February 2021

Serving notice to the FCS nation, Tarleton State tramples FBS New Mexico State, 43-17, in El Paso’s Sun Bowl to earn national ranking

EL PASO – To call it shocking would be an understatement in the world of NCAA Division I football. Not only do the Tarleton State Texans earn their first-ever win as an FCS program Sunday afternoon at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, they did so by thrashing an FBS squad.

Stampeding to 23 first quarter points, the Texans built a commanding first half advantage before coasting to a convincing 43-17 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies. And in the process, poll voters took notice by placing Tarleton State at No. 22 in the FCS Top 25.

Playing without five offensive starters ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols, Tarleton State senior quarterback Cameron Burston came off the bench to pass for two touchdowns and run for two more.

“This is huge,” Tarleton State head coach Todd Whitten said. “Everybody in the country is facing a lot of adversity, and we’re no different. I couldn’t be more proud of our football team and the way they fought this afternoon. Our guys stepped up and bought into ‘next man up’, especially our quarterback Cam.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Cam,” he added. “Going from the backup role to getting out there and playing really well. We gave him the game ball. I’m as proud of Cam as any quarterback I’ve ever coached.”

Named the starter just hours before kickoff, Burston proved to be electric by scoring on the Texans’ first two offensive plays of the game. Burston turned a keeper into a 70-yard scoring run on the first play from scrimmage. Then after the Texan defense held New Mexico State, Burston quickly connected with junior wide receiver Gabe Douglas for an 86-yard touchdown strike.

In his first career start, Burston completed 15 of 29 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 79 yards and two scores. Douglas finished with a team-high seven catches for 190 yards and two scores.

After building an overwhelming 33-7 halftime lead, the Tarleton State defense provided some second half highlights on the first two Aggie possessions when Benjie Franklin and Donovan Banks picked off the Aggie signal caller on back-to-back drives before the Texans capitalized for scores.

Defensively, Tarleton dominated the Aggies, allowing only 54 yards on the ground and a paltry 241 total yards while producing three turnovers.

Looking to produce its first NCAA DI winning streak, Tarleton returns home to take on FCS Independent and WAC transitional member Dixie State Trailblazers at 2 p.m. Saturday in Stephenville.

Photos courtesy of TARLETON STATE FOOTBALL

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As East Texas Baptist & Trinity remain undefeated, inclement weather forces postponement or cancellation of four NCAA DIII spring games

Just when it looked like college football had put 2020 firmly in the rearview mirror, 2021 dealt a blow of its own.

Only one week into the unprecedented NCAA Division III spring football season, the historic winter weather that put Texas in a frigid deep freeze forced the postponement or cancellation of four games on the six matchup slate for last Saturday. And more schedule changes could be coming this week.

While East Texas State and Trinity were able to extend strong starts with impressive wins last Saturday, Hardin-Simmons’ matchup against West Texas rival Howard Payne, Texas Lutheran’s home game against McMurry and Austin College’s trip to Hendrix in Arkansas were all been postponed. Southwestern’s matchup against Louisiana College fell victim to a cancellation notice.

With both the American Southwestern Conference and Southern Athletic Association planning to play a five-game spring schedule, the teams involved in the three postponed games will look at options to reschedule.

EAST TEXAS BAPTIST 44, BELHAVEN (Miss.) 16

Winning at home in Marshall’s Ornelas Stadium for the first time since Nov. 2019, the East Texas Baptist Tigers dominated the Belhaven (Miss.) Blazers, 44-16 in the American Southwest Conference matchup.

“Obviously, you can’t play for a championship unless you win each game, and we’ve won two in a row, so we’re excited about that,” ETBU head coach Brian Mayper said. “The guys are playing hard. Defensively, I can’t say enough about that. We played lights out.”

Capitalizing for three defensive touchdowns, ETBU junior defensive back KJ Kelley delivered pick sixes while leading the Tigers with 10 takedowns. Producing an impressive team defensive performance against Belhaven (0-2), junior linebacker Donovan Graham recovered a fumble for a score and freshman free safety Kenneth Bradley grabbed an interception, while senior linebacker Justice Henson contributed nine tackles, sophomore defensive lineman James Wright IV seven and junior defensive end Josh Reed notched a sack.

Offensively, ETBU (2-0) got the job done with 315 total yards, led by sophomore quarterback Aaron Brown, who rushed for one touchdown and connected with junior wide receiver Cris Williams for another, while sophomore running back Cornelius Merchant ran for a touchdown.

“Offensively, we kind of stopped ourselves on some plays, but then, we made plays,” Mayper said. “We just need to eliminate all the mistakes and focus in, because a lot of that stuff was self-imposed . But then again, we had some great plays running, throwing and catching the football.”

Following an open week in the schedule, ETBU will travel to Pineville, La., to take on Louisiana College on Feb. 27.

“Being 2-0 feels good after 15 months,” Mayper said. “We need to take it one game at a time, but we’re excited.”

TRINITY (Texas) 37, MILLSAPS (Miss.) 7

Making the most of a long road trip to Mississippi, the Trinity Tigers scored early and often on their way to an overwhelming 37-7 victory over Millsaps College in a Southern Athletic Association matchup last Saturday afternoon.

“Really proud of the guys on earning a big road win against a historically tough conference opponent,” Trinity head coach Jerheme Urban said. “This is a game that has a lot of meaning for a lot of our alumni, as evidenced by the amount of text messages I received this morning. And it is fun seeing our young men buy into that tradition as well. We had a long trip yesterday, and they showed some great mental toughness to come out and play the way they did today.”

Trinity (2-0) scored on its possession of the game on the way to building a commanding 24-0 advantage midway through the second quarter. In the meantime, the Tigers limited Millsaps (0-2) to only 213 yards of total offense, 79 of which came on the Majors only score of the game.

Putting on an offensive showcase with a balanced attack, Trinity piled up 504 total yards by passing for 258 while grinding out 246 on the ground. Quarterback Tucker Horn completed eight of 15 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Ryan Merrifield for two scores. Michael Edmonson led the ground game with 99 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

Defensively, Michael Jewett led the team effort with seven tackles and two sacks, while Ryan Arnold recorded his first career interception.

 “I felt like we once again fed off of the energy of our defensive box, which continues to play really good run defense,” Urban said. “And we saw some guys on offense start showing the explosive potential that we have. We also had some guys who really stepped up today with some injuries and played great football as well.”

Trinity returns to San Antonio to host Hendrix (AR) College (1-0) next Saturday at noon. The Warriors won their season opener at Millsap, 37-27, Feb. 6 before seeing their home opener against Austin College postponed due to snow.

“We’ll get home tonight and heal up for a really good Hendrix team next weekend,” Urban said. “They have a really talented QB, and I’m fully expecting them to let him try to throw it all over the yard next Saturday. We’re going to need a really good week of film study to go with whatever minimal work that the weather allows us to get on the field.”

Photos courtesy of EAST TEXAS BAPTIST, HENDRIX COLLEGE ATHLETICS & TRINITY FOOTBALL

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Tarleton State plays its first NCAA DI game to kick off the unprecedented FCS spring football season Saturday, falling to McNeese State, 40-37, in double overtime thriller in Stephenville

STEPHENVILLE – After much anticipation, the first-ever NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) game played at Memorial Stadium proved to be well worth the wait. But unfortunately for the Tarleton State Texans, the pomp and celebration did not deliver the desired outcome.

With a host of dignitaries, honored guests and 1,324 fans in attendance to open the unprecedented FCS spring football season, the McNeese State Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points to close out regulation before subduing the Texans, 40-37, in double overtime Saturday night.

After freshman placekicker Adrian Guzman nailed a 45-yard field goal to open the second overtime period, McNeese State quarterback Cody Orgeron scored on a walkoff 19-yard touchdown run to hand Tarleton State the heartbreaking loss.

“It was a hard-fought game by both teams,” Tarleton State head coach Todd Whitten said. “There’s probably some good and some bad things tonight. We thought we had the game in hand, and then made some real critical mistakes. But you have to give credit to McNeese State. They battled, and I thought their quarterback made some really good plays for them down the stretch.”

Trailing 10-0 late in the first quarter, the Texans shook off the jitters to pile up 408 yards of total offense in their FCS debut to take control of the game heading into the fourth quarter.

Scoring 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, the Texans grabbed their first lead of the game when redshirt junior quarterback Steven Duncan found senior wide receiver Tariq Bitson in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard scoring strike. Late in the period, Tarleton State’s true freshman Braelon Bridges broke free on a 27-yard touchdown run to give the Texans a two-score advantage, 24-10, heading into the final frame.

Despite enjoying a 31-17 lead with only three minutes left in the game, Tarleton State could not seal the deal. McNeese State began the rally when Orgeron connected with Mason Pierce for a 26-yard touchdown pass before the Cowboys recovered the onside kickoff. With just 35 seconds left in regulation, Orgeron found Trevor Begue open for a 12-yard strike to tie the game.

“We had some spurts where we played really well, and we had a nice lead,” Whitten said. “We had them in third and long and made an unfortunate mistake roughing their passer. They went down and scored on that drive, and then recovered the onside kick. They really out-executed us down the stretch and took the game from us.”

In his first career collegiate game, Bridges ran for 112 yards on just 15 carries for a pair of touchdowns.

Bitson led the Texans with five receptions for 87 yards while Duncan completed 22 of 39 passes for 217 yards. Defensively, senior linebacker Chadwick Thibodeaux posted a game-high 14 tackles, followed by junior linebacker Zech Hopkins with 10.

“More than anything, we have to be able to learn from this,” Whitten said. “There’s not much room for error. To be in a tight ballgame down the stretch and have penalties like we did, it’s hard to overcome those. It’s disappointing. We had a chance to open up with a win, and we weren’t able to close it out.”

Playing an full eight-game schedule this spring without a bye week, the Texans will not be eligible for the playoffs this season as they transition to FCS – the only division playing a national championship game this spring with the final slated for mid-May. The playoff field has been reduced to 16 teams with 11 of the bids being automatic qualifiers.

With the battle for the five at-large spots will be intense, the Southland Conference figures to be a player for one of the at-large bids before SFA, Central Arkansas, ACU, Lamar, and Sam Houston depart for the WAC in the fall. The Bearkats are favored to challenge for the conference title and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Playing it first game against an FBS opponent next Saturday, Tarleton State (0-1) will hit the road to visit WAC rival New Mexico State (0-0) at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, NM.

“We have a lot to learn,” Whitten said. “Hopefully, we’ll apply the lessons from tonight and get better in the next one.”

Photos courtesy of TARLETON STATE FOOTBALL

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Legendary Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten named head football coach at Argyle Liberty Christian

Throughout his NFL professional football career, future Dallas Cowboy Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten has been an example to all of us – doing the right thing and giving it everything he had. Now, Witten will become a hands-on role model for a group of Texas high school football players.

Passing up several NFL and college football assistant coaching opportunities, Witten, 38, chose to become the head coach at the school his children attend – Argyle Liberty Christian.

“Faith. Family. Football,” Witten said in a statement released by the private school, located about 30 miles north of Fort Worth that competes in Division I of TAPPS — the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. “In this next chapter, it is important to me to be the best father and husband I can be, while making a positive impact in the community and share the wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years to positively impact the next generation.”

After a legendary 17-year NFL career, Witten announced his retirement last week and intends to sign a one-day contract with Dallas in March to officially retire as a Cowboy once his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders expires. Playing in more games (271) than any other tight end in NFL history, Witten played 16 seasons with the Cowboys before spending the 2018 season as ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst. Witten returned to the field in 2019 with the Cowboys before playing for the Raiders in 2020.

Entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2003, Witten was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times, matching Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bob Lilly for the most in Dallas history. Trailing only Hall of Fame Tony Gonzalez for most receptions and yards as a tight end in NFL history, Witten finishes his career with 13,046 yards receiving while hauling in 1,228 catches, ranking fourth on the NFL’s all-time reception list.

In 16 seasons with the Cowboys, Witten ranks as the Dallas’ all-time leader in receptions (1,215) and yards (12,977) as well as second in touchdown catches (72). While playing in a team-record 255 games which included 245 starts, Witten only missed one game in his career because of a broken jaw as a rookie.

“I am very excited about Jason coming on board and joining the Liberty Christian coaching staff,” Liberty athletic director Johnny Isom said. “We have an extremely talented, hard-working group of coaches, and he will undoubtedly prove to be a wonderful addition. The football program will be in great hands under his leadership, and I cannot wait to see the impact that he will have on the lives of athletes.”

Former Argyle Liberty Christian head coach Steven Greek resigned last month after posting a 5-15 record over the last two seasons, including 2-7 in 2020. Greek led Liberty Christian to an 8-5 record and spot in the TAPPS Division I state semifinals in 2018 in his first season as head coach.

“For the Liberty family, we know him as the dedicated husband and father, a man of Godly character, and a servant leader,” Liberty Christian President Blair McCullough said in a statement. “Jason, Michelle, and their four children have been a part of our Liberty Christian family for more than eight years, so when the Liberty community thinks about Jason Witten, we think of a Warrior. I am thrilled for our football team, coaches, student body, school community, and of course the Witten family.”

Courtesy Photos

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