker led the defense with seven tackles, two for loss, while Dylan Pettway had the lone sack
Walker also had a fumble recovery in the game
The Rams used three passers in 2017, none of which are returning
Kane Hardin, Erik Richards and Colby Reed combined for 1354 yards in 2017 with 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions
Jones rushed for 713 yards in 2017 with one touchdown, while Cole Maxwell led alll receivers with 230 yards
Michael Miller led the defense last year with 57 tackles, two for loss

Last Time Out

The Javelinas took on top-ranked A&M-Commerce in the NCAA Division-II Showcase Opener on ESPN3
The Hogs kept the Lions off the scoreboard in the first half, 13-0, but ended up in overtime after Kristov Martinez booted a 35-yard field goal with 20 second remaining in regulation
Both teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime before a failed PAT on TAMUK's second overtime became the difference
Junior transfer Koy Detmer Jr. threw for 320 yards on 33 completions and came away with five total touchdowns, four through the air and one on the ground
Detmer Jr. found 11 different receivers in the game, including five catches from senior Ty Chisum and six from redshirt-junior Aaron Dilworth as the duo both had 82 receiving yards
Chisum caught two touchdown passes while Dilworth ended up with his lone score in the first overtime
Senior Torrey Thomas was the other touchdown target as he finished with 47 yards on three catches
Redshirt-senior Devonte Williams led the defense with 10 tackles while senior Brandon Jones had his first sack of the year
Junior Jordan Semanat came away with two takeaway, an interception and fumble recovery, in his Javelina debut

Back in the Rankings

The Javelinas are back in the AFCA Rankings for the first time since the 2017 preseason as they are currently receiving votes
A&M-Commerce remains the No. 1 ranked team in the poll while MSU Texas moved up to No. 10
Tarleton is the other LSC school in the poll, currently receiving votes

Home Openers under Wilkinson

The Hogs are 2-1 under head coach Daren Wilkinson in home openers
TAMUK defeated Missouri S&T in 2015, 38-20, courtesy of 116 yards and two touchdowns from running back Shawn Vasquez
The Blue and Gold bested Simon Fraser, 68-7, in 2016 on the heels of a four-touchdown game from Myles Carr
The lone loss came in 2017 to Central Washington at 34-10

(Way Too) Early Season Trends

Detmer Jr. is already in the top-15 in the nation in several categories, including completions per game (3rd - 33), completion percentage (7th - .717), passing TDs (4th - 4), points responsible for (2nd - 30), passing yards (11th - 320), and passing yards per game (11th - 320)
Williams is fifth in the nation in solo tackles with 10
Chisum is fifth in the nation in receiving touchdowns with two

Four Score and Seven Games To Go

The Javelinas will play seven home games in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons
TAMUK will face Texas Wesleyan, Eastern New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands, Western Oregon, No. 10 MSU Texas, Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin in 2018
The Hogs will play four straight at home starting on September 22 against ENMU and ending on October 13 against MSU Texas
2019 home opponents include Saginaw Valley State, Sul Ross State, Angelo State, A&M-Commerce, Western Oregon, Tarleton and West Texas A&M

Hogs On Top

The Javelinas have all-time winning records against seven of their 10 remaining opponents
TAMUK will have a chance to go ahead in the series against WTAMU as the overall record is tied 14-14-1
The Hogs own winning records against five of the seven remaining LSC opponents
The combined all-time record for TAMUK against the seven remaining LSC opponents is 90-65-1

Showcase Showdown

This is the second year in a row where the Hogs have been featured on the NCAA Division-II Showcase
TAMUK and Tarleton faced off in Kingsville in 2017 on ESPN3 as the Texans took away a 41-34 decision

The Professional Connection

Assistant coaches Scott Brown and Eddie Moten have had football careers that went beyond the college gridiron
Brown coaches in Division-I up until 2012 when he became the scout for the San Francisco 49ers and eventually the defensive line coach
Moten had a successful career in the Arena Football League for the Philadelphia Soul, winning the 2008 ArenaBowl XXII
Moten was also on the reality show 4th and Long, hosted by former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin