Leo Garcia

Football 9/16/2021 3:59:00 PM Jon Montoya, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

Javelinas hit the road for LSC opener against Eastern New Mexico

Kickoff set for 1 p.m. CT in Portales, N.M.

The Matchup

The Hogs hit the road for the Lone Star Conference opener against Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, September 18
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT at Greyhound Stadium in Portales, N.M.
The game will broadcast live on the Javelina Sports Network with Mark Inserra on the call
This will be the 32nd meeting between the two programs
TAMUK leads the overall series 20-11, while the Greyhounds have won seven of the last eight contests
The two teams last met in 2019 in Portales, N.M., as the Greyhounds took a 48-34 win

Scouting the Greyhounds

This will be the third straight game at home for Eastern New Mexico to begin the 2021 season
ENMU fell 66-24 to Central Washington to begin the year but rebounded with a 42-14 win over Adams State in the second matchup
Following the contest against the Javelinas, ENMU visits Midwestern State on September 25 before returning home to host Lincoln (Calif.) on October 2
Nathan Valencia has started both games under center for the Hounds and has completed 36 passes on 50 attempts with six scores and two interceptions for a total of 420 yards
Justin Manyweather leads the receivers with 11 catches for 254 yards and four touchdowns
The ground game features Currie Thomason with 41 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, while Valencia has the other score on the ground
As a team, the Greyhounds have held their opponents to an average of 338.5 yards per game
Leading the defensive effort are Camron Pitcher and Cameron Santa Cruz who have 12 and 10 tackles, respectively
Beau Burns and Rapi Sotoa both have a team-high two tackles for loss, while Kendrick Milford leads the team with 1.5 sacks
The lone interception on the year has come from Paul Smith while Kelon Ferdinand owns the only fumble recovery

Last Time Out

The Javelinas claimed their first win of the season with a 24-10 decision over Western Oregon
Gilbert Garza started the scoring with a 24-yard field goal late in the first quarter
Christian Anderson tacked on a 50-yard run for a touchdown in the second stanza
Cameron Cauthen added a six-yard fumble recovery in the endzone in the third while Shane Johnson added the last score in the fourth with a one-yard scramble
Cauthen and Kirkland Joseph led the defensive effort with 11 and 12 tackles, respectively
The Javelina defense forced three turnovers, with one interception and another fumble recovery added to the total
Derrion Warner intercepted the pass early in the first, while Jacob Clarkson fell on the loose ball in the fourth leading up to Johnson's touchdown

The First Of Many

The 24-10 win over Western Oregon was the first win for head coach Mike Salinas in his tenure as the Hogs' lead man
Salinas took over the program in December 2019 as the 12th head coach and 11th full-time head coach of Javelina Football

Grind It Out

The Javelinas compiled 214 yards on the ground as a team, most since October 19, 2019, when the program finished with 237 rushing yards
The 2019 season also featured 302 rushing yards against Sul Ross State on September 14
The Javelinas are averaging 194.5 yards on the ground through two games, 32nd in the nation and fourth-best in the Lone Star Conference

Nationally Renowned

In addition to the top-50 ranking in the country in rushing offense, the Javelina defense has given up only 11.5 points per game, good for 24th in NCAA Division II and second-best in the LSC
The Hogs on defense have also allowed only 78.5 rushing yards per game, good for 34th in the country
Kirkland Joseph is currently 20th in the country and leads the Lone Star Conference in total tackles

Getting Stingy

The Javelina defense allowed only 67 rushing yards against Western Oregon on September 11
It is the third time in the four games since Mike Salinas took over that the defense held its opponents to fewer than 70 rushing yards in the game, including the two games in the spring of 2021
The Javelina defense hasn't allowed more than 100 yards on the ground in any of the four contests since Salinas took over the program in December 2019

I'm Not Over You Just Yet

The Javelina defense has taken away the ball three times in each of the first two contests of 2021
TAMUK picked up a fumble and intercepted two passes against Saginaw Valley State on September 4
The Hogs added two fumbles and one interception in the win over Western Oregon on September 11
The Javelina defense also had three turnovers against UT Permian Basin during the spring slate, with one fumble recovery and two interceptions
TAMUK had three games in 2019 with at least three takeaways

Break Me Off A Piece

Christian Anderson's 50-yard rushing touchdown against Western Oregon on September 11 is the longest offensive play for a touchdown so far in 2021
As a team, the Javelinas have 10 plays over 20 yards, five of which came on the offensive side of the ball
The longest play currently is a 58-yard punt return from Craig Clemons against SVSU on September 4
The longest pass play is a 24-yard connection from Shane Johnson to Ryan Martinez against SVSU
The longest defensive play is a 28-yard interception return against the Cardinals in the season opener

The First Time Since...

The 24-10 win over Western Oregon snapped a four-game losing streak as the Javelinas last defeated the Wolves in the NAIA Semifinals on November 29, 1975
The win over WOU was also the first win at home over a Division II foe since November 10, 2018, when the Hogs defeated UT Permian Basin 24-21 in the season finale