BIG 12 CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
Thu., Sep. 1 @ 7:00 pm ET
Central Michigan Chippewas at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Central Michigan Chippewas
Notes
The Starting Lineup
SETTING THE SCENE
• Central Michigan opens the season at Oklahoma State on Thursday, Sept. 1.
• The contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at Boone Pickens Stadium and will be broadcast FS1 with talent Jason Benetti (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst).
• CMU has won seven of its last 10 season-opening games with all three loses coming to Power 5 opponents.
SERIES VS. OKLAHOMA STATE & BIG 12
• This is the third meeting between CMU and Oklahoma State.
• The Chippewas captured one of the biggest wins in program history, 30-27, in the last meeting. After OSU committed a penalty on fourth down, CMU was given one last opportunity and took advantage of it with a 51-yard Hail Mary to win the game.
• Central Michigan is 2-4 against current Big 12 members:
• 2018 – Kansas 31, at CMU 7
News & Notes
QB1
• Sophomore Daniel Richardson is the Chippewas’ clear-cut starting quarterback for the first time in his career.
• Known to teammates as D-Rich, the sophomore from Miami played in all 13 games in 2021, starting the final nine. He completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,633 yards while tossing 24 TD passes against just six interceptions.
• Richardson has appeared in 20 games in his three years in a Chippewa university, 13 of them starts.
• In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Richardson started the first four games and was injured in the fourth game, a 31-23 win at Eastern Michigan. He did not appear in CMU’s final two games of the season. Richardson was named the starter ahead of the opener that season after a tight three-way battle in camp and the incumbent, David Moore, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.
• In 2021, Jacob Sirmon started the first four games at QB for CMU. Richardson, who had played in each of the first three games, came off the bench in that fateful fourth game, throwing three fourth-quarter TD passes and sparking a 31-27 come-from-behind victory at home over Florida International on Sept. 25 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
BIG FEET
• Punter Luke Elzinga and place kicker Marshall Meeder have been major bright spots for CMU over the past two seasons.
• Last season, Elzinga averaged 41.3 yards per punt and 10 of his punts traveled more than 50 yards; 25 of his 57 punts pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line. He earned All-MAC First Team honors from Pro Football Focus and third team accolades from Phil Steele.
• In 2020, Elzinga became the first CMU punter to earn First Team All-MAC honors since the Chippewas joined the league in 1975.
• Meeder, also a sophomore, was good on 49 of his 51 extra-point kicks and 17 of his 26 field goal tries in 2021. His 17 field goals tied for the second most in program history and his 49 PATs rank as the third most in a season in program history.
• Meeder converted from 49, 52 and 43 yards in the Chippewas’ 24-21 victory over Washington State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. He earned the Special Teams Most Valuable Player Award in the game.
• Meeder was named First Team All-MAC and to The Athletic Freshman All-America team in 2020 when he made all eight of his field goal attempts and 16 of his 17 extra-point tries.
• Meeder’s 53-yard field goal vs. Toledo in 2020 ties for the fourth-longest in program history.
• In his career, Meeder has made 25 of his 34 field goal attempts. He is 5-for-6 from 50-plus yards, 9-for-13 from 40-49, and 7-for-9 from 30-39.
• In 2020, Meeder became the third Chippewa place kicker to earn First Team All-MAC honors. The others are Rade Savich, 1977, and Chuck Selinger, 1993.
ON THE OUTSIDE
• Central Michigan graduated two top wideouts in Kalil Pimpleton and JaCorey Sullivan.
• Dallas Dixon is the top returnee at the wide receiver position. He ranked third on the team with 45 catches and was second with 701 yards in 2021. He made eight TD receptions, which was also second on the team
• Running back Lew Nichols III has had a sensational career at CMU, earning the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Award in 2021 and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2022.
• Nichols became the sixth CMU player to be named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. The others are quarterbacks Jeff Bender (1988) and Dan LeFevour (2006), running backs Silas Massey (1995) and Jerry Seymour (2003), and wide receiver Antonio Brown (2007).
• Though this is Nichols’ fourth year as a Chippewa, he maintains sophomore eligibility. In 2019, he played in four games, the maximum number allowable to preserve his redshirt; the COVD-shortened 2020 season did not count against his eligibility.
• Last season, Nichols led the nation in rushing with 1,848 yards, rushing yards per game (142.2), all-purpose yardage (2,186), allpurpose yards per game (168.2) and total carries (341).
• Nichols’ 341 carries and 1,848 rushing yards are both second in program history.
• Nichols tied for ninth nationally in rushing touchdowns (16) and tied for 11th in total TDs (18) in the nation in 2021.
• Nichols ran for at least 100 yards in 10 games including seven of at least 150, in 2021. He had two 200-yard effort.
• Nichols was named the Offensive MVP in CMU’s 24-21 victory over Washington State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. He carried 30 times for 138 yards and one TD and caught two passes for 36 yards.
• He and Sullivan earned Third Team All-MAC recognition, while Pimpleton was a first team pick.
STRONG UP FRONT
• While the Chippewas’ offensive line lost two players to the NFL, they do return three veterans up front in center Jamezz Kimbrough and guards Deiyantei Powell-Woods and Tyden Ferris.
• Kimbrough has started 19 consecutive games and played in 30 in his career.
• Ferris has appeared in 33 career games, 16 of them starts. He started 12 of the Chippewas’ 13 games in 2021.
• Powell-Woods has appeared in 29 career games with 14 starts. He started 11 games in 2021 and three in 2020.
BLOSSOMING
• CMU tight end Joel Wilson played in all 13 games in 2021 with 11 starts. He made 31 catches for 367 yards and six touchdowns. He ranked third on the team in TD receptions, fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receptions. Wilson entered the 2021 season with seven catches for 62 yards in his career.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Central Michigan ranked third in the Mid-American Conference in defense in 2021. CMU surrendered an average of 363 yards per game.
• CMU was first in the MAC and 18th nationally in rush defense in 2021 (114.6 yards per game).
• CMU’s defense shared the MAC lead and tied for fourth nationally with 43 sacks in 2021.
• CMU ranked No. 1 in the nation with 8.2 tackles-for-loss per game. The Chippewas totaled 106 tackles-for-loss, ranking sixth nationally.
• CMU’s defense was sixth in the nation in 2021 in third-down efficiency as it allowed opponents to convert on just 29.8 percent of third downs.
TOP RETURNEES
• Cornerback Donte Kent is among the top returnees on defense. The sophomore made 55 tackles (45 solos) and posted 14 pass breakups in 2021. Kent is CMU’s leading returning tackler.
• Kent, who had one interception, ranked third in the MAC and tied for eighth in the nation with 15 passes defended.
• Kent led the team in pass breakups and was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.
• Linebackers Kyle Moretti and Justin Whiteside in their respective freshmen seasons.
• Both played in all 13 games; Moretti made 47 tackles, while Whiteside had 28 including three sacks among seven tackles-for-loss.
• Among others who return on defense who logged significant playing time in 2021 are defensive backs Trey Jones and Rolliann Sturkey; linemen Jacques Bristol, Thomas Incoom, LaQuan Johnson, John Wesley Whiteside, Tyrece Woods and Robi Stuart.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Notes
Game Notes
The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (0-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens its 123rd season when it hosts Central Michigan (0-0 overall; 0-0 Mid-American) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 1, at Boone Pickens Stadium.
All About Openers
Thursday’s game marks the sixth time in the past seven years that Oklahoma State has opened the season in Stillwater. It also marks the 64th time OSU has opened its season at home. OSU’s overall record in season openers is 76-40-6, while its overall record in home openers is 87-29-5 and its overall record in season openers at home is 53-5-5. Oklahoma State has won 26 consecutive home openers for the longest such streak in school history, and the Cowboys have won 46 of their past 52 home openers. When it comes to season openers overall, OSU has won each of its past seven and 16 of its past 18.
The 2022 season also marks the 12th time during Mike Gundy’s tenure that the Cowboys have opened with a home game, and the Cowboys are undefeated in the previous 11. OSU has outscored opponents, 803-243, in home openers during the Gundy era for an average score of 47-14. Gundy is 15-2 overall in season openers, with his only setbacks at No. 13 Georgia in 2007 and versus No. 1 Florida State in 2014. Including this season, the Cowboys have now opened four of the past six and five of the past eight seasons with a non-Saturday game.
Thursday Night Football
The matchup against Central Michigan marks OSU’s first Thursday game since it hosted Missouri State to open the 2018 season. The Cowboys are 11-0 in Thursday games during Mike Gundy’s tenure as head coach, including an 8-0 record in regular season games. Oklahoma State holds a 28-17-4 all-time record in games played on Thursdays and a 106-79-12 all-time record in non-Saturday games. Here’s what Oklahoma State has done on Thursdays in Mike Gundy’s career:
Date Opponent Result Score Site OSU/Oppt. Rank
9/8/2005 at Florida Atlantic W 23-3 A NR/NR
12/28/2006 vs. Alabama W 34-31 N NR/NR
11/19/2009 COLORADO W 31-28 H 12/RV
9/30/2010 TEXAS A&M W 38-35 H RV/RV
9/8/2011 ARIZONA W 37-14 H 9/RV
9/25/2014 TEXAS TECH W 45-35 H 24/NR
9/3/2015 at Central Michigan W 24-13 A RV/NR
12/29/2016 vs. Colorado W 38-8 N 13/11
8/31/2017 TULSA W 59-24 H 10/NR
12/28/2017 vs. Virginia Tech W 30-21 N 17/22
8/30/2018 MISSOURI STATE W 58-17 H RV/NR
The Series
Thursday’s game marks the third meeting between Oklahoma State and Central Michigan with the first two matchups coming in 2015 and 2016. The Cowboys won the first game, 24-13, in Mount Pleasant to open the 2015 season. The Chippewas were credited with a 30-27 win in the next matchup in Stillwater in 2016, but it is worth noting that it was one of the most controversial outcomes in college football history as Central Michigan was erroneously given an extra play that changed the outcome after the game should have ended by rule with the Cowboys winning 27-24.
Although OSU has faced CMU twice, the Cowboys are 5-1 in school history against current members of the Mid-American Conference, with wins over CMU, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois with an average score of 35-17 in those games. Coach Mike Gundy’s record against Central Michigan is 1-1, while CMU coach Jim McElwain has never faced Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State football is fresh off one of its best seasons in school history. The Cowboys tied a school record with 12 wins, finished first in the Big 12 regular season standings, defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and were the only FBS team with three wins over 11-win teams. It was just the latest chapter in a long run of success for what is now an undisputed top-10 FBS program. OSU ranks among the top-10 nationally in wins over the past decade and has won 73% of its games (113-42) since 2010. The Cowboys have also now extended school-record streaks of 16 consecutive bowl bids and 16 consecutive winning seasons, to go along with historic marks on both sides of the
ball in that time frame.
That consistency has brought a level of expectation to Stillwater that has only grown each year, and 2022 is no different. With first team All-Big 12 quarterback Spencer Sanders entering his fourth year as a starter, 45 letter-winners returning from last year’s 12-win team, 10 starters back on offense and five back on defense, the Cowboys are on the fringe of being a preseason top-10 team for a reason.
An Oklahoma State Win Would …
• Mark Mike Gundy’s 150th career win as a head coach.
• Improve its home winning streak to nine games, matching the third-longest streak in school history and the longest since the nine-game streak from Oct. 20, 2012 – Dec. 7, 2013.
• Improve its non-conference home winning streak to 10 games, matching the fourth-longest streak in school history and the longest since the 15-game streak from Sept. 19, 2009 – Sept. 3, 2016.
• Improve its all-time record against Central Michigan to 2-1 and its all-time record against the current members of the Mid-American Conference to 6-1.
• Improve Mike Gundy’s record against non-Power Five teams to 41-4.
• Make it 20-2 in its past 22 non-conference games and 42-7 in its past 49 non-conference games.
• Improve Mike Gundy’s record in non-conference games to 59-13.
• Make it 15-2 in its past 17 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 149-68 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 136-39 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 82-17 in its past 99 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating back to 2010.
• Improve it to 12-0 in Thursday games in the Mike Gundy era, with a 9-0 record in the regular season.
• Improve its record in season openers to 77-40-6 and its record in home season openers to 54-5-5.
• Make it 88-29-5 in home openers.
• Give it wins in 14 of its past 15, 17 of its past 19 and 34 of its past 42 season openers.
• Improve Mike Gundy’s record in season openers to 16-2 and his record in home openers to 18-0.
• Give it 27 consecutive wins in home openers, increasing the longest streak in school history.
• Give it wins in 47 of its past 53 home openers.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU has won eight consecutive home games.
• OSU has given up just 12 offensive touchdowns in its past seven games.
• OSU has held eight of its past 12 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
• OSU has held eight of its past 11 opponents under 200 yards passing.
• OSU has held 22 of its past 24 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• OSU has won 79 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 24 of its past 31 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 24 of its past 25 games.
• OSU is 32-12 in its past 44 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 39-6 in its past 45 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 43-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 69-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its past four overtime games.
• OSU has forced 29 turnovers in its past 18 games.
• Over the past 25 games, OSU has held opponents to 104-for-374 (27.8%) on third down.
Win Indicators
There are many things that factor into whether a team wins a game, but a long-term look at the trends during Mike Gundy’s tenure at Oklahoma State shows that winning the turnover battle and winning the run game are two of the best ways to predict an OSU victory. Since 2005, when the Cowboys win the turnover battle, they are 79-11 (87.8%). They are 43-4 (91.5%) in games when they commit zero turnovers. OSU is 114-27 under Gundy when outrushing the opponent (80.9%) and is 50-7 when holding the opponent under 100 yards on the ground (87.7%) History also shows that OSU is tough to beat when it takes a lead into halftime, as the Cowboys are 113-13 when leading at intermission under Gundy (89.7%). Gundy-coached teams are 71-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 20 points. OSU has won 79 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active time frame in the nation and the longest since at least 1980.
Thu., Sep. 1 @ 7:00 pm ET
West Virginia Mountaineers at Pittsburgh Panthers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Notes
THE SERIES
All-Time Series…………………………Pitt leads 61-40-3
In Pittsburgh………………………………Pitt leads 41-22
In Morgantown………………………..Pitt leads 20-17-3
At A Neutral Location ………………….. WVU leads 1-0
First Meeting ………………………… 1895, WVU 8-0 (H)
Last Meeting……………………… 2011, WVU 21-20 (H)
Brown vs. Pitt ……………………………….. First Meeting
Brown vs. Narduzzi………………………… First Meeting
Narduzzi vs. WVU ………………………….. First Meeting
NOTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
• The 2022 season marks West Virginia’s 130th season of football. The Mountaineers are the 15th winningest program in college football
• The 2022 year marks the 43rd season of competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU has a 189-72-4 (.721) all-time mark at the facility, which opened in 1980
• West Virginia is one of three Power 5 schools to open the 2021 and 2022 seasons on the road at a Power 5 opponent (Penn State, Notre Dame). WVU opens the 2023 season at Penn State, and will be the only school to open three straight years at a Power 5 opponent
• WVU is 5-1 in games played on Sept. 1, including 1-1 in games played away from home. The last time WVU played on that date was in 2018 vs. Tennessee in Charlotte (W 40-14)
• The Mountaineers are 37-32-3 in games played on Thursdays, 13-12 in games played on Thursday nights and 11-8 in games played on ESPN on Thursday night. WVU has won 10 of the last 14 games played on ESPN on Thursday night and 11 of the last 16 games played on Thursday night
• West Virginia is 156-160-12 against schools from the state of Pennsylvania, including 73-121-5 against Power 5 schools
• The Backyard Brawl against Pitt is West Virginia’s longest-played rivalry, with the 2022 game being the 105th meeting of the two schools. WVU’s next longest series are against Syracuse (60), Penn State (59) and Virginia Tech and Maryland (53)
• West Virginia is 91-34-4 all-time in season openers (17-5 since 2000/31-10-1 since 1980)
• West Virginia is 64-59-2 in road openers, including 19-14-1 when WVU opened its season on the road
• WVU is 32-13 in nonconference games since 2010, including 8-11 on the road. The Mountaineers are 70-29 since 2000, including 23-22 away from home
• The Mountaineers are 94-14 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle
• Since 1963, WVU has posted a 25-22-2 mark in the Backyard Brawl. The 1963 contest marked the start of the series being played on a home-and-home basis
105TH BACKYARD BRAWL
• The Mountaineers have posted an 18-9-2 mark in the Pitt series since Hall of Fame Coach Don Nehlen had his first full recruiting cycle
• West Virginia posted a 14-7 record against Pitt while both were members of the Big East Conference and holds a 16-8-1 mark in the last 25 games of the series
• Three starters from WVU’s offensive line are from West Virginia, including Zach Frazier (Fairmont) Doug Nester, (Kenova) and Wyatt Milum (Kenova). That marks the first time since the 1995 opener against Purdue that the Mountaineers have started three native sons on the OL (Buddy Hager (Man), Joe DeLong (Oak Glen) and Bryan Washington (Moorefield))
• Pitt and West Virginia rank among the Top five in the Power 5 with the number of returning starts (Pitt 130/WVU 106) and Top 10 in games played (Pitt 166/WVU 124) from its starting offensive line
WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSE
• This season’s offensive roster includes 13 true freshmen, 16 redshirt freshmen, seven sophomores, seven redshirt sophomores, three juniors, four redshirt juniors, one senior and one redshirt senior
• The 2022 offensive personnel includes six quarterbacks, four running backs, one fullback, 13 wide receivers, eight tight ends and 20 offensive linemen
• West Virginia returns 16 offensive letter-winners and lost eight off last year’s team
• The Mountaineers average 35.0 points per game in season openers since 2012
• WVU has opened the season on the road four times since 2014, averaging 27.8 points per game
• Additionally, the squad has averaged 26.4 points in five prior games at Acrisure Stadium, previously Heinz Field.
• WVU has scored at least 30 points against Pitt in eight of the last 16 meetings, dating back to 1996
• West Virginia also is averaging 365.5 yards of total offense against the Panthers in the last 10 Backyard Brawls, dating back to 2002
• The Mountaineers’ passing offense averaged 247.9 yards per game last season, good for No. 4 in the Big 12
• The Mountaineers have thrown for 300 or more yards eight times during the Neal Brown era
• Since 2012, WVU has thrown for 300 or more yards 49 times, 350 or more 29 times, 400 or more 10 times and 500 or more four times
• West Virginia is 34-15 when passing for 300 or more yards since 2012
• Despite no quarterback on the roster with any starting experience at West Virginia, JT Daniels brings 19 career starts to Morgantown
• Daniels started 12 career contests at USC from 2018-19, before going 7-0 as a starter at Georgia from 2020-21
• Also in the QB room, Garrett Greene has played in 11 career games, while Will Crowder saw action in one contest last season
• WVU returns 47% of its receiving touchdowns, 46% of its receiving yards and 44% of its receptions from last season’s production
• In all, the Mountaineers welcome back eight of 14 players who caught a pass last season
• Bryce Ford-Wheaton (575 yards) and Sam James (505 yards) were WVU’s No. 2 and No. 3 receivers, respectively, in 2021. Both players caught 42 passes
• Tony Mathis is one of two Mountaineers with a 100-yard rushing performance in his career. He ran for 118 yards on 22 carries at Kansas on Dec. 4, 2021
• Greene also has reached the century mark on the ground in his career. He rushed 13 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns against LIU on Sept. 11, 2021
• Overall, the Mountaineers are 13-0 in the Brown era when rushing for at least 100 yards
• The squad also has eclipsed the 200-yard plateau on the ground four times under Brown
• WVU has produced six 1,000-yard rushers since joining the Big 12 in 2012, including five times in the last seven years (2015-21)
• WVU has gained at least 500 yards of total offense four times under Brown, most recently on Sept. 11, 2021, against LIU
• West Virginia also has produced 13 games with more than 400 yards of total offense under Brown
• WVU has gained at least 400 yards of total offense in seven of the last 10 season openers
• WVU’s offense produced 20 plays of 30 or more yards last season (16 catches, four rushes), including 10 plays of 40 or more yards and four plays of 50 or more yards
• The squad also ranked No. 18 nationally in red zone offense last fall
• West Virginia possessed the ball for an average of 31:19 in 2021, good for No. 23 in the nation
• Zach Frazier led the WVU offensive line with 60 knockdowns blocks last season, helping him earn multiple All-America accolades
• The Mountaineer offense has a combined 91 games of starting experience at WVU and 106 overall along its offensive line
WVU VS. 2022 SLATE
• West Virginia owns a 123-133-4 record against its 2022 opponents. The Mountaineers have winning records over Baylor, Iowa State, Kan- sas, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Towson and Virginia Tech. The series with Kansas State is tied.
WEST VIRGINIA DEFENSE
• WVU’s defensive roster includes 14 true freshmen, nine redshirt freshmen, seven sophomores, seven redshirt sophomores, two juniors, two redshirt juniors, one senior, three redshirt seniors and four super seniors
• WVU’s total defensive personnel include 15 defensive linemen, two bandits, 11 linebackers, three spears, seven cornerbacks, four safeties and five defensive backs
• WVU returns 13 lettermen on the defensive side of the ball, including nine players with starting experience
• West Virginia also has added six newcomers with prior Division I experience, including more than 100 starts (Tirek Austin-Cave, Rashad Ajayi, Jasir Cox, Marcis Floyd, Lee Kpogba and Mike Lockhart)
• Three of WVU’s top five players in tackles for loss return this season, led by Dante Stills, who had a team-leading 15 TFLs in 2021
• Stills enters the season with 43.5 career TFLs, just four shy of Grant Wiley’s all-time program record (47.5 from 2000-03)
• In all, 56% of WVU’s production in tackles for loss is back this season
• Additionally, three of the Mountaineers’ top four in sacks return this fall
• Together, father Gary Stills (1996-98) and sons Dante and Darius (2017-20) have combined to record 56.5 sacks at West Virginia
• WVU also welcome back seven players who registered at least 20 tackles last fall
• Since 2012, WVU has allowed 19.3 points per games in season openers
• In that time, the defense has held opponents under 20 points six times, including one shutout (Sept. 5, 2015, vs. Georgia Southern)
• West Virginia has allowed just 18.2 points per game against Pitt in the last 10 meetings of the Backyard Brawl
• In that time, WVU has allowed 20 points or fewer against the Panthers eight times
• What’s more, West Virginia has held Pitt to 20 points or fewer in four of five all-time meetings at Acrisure Stadium, previously Heinz Field
• The Mountaineers have held Pitt to just 227.8 yards through the air in the last 10 Backyard Brawls
• WVU also has limited Pitt to 118.2 rushing yards since 2002
• At least one Mountaineer has finished with 10 or more tackles in 24 of the last 50 games
• The Mountaineers have tallied at least five tackles for loss in nine of its 13 games in 2021. The unit had 10 or more TFLs in three games
• Additionally, West Virginia notched multiple sacks in eight games in 2021
• West Virginia held seven opponents to fewer than 350 yards of offense in 2021. Three of those opponents finished with fewer than 300 yards
• In the Neal Brown era, the Mountaineers have held their opponents to fewer than 300 yards of total offense 11 times
• The Mountaineer defense only allowed 300 passing yards or more once last season
• Additionally, WVU held five of its last six opponents to fewer than 200 yards through the air to finish the 2021 season
• Since 2019, WVU has held opposing teams to fewer than 250 yards passing 26 times, fewer than 200 yards 16 times and fewer than 150 yards nine times
• WVU hasn’t allowed an opponent to pass for more than 250 yards in seven straight games, dating back to 2021
• West Virginia also has held its opponents to fewer than 300 yards passing in 32 of its last 36 games, including 24 of its last 26, while also holding its opponents to fewer than 300 yards passing in 63 of the last 80 games
• The Mountaineers have intercepted a pass in 23 of the last 39 games, including seven of the last 10
• West Virginia also has intercepted multiple passes in a game seven times in the Brown era
• WVU has recorded at least eight interceptions in seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 2015
• The Mountaineers finished No. 5 nationally in red zone defense in 2021, allowing scores on 35-of-50 attempts, including just 21 touchdowns
• WVU has finished in the Top 40 nationally in total defense in each of the last two seasons
WEST VIRGINIA SPECIAL TEAMS
• West Virginia’s 2022 special teams personnel includes seven kickers/punters and two long snappers
• WVU’s field-goal unit made 19 of its 23 attempts last season, good for 82.6%
• The Mountaineers went 8-of-8 between 20-29 yards and were 7-of-8 between 30-39 yards in 2021
• Additionally, the field-goal unit made four kicks of 40-plus yards last season, including a long of 49 yards
• West Virginia’s 19 made field goals in 2021 were the most in a season since 2015 (21) and ranked No. 6 in single-season program history
• Lou Groza Award semifinalist Casey Legg made 13 consecutive field goals to begin the 2021 season, two shy of the program record set by
Paul Woodside from 1981-82
• Legg finished No. 18 nationally and No. 1 in the Big 12 in field goals per game last season (1.58)
• Legg has made a field goal of 45 yards or longer in each of the last three seasons
• Legg has only missed two field goals of 39 yards or shorter in his career (19-of-21)
• Parker Grothaus joined the Mountaineers this season, following a three-year stint at Florida State, where he was the primary kickoff specialist for the Seminoles
• The Mountaineers ranked No. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 19 nationally in kickoff returns, with an average of 24.89 yards on 27 returns
• West Virginia punted 53 times for 2,261 yards last season, good for an average of 42.7 yards per punt
• The opposition returned just 11 of those punts for 71 yards
• Over the last three seasons, WVU has punted the ball 168 times, with its opponents only returning 44 of them
• Of West Virginia’s 53 punts in 2021, 12 were placed inside the 20-yard line and seven went 50 or more yards
• WVU ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 and No. 49 nationally in punt return defense last season (6.45)
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
• Beginning with a 27-0 loss to Fordham on Oct. 18, 1941, West Virginia has played 165 games against nationally ranked teams. Of those, 50 have been Mountaineer victories.
• Since 1999, WVU has posted 26 victories over ranked teams. The Mountaineers defeated two ranked opponents in 2021: No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Iowa State.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Notes
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
• Beginning with a 27-0 loss to Fordham on Oct. 18, 1941, West Virginia has played 165 games against nationally ranked teams. Of those, 50 have been Mountaineer victories.
• Since 1999, WVU has posted 26 victories over ranked teams. The Mountaineers defeated two ranked opponents in 2021: No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Iowa State.
Pitt and West Virginia clash for the first time in 11 years when the Backyard Brawl is renewed in front of an ESPN television audience and overflow crowd at Acrisure Stadium.
This will be the 105th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Mountaineers in a series that dates back to 1895. Pitt leads the series, 61-40-3, but enters this year’s encounter having lost the past three.
This will be the first Backyard Brawl for the respective head coaches, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and West Virginia’s Neal Brown.
The father of Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. (Frank Sr.) served as head coach at West Virginia from 1976-79. Additionally, Frank Jr.’s brother Curt was a quarterback on WVU’s 1981 Peach Bowl and 1982 Gator Bowl teams.
Pitt and West Virginia will play in eight of the next 11 years (2022-25 and 2029-32).
Kedon Slovis has been named Pitt’s starting quarterback. Slovis played the prior three seasons at USC, where he passed for 7,576 yards and 58
touchdowns in 27 games.
Pitt annually boasts one of the nation’s top pass rushes. The Panthers have compiled an FBS-best 151 sacks over the past three seasons (2019-21).
Pitt enters its season opener as a ranked team for the first time since the 2010 campaign. The Panthers are ranked No. 16 in the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 17 by Associated Press.
Pitt is 86-44-2 (.659) all-time in openers. Since the 2000 season, Pitt is 16-6 (.727) in its initial game, including 6-1 (.857) under Narduzzi.
Pitt-West Virginia History in Brief
Series Began: 1895
Series Overall: Pitt leads 61-40-3
At Pittsburgh: Pitt leads 41-22
At WVU: Pitt leads 20-17-3
At Neutral Sites: WVU leads 1-0
OT Games: Pitt leads 1-0
Last Meeting (at WVU): Nov. 25, 2011
(West Virginia 21, Pitt 20)
Last Meeting at Pitt: Nov. 26, 2010
(West Virginia 35, Pitt 10)
Current Series Streak: WVU has won 3 (2009-11)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak: 15 games (1929-46)
Longest WVU Series Win Streak: 5 games (1992-96)
Largest Pitt Victory Margin: 53 points (53-0, 1904)
Largest WVU Victory Margin: 38 points (twice, last: 52-14, 1998)
The Coaches
Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi
Overall (season): 53-37 (eighth)
At Pitt (season): same
Alma Mater: Rhode Island, 1990
Record vs. West Virginia: 0-0
West Virginia Coach Neal Brown
Overall (season): 52-34 (eighth)
At WVU (season): 17-18 (fourth)
Alma Mater: Massachusetts, 2002
Record vs. Pitt: 0-0
SERIES NOTES
SERIES ESSENTIALS:
This year’s “Backyard Brawl” between Pitt and West Virginia marks the 105th game played between the two rivals. The Panthers lead the series, 61-40-3.
With 104 previous meetings, West Virginia ranks as Pitt’s most-played opponent.
The Panthers and Mountaineers last opened a season against each other on Aug. 31, 1996. West Virginia rolled to a 34-0 win in Pitt Stadium.
Pitt is 41-22 against the Mountaineers in games played in Pittsburgh. The Panthers have a 20-17-3 advantage in games played in Morgantown. West Virginia won the lone neutral site contest (in 1898).
Pitt and West Virginia last met during the 2011 season, when the host Mountaineers rallied for a 21-20 victory. The teams met every year from 1943 to 2011 (69 consecutive seasons) before the series went on hiatus.
West Virginia enters this year’s meeting riding a three-game series winning streak. In addition to the 2011 victory, the Mountaineers also scored triumphs in 2010 (35-10) and 2009 (19-16).
Pitt’s last series win occurred in 2008, when running back LeSean McCoy’s 183 yards and two touchdowns rallied the Panthers for a 19-15 win in Pittsburgh. McCoy’s one-yard burst with 52 seconds to go proved to be the game winner.
McCoy was also a pivotal figure in the 2007 meeting. Entering the game as a 28-point underdog, the Panthers stunned the Mountaineers in Morgantown, 13-9. Pitt’s upset denied West Virginia a shot at the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game. McCoy churned out 148 yards in the win.
The lone overtime game between Pitt and West Virginia occurred in 1997 at Milan Puskar Stadium, a three-overtime affair won by the Panthers, 41-38. The victory clinched a Liberty Bowl invitation for Pitt under first-year head coach Walt Harris.
The three-OT game stood as the longest in Pitt history until the 2008 season when the Panthers outlasted host Notre Dame, 36-33, in four overtimes.
The Panthers and Mountaineers were charter members of the Big East football conference, which was officially christened for the 1991 season (round-robin play beginning in 1993). West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012 and Pitt became an ACC member in 2013.
PITT’S MOST-PLAYED LIST:
With 104 previous meetings, West Virginia ranks as Pitt’s mostplayed opponent. The inaugural game was played on Oct. 26, 1895.
Penn State is the only other foe the Panthers have played at least 100 times.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
SUPER SCORING:
Pitt averaged a school-record 41.4 points per game last season to lead the ACC and rank third nationally. The Panthers trailed only Ohio State (45.7) and Western Kentucky (44.2).
The prior Pitt single-season record for scoring was set by the 2016 Panthers, who averaged 40.9 points over 13 games.
Pitt topped 50 points in four separate games last season, the most since the 1905 squad accomplished the feat five times.
Pitt opened the year by scoring 40-plus points in five consecutive games for the first time ever.
The Panthers’ 77-point outburst against New Hampshire (Sept. 25) was their highest point total since an 88-0 victory over Westminster on Oct. 30, 1926.
HIGHLY OFFENSIVE:
Pitt averaged a school-record 486.6 yards per game in 2021 to rank eighth nationally in total offense. The prior school mark for total offense was 452.3 yards set in 1992.
The Panthers compiled 636 yards in their 54-29 win at Duke (Nov. 6). It was the fifth time they surpassed 600 yards in a game under Pat Narduzzi and the second time on the season.
In its 77-7 win over New Hampshire (Sept. 25), Pitt compiled a school-record 707 yards. The prior mark was 654 set against Virginia Tech in 2018.
Narduzzi’s tenure has witnessed five of the top seven most prolific offensive performances in school history.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
TDs BY THE “D”:
Pitt led the ACC and ranked fourth nationally with five defensive touchdowns (via four interceptions and one fumble return) in 2021. The five defensive TDs tied the school record set in 1986.
Pitt has scored 16 defensive touchdowns under Pat Narduzzi (since 2015).
The Pitt defense has scored 40 TDs since the 2000 season.
The Panthers are 33-5 when scoring at least one defensive TD in a game since 2000.
Under Narduzzi, the Panthers are 11-5 when scoring a defensive touchdown, including a 4-1 mark last season.
MONEY DOWNS:
Pitt achieved impressive national defensive rankings in two key categories last season: third and fourth down conversion rates.
Pitt ranked 15th nationally (second in the ACC) in third-down defense with a 33.5% conversion rate (68 of 203).
The Panthers led the ACC and ranked second in the country in fourth-down defense at 26.9% (7 of 26).
SACK MASTERS:
Pitt led the ACC and ranked second nationally with an average of 3.86 sacks per game (54 total) last season.
The Panthers have collected 151 sacks over the past three seasons (2019-21), the highest total in the nation over that span.
Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado led Pitt with nine sacks, while defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was second with seven.
The Panthers’ 54 sacks in 2021 rank third (tied) in school history.
Pitt’s heralded 1980 squad—which featured legendary defensive ends Hugh Green and Rickey Jackson—set a school record with an amazing 74 sacks in 12 games. Green (17) and Jackson (12) combined for 29 sacks themselves.
Under the direction of Pat Narduzzi (since 2015), Pitt has collected at least five sacks in a game 23 times. Pitt is 22-1 in those contests.
Pitt had seven games last season (all victories) with at least five sacks.
The Panthers collected a season-high six sacks in their 54-29 win at Duke (Nov. 6). Pitt totaled five sacks against six additional opponents last season: Massachusetts, at Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, at Syracuse and Wake Forest (ACC Championship Game).
Pitt grounded opposing passing games last season to the tune of an ACC-high 16 interceptions, the eighth most nationally.
The Panthers’ 16 interceptions marked their most in a season since the 2008 team also had 16.
Safety Erick Hallett II and linebacker John Petrishen led Pitt with three interceptions each.
Since 2000, only six Pitt teams have intercepted 15 or more passes: 2021 (16), 2012 (15), 2009 (15), 2008 (16), 2004 (17) and 2002 (15).
The team record for single-season interceptions is 28 set in 1976, the year Pitt went 12-0 and won the national championship under Coach John Majors.
TOP TOTAL “D” PERFORMANCES:
During Pat Narduzzi’s tenure, Pitt has held an opponent under 250 yards 17 times. Pitt is 15-2 in those contests (8-1 vs. ACC).
The Panthers accomplished the feat most recently in last season’s 31-14 win at Syracuse (Nov. 27). The Orange mustered just 242 yards.
Pitt finished the 2021 season ranked 39th nationally and fifth in the ACC in total defense, yielding 353.6 yards per game.
GROUND DEFENSE:
Pitt limited opponents last season to just 89.3 rushing yards per contest, its lowest average since 1981.
The 2021 Panthers led the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation in defending the run. Pitt has finished in the nation’s top 12 in rushing defense each year from 2019-21.
In 2020, Pitt yielded just 93.5 rushing yards for the season, the third-lowest ground output allowed in all of college football.
Under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt has held a total of 36 opponents under the 100-yard rushing mark.
Pitt is 28-8 in such games, including 18-6 against ACC foes.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCARTON’S SUPER SCORING:
As a first-year starting placekicker in 2021, Sam Scarton earned All-ACC (third team) after converting 17-of-21 field goals (81%) and 69-of-72 extra points (96%).
Scarton’s season point total of 120 set a Pitt kick scoring record, surpassing the prior mark of 115 set by Dan Hutchins in 2009.
Scarton ranked 13th nationally and second in the ACC in total points scored.
His average of 8.6 points per game ranked 27th nationally and third in the ACC
DANDY DAYS FOR SAM:
In Pitt’s 54-29 win at Duke (Nov. 6), Sam Scarton was perfect on each of his 10 placements, converting 4-of-4 field goals and 6-of-6 PATs, for a career-high 18 points. Scarton’s field goals covered 24, 34, 41 and 47 yards.
Scarton tied Pitt’s single-game kick scoring record set by Conor Lee at Notre Dame in 2008. Lee’s mark, however, was set in a four-overtime affair that was won by the Panthers, 36-33.
Scarton reached double-figure scoring in two other contests last year.
He converted each of his seven placements for 11 points in a 41- 34 win at Tennessee (Sept. 11). Scarton was 5 for 5 on extra points and 2 for 2 on field goals (38 and 27 yards).
In a 52-21 win at Georgia Tech (Oct. 2), he made his lone field goal attempt (a 46-yarder) and each of his seven PATs for a total of 10 points.
RETURN GAME TOUCHDOWNS:
Israel Abanikanda made a crucial play in Pitt’s 48-38 win over Virginia (Nov. 20) when he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a TD. It was Pitt’s first kickoff return for a score since 2018.
Since the 2000 season, Pitt has 27 kick returns for touchdowns (14 on kickoffs and 13 on punts). Fifteen of those TDs have occurred during Pat Narduzzi’s tenure
Fri., Sep. 2 @ 7:00 pm CT
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Kansas Jayhawks
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Notes
THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Jayhawks in football. However, it is not Tennessee Tech’s first run-in with Kansas. The men’s basketball teams squared off in 2009, while the softball teams faced each other in the 2005 NCAA Regional in Athens, Ga. Tech is 2-36 all-time in games against the Football Bowl Subdivision, with the two wins coming in 1978 and 1980 before the Southern Conference reclassified to the FCS level in 1982.
STORYLINES
It’s one of the deepest teams the Golden Eagles have fielded in some time, but there’s also an incredible number of new faces.
Tech has not won a game against the Football Bowl Subdivision teams since 1980, going 2-36 all-time against the bigger Division I brothers. The Golden Eagles are also 0-3 against the current membership of the Big 12.
The Golden Eagles are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their first varsity game this season. 1922 is the university’s recognized varsity start to the Tech football program.
Tech had three selections on the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference squads and a fourth — graduate transfer quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall — named as the Golden Eagles’ Player to Watch.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
GETTING THE GIST
After missing the Spring 2021 campaign with an injury, David Gist rebounded well in 2021, collecting 901 yards on 184 carries with eight touchdowns, averaging 81.9 yards per game. He leads the team in all-purpose yardage with 1,139 yards, an average of 103.5 yards. In his four-game 100-yard streak, he has rushed for 516 yards on 80 carries with four touchdowns, while catching six passes for 49 yards and a score with 565 all-purpose yards. Gist has averaged 6.5 yards per carry in that span. He became the first Golden Eagle rusher since Derek White in 2007 to rush for four consecutive 100-yard games and had the most yardage since Dontey Gay in 2011.
LOADED CORPS
There’s a lot of options for a quarterback to throw to as the depth at wide receiver is plentiful. With 10 players who caught at least one pass last season returning, it’s a deep lineup. The usual suspects of Metrius Fleming, Quinton Cross, Brad Clark and Ashton Maples are back with Willie Miller moving over from quarterback and Jalal Dean coming back for his second campaign.
OATSVALL UNDER CENTER
Quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall put together some of his best games in his career against Tennessee Tech. Now, he’s the starting quarterback for the Golden Eagles after transferring to Memphis from his four-season stint at Austin Peay. The 2017 OVC Freshman of the Year passed for a career-best 279 yards and a program-record five touchdown passes against Tech in 2018
DEFENSIVE NOTES
UP FRONT
Two big pieces of the defensive front have moved on with Chris Tucker and Jale’n Gladney graduating, but the Golden Eagles have plenty of big guns to fill their shoes on the defensive line. Daniel Rickert and Devin Squires have put up solid numbers there, while Kail Dava and Christian Cantrell are formidable at tackle. Coupled with the linebackers, the Golden Eagles were adept at stalling
the run, leading the OVC in rush defense.
LINEBACKER U
If there’s one thing Tennessee Tech historically has had, it’s a wealth of linebacker talent. The school’s lone College Football Hall of Famer, Jim Youngblood, continues to lead the Tech record book in career tackles, but the Golden Eagles continually finds new LB talent. Current leader Seth Carlisle enters his graduate campaign within striking distance of the career top 10, compiling 232 in his career. Carlisle, the Spring 2021 Robert Hill Johnson Award winner, is also the team’s nominee for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Award and was a finalist for last year’s STATS FCS Doris Robinson Award for academic and athletic success. He was also on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group.
RELIABLE RELIFORD
Strong safety Josh Reliford had a tremendous season, racking up a team-best 69 tackles, including four for-loss with six pass breakups. His career numbers have been awesome — collecting 164 tackles — 84 solo and 80 assists — with eight TFLs for 16 yards, two interceptions and 14 pass breakups. He was named the Fall 2021 Robert Hill Johnson Award winner.
NICKEL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS – 1
With the Golden Eagles playing a 4-2-5 defense, Tech has a nickel in the defensive alignment. Tai Carter has fulfilled the role well, but saw injuries end his 2021 campaigns early. The former TSSAA Mr. Football finalist has 69 total tackles in his career.
NICKEL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS – 2
Another key piece returning for 2022 is corner Jyron Gilmore. His freshman campaign in Spring 2021 saw 29 tackles, an interception and four pass breakups, as well as a punt return touchdown. He missed most of the Fall 2021 campaign.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
OLSEN’S THE NAME
In his two seasons of competition, Hayden Olsen’s been a reliable kicker for the Golden Eagles. While his field goal percentage improved with a 78-percent effort in the Fall 2021 campaign to notch his career mark to 67 percent, Olsen is a perfect 42-for-42 on extra points in 18 games with Tech.
FRESHMEN IN THE UNIT
Three freshmen are penciled in on the special teams unit for this week’s game as Hayden Rigsby comes in at long snapper to replace mainstay Jordan Key, while the return game sees Quavel Thornton on punts and Justin Pegues on kickoffs — two speedy freshmen who have impressed thus far in camp.
BIG-TIME BIGELOW
Nicholas Bigelow had a solid freshman season, taking the lead at the close of the season on punting duties, averaging 40.3 yards per punt for the top performance on the team. He had a season-long 53-yard punt against Virginia-Lynchburg.
Kansas Jayhawks
Notes
JAYHAWKS TO OPEN SECOND SEASON UNDER LANCE LEIPOLD AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH
With nine starters back on offense and nine more on defense, the Kansas Jayhawks are set to open the 2022 season Friday night under the bright lights of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks and Golden Eagles are set to meet on the gridiron for the first time ever. Tennessee Tech is coming off a 3-8 season last year after dropping its first four games of the season. Kansas will open its season with a Friday night home game for the second straight season. Prior to last year’s 17-14 win over South Dakota to open the season, Kansas hadn’t opened the season with a Friday night home game since beating Washburn 47-0 to open the 1944 season. Coach Lance Leipold enters his second season with the Jayhawks and begins his 16th season as a head coach with a career mark of 148-49.
JAYHAWK QUICK HITS
• Returning a wealth of talent and experience from the 2021 roster, the Kansas Jayhawks open the 2022 campaign with a roster that features players with 271 career starts at Kansas and 107 more FBS starts by transfer additions.
• Not only did Kansas add 107 career FBS starts to its roster this season, the Jayhawks lost just 12 career starts to players who went into the portal.
• The returning offensive starters for Kansas: Quarterback Jalon Daniels, Running Back Devin Neal, Offensive Linemen Earl Bostick Jr., Mike Novitsky, Bryce Cabeldue and Michael Ford Jr., wide receivers Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold and tight end Mason Fairchild.
• The returning defensive starters for Kansas: Defensive Tackles Sam Burt and Caleb Sampson, Defensive End Malcolm Lee, Linebackers Gavin Potter, Rich Miller and Taiwan Berryhill, safety Kenny Logan Jr., and cornerbacks Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant.
• The additions of 14 FBS scholarship transfers bring 107 career starts with them to Kansas, led by linebacker Eriq Gilyard, who started 26 games at UCF before joining the Jayhawks.
• The Jayhawks have four new on-field coaches entering the 2022 season with Defensive Tackles Coach Jim Panagos joining the program from Rutgers and Wide Receivers Coach Terrence Samuel coming to Kansas from Syracuse. Kansas also elevated Defensive Ends Coach and Special Teams Coordinator Taiwo Onatolu and Cornerbacks Coach Jordan Peterson from the analyst positions they served in 2021.
• Defensively, Kansas returns its top three leading tacklers in safety Kenny Logan Jr., and linebackers Rich Miller and Gavin Potter.
• Kenny Logan Jr., led the Jayhawks with 113 tackles last season, while adding six pass breakups, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one interception. He also served as the primary kick returner for Kansas, averaging 27.9 yards per return. A dynamic playmaker, Logan Jr., was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team after a 2nd-Team appearance at the end of last year.
• Offensively, Jalon Daniels will start at quarterback in the opener after throwing for 860 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions in
- He completed 69.2 percent of his passes – up from 50 percent in 2020 – and started the final three games of the season for the Jayhawks.
• Running Back Devin Neal also returns after leading the team with 707 rushing yards last year and eight rushing scores, while adding seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
• Kansas also returns four starters on the offensive line in tackles Earl Bostick Jr., and Bryce Cabeldue, center Mike Novitsky and guard Michael Ford Jr. That group helped Kansas improve its rushing game from 104.9 yards per game in 2020 to 139.3 yards per game in 2021. The Jayhawks also averaged 324.2 yards of total offense behind this group, after averaging 259.2 yards per game of total offense in 2021.
A KU WIN WOULD …
• Move Kansas to 591-667-58 all-time, including 3-10 in the Lance Leipold era. Leipold’s career record would improve to 149-49.
• Make Kansas 75-51-7 in season openers all-time, including 2-0 under Lance Leipold. Kansas would improve to 7-3 in season openers in the past 10 years.
• Improve Lance Leipold to 14-2 in season openers all-time, including 6-2 at the Division I level.
• Improve Kansas to 5-0 against the Ohio Valley Conference all-time, while it would make Kansas 1-0 against Tennessee Tech all-time.
• Make Kansas 5-1 in games played on September 2 all-time.
• Improve Kansas to 364-291-6 at home all-time.
HE’S BAAAAAAAAACK
• Safety Kenny Logan Jr., returns for his fourth season with the Jayhawks and brings as accomplished of a resume as any safety in the Big 12 Conference.
• An All-Big 12 Second-Team pick last season, Logan led the conference with 113 tackles, which also led all safeties nationally. The St. Augustine, Florida native had 79 solo stops, which also led the Big 12 and ranked third nationally among all players.
• Logan can do a lot more than just tackle, however. He was the only player in the country to have at least 113 tackles, six pass breakups and multiple forced fumbles on the season.
• Like several of his teammates, Logan finished the 2021 season strong, creating momentum for his 2022 campaign.
• The safety had double-digit tackles in each of the last three games of the season, stringing together the first three-game streak of his career.
• He made plays all over the field in those game, collecting three of his four tackles-for-loss on the season in the final two games of the season. He had two tackles-for-loss at TCU and then another one in the season finale against West Virginia.
• Against TCU in the second-to-last game of the season, Logan became the first Kansas defensive back since Chris Harris Jr., in 2009 to register 15 tackles and two tackles-for-loss in the same contest.
• Logan is also a threat every time he touches the ball on a kick return. He averaged 27.9 yards per return last year, which ranked 13th in the country and third in the Big 12 Conference in the Big 12 with that mark.
REAL DEAL DEVIN NEAL
• After a true freshman season that saw Devin Neal rush for 707 yards on 158 carries – an average of 4.5 yards per carry – the Lawrence native is back, eager to improve on his impressive rookie season.
• Neal posted six games last year where he received 15 or more carries. He posted three 100-yard games and scored the first touchdown of his career in the team’s first road test of the season at Coastal Carolina.
• Neal finished the season with eight rushing touchdowns, marking the most by a Kansas freshman since James Sims in 2010.
• The running back also became the first Kansas player since at least 2000 to have three rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in a game when he did that at Texas in a November win.
• Perhaps the most impressive and encouraging sign for Neal last year was his success against big-time opponents. The freshman rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries against Texas. Against No. 3 Oklahoma, he went for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. He also rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries at Iowa State.
CALL HIM DIRK
• Center Mike Novitsky is back for his second season with the Kansas, but good luck getting him to respond, if you call him “Mike.” Nicknamed “Dirk” after the former Dallas Mavericks star, Novitsky, who transferred to Kansas from Buffalo following the 2020 season, was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List for the third straight season this year.
• Novitsky was consistently stellar for Kansas last season. According to PFF, Novitsky played 799 total snaps last year and did not commit a penalty or allow a sack.
• Taking it further, Novitsky has played 2,302 career snaps in college and has not allowed a sack.
• According to PFF, Novitsky graded out at 96% or better in all 12 games in 2021. He was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the league’s coaches at the completion of the season.
• Novitsky helped transform the Kansas offensive line into one that drastically improved its pass protection. Kansas allowed 47 sacks in just nine games in 2020, while surrendering just 16 last year in 12 games. Novitsky started all 12 games for the Jayhawks at the center spot.
• A native of Victor, N.Y., Novitsky was a standout lacrosse player at Victor High School and had a scholarship offer from Maryland. He opted instead to commit to Coach Lance Leipold at Buffalo, where he redshirted in 2018 and played for current Kansas Offensive Line Coach Scott Fuchs in 2019 and 2020.
THE STABLE
• Not only does Devin Neal return at running back for the Jayhawks, the team possesses one of the deepest running backs room in the conference, thanks to a mix of returning players and additions from the transfer portal.
• On top of Neal, Kansas returns Daniel Hishaw and Torry Locklin to its roster. Hishaw missed the 2021 season with an injury, but rushed for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2020 as a true freshman. He was especially strong at the end of the season, going for 73 yards on 10 carries against Oklahoma and 87 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries at Texas Tech.
• Locklin rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns last season, before suffering a season-ending injury against Kansas State. His best game of the season came at Duke, where he rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass.
• In addition to Neal, Hishaw and Locklin, Kansas added transfer backs Ky Thomas from Minnesota and Sevion Morrison from Nebraska.
• Thomas had a standout redshirt freshman season with the Golden Gophers, rushing for 824 yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries. He posted 100-yard rushing games against Maryland, at Northwestern, at No. 20 Iowa, Indiana and West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, where he earned Offensive MVP honors.
• Thomas hails from nearby Topeka, where he was an all-state player at Topeka High School.
• Morrison rushed 30 times last season for the Huskers, totaling 116 yards and three touchdowns, before opting to transfer to Kansas. He had a pair of scores against Fordham and also reached the endzone against Northwestern.
• A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Morrison was a four-star recruit out of Eddison High School, where he set the school rushing yards record, previously held by Spencer Tillman.
A RICH SITUATION
• The Jayhawks return three linebackers to their roster who tanked one, two and three in tackles for linebackers on the team last year.
• Rich Miller led the way with 79 tackles and five tackles-forloss, while adding two sacks and two pass breakups.
• Gavin Potter finished just one tackle behind Miller, totaling 78 tackles on the season, while adding five tackles-for-loss like Miller and an interception he returned 28 yards for a touchdown in the season finale against West Virginia.
• Potter had one of the better games of his career – perhaps the best – in the finale against the Mountaineers. On top of his interception return for a touchdown, Potter finished with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. The 10 tackles marked the first time on the season he reached double-digit tackles.
• Also back is Taiwan Berryhill, who played in all 12 games and finished with 31 tackles. He has been lauded by head coach Lance Leipold and linebackers coach Chris Simpson as one of the most improved players on the team entering the season.
• Not only does Kansas return impressive production at the linebacker position, they also added Ohio State transfer Craig Young, Central Florida transfer Eriq Gilyard and Louisiana transfer Lorenzo McCaskill.
Fri., Sep. 2 @ 8:00 pm MT
TCU Horned Frogs at Colorado Buffaloes
TCU Horned Frogs
Notes
ABOUT THE GAME
TCU will make its debut under Head Coach Sonny Dykes when it opens the 2022 campaign on Friday, Sept. 2, at Colorado.
The Horned Frogs and Buffaloes will be meeting for the first time on the gridiron. The home-and-home series will continue one year to the day, Sept. 2, in the 2023 season opener at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
TCU opens its season on a Friday for the first time since 2011, a 50-48 loss at Baylor. The following week marked the last time the Horned Frogs played in the state of Colorado, posting a 35-19 victory at Air Force (Sept. 10, 2011).
The Horned Frogs have won their last seven games against Pac-12 opponents.
TCU is 76-40-9 in season openers in its history, having won seven of their last eight and 16 of the past 19.
TCU was seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll. The last time it was picked seventh was 2014, when it won the Big 12 championship.
TCU’s Sonny Dykes is 1-1 against Colorado as a head coach with both games coming when he was at Cal. His 2014 team won 59-56 against the Buffs, while dropping a 41-24 contest in Boulder in 2013.
MEET THE NEW BOSS
Sonny Dykes is in his first season as head coach of the Horned Frogs, but second overall at TCU.
Dykes was an offensive analyst on the 2017 TCU team that posted an 11-3 record, played in the Big 12 Championship Game and finished the season with a No. 9 national ranking, its last top-10 appearance.
Dykes was head coach at SMU the past four seasons (2018-21). He led the Mustangs to three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the mid-1980s and their first back-to-back wins over TCU since 1992-93.
Dykes also served as head football coach at Cal (2013-16) and Louisiana Tech (2010-12).
He is the son of legendary Texas Tech Head Football Coach Spike Dykes. Spike coached the Red Raiders from 1986-99.
Sonny Dykes lettered two seasons in baseball at Texas Tech.
FAMILIAR FACES
TCU safety Mark Perry is in his first season as a Horned Frog after playing the last three years at Colorado. He had a team-best three interceptions for the Buffs last season while placing third on the team with 72 tackles.
Colorado Defensive Quality Control Specialist Michael Downing was a three-year letterman (2015-17) at safety for TCU. He then served four seasons (2018-21) as a defensive graduate assistant for the Horned Frogs.
THE RARE ROAD TRIP
TCU’s trip to Colorado marks just one of three times this season it will leave the state of Texas as well as travel via plane to a road game.
Nine of TCU’s remaining 11 contests are in Texas with the lone exceptions being trips to Kansas (Oct. 8) and West Virginia (Oct. 29).
RECRUITING REPORT
TCU’s 2022 signing class was ranked third in the Big 12 by 247Sports in per player rating.
The Horned Frogs were 13th nationally in the 247Sports transfer rankings.
TCU had the Big 12’s third-rated and nation’s No. 28 overall class for signees and transfers. It was exceptional for the limited time frame available with Head Coach Sonny Dykes arriving on Nov. 30.
TCU NOTABLES
TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and wide receiver Quentin Johnston have been named to multiple Preseason All-America Teams.
Despite teams consistently throwing away from him last season, Hodges-Tomlinson led TCU with two interceptions, seven pass breakups and two
forced fumbles.
Johnston ranks first in Big 12 history with a 20.4 yards per catch average for a player in his first two seasons. He also ranks eighth nationally since 1996 for the first two years of a career.
Running back Kendre Miller ranks No. 1 nationally among active Power 5 conference players with his 7.4 career yards per carry average. His 7.5 per carry mark in 2021 ranked fourth for a season at TCU. He has two of the top-six season averages in program history in his first two years.
FROG OFFENSIVE NOTES
IN CHARGE
TCU Offensive Coordinator Garrett Riley served the previous two seasons under Head Coach Sonny Dykes at SMU.
The younger brother of USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley, Garrett Riley guided one of the nation’s most prolific offenses with the Mustangs.
Prior to his time at SMU, Riley spent the 2019 season as running backs coach at Appalachian State. He also spent three seasons (2016-18) at Kansas in various capacities. From 2013-15, Riley worked with the offense at East Carolina. He was the outside receivers coach in 2015, when Zay Jones caught 98 passes for 1,009 yards en route to setting the NCAA FBS career record with 399 receptions.
IT’S A RUSH
The Horned Frogs are 104-8 in their last 112 games when rushing for at least 200 yards.
The Horned Frogs ran for 394 yards at Texas Tech last season for their highest output since rushing for 431 in a 62-22 win at Baylor in 2016. The Horned Frogs ran the ball on 47 of 57 snaps against the Red Raiders.
MAD MAX
After missing two games last season due to injury, Max Duggan returned to action against Kansas in the next-to-last contest. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 166 yards while rushing for 74 yards on 14 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-goal play.
Six of Duggan’s 10 completions against Kansas went to Derius Davis.
In the Oklahoma game last season, Duggan passed for a career-high 346 yards and four touchdowns while completing 20-of-30 attempts with no
interceptions. He totaled a personal-best 391 yards of offense.
He became the first Horned Frog to throw for four touchdowns in a game since Kenny Hill had five scoring passes against Kansas in 2017.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
Despite being listed as a redshirt freshman, Chandler Morris is older than senior Max Duggan.
Morris was born Dec. 26, 2000, with Duggan’s birthday being March 12, 2001.
With the 2020 season providing a free year of eligibility due to COVID and only playing four games last year to preserve a redshirt, Morris has four years of eligibility remaining.
While listed as a senior, Duggan has two years of eligibility remaining with the free year of 2020 in his back pocket.
NOT A BAD FIRST START
Chandler Morris made his first career start in last year’s 30-28 win over Baylor and had 531 yards of offense (461 passing, 70 rushing), the second-best total in TCU history. It trailed only the 696 by Matt Vogler against Houston in 1990.
The 461 yards passing by Morris were fourth-most in a game in TCU history:
Morris ranked third in Big 12 history for most passing yards in a first career start. The 461 yards were also the third-most nationally since 2012 for a player in his first career start. No. 1 on the list is Kenny Hill, Morris’ position coach last season, with 511 for Texas A&M in 2014. Hill later transferred to TCU.
Morris had TCU’s first 400-yard passing game since Hill threw for 449 versus Oklahoma in 2016.
Morris scored his first touchdown as a Horned Frog on a 12-yard first-quarter keeper. He finished with 70 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Morris also had a 7-yard reception in the game.
MR. RELIABLE
In three of the last four games in 2021, Emari Demercado was the Horned Frogs’ lone remaining scholarship running back.
The scenario was nothing new to Demercado. In 2018, he was the only available scholarship running back when TCU won 16-9 at Baylor. He ran for a then career-high 60 yards in that game.
In two of the last three contests a year ago, Demercado recorded the top-two rushing games of his career. He had 89 yards rushing on 18 carries against Kansas, just 1 yard shy of the career-high 90 he ran for the previous week at Oklahoma State.
In the 30-28 win over Baylor, Demercado had 19 carries while his four receptions for 55 yards were one short of a career high.
FROG DEFENSIVE NOTES
MORE THAN A NEPHEW
2020 All-American and two-time First-Team All-Big 12 selection Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer and TCU Board of Trustees member LaDainian Tomlinson.
Despite teams consistently throwing away from him last season, Hodges-Tomlinson had a team-best two interceptions, seven pass breakups and two
forced fumbles.
His second pick was returned 29 yards for a touchdown in a 52-31 win at Texas Tech which helped him earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Hodges-Tomlinson was sixth on TCU with 42 tackles in 2021, more than his first two years combined (34).
Exclusively a cornerback in his TCU career, he moved to safety midway through the Texas game when the Horned Frogs became thin at the position. He responded with a career-high 10 tackles while forcing a fumble.
Hodges-Tomlinson had a stretch of three straight games last season in which he either tied or set a career-high in tackles.
THE VETERAN
Sixth-year defensive lineman Terrell Cooper tops all TCU defensive players and ranks third overall on the team with 26 career starts. Linebacker Dee Winters is second on the defense and fourth overall with 24 starts
THE FREAK
Cornerback Noah Daniels was named to Bruce Feldman’s 2021 College Football Freaks list.
Daniels has been timed as fast as 4.27 in the 40, 10.34 in the 100 and 21.01 in the 200 meters. Included below are Daniels’ weight room numbers: Name 40 Bench Clean Vertical Daniels 4.27 405 400 37 inch
CHASING THE QB
Dylan Horton led TCU last season with 9.0 tackles for loss while tying for the team lead with 4.0 sacks.
At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, Horton has a 38-inch vertical jump with a 10-0 broad jump. He has 4.55 speed in the 40 and has power cleaned 400 pounds and squatted 700. Horton was a high school safety.
NORTH SHORE PRIDE
TCU’s two interceptions in its 30-28 win over Baylor last season were both by graduates of North Shore High School in Houston.
Cornerback Kee’yon Stewart, making his season debut after missing the opening eight games due to injury, had a late third quarter end zone pick off a deflection by Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson.
Linebacker Shadrach Banks, a converted wide receiver, made the game-saving play with his interception at the TCU 28 with 1:03 remaining.
The 250-pound Banks was back deep earlier last season on kickoff returns.
FROG SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SPLITTING UPRIGHTS
Griffin Kell’s game-winning 25-yard field goal with 6 seconds to play gave TCU a 31-28 win over Kansas last season.
Kell was 14-of-18 on field goals in 2021. He was also 42-of-42 on PATs.
Kell made his first three field-goal attempts (30, 46, 24 yards) in the 30-28 win over Baylor, giving him 11 straight makes and tying Nick Browne (2002) for the eighth-longest streak in TCU history.
Kell was 4-of-4 on field goals in the 2020 win at Texas, making kicks from 27, 32, 49 and 28 yards. His four field goals and three PATs gave him 15 kick scoring points, tying for ninth-most in a game in TCU history.
Kell was 3-of-4 on field goals in 2019 with his only miss from 57 yards. His 52-yard field goal against Texas was the longest make by a Horned Frog since Jaden Oberkrom’s 57-yard kick against West Virginia in 2015. It was the longest field goal for Kell in either college or high school.
Kell, from nearby Arlington, was trained by Oberkrom, a 2015 All-American and the Big 12’s career leader in field goals made with 79 (2012-15).
STARTING FAST
In two of the last nine games in 2021, TCU opened with a big play on special teams.
JD Spielman returned the opening kickoff 87 yards against Texas to set up a touchdown, while Derius Davis took the opening kickoff versus West Virginia 100 yards for a score.
FINDING PAYDIRT
When Derius Davis returned the game’s opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against West Virginia, it marked his fourth career special teams score.
Davis had TCU’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since KaVontae Turpin went 99 yards against Oklahoma in 2018.
It was the first time TCU returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown since at least 1996.
The 100-yard kickoff return by Davis tied for second-longest in TCU history (105 yards, Charles Casper versus Texas, 1933). It was also the Horned Frogs’ longest since B.J. Catalon went 100 yards against LSU in 2013.
Davis averaged 10.2 yards on nine punt returns last season. He was second in the Big 12 and would have been 13th in the FBS if he had enough attempts (1.2 per game) to qualify for listing.
Davis led the Big 12 and ranked fifth nationally in 2020 with a 14.5-yard average. He is second on TCU’s all-time list for punt return touchdowns:
Name Punt Return TDs
KaVontae Turpin, 2015-18 4
Derius Davis, 2018-present 3
Linzy Cole, 1968-69 3
Blanard Spearman, 1930-32 3
The three punt returns for touchdowns by Davis are on just 26 career attempts.
THE TURNOVER STORY
The Horned Frogs have lost just 11 times in their last 95 games when ahead in turnover margin with two of those defeats being last season to SMU and Oklahoma State. The SMU game was also only the sixth TCU defeat in the last 58 contests when it totaled at least three takeaways. The Horned Frogs had three interceptions.
Over the last 18 seasons, TCU is 123-23 when ahead (84-11) or even (39-12) in turnover margin and 28-41 when on the negative side.
TCU is 52-6 in its last 58 games with at least three takeaways.
Since the start of the 2005 campaign, TCU is 151-64. In 29 of the 64 defeats, the Horned Frogs were minus 2 or worse in turnover margin.
TCU was a minus 2 in turnover margin in 2020. The Horned Frogs lost four fumbles in their 29-22 win over Oklahoma State. TCU also won its previous game when it lost four fumbles, a 20-6 victory at Kansas in its first-ever Big 12 contest in 2012.
FROG TIDBITS
HORNED FROGS FEVER
Nine of the top 10 home crowds in TCU history have come since TCU began Big 12 play in 2012.
TCU sold out of football season tickets four times in the last 11 campaigns. TCU set a school record for season ticket sales in five of the past 12 seasons.
Nearly 35,000 TCU fans traveled to the 2011 Rose Bowl. Over 20,000 made the trip the previous year to the Fiesta Bowl. At its first New Year’s Six bowl, TCU had 15,000 fans at the 2014 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is in the midst of a stretch of nonconference Power Five opponents that began with Virginia (2012), LSU (2013), Minnesota (2014-15), Arkansas (2016-17), Ohio State (2018) and Cal (2020-21) and continues with Purdue (2019, 2030), Colorado (2022-23), Stanford (2024, 2027), North Carolina (2025-26) and Duke (2028-29).
BONUS FOOTBALL
TCU is 9-9 since the NCAA adopted overtime play in 1996.
HISTORY MAKING
On Dec. 5, 2010, TCU became the only team in college football history to receive an invitation to the Rose Bowl and implode its stadium on the same day.
SELECT COMPANY
TCU is one of just 21 schools to have won multiple national championships (1935, 1938) and produce a Heisman Trophy winner (Davey O’Brien, 1938).
The other schools are Alabama, Army, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
Colorado Buffaloes
Notes
BUFFALO BITS …
The Colorado Buffaloes will open their 133rd season of intercollegiate football on Friday, Sept. 2, at Folsom Field in Boulder against the TCU Horned Frogs; kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. MDT with ESPN to televise the game nationally … This fall marks the 99th season in the history of Folsom – the stadium’s 100th anniversary is in the near future (first game was on Oct. 11, 2024) … Colorado was 4-8 and TCU 5-7 in 2021 and are meeting for the first time ever on the gridiron … At press time, 18 scouts from 13 NFL teams will be in attendance for the TCU game, the most for a CU opener since 2016 (Colorado State in Denver) … Colorado enters the 2022 season with an alltime record of 718-525-36 (a .575 winning percentage); the Buffaloes are 27th all-time in the NCAA in wins and 40th in winning percentage … In 132 previous season openers, Colorado owns an 83-44-5 record (.647), which includes a 55-20-1 mark in Boulder (.730); the Buffaloes have won six straight season lid-lifters … TCU has won seven of its last eight season openers (only loss was to Iowa State in 2020) … CU has won three in a row at home (by a 13.3 avg,), while TCU has lost four straight road games (by a 30.0 norm) … Not including the 2020 COVID season when CU opened against UCLA, the last time the Buffs opened against a co-called “Power 5” school was in 1996 against Washington State; CU has won it last four openers against P5 members dating back to 1993 (Texas) … During the TCU game the Buffs will honor the late Cliff Branch, who became the school’s first inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 6 … Top anniversaries for the CU program in 2022 include the 40th anniversary of the hiring of CU’s all-time winningest coach, Bill McCartney, in 1982 and the 50th anniversary of the 20-14 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in 1972 and the 70th of the 1952 OU game, a 21-all tie which was the Sooner’s only blemish in a 47-0-1 Big Seven Conference game run (full list later in these notes)… The 12 opponents on CU’s 2022 schedule were a combined 81-71 in 2021 including seven bowl teams … Colorado was 4-2 at home in 2021, averaging 46,484 per game, which was 92.6 percent of Folsom’s capacity (50,183) … After the TCU game, CU will play at Air Force for the first time since 1974 and at Minnesota for just the second time (the first was in 1992); the Buffs haven’t played two nonleague games in a row since 1994 (at Michigan and Texas) … CUBuffs.com/media is all things Buff (on-line media guide, game notes, live stats, etc.).
STAT OF THE WEEK
The Buffaloes are 23-10-1 in their last 34 season openers (dating back to 1988). In those 23 wins, Colorado scored 851 points, or an average of 37.0 per game; in the 10 losses, CU scored 172 points, or 17.2 per (it had 31 in the tie with Tennessee in 1990). In the six-game season opener winning streak, CU has scored 241 points, or 40.2 per. In the 23 victories, the opponent scored 392 points, or 17.0 per. The bulk of the games have been against Colorado State (20; CU won 14), but the Buffaloes are 5-0-1 against Power-5 teams (2-0 vs. Texas, 1-0 vs. UCLA, Washington State and Wisconsin and 0-0-1 vs. Tennessee).,
OBSCURE NOTE OF THE WEEK
Colorado has 90 underclassmen on its 2022 roster (115 players total); that’s tied for the seventh-most in the nation; the percentage (78.3) is fourth nationally. Of the 115 players on the roster, 90 were recruited/signed by head coach Karl Dorrell and his staff.
Ralphie will lead the Buffaloes out for the 362nd time overall in this year’s season opener (1967-present; it will be the 7th time for Ralphie VI)
SEASON OPENERS
Colorado is 83-44-5 in 132 season openers, with a 55-20-1 record at home, 18-19-3 on the road and 10-5-1 at neutral sites (10-5 in Denver, 0-0-1 in Anaheim). This is CU’s first season opener in Boulder since 2009 (CSU). The Buffs have started a season just four times at home since 1997, those coming in 2004, 2005 and 2009 against Colorado State and in 2001 when the Buffs dropped a 24-22 decision to Fresno State in the Jim Thorpe Association Classic. CU was 9-6 in openers as a member of the Big 12 Conference and is 7-4 since joining the Pac-12
OPENERS AN INDICATOR?
As stated previously, Colorado is 83-44-5 in season openers; but have they been foretelling of the season ahead? Take a look: The 83 seasons CU has won its opener, the Buffs went on to post winning records 62 times (74.7%), with 20 losing seasons and one even;
The 44 seasons CU has lost its opener, the Buffs are six under .500: posting winning records 19 times and a losing mark 24 times (with one even);
The 5 seasons CU tied in its opener, the Buffs had four winning records (including the 1990 national championship year), and one losing record.
STREAKING INSIDE-THE-20 (RED ZONE)
In the last 16 season openers, the Buffaloes are 54-of-58 in the red zone (93.1%; 39 TDs, 15 FGs), which included 36-of-38 against Colorado State. This has followed a five-year stretch between 2001 and 2005 where Colorado was just 11-of-18 (9 TDs, 2 FG). The Buffs are 19-of-19 in their last four opening games inside-the-20 (5-of-5 vs. Northern Colorado in 2021; 7-of-7 against UCLA in ’20; 4-of-4 in ’19 and 3-of-3 in ’18 against CSU). The Buffs were 0-1 in 2017, 8-of-8 in 2016, 2-2 in 2014, 3-of-3 in 2013, 3-of-4 in 2012), 2-of-2 at Hawai’i 2011, and versus CSU: 3-of-3 in 2010, 2-of-2 in 2009, 4-of-4 in 2007 and 2008).
SCORING FIRST IN A SEASON? CU IS 27-2 SINCE 1967
Colorado has won 30 of its last 32 season openers when scoring first, which included a 20-game winning streak from 1967 through 2005; the Buffs had that run snapped in 2006 by Montana State (losing 19-10 at home), with the only other loss in 2014 when Colorado State rallied from being down 17-7 to score the game’s final 24 points to take a 31-17 verdict in Denver. Otherwise, you have go back to 1966 to find the last time the Buffs scored first and lost an opener (CU scored its only points of the game on a field goal in a 24-3 loss to Miami, Fla.). The other 23 openers in this span? CU is 4-18-1 when the opponent scored first, with the wins coming in 1969 (a 35-14 win over Tulsa after falling behind 7-0), in 1995 (a 48-13 win over NE Louisiana after trailing 3-0), in 2003 (the 42-35 conquest of CSU after the Rams jumped ahead 7-0) and in 2005 (a 31-28 win over CSU after the Rams got the jump up late in the first quarter by 7-0). CU has currently won its last six season openers.
SEASON OPENER REVIEW
Statistically speaking, Colorado had one of its best season-opening games in school history in 2018 against Colorado State. CU’s 596 yards of total offense in the contest were the most in a season opener since 1994, when that Buff team (which went 11-1 and finished the year ranked No. 3 in the coaches poll) put up 649 yards of offense in a 48-13 win over Northeast Louisiana. That 1994 season-opening total is the highest yardage gained for any game to begin a season in Buffalo history, but the 596 yards vs. CSU comes in at No. 2. It was also just the ninth time since 1946 that Colorado has gained more than 500 yards of offense in the season opener. What was equally impressive was the Buff defense allowing just 284 yards of total offense a week after the Rams put 657 in the books against Hawai’i. CU outgained CSU by 312 yards on the night, the third largest advantage over an opponent in a season-opener in program history. Here are the largest margins of victory in a CU season opener in history (not including contests against local high schools at the turn of last century):
LAST NOTE ON SEASON OPENERS
The Buffaloes are 23-10-1 in their last 33 season openers (dating back to 1988). In those 23 wins, Colorado scored 851 points, or an average of 37.0 per game; in the 10 losses, CU scored 172 points, or 17.2 per (it had 31 in the tie with Tennessee in 1990). In the six-game season opener winning streak, CU has scored 241 points, or 40.2. In the 23 victories, the opponent has scored 392 points, or 17.0 per. The bulk of the games have been against Colorado State (20; CU won 14), but the Buffaloes are 5-0-1 against Power-5 teams.
SERIES HISTORY – COLORADO vs. TCU
This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools located just 667 miles apart; the Horned Frogs are the first opponent for a first-ever game against the Buffaloes since New Hampshire in 2018 (and first-ever FBS one since Texas State in 2017 and first-ever Power-5 foe since West Virginia in 2008).
TCU and West Virginia were the two schools added to the Big 12 Conference in 2012 after CU and Nebraska left after the 2010 season and after Missouri and Texas A&M departed following the 2011 season.
The contract for a home-and-home series was signed back in 2015; each school had the option to take 3,000 tickets (including 300 complimentary) and agreed to a $400,000 guarantee; officials to be assigned by each team’s conference.
Karl Dorrell is 0-0 against TCU; TCU coach Sonny Dykes is 1-1 against Colorado: as head coach at Cal, he lost to the Buffaloes 41-24 in 2013 in Boulder and defeated CU in wild two-overtime affair in 2014, 59-56 in Berkeley.
CU-TCU BY THE NUMBERS
Here’s a look at some numbers-related trivia – or lack thereof — in the Colorado-TCU series:
0 The number of games in the CU-TCU (the Buffs return this year’s game in Fort Worth on Sept. 2, 2023);
2 The number of Heisman Trophy winners between the two (TCU’s Davey O’Brien in 1938, CU’s Rashaan Salaam in 1994);
4 The number of consecutive wins by TCU in Colorado (2008 & 2010 at CSU, 2009 & 2011 at Air Force);
6-3 TCU’s record in the state of Colorado (3-1 at Colorado State, 3-2 at Air Force);
9-14-2 CU’s all-time record versus TCU (4-0 in women’s basketball, 2-2 in men’s basketball, 3-9-2 in men’s tennis and 0-3 in women’s tennis);
18-11 Colorado’s record against schools from Texas inside Colorado’s borders (4-1 vs. Texas Tech, 4-2 vs. Texas A&M, 5-4 vs. Baylor, 3-4 vs. Texas,
1-0 vs. North Texas, 1-0 vs. Texas State; 18-10 overall in Boulder, 0-1 in Denver);
47-43 TCU’s record in 10 seasons of Big 12 Conference leagues (2012-present);
60-60 CU’s record in 15 seasons of Big 12 Conference leagues (1996-2010);
76-40-9 TCU’s record in season openers (16-3 in the last 19, including 7-0 against FCS teams since 2012);
83-44-5 CU’s record in season openers (13-7 in the last 20; 55-20-1 at home);
367 The number of consecutive games TCU has scored (second longest all-time as well as active streak behind Florida’s 423 in a row);
667 The mileage (as the crow flies) between Boulder and Fort Worth;
4,692 The difference in elevation (feet) between Folsom Field (Boulder, 5,345) and Fort Worth (653);
1,044,285 The combined population of Boulder (108,777) and Fort Worth (935,508).
CONFERENCE CALLS
Colorado is 201-145-8 all-time versus current Big 12 conference schools (354 games); most of those (307) were against schools when CU was a member of the Big 7 and Big 8 before the Big 12 formed. TCU is the only member of the present 10 Colorado has never played; otherwise the Buffs are 49-15-1 vs. Iowa State; 45-20-1 vs. Kansas State; 42-25-3 vs. Kansas; 26-20-1 vs. Oklahoma State; 9-7 vs. Baylor; 5-5 vs. Texas Tech; 1-1 vs. West Virginia; 7-12 vs. Texas and 17-40-2 against Oklahoma.
TCU is 17-16 all-time versus Pac-12 Conference schools; CU is the last of the 12 the Horned Frogs have yet to play; otherwise, they are 3-0 vs, Stanford; 2-0 vs. Cal; 1-0 vs. Oregon State; 2-1 vs. Oregon; 3-2 vs. USC; 1-1 vs. Arizona; 1-1 vs. Washington State; 3-5 vs. Utah; 1-3 vs. UCLA; 0-1 vs. Washington and 0-2 vs. Arizona State.
THE BUFFS ON FRIDAY
Colorado will open the 2022 season on a Friday (Sept. 2 vs. TCU); the Buffaloes have played 45 times on “TGIF” (Friday), seven times to open the season; the Buffaloes are 19-26 on the last day of the work week (16-25 regular season, 3-1 bowl), 5-9 in Boulder, 7-13 on the road, 7-4 at neutral sites (including 4-2 in Denver), 7-9 since joining the Pac-12 Conference and 10-10 in night games. Colorado opened the 1908, 1964, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons on a Friday; CU’s second-ever night game was played on a Friday, against Oklahoma State in Stillwater in 1933. The Buffs have played three Friday night affairs in a season three times, in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The bulk of the games have been played in November (a 6-18 record), and the most common opponent has been Nebraska (15 times; 4-11). Here’s a look at the games:
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 1:00 pm CT
SE Missouri State Redhawks at Iowa State Cyclones
SE Missouri State Redhawks
Notes
Nothing available at this time
Iowa State Cyclones
Notes
THE LEAD
Iowa State plays host to Southeast Missouri in the season opener for both schools. Cyclones’ head coach Matt Campbell faces his former assistant coach Tom Matukewicz, who was on his staff at Toledo during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The game will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
KEY STORYLINES
Iowa State’s 131st football season starts on Saturday at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.
This marks the seventh season of the Matt Campbell era … his .533 winning percentage is the best by a Cyclone coach since the Big Six was formed in 1928 … he’s got 42 wins and will move into second alone at the school with his next victory.
Campbell is the second-longest tenured coach in the Big 12 Conference (Mike Gundy, OSU) … his seven-year tenure equals the fourth-longest in program history.
ISU has produced five consecutive winning seasons, matching the longest streak in school history (1923-1927).
The Cyclones return 15 starters (8 offense, 7 defense – minimum five starts) from last year’s team.
Four Cyclones earned spots on the 2022 Preseason All-Big 12 team: Jared Rus (Sr., TE), Xavier Hutchinson (Sr., WR), Trevor Downing (Sr., OL) and Will McDonald IV (Sr., DE).
ISU had two experienced players make position changes this season in Downing and Anthony Johnson Jr. … Downing played guard until moving to center for last year’s bowl game against Clemson … Johnson was a four-year contributor and three-year All-Big 12 performer at cornerback before flipping to safety this season.
ISU is 90-36-4 in season openers and 35-12 in openers at Jack Trice Stadium.
ISU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Iowa State is 10-12 vs. ranked opponents since 2017.
ISU head coach Matt Campbell is 12-20 vs. ranked opponents in his head coaching career, including a 10-16 mark with the Cyclones.
Campbell owns 37.0 pct. (10-of-27) of ISU’s all-time wins over rated opponents, 40.0 pct. (4-of-10) of ISU’s all-time wins over ranked foes on the road and 75.0 pct. (3-of4) of the school’s all-time victories against Top 6 rated teams.
Campbell is 4-4 vs. Top 10 opponents at ISU. The Cyclones were 8-98-2 vs. Top 10 opponents prior to his arrival.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Iowa State was second nationally in red zone offense (95.9%), converting on 47- of-49 trips, including 33 touchdowns.
Reached 400 yards of total offense in 12 of its last 17 games dating back to 2020.
Was second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in fewest penalty yards (502) last season.
In Big 12 games only, ISU ranked second in scoring (34.8) and first in total offense (452.7).
ISU rushed for over 200 yards in five of nine Big 12 games.
Tallied the fourth-best scoring average (31.3) and the fifth-best total offensive average (424.5) in school history.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Cyclone defense has improved dramatically since 2017 and it has continued to shine.
ISU has ranked among the Big 12’s top three in scoring defense since 2017.
The Cyclones have limited opponents to under 300 yards of total offense 20 times since 2017, including 12 vs. Big 12 teams.
ISU held 11 of 13 opponents to below 350 yards of total offense last year (West Virginia, Texas Tech).
The Cyclones allowed 105 points in the second half last year, yielding just 9.1 points after intermission.
ISU ranked third in the Big 12 in sacks (33) last year, equaling the school record.
ISU was second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally in red zone defense (72.7 pct.)
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Iowa State’s improvement since 2017 has produced plenty of wins at Jack Trice Stadium.
Since 2018, Iowa State is 21-5 at Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones tied a school record for home wins in a season with six in 2018.
Iowa State has registered back-to-back perfect seasons at home vs. league opponents (2020: 5-0; 2021: 4-0).
ISU has only had four undefeated seasons at home vs. conference teams (1931, 2002, 2020, 2021).
Iowa State currently owns a school record for consecutive wins at home over Big 12 opponents with 11, the league’s best active streak.
It’s been over two years since Iowa State’s last loss at home vs. a Big 12 team (Oklahoma State, Oct. 26, 2019).
Iowa State has won 16 of its last 17 Big 12 games at Jack Trice Stadium.
BEATING THE BEST
Iowa State’s improvement since 2017 has resulted in plenty of wins over nationally-ranked teams.
Since 2017, Iowa State has 10 wins vs. Top 25 teams, four vs. Top 10 teams and four vs. Top 25 teams on the road.
ISU’s 10 victories over Top 25 opponents since 2017 ranks in the Top 20 nationally during that span.
Ten of ISU’s 27 all-time wins over ranked opponents have occurred since 2017.
ISU has 10 wins in school history over ranked teams on the road with four occurring since 2017 (Oklahoma, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Texas).
ISU owns just four wins over Top 6 opponents in school history with three of them occurring since 2017 (Oklahoma, TCU, West Virginia).
Four of Iowa State’s 12 all-time wins over Top 10 teams have occurred since 2017.
Defeated a ranked team at home in each of the last five seasons (2017-21).
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 2:30 pm CT
UTEP Miners at Oklahoma Sooners
UTEP Miners
Notes
MINERS AT A GLANCE
UTEP TO PLAY AT NATIONAL POWER NO. 9 OKLAHOMA SATURDAY ON FOX
UTEP will take the road to Norman to take on no. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Miners and Sooners will kick off at 1:30 p.m. MT/2:30 CT on FOX. The Miners are making their first trip back to Norman since 2017.
300+ YARDS TOTAL OFFENSE IN 15 STRAIGHT GAMES
UTEP, dating back to Dec. 11, 2020, has hit 300+ yards of total offense in 15 straight games. It’s the longest streak since the Miners did so in 17 straight games from Oct. 9, 1999, to Nov. 11, 2000.
400 YARDS OF TOTAL OFFENSE
UTEP hit 400 yards of total offense against North Texas. It was the second game in a row that the Miners went for 400 or more dating back to Dec. 18, 2021, against Fresno State in New Mexico Bowl (401 yards).
WALTER’S & RONALD’S RETURN TO NORMAN
Walter Dawn Jr. will play at OU for the second time in his career. Dawn Jr. tallied a game-high 56 yards on seven attempts, and scored a 17-yard TD vs. the Sooners on Sept. 2, 2017. Ronald Awatt saw action on special teams.
GAME NO. 50 FOR WALTER
Walter Dawn Jr. returned to the gridiron and played in his 50th game, the most by any Miner in program history.
REY SHINES ON ‘915 NIGHT’
Redshirt senior WR Reynaldo Flores recorded his first career 100-yard game in his third career start. The 915 product set career highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (122) against North Texas
BIG GAME FROM TYRIN
Redshirt sophomore WR Tyrin Smith recorded his second career 100-yard game against North Texas. Smith tallied a career-high 127 yards on a career-best seven receptions and added a 32-yard TD.
UTEP VS. TOP 25 TEAMS
UTEP is 4-56 against teams in the Associated Press Top 25
SERIES BREAKDOWN
SERIES INFORMATION
Overall: OU leads 4-0-0
El Paso: OU leads 1-0-0
Norman: OU leads 3-0-0
Neutral: n/a
Postseason: n/a
Most UTEP Points: 14 (OU, 55-14, 2000)
Most OU Points: 68 (OU, 68-0, 2002)
Most Combined Points: 69 (OU, 55-14, 2000)
Biggest UTEP Win: n/a
Biggest UNT Win: 68 (68-0, 2002)
First Meeting: OU won 55-14 in Norman (09.02.00)
Last Meeting: OU won 56-7 in Norman (09.02.17)
Streak: OU, W4
MINER NOTABLES
SERIES VS. OU
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 4-0. The Sooners won the last meeting, 56-7, on Sept. 2, 2017, in Norman. Walter Dawn Jr. tallied a game-high 56 yards and scored a touchdown. OU’s Baker Mayfield finished 19-of-20 for 329 yards and four TDs, while Kyler Murray went 10-of-11 for 149 yards and a score. OU won the first ever meeting, 55-14, on Sept. 2, 2000.
SCOUTING OU
The Sooners’ program saw changes during the off-season after finishing 11-2 (7-2 Big 12) in 2021 under then-head coach Lincoln Riley. Since then, former Clemson defensive coordinator, Brent Venables is at the helm in his FBS head coaching debut. Junior WR Marvin Mims returns for the Sooners after leading OU with 705 yards on 32 receptions (22.0 avg) and five touchdowns. UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel was named the starting quarterback. Gabriel played in 26 games, while starting 25 for the Knights. He completed over 60 percent of his passes and threw 70 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions. Senior transfer from Tennessee Eric Gray is unofficially first on the depth chart at the running back position. Gray ran for 1,723 yards in three seasons with the Volunteers and added 15 total touchdowns (10 rush, 5 rec.). His best season came in 2020 when he rushed for 772 yard in nine games. McKade Mettauer, a transfer from Cal, will make his OU debut at the left guard position. Mettauer played in 29 career games at Cal, while earning All-Pac-12 second team (PFF) honors and honorable mention (Pac-12 coaches). On defense, fifth-year senior NT Jeffery Johnson transferred from Tulane. Johnson played in 49 games and started 44. He tallied 136 tackles with 14.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks and three forced fumbles during his career. In 2021, Johnson posted a career-best 44 stops. Venables received another fifth-year senior transfer in defensive back Trey Morrison from North Carolina. Morrison played in 44 games at UNC, tallying 163 tackles with 11.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and two interceptions.
UTEP VS. TOP 25 TEAMS
UTEP is 4-56 against teams in the Associated Press Top 25. Its last win versus a top 25 opponent came against no. 12 Houston on Oct. 3, 2009, in the Sun Bowl. The Miners are 1-37 on the road with their lone victory coming Nov. 2, 1974, at no. 14 Arizona State.
Oklahoma Sooners
Notes
OPENING KICK
No. 9/9 Oklahoma begins its 128th season of varsity football when it plays host to UTEP on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by FOX with Jason Benetti and Brock Huard announcing.
Saturday’s game will mark the first in the head coaching career of Brent Venables, who was hired by OU on Dec. 5 after spending the last 10 years coordinating Clemson’s defense. Venables returns to Norman, where he served as OU’s linebackers coach from 1999-2011 (was co-defensive coordinator from 1999-2003 and associate head coach and defensive coordinator from 2004-2011). He has coached in eight national championship games between his time at OU and Clemson (four at each school), winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018. In 26 years as a full-time assistant coach, Venables’ teams have had 26 winning seasons, won 13 conference titles, have been to 30 bowl games (includes four College Football Playoff National Championship games) and won at least 10 games 21 times.
Oklahoma is 98-23-6 all-time in season openers and has won its last five such contests and 11 of its last 12. The Sooners are 79-15-4 in their first game of a season at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923 and is in its 100th year. OU has won 16 straight openers at home (last such loss was a 17-10 defeat vs. TCU in 2005).
Saturday’s contest will mark the 1,312th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth in college football history with their .728 all-time winning percentage (928-331-53 record). They trail Ohio State (.732), Alabama (.731), Notre Dame (.730) and Michigan (.729). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 684 wins (38 more than Alabama, the program with the next most) and with its .771 winning percentage.
This marks the 23rd straight season the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason AP poll. They have been ranked 10th or better in 20 of the last 22 preseason polls. OU has also ended each of the last seven seasons ranked in the AP top 10, its first time to accomplish the feat since 1971-80 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer.
After finishing tied for second place at 7-2 in conference play last season, OU failed to qualify for the Big 12 Championship game, snapping a string of six straight league crowns. The Sooners had won their six consecutive titles (2015-2020) in outright fashion, becoming, with Clemson the same years, the first Power Five program to win at least six straight outright conference championships since OU claimed 12 Big Six/Seven crowns in a row under legendary head coach Bud Wilkinson (1948-59).
Seventeen of the Sooners’ previous 22 head coaches (and nine of the last 10) won their OU head coaching debut. The only five who didn’t were John Harts (1895), Fred Roberts (1901), Tom Stidham (1937), Jim Tatum (1946) and John Blake (1996).
UTEP, which is in its fifth year under head coach Dana Dimel, went 7-6 last season and finished fourth in the seven-team Conference USA West Division with a 4-4 record. The Miners received a berth to the New Mexico Bowl where they lost 31-24 to Fresno State. UTEP was picked sixth out of 11 teams in this year’s Conference USA preseason media poll.
The Miners opened their 2022 season on Saturday with a 31-13 home conference loss to North Texas. UTEP outgained the Mean Green by one yard (400-399) but was outscored 17-0 in the second half after trailing 14-13 at halftime. Quarterback Gavin Hardison completed 21 of 48 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown without an interception. Tyrin Smith, who caught seven passes for 127 yards, scored on a 32-yard second-quarter reception and Gavin Baechle kicked field goals of 29 and 26 yards
KEY STORYLINES
Oklahoma is 4-0 all-time against UTEP, with three of those contests serving as season openers. The Sooners posted season-debut wins over the Miners in 2000 (55-14 in Norman; OU went on to win the national championship), 2012 (24-7 in El Paso) and 2017 (56-7 in Norman). They also won a 68-0 home contest in 2002. The combined score in the four games was 203-28 (average of 51-7).
Over the four previous series meetings, OU outgained the Miners by an average margin of 515-246 yards per game. The Sooners posted an average rushing advantage of 135-125 yards per contest, and an average passing advantage of 335-121. OU also forced 13 turnovers in the four games while committing three (all in the 2000 matchup).
After five years of being led by a head coach with an offensive background, the Sooners are under the direction of a head coach with a defensive background in Brent Venables. Venables is coming off a 10-year stint as defensive coordinator at Clemson, and helped the Tigers rank first nationally in sacks (445; next most was 392), tackles for loss (1,147) and opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.2%), second in opponent pass efficiency rating (111.1) and takeaways (244; tied), third in scoring defense (17.8 ppg) and opponent completion percentage (53.3), fourth in total defense (311.4 ypg) and pass defense (190.5 ypg), fifth in interceptions (148) and sixth in rushing defense (120.9 ypg).
With UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel taking the reins of the Oklahoma offense, the Sooners will debut a new starting quarterback in the season opener for the fifth time in the last six years (Baker Mayfield in 2017, Kyler Murray in 2018, Jalen Hurts in 2019 and Spencer Rattler in 2020 and ’21). Despite missing UCF’s final 10 games last season due to injury, Gabriel ranks third in the nation over the last three years with his 70 touchdown throws. In his 26-game career (25 starts), he has completed 60.7% of his passes (554 of 913) for 8,037 yards while rushing for 372 yards and eight TDs. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 26 games, at least two in 20 contests and at least four in seven outings.
Former OU offensive lineman then student assistant Jeff Lebby is in his first season as the Sooners’ offensive coordinator after leading some of the top offenses in the country the last three years at Ole Miss (2020-21) and UCF (2019). His units the last three seasons have each ranked in the top six nationally in total offense and in the top 25 in scoring offense. Notably, his 2020 Ole Miss unit broke the SEC record for total offense in conference play (562.4 ypg), the first of two consecutive years he was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. Gabriel and Lebby teamed up at UCF in 2019, Gabriel’s freshman year, as the Golden Knights set a school record and ranked second nationally in total offense (540.5 ypg) and ranked fifth in the country in scoring offense (43.4 ppg). UCF in 2019 was one of only two offenses in the nation that year to average more than 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game. The other was Oklahoma. Gabriel passed for more than 3,600 yards and 29 touchdowns that year in Lebby’s offense.
The Sooners return exactly two pass attempts from last season, both from current redshirt freshman walk-on Ralph Rucker. OU’s quarterbacks besides Gabriel and Rucker are redshirt sophomore Micah Bowens (did not see game action at OU last season after transferring from Penn State), redshirt junior Davis Beville (played in three games at Pitt last season), sophomore General Booty (Tyler Junior College transfer who led the NJCAA in 2021 with 3,410 passing yards and ranked fourth with 27 TD passes) and freshman Nick Evers (a consensus four-star prospect who was rated as the No. 4 dual-threat QB in the 2022 class by Rivals). u Forty-seven of OU’s 115 players (41%) are new to the program this season, while 60 players (52%) have never played in a game for the Sooners. Of the 47 new players, 23 are on offense, 21 are on defense and three are specialteamers (one kicker, one punter and one long snapper).
HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Oklahoma is 130-11 (.922) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, giving the Sooners three more Big 12 championships over the last 23 years (14) than home defeats. It is the best home winning percentage among Power Five schools over the last 23 seasons (Ohio State is next at .892). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 43-17 in those games.
The Sooners have posted 140 straight sellouts of originally scheduled home games dating back to the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops’ first as head coach). Only Nebraska (FBS-record 381) has a longer current streak nationally.
OU has recorded 41 unbeaten seasons at home, including 15 in the last 23 years
EXTRA POINTS
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and UTEP head coach Dana Dimel were on staff together at Kansas State in the 1990s. Venables served as a K-State graduate assistant during the 1993-95 seasons and linebackers coach from 1996-98 (also defensive run game coordinator in 1998). Dimel was the Wildcats’ offensive line coach from 1989-96 (run game coordinator in 1993-94 and offensive coordinator in 1995-96) before becoming head coach at Wyoming. The 1996 season is the only one they were both K-State full-time assistant coaches. The Wildcats went 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play in the first season of the Big 12, and lost 19-15 to BYU in the Cotton Bowl. It was KSU’s first ever major bowl game (current New Year’s Six) and just its fifth bowl game in program history.
The Sooners are 17-3 all-time as the No. 9-ranked team in the AP poll (10-3 at home). OU’s last game played as the ninth-ranked team was in 2019 (42-41 victory over Iowa State at home). Oklahoma last lost as the AP’s ninth-ranked team in 1993 (27-10 to No. 20 Colorado).
Since 2000, OU is the only program in the country that has not had a losing record in any season.
OU has won 77 straight games when holding opponents to 23 or fewer points. The last time OU held an opponent to 23 or fewer points and lost was in 2009 (fell 10-3 at Nebraska on Nov. 7).
Over the last 10 seasons, the Sooners are 81-5 when scoring at least 35 points and 70-3 when scoring at least 40.
Oklahoma has registered winning streaks of at least seven games in a school-record seven straight seasons. The previous program record for seven-game winning streaks was six consecutive campaigns (1953-58) under Bud Wilkinson. Since 1980, only Boise State (11 straight seasons; 2002-12) and Alabama (10 straight seasons; 2011-20) have also posted winning streaks of at least seven games in seven consecutive years.
Over the last seven seasons (since the start of 2015), OU leads the country with its 5.5 yards per rush and ranks fifth nationally (second in Power Five) with its 231 rushing TDs.
The Sooners are tied for third with their four College Football Playoff appearances (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019). They are the only Big 12 program to qualify for the CFP.
Oklahoma is tied for the national lead with five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. OU has produced three No. 1 overall picks in the last 13 years alone. No other school has produced more than one during that period.
The Sooners have won just two fewer Big 12 title the last seven seasons (six) than they have lost games against Big 12 opponents (59-8 record; includes four Big 12 Championship games).
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 6:00 pm CT
Albany Great Danes at Baylor Bears
Albany Great Danes
Notes
QUICK SLANTS
• Saturday’s matchup against the No. 10 ranked Baylor Bears will be the highest ranked FBS opponent UAlbany has ever faced. It is also the first time UALbany will face off against the team from Waco.
• The Great Danes entered training camp with a four-way competition at quarterback. Sophomore transfer Reese Poffenbarger was named QB1 for the season opener, but Coach Gattuso has publicly stated that the competition could last well into the season. Expect to also see quarterbacks Joey Carino and Tyler Szalkowski enter the game.
• Jared Ambrose enters his first year at UAlbany as the team’s Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach. Ambrose has a long history
of offensive success with other CAA teams such as Towson and Delaware.
• Tyler Pastula has a booming kick – something the Great Danes need. The transfer from Delaware was named Preseason All-CAA on Special Teams, an area UAlbany struggled in mightily last season.
NEWS AND NOTES
Scouting Baylor
Baylor finished as the No. 5 team in the entire country last season at the FBS level, narrowly missing the College Football Playoff. The Bears boasted a record of 12-2, going a perfect 7-0 at home in McLane Stadium. The team’s lone two losses came on the road against Oklahoma State (14-24) and TCU (28-30). Baylor capped the season on a high note, winning the final five games of the season. The final two games of the season were wins against No. 7 Oklahoma (21-16) and No. 8 Ole Miss (21-7) in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship and the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
TEAM NOTES
New Look Offense
The UAlbany offense looks much different heading into the 2022 season. Jared Ambrose joins as the team’s new Offensive Coordinator after most recently serving as the OC for CAA rival Delaware. While with the Blue Hens, Ambrose’s offensive unit produced record-setting numbers on its way to a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and FCS Semifinal appearance in 2020-21. Running back Dejoun Lee was selected as the CAA Offensive Player of the Year, the third that Ambrose has coached, and quarterback Nolan Henderson was one of the nation’s most-efficient passers. Ambrose’s offense that year ranked fifth in the nation and first in the CAA in time of possession.
Another new face joining Ambrose on the coaching staff is Wide Receivers Coach Kashif Moore. Moore was a four-year letter winner at the University of Connecticut where he was elected team captain as a senior and graduated while ranking in the top 10 in program history in receptions. He competed in three postseason games, including catching four passes for 62 yards against Oklahoma in the 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – the program’s first-ever BCS Bowl game. He was invited to the 2011 NFL Combine and later signed contracts with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Moore and Ambrose will have plenty of new offensive weapons heading into the new year, including four potential starting quarterbacks, a new RB1 in Pitt transfer Todd Sibley, and a slew of new wide receivers to throw the ball to.
Putt Putt Quarterback Challenge
The Great Danes entered this year’s training camp with a four-way battle for the starting quarterback job. Returning to the roster this year is sophomore signal caller Joey Carino and freshman Tyler Szalkowski. They are joined by transfers Reese Poffenbarger (Sophomore, Old Dominion) and Matt Valecce (Graduate, Boston College/Colorado State). All four took reps with the first team offense during camp. To decide the order in which they would get first team reps before the start of training camp, Head Coach Greg Gattuso took an unusual, but fair, approach – which included a golf putter. All four quarterbacks got a chance in the football coaches’ office to sink a putt, with the two closest to the “pin” getting the first reps with the starting offense. The winners? Poffenbarger and Szalkowski. Heading into the start of the season, Poffenbarger officially earned the title “QB1” after a strong showing at camp. Both Carino and Szalkowshi are listed in the number two spot on the depth chart. However, Coach Gattuso clarified to the media that the starting quarterback position would be an open battle that could last a few weeks into the season.
Preseason Honors
UAlbany was picked to finish in 12th place in this year’s CAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The low mark comes as no surprise as the team comes off a year in which they went 2-9. The last time the Great Danes finished with a similar record was in 2018, when the team finished with a 3-8 mark. The next year though? The Great Danes went 9-5 overall and won their first ever postseason game, a 42-14 clobbering against CCSU. Linebacker Jackson Ambush (Defense) and punter Tyler Pastula (Special Teams) both received preseason conference honors. In addition, defensive lineman Anthony Lang was named Honorable Mention. Ambush led the team in total tackles last season as a freshman. Pastula transferred from CAA foe Delaware, but not before being named All-CAA First Team and collecting two Special Teams Player of the Week awards in 2021. Meet the Leadership Council Every year, the UAlbany players and coaching staff elect a “Leadership Council” comprised of guys who show an extortionary level of leadership both on and off the field. This year’s council is comprised of eight total student-athletes, five coming from the offensive side of the ball and three coming from the defensive side. Players on this year’s council include offensive lineman Scott Houseman, quarterback Joey Carino, tight end Thomas Greaney, center Kobe Thomas, linebacker Jackson Ambush, linebacker AJ Mistler, running back Todd Sibley, and defensive back Larry Walker Jr.
Coach G Gets a New Deal
In late December, UAlbany Director of Athletics Mark Benson announced that Coach Gattuso had signed a contract extension through the 2024 season. Benson was quoted as saying “Greg has done a tremendous job guiding our football program to new heights during his tenure here. Although 2021 didn’t produce the desired outcome we were hoping for, we have confidence in coach Gattuso leading the team moving forward.” In 2019 under Gattuso, the Great Danes saw record-breaking performances en route to a 9-5 overall record and their first-ever FCS playoff game, a 42-14 win over Central Connecticut. Gattuso was named the 2019 CAA Coach of the Year and was a also a finalist for the STATS Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the top head coach in FCS Football, for his efforts in making the Great Danes one of the nation’s top contenders. When asked on the subject, Gattuso added “I’m very thankful to President Havidán Rodríguez and Mark Benson for this contract extension and the opportunity to continue to build this football program to be a top contender in the CAA. Mark and I talked about this after 2019, one of the best seasons in this program’s history, and I’m glad we could get it done so now we can continue our focus on 2022.”
Welcome to the CAA
This summer, the CAA announced the addition of two new conference members for football – Hampton University and Monmouth University. The Great Danes are one of the first teams that get to “welcome” the two new challengers to the conference. UAlbany’s second CAA game of the year is schedule for Oct. 8 on the road against the Hawks, followed by a home contest the following week against the Pirates at Casey Stadium.
Baylor Bears
Notes
STORY LINES
• Baylor enters the 2022 season coming off the best season in school history, shattering the program standard with 12 wins while winning the 2021 Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl.
• The Bears must replace six selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, including safety Jalen Pitre (second round, Texans), wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (second round, Patriots), safety JT Woods (third round, Chargers), linebacker Terrel Bernard (third round, Bills), running back Trestan Ebner (sixth round, Bears) and cornerback Kalon Barnes (seventh round, Panthers).
• BU is under the direction of third-year head coach Dave Aranda, the 2021 George Munger and Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. Aranda took over prior to the 2020 season after a historic run for four years as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at LSU, helping the Tigers to the 2019 National Championship and 2019 Southeastern Conference Championship.
• After being picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 in the preseason in 2021, the Bears finished the season with the league crown, a school-record 12-2 record, the 2021 Sugar Bowl Championship and a No. 5 national ranking – the highest final season ranking in program annals. BU enters the season as the preseason pick to win the Big 12.
• The Bears were led by a stingy defensive attack in 2021 that held every opponent to 30-points or fewer, one of only three teams in the nation to accomplish the feat.
• BU’s offensive attack in 2021 was led by a rushing game that ranked 10th nationally in yards per game (219.3) and yards per rush (5.37), while Abram Smith set school record for single-season rushing yards (1,621) and nine 100+ yard rushing outings.
• Baylor returns the second-most games played among its four returning starting offensive linemen in the nation. The Bears are led on the front five by preseason All-America selections in Connnor Galvin and Jacob Gall.
• Defensive lineman Siaki Ika is a preseason All-American by five outlets, including Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, Associated Press, Pro Football Network and Pick Six Preview. Ika was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2021.
• BU’s defense has forced a turnover in 22-straight games.
SERIES HISTORY, BAYLOR HISTORY VS. CURRENT FCS TEAMS
• This is the first meeting for the Bears and UAlbany and will serve as Baylor’s first meeting against a FCS since claiming a win over Stephen F. Austin in 2019.
• Baylor is 17-1 all-time against teams currently forming the FCS ranks, with the lone loss coming against Villanova in 1941.
• The Bears have faced Stephen F. Austin five times – its most games played against current FCS teams – and have faced Sam Houston four times.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
• UAlbany is under the direction of ninth-year head coach Greg Gattuso, a former star defensive lineman for Penn State, where he helped the Nittany Lions to the 1982 National Championship. Gattuso led UAlbany to a 9-5 record in 2019 and a berth in its first FCS Playoff Game, finishing with a 6-2 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. He took over the Great Danes after three years on the Maryland staff, as the defensive line and assistant head coach.
• The CAA is a traditional power in FCS with four teams ranked, and six receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Coaches Top-25 Poll. The Great Danes are picked to finish 12th in the CAA and enter the year with a pair of players named preseason all-league, including linebacker Jackson Ambush and punter Tyler Pastula. Defensive lineman Anthony Lang also earned honorable mention preseason accolades.
• UAlbany went 2-9 in 2021, winning two of its last three games after falling in eight consecutive to open the year, which featured narrow losses to ranked FCS teams in No. 5 Villanova and No. 9 Delaware.
• Sophomore QB Joey Carino is the leading passer returning after throwing for 530 yards with three TDs and is the leading returning rusher with 97 yards on 49 carries. Sophomore WR Roy Alexander caught a team-high 37 passes for 560 yards with three TDs. Sophomore WR Jackson Parker caught 32 balls for 461 yards and a score. Ambush led the team with 97 total tackles and five tackles for a loss.
NATION’S SECOND-MOST EXPERIENCED O-LINE
• Baylor returns four starters on the offensive line and has had five players return who have started at least eight games on the offensive line. This makes the Bears one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines returning in 2022.
• Only eight schools return five offensive line starters and 31 schools have at least four returning.
• The Bears rank second in the nation with 171 games played returning from their four returning starters with five BU offensive linemen combining to play in 201 career games.
• Only Wake Forest (172 career games played) has more returning games played among its returning starters. Baylor also ranks fifth nationally in career starts returning among its starters, behind only George State (141), Pitt (130), Georgia Southern (127) and UTSA (118).
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 6:00 pm CT
South Dakota Coyotes at Kansas State Wildcats
South Dakota Coyotes
Notes
Coaches: USD’s Bob Nielson (30th year as a head coach: 215-114-1 / 7th year at USD: 29-34); and Kansas State’s Chris Klieman (10th year as a head coach: 92-29 / 4th year at KSU: 20-16) Series: Kansas State leads 5-0 … KSU won 27-24 in 2018 … all five games played in Manhattan
About the Coyotes: South Dakota returned to the playoffs for the second time in four full seasons a year ago, and hosted an FCS playoff game for the first time … they got there with a balanced offense and the program’s best defense statistically at the FCS level (since 2009) … All-American MLB Jack Cochrane has graduated, but preseason A-A MLB Brock Mogensen is back along with seven other veteran starters on defense … QB Carson Camp has started all 16 games the past two seasons and was one of the most efficient passers in the FCS a year ago … RB Travis Theis is back and Shomari Lawrence has returned from injury … WR Carter Bell (41 rec, 673 yds, 5 TDs) returns as the team’s leading receiver About the Wildcats: Kansas State was 8-5 overall in 2021 including a win against LSU in the Texas Bowl … alum and former QB Collin Klein enters his first season as offensive coordinator and the program has brought veteran Adrian Martinez over from Nebraska to run the offense … RB Deuce Vaughn was a consensus all-American last year after leading the Wildcats in both rushing (1,404 yds, 18 TDs) and catches (49 rec, 468 yds, 4 TDs) … KSU runs a 3-3-5 defensive scheme … DE Felix AnudikeUzomah has 12 sacks and 15.5 TFL in 18 career games … WR/KR Malik Knowles has 16 career TDs
1 Welcome to 2022! South Dakota begins year seven under Bob Nielson coming off the program’s second FCS playoff appearance in the last four full seasons. The Coyotes were 7-5 last year, including a 5-3 record in the toughest conference in FCS football, the Missouri Valley Football Conference. That mark was good for third place in the league, USD’s best finish in 10 seasons. The program was rewarded by hosting its first NCAA playoff game in 35 seasons. USD was ranked 18/20 in the final rankings.
2 Great opportunity awaits. That’s the theme as South Dakota is set to tackle the toughest FCS schedule in the nation. In addition to facing Kansas State Saturday, the Coyotes will face the preseason No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the FCS within the first five weeks of play. Two of those three games are road contests. Beyond that, three more preseason top-25 teams are featured on the schedule. Such is life in the MVFC, which had a higher SOS than three FBS conferences in 2021 (Sun Belt, Mid-American, C-USA).
3 South Dakota returns to Manhattan for the first time since 2018 when the Coyotes took a 24-12 lead into the fourth quarter of a game Kansas State rallied to win 27-24. All was fine until Isaiah Zuber returned a punt 85 yards for the Wildcats’ first touchdown with 12:12 to play. His 10-yard touchdown catch with 7:21 left put Kansas State ahead. South Dakota was short on a game-tying, 51-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
4 Eight current Coyotes played in that 2018 contest: WR Jordan Sommerville (then a CB), S Isaiah McDaniels, CB Cameron Tisdale (3 tackles), LB Jonathan Joanis (3 tackles), LB Jakari Starling (1 tackle), LS Dalton Godfrey, TE Austin Goehring, LT Alex Jensen (then a TE).
5 Running back Travis Theis (Pratt, Kan.) returns for an encore in his home state. He ran 18 times for a game-high 96 yards in the season opener against Kansas last season. His 25-yard touchdown run with 5:13 to go put the Coyotes ahead 14-10. Kansas drove 64 yards in 11 plays for the game-winning touchdown with 1:10 left. Theis went on to finish as the Valley’s eighth-leading rusher with 677 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.
6 Future Coyote schedules feature Missouri (season opener 2023), Wisconsin (2024) and Iowa State (season opener 2025).
7 South Dakota football received Sports Illustrated’s Play of the Year Award last December. Trailing 20-17 with :01 left against rival South Dakota State, Carson Camp completed a 57-yard Hail Mary to Jeremiah Webb for the winning score that ultimately clinched the Coyotes’ playoff bid. Camp and Webb received the award on behalf of the football program during a ceremony held Dec. 7 in Hollywood, Florida. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal presented the award.
8 Camp, a sophomore eligibility wise, is back for his third season as the starting quarterback. In 16 starts, he has thrown for more than 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns. He completed 65 percent of his passes last year and his 149 passer rating ranked 14th nationally. Aidan Bouman, a redshirt freshman transfer from Iowa State, is listed second on the initial depth chart. He is the son of former NFL QB Todd Bouman.
9 Theis heads a running back group that lost Nate Thomas to a non-contact, season-ending injury last spring. Thomas was USD’s leading rusher last year as a true freshman despite not seeing the field until week three. Thomas emerged when Shomari Lawrence was injured in week four. Lawrence (33 rush, 160 yds in 2021) is eager to return to the field this season. The Coyotes also feature Mike Mansaray, who broke out with a 141-yard and two touchdown performance last season in a week three win.
10 Camp and company will operate behind an offensive line that brings back four of five starters. Left tackle Alex Jensen was a tight end when he came to Manhattan back in 2018, but returns as a veteran left tackle and a preseason all-American. Another veteran, Isaac Erbes, returns at right guard. Joey Lombard moves from left guard to center. Bryce Henderson, a redshirt freshman, has won a fall camp battle for the open position and is set to make his collegiate debut. Colton Harberts returns to right tackle. Only one Valley team, NDSU, averaged more running plays per game a year ago. The Coyotes averaged 170 yards on the ground and 206 through the air in 2021.
11 We will meet new receivers this year. Of the 199 receptions recorded a year ago, 110 came from players not making the trip to Manhattan. Carter Bell, the team’s leading receiver last year, is back. He had 41 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. The only other active receiver (not tight end or running back) who logged a catch last year is Wesley Eliodor, who caught nine passes for 108 yards and a score.
12 Javion Phelps, a redshirt freshman from Orlando, Florida, has earned the opening day start alongside Bell and Eliodor on the Yotes first depth chart. Fellow redshirt Jack Martens, Montana State transfer Jamahd Monroe and senior Jordan Sommerville, who began at USD as a cornerback, are also featured at wide out. Andrew Jacobs is a true freshman from Baltimore, Maryland, who has had a terrific fall camp. Parker
Rickert is a graduate transfer from Iowa State.
13 It has taken three short seasons – including a COVID year – for defensive coordinator Travis Johansen to take South Dakota’s defense to new heights. Last year’s squad allowed 344 yards and 20 points per game, both of which are program bests at the FCS level. The run defense, which had allowed more than 200 yards per game in three of the prior five seasons, held foes to 121 yards a contest, a top-25 ranking that is best at USD since 2009.
14 Eight projected starters on defense have significant starting experience at USD. Michael Scott isn’t included in that group, but he certainly has experience. Scott is a graduate transfer from Akron who played in 27 games over the last three seasons for the Zips. He is slotted into Johansen’s edge rush linebacker position, previously held by Jacob Matthew who led USD in sacks and tackles-for-loss in each of the last three seasons.
15 Coach Nielson said in fall camp that his depth at defensive back is as good as its been in his seven seasons at USD. Several starting cornerbacks return, Josiah Ganues was an instant hit at safety last year, and Josh Manchigiah figures to work in with Dennis Shorter for the other safety spot vacated by 2021 team captain Elijah Reed. Manchigiah is a seventh-year player who logged more than 50 games at rival South Dakota State over the last five seasons. He brings career marks of more than 150 tackles and seven interceptions to the Coyotes’ back line.
16 Veterans DeValon Whitcomb and Jackson Coker have graduated on the defensive line. Young stars Nick Gaes, Brendan Webb and Micah Roane return. Blake Holden is poised for a larger role at tackle after competing in five games last year and redshirt freshman Earl Miller Jr. is poised to make his collegiate debut Saturday. New additions there include Ben Gansallo, a graduate transfer who started four games for New Mexico in 2019, but played in six games since. Mi’Quise Grace is a true freshman who performed well in fall camp.
17 For the first time in Bob Nielson’s 30 years of coaching, a special teams player has been voted a team captain. That player is all-American long snapper Dalton Godfrey, who doubles as an academic all-American. Godfrey will be working with two new specialists this year and both are seniors. Eddie Ogamba, who transferred from Iowa State prior to last season, has won the kicking duties. John Bickle, who had success at Division III Wheaton College last year, is the punter.
18 South Dakota was one of 10 FCS teams that returned both a kickoff and punt back for a touchdown during the regular season last year. Wesley Eliodor had a 99-yard kickoff return against Missouri State. Carter Bell had a 47-yard punt return for a score against North Dakota State.
19 Ron Crook coached in a College Football Playoff semifinal game with Cincinnati last season. Crook is a long time offensive line coach, but is USD’s special teams coordinator and works primarily with the tight end group.
Kansas State Wildcats
Notes
THE TOP 5
K-State opens its 127th season of football on Saturday when the Wildcats host South Dakota in a 6 p.m. contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It is the third time in the last eight years the Wildcats and Coyotes will open up a season after having previously met in the 2015 and 2018 season openers. K-State won the 2015 contest, 35-0, before earning a come-from-behind 27-24 victory in 2018.
1 – Running back Deuce Vaughn returns for his junior year after being named a Consensus All-American in 2021, the 11th in school history. He is one of just six Consensus All-Americans returning from last season and the fi rst Wildcat to return after a Consensus All-America campaign since David Allen in 1999. He could move into the top 10 in school history in career all-purpose yards on Saturday, needing 57 yards.
2 – Senior Adrian Martinez will start at quarterback for the Wildcats after spending the previous four seasons at Nebraska. He is the fi rst K-State quarterback to start a season opener after transferring from a Division I school since Matt Miller (Texas A&M) started the 1994 opener. However, he is the first ever to come straight from one Division I school and start the next year’s season opener.
3 – K-State returns seven starters on defense from a year ago, a majority of those coming along the defensive line and at cornerback. Expected to start on Saturday after starting 10 or more games last season are nose guard Eli Huggins, defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah and corners Ekow Boye-Doe and Julius Brents. Also, safety TJ Smith is back after starting seven games a year ago.
4 – Deuce Vaughn needs 57 all-purpose yards to enter K-State’s top-10 list. He enters his junior campaign ranking fifth in school history in all-purpose yards per game (134.5).
5 – Known for its special teams prowess, K-State brings back both of its primary returners in Malik Knowles (kickoff s) and Phillip Brooks (punts), each of whom have garnered All-America status in their disciplines during their careers. Sixth-year punter Ty Zentner is also back, while Chris Tennant, who ended the year as the primary place kicker, returns for his true sophomore season.
CATS IN LID LIFTERS
• Entering its 127th year of football, Kansas State holds an all-time record of 86-35-5 (70.2%) in season openers, including a 28-4 (87.5%) mark since 1990.
• Chris Klieman, who enters his 10th year as a head coach, has earned a 7-2 (77.8%) record in season openers.
HOME OPENERS
• All-time, Kansas State is 93-28-5 (75.8%) in home openers, while head coach Chris Klieman is 7-2 (77.8%) in home openers as a head coach.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES
• Since 1990, K-State holds a 92-18 (83.2%) record in regular-season non-conference games.
• That stretch includes a 78-8 (90.7%) mark at home. During those 30 years (excluding the one-game non-conference schedule in 2020), the Wildcats have had perfect regular season non-conference ledgers 17 times and unblemished marks at home on 24 occasions, which included last season.
A WINNING TRADITION
• Kansas State has been one of the best Big 12 teams since the inception of the conference in 1996. The Wildcats are third with 126 victories, trailing only Oklahoma and Texas.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at 57.6% (57-42), trailing only Oklahoma (81.6%; 80-18) and Oklahoma State (66.7%; 66-33).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 32-18 (64.0%) at home in Big 12 play and 25-24 (51.0%) on the road.
A WINNING HISTORY
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 92-29 career record, as his 76.0% career winning percentage ranks third among current FBS coaches that have led programs for at least nine years.
• Klieman, who is 20-16 since arriving at K-State, came to Manhattan after capping his five-year stint as head coach at North Dakota State by winning his fourth national championship in 2018. He guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
KLEIN TAKES OVER AS OC
• A 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and one of the best signal callers in school history, Collin Klein enters his first season as K-State’s offensive coordinator.
• Klein is one of just four Power 5 offensive coordinators to play quarterback at the school in which they work. The other three
are Brandon Streeter (Clemson), Tommy Rees (Notre Dame) and Tavita Pritchard (Stanford).
• Klein was promoted to interim offensive coordinator for the TaxAct Texas Bowl, and all he did was direct the Wildcats to 42 points – their highest output of the season and third highest in school bowl history – while their 442 yards of total offense was the second-best output of the 2021 season and ranked fifth in K-State bowl history.
• Klein was a co-offensive coordinator for one season at K-State (2018), as he begins a run as the Wildcats’ sole offensive play-caller for the first time in his career.
RANKING HIGHLY IN 2021
• K-State returns 24 letter-winners – including six starters – from an offense that ranked highly in school history in many statistical categories.
• The 2021 Wildcats set the school record for completion percentage (69.59) and ranked third in yards per play (6.30). They also finished sixth in rushing yards per carry (4.83), seventh in passing efficiency (146.6), eighth in completions (204) and ninth in yards per pass attempt (8.36).
POINTS PER GAME GOING UP?
• One area in which K-State may improve this season in points per game. The Wildcats averaged 27.5 points per game in 2021, but they have two of the top scorers in the nation on their roster.
• Entering the 2022 season, running back Deuce Vaughn ranks first nationally among all active non-kickers in career points per game (8.1), while quarterback Adrian Martinez is third (5.5).
AN EXPERIENCED QB
• One of the top transfer quarterbacks in the 2022 cycle landed at Kansas State in Adrian Martinez, who spent the previous four seasons at Nebraska.
• A career 38-game starter for the Huskers, Martinez set 17 school records, including career total offense (10,792) and completions (670).
• Martinez enters the 2022 campaign as one of only two active quarterbacks in the nation with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career. He is tops among active quarterbacks in career rushing attempts (508), second in rushing touchdowns (35) and rushing yards (2,301) by a quarterback, and third in total offense (10,792) and points per game among non-kickers (5.5).
MIX OF NEW AND OLD
• The blueprint for success has been established for the offensive line under coach Conor Riley since he came to Manhattan with Chris Klieman in 2019. That should make for a smooth transition for three new starters in 2022.
• Junior Cooper Beebe, a 2021 First Team All-Big 12 performer who is a Preseason All-American and on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, is back and will start the season at left guard, but he can still play tackle.
• Another 13-game starter lines up at right tackle in Christian Duffie, a player who has started 21-consecutive games for the Wildcats, the most on the team.
• However, K-State will be replacing the interior of the offensive line with some mix of Hayden Gillum, Hadley Panzer and Taylor Poitier.
VAUGHN RETURNS AFTER ALL-AMERICAN SEASON
• One of the top returning players in all of college football by multiple media outlets, running back Deuce Vaughn will look to improve upon his 2021 campaign in which he became the 11th Consensus All-American in school history.
• A product of Round Rock, Texas, Vaughn is one of just six Consensus All-Americans returning from last season, joining Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr., Michigan kicker Jake Moody and USF returner Brian Battie.
• Vaughn, who earned First Team All-America honors by the Associated Press and Sporting News, enters the 2022 season ranking first nationally among all active non-kickers in career points scored per game (8.1), second among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (134.48), and fifth in total touchdowns (31) and rushing yards per carry (5.8).
• Vaughn is coming off a season in which he was one of only three players in the nation with 1,000 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards, while he ranked fourth nationally with 22 touchdowns and was fifth in points per game (10.2).
DEFENSIVE NOTES
A BIG TURNAROUND
• The K-State defense switched from a four-man front to a three-man front in 2021, and the change paid off in spades as the Wildcats trimmed 11.2 points and 100.0 yards per game allowed off their averages from the year prior.
• Those categories were just some of the major improvements from years past.
FEWER EXPLOSIVES
• One area of emphasis for the Wildcat defense in 2021 was to limit opponents’ explosive plays, and the Wildcats made headway in that area by allowing 3.5 plays per game of 20 or more yards.
• It was the lowest per game mark allowed by K-State since the 2014 squad surrendered 3.3 plays per game of 20 or more yards (43 plays in 13 games).
• K-State’s 48 total plays allowed of 20 or more yards last year tied for the 18th fewest in the nation last season and ranked second in the Big 12.
FEW FIRST DOWNS
• The Wildcats also ranked highly in the nation in fewest first downs allowed, surrendering 17.9 per game to rank 20th in the nation.
• K-State allowed 20 or fewer first downs in 10 of its 13 games in 2021, including five contests with 15 or fewer.
• It was the second time under head coach Chris Klieman that K-State ranked in the top 20 in that category having placed 17th at 17.2 first downs allowed per game in 2019.
• Since the NCAA made first downs an official statistic in 2008, the Wildcats have only been under 20 fi rst downs allowed per game on four occasions.
PLAYING BEHIND THE LINE
• K-State tallied 90 tackles for loss last year to rank 10th in school history and 26th in the nation. It was the second most by a K-State team since 2004 (2006 squad had 91) and was the Wildcats’ best national ranking since placing 18th in 2006.
• The Wildcats return 56 of those 90 TFLs from last year (62.2%), a majority coming from the top two in the category last year in linebacker Daniel Green (16.0) and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (14.5).
• K-State tallied at least six tackles for loss in 10 games last year, which included each of the fi nal six regular-season contests.
• The Wildcats tallied a season-high 10 TFLs against Baylor and TCU, while they had nine against West Virginia and Texas.
FINDING A NEW HOME
• K-State brought in eight transfers from either Division I or community college on the defensive side of the ball, including six that could see significant time early in the season.
• Transfers that are listed on the initial depth chart include safeties Drake Cheatum (Prairie View A&M), Josh Hayes (Virginia/North Dakota State) and Kobe Savage (Tyler JC), linebackers Gavin Forsha (Tyler JC) and Shawn Robinson (Missouri/TCU), and cornerback Jordan Wright (Fullerton College).
KING FELIX
• After making a name for himself in 2021, junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah will look to improve off an All-American campaign in which he was also named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year.
• A Preseason All-American by multiple outlets in addition to being named to the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award watch lists, Anudike-Uzomah finished the 2021 season tied for the national lead in forced fumble per game (0.46), while he ranked 11th nationally and second among sophomores in sacks per game (0.85).
• Anudike-Uzomah has six forced fumbles in his career, needing just two enter the school’s top-fi ve list.
• A product of Kansas City, Missouri, Anudike-Uzomah enters his junior campaign ranked second nationally in career forced fumbles per game (0.33) and third in career sacks per game (0.67), while he is 6.5 sacks shy of entering K-State’s career top-10 list.
GREEN MEANS GO
• Linebacker Daniel Green is back for his senior season after leading the team in both tackles (89) and tackles for loss (16.0) last year enroute to All-Big 12 honors.
• He ranked 18th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 with 5.3 solo tackles per game last season. He also finished eighth in the Big 12 with 6.85 tackles per game, the highest ranking by a Wildcat since 2017.
• During the 2021 season, Green totaled at least nine tackles five times, including a season high 11 against Baylor.
• Green enters his senior campaign with 162 career tackles, which is 88 shy of becoming the 27th player in school history with 250 career stops. He would be the first one to accomplish that feat since 2014.
• Of his 162 career tackles, 115 are solo stops as he is 54 shy of entering the school’s top-10 list.
OLD FACE, NEW PLACE
• Safety Josh Hayes is entering his sixth year of college football and third school after transferring in the spring from Virginia to K-State.
• However, Hayes, a product of Lakeland, Florida, is reuniting with head coach Chris Klieman and defensive coordinator/ safeties coach Joe Klanderman in Manhattan after the trio were together at North Dakota State. Hayes played as a true freshman and sophomore in 2017 and 2018 under Klieman before he became the K-State head coach for the 2019 season.
• Hayes saw time in all 15 games in 2017, including his fi rst-career start in the national championship when NDSU topped James Madison. He went on to play 37 more games with 24 more starts for the Bison before transferring to Virginia for the 2021 season, playing in three games before utilizing his redshirt and transferring to K-State.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• One of the main reasons the Wildcats have been a successful program the last three decades is a knack for momentum-swinging plays in the return game.
• Since 2005 (17 seasons), the Wildcats have a combined 58 kickoff – and punt-return touchdowns, 21 more than second-place Alabama (37) and 26 more than the next closest Big 12 team (Oklahoma State – 32).
• Of the 58 total returns, a nation-leading 31 are on kickoff returns. The next closest team is San Diego State with 19.
• With the Wildcats’ blocked punt-return touchdown against West Virginia last year, K-State has now tallied a punt-return score in every season since 2014, as the eight-year stretch is the longest in school history. The score against the Mountaineers was the only punt-return touchdown in the Big 12 in 2021.
DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNS
• On the flipside, K-State has excelled in kickoff -return defense, as the Wildcats have gone 111-consecutive games and 357 kickoff returns defended without allowing a score. The last team to take one to paydirt on K-State was Louisiana in 2013.
• Entering the 2022 season, K-State’s 111-game streak is tied for sixth in the nation with New Mexico behind Florida State (234), Memphis (169), Akron (132), Virginia Tech (116) and UTEP (114).
• The Wildcats have tallied 14 kickoff -return scores since surrendering their last one.
KNOWLES WITH A KNACK
• Malik Knowles is the latest Wildcat with a knack for kickoff returns as he was a 2021 Second Team All-American by Phil Steele and a 2022 Preseason All-American by multiple outlets.
• Knowles was the 2021 First Team All-Big 12 kick returner, marking the 15th time in the 26-year history of the Big 12 that K-State had a First Team All-Big 12 returner. The next closest team is former Big 12 member Colorado with four.
• Knowles is tied for fourth in school history in both career and single-season kickoff return touchdowns, thanks to scores last year in back-to-back weeks at Oklahoma State and against Oklahoma.
• Knowles, who also had a 100-yard return in 2019 at Mississippi State, is tied for second nationally among active players with
three career kickoff -return scores.
• Knowles comes into the 2022 season ranked fourth in school history in career kickoff -return average and touchdowns, while he is tied for second nationally among active players in touchdowns and ranks fifth in average.
ZENTNER BACK FOR SENIOR SEASON
• Another All-Big 12 performer returns at punter, as Ty Zentner is taking advantage of a second senior season in 2022 after averaging 43.5 yards per punt a year ago to tie for fifth in school history.
• His average would have ranked second in the Big 12 had he punted eight more times to reach the required minimum of attempts.
• Zentner was also the Wildcats’ primary kickoff man, totaling 36 touchbacks on his 67 kickoff s (53.7%), the most by a Wildcat since at least 2004.
TAKING A STEP FORWARD
• After serving as the primary place kicker each of the final five regular-season contests, Chris Tennant looks to hold down the spot during his second season in Manhattan.
• A true freshman in 2021, Tennant connected on 5-of-8 field goals and all 16 extra-point attempts as he became K-State’s first true freshman to make a field goal since 2001 (Joe Rheem).
• One of those makes was a 51-yarder at Texas, which tied for the longest by a true freshman in school history (Jaime Rheem, 1996 vs. Nebraska) and tied for the seventh longest by a true freshman during the 2021 season.
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 7:00 pm CT
ULM Warhawks at Texas Longhorns
ULM Warhawks
Notes
FIRST-AND-10 –
• ULM begins its 72nd season of football on Saturday at RV/No. 18 Texas. ULM is 320-446-8 since becoming a four-year institution prior to the 1951 season. In its 71-year football history, ULM is 30-39-2 (.437) in season openers, including a 5-5 record (.500) in its last 10 games.
• Saturday’s game marks the second meeting between ULM and Texas. The Longhorns won the only previous meeting, 59-20, on Sept. 5, 2009. Heisman Trophy finalist Colt McCoy threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Texas to the victory in front of a then-record crowd of 101,096 fans at Texas Memorial Stadium. Cody Johnson scored three touchdowns. For ULM, Trey Revell completed 14-of-30 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Luther Ambrose had a 75-yard TD reception, 25 rushing yards and 105 kick return yards.
• ULM has compiled an 0-12 record against current members of the Big 12 Conference (0-2 vs. Baylor, 0-2 vs. Iowa State, 0-1 vs. Kansas, 0-2 vs. Kansas State, 0-2 vs. Oklahoma, 0-1 vs. Oklahoma State, 0-1 vs. TCU and 0-1 vs. Texas).
• ULM’s 2022 roster features 29 players from the state of Texas, including four projected starters on offense and six on defense: quarterback Chandler Rogers (Mansfield, Lake Ridge High School), running back Andrew Henry (Dallas, Allen), wide receiver Zach Jackson (Grand Prairie, Lake Ridge), tight end Zach Rasmussen (Anna, Newman Smith), defensive tackle Quincy Ledet (Orange, West Orange-Stark), nose guard Caleb Thomas (Mansfield), defensive end Seth Mason (Allen), linebacker Tristan Driggers (Hallsville), cornerback David Godsey Jr. (Mansfield) and safety Tre Odom (Lufkin).
• Sophomore Chandler Rogers has been named starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener at Texas. He appeared in all 12 games in 2021, including six consecutive starts in the middle of the season. He played 476 offensive snaps and accounted for 1,678 yards total offense and 10 touchdowns. He completed 112-of-179 throws for 1,311 yards, nine TDs and three interceptions. He ranked among the Sun Belt Conference leaders in completion percentage (third at .626) and passing efficiency rating (sixth at 137.3). His .626 completion percentage set the ULM single-season record while his 137.3 passing efficiency rating ranks third on the school’s single-season chart.
• Super senior Boogie Knight, a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Second-Team selection by the league’s head coaches and media panel, led the Warhawks in receptions (45), receiving yards (588), touchdown receptions (3) and all-purpose yards (824) last season. His 2021 receiving numbers (receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions) surpassed his three-year totals at Akron. Knight ranked among the Sun Belt leaders in combined kick return yards (sixth at 239), receptions (11th at 3.8 per game) and receiving yards (11th). Twenty-six of his 45 catches resulted in a first down (58 percent). He also led the team in first down receptions (26), yards after the catch (236) and explosive receptions (+15 yards: 17). Knight returned 12 kickoffs for 219 yards (18.3 avg.) and six punts for 20 yards.
• Super senior placekicker Calum Sutherland, a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Second-Team selection, led ULM in scoring with 75 points in 2021 – tied for the ninth-highest single-season total in program history. Sutherland ranked third in the Sun Belt and 42nd in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with 1.33 field goals made per game. He also finished eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 6.25 points per game. Sutherland hit 16-of-21 field-goal attempts (.762) and 27-of-28 extra-point tries. His 16 field goals made tied the third-best single-season total in ULM history. He made 8-of-12 field-goal attempts from 40 or more yards, including 2-of-4 from 50 plus. Sutherland connected on the two longest field goals (53 and 52 yards) in the Sun Belt during the 2021 season.
• Super senior linebacker Zack Woodard, who led the Warhawks in tackles for loss (8.5 for 27 yards) and finished second in sacks (3.5 for 18 yards), was selected Team MVP and Defensive MVP by the coaching staff in 2021. Woodard ranked second on the team with 89 tackles (42 solos, 47 assists) and ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in tackles, averaging 7.4 per game. He produced double-figure tackles in four games, including 11 stops (8 solos, 3 assists) at LSU. Woodard set career highs in tackles (15: 7 solos, 8 assists) and tackles for loss (3.5 for 6 yards), including a 2-yard sack, vs. Arkansas State. He collected 13 tackles, including a half tackle for loss, to help lead ULM to a 41-31 victory over South Alabama.
• ULM returns its top three rushers from 2021, in Andrew Henry (131 carries for 482 yards and 4 TDs), Malik Jackson (80 for 451 and 3 TDs) and Chandler Rogers (139 for 367 and 1 TD). That trio combined to account for 1,300 rushing yards – 80 percent of last year’s ground game – and eight rushing TDs. Jackson, who made the transition from slot receiver to running back late last season, averaged nearly 119 rushing yards over the last three games and scored three TDs. The 5-10, 175-pound Jackson gained 112 yards in the season finale against the Ragin’ Cajuns and rushed for a career-high 166 yards and two scores in the home finale against Arkansas State, including a 75-yard run.
• Ten of ULM’s top 11 pass catchers return from the 2021 season. Three returning lettermen caught 25 or more passes, led by Boogie Knight, who led the Warhawks with 45 receptions for 588 yards (13.1 avg.) and three touchdowns. Will Derrick (353 yards and one TD) and Zach Jackson (301 yards and two TDs) caught 25 passes each.
THE LAST MEETING –
Texas 59, ULM 20 (Sept. 5, 2009 in Austin, Texas): Heisman Trophy finalist Colt McCoy threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Texas past ULM, 59-20, in both teams’ season opener Saturday night in front of a Texas Memorial Stadium record crowd of 101,096 fans.
EXPERIENCED PASS CATCHERS –
Ten of ULM’s top 11 pass catchers return from the 2021 season. Three returning lettermen caught 25 or more passes, led by Boogie Knight, who led the Warhawks with 45 receptions for 588 yards (13.1 avg.) and three touchdowns. Will Derrick (353 yards and one TD) and Zach Jackson (301 yards and two TDs) caught 25 passes each.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Derrick ranked second on the team in yards after the catch (146) and third in first-down receptions (15). He had five receptions of 15 or more yards. Derrick has caught at least one pass in nine consecutive games entering 2022.
He caught a career-best six passes for 74 yards at Texas State, with four of those receptions resulting in first downs. Derrick had five receptions for a career-high 135 yards against South Alabama and scored his first career touchdown on an 81-yard bomb from Chandler Rogers for the go-ahead score (38-31) with 1:07 to play in the third quarter. He picked 57 yards after the catch against the Jaguars, including 47 on the scoring play. His TD reception tied the 10th-longest pass play in ULM history and equaled the 23rd-longest catch in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in 2021.
Three of Derrick’s five receptions against USA resulted in first downs. Jackson averaged just over 12.0 yards per catch in 2021. He had at least three receptions six times. He had a season high five catches vs. Georgia State, going for 59 yards and one score. He also had four grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Warhawks’ win over Troy. He tallied four catches for 47 yards in ULM’s upset win over Liberty.
WARHAWKS WITH THE GROUND ATTACK –
ULM returns its top three rushers from 2021, in Andrew Henry (131 carries for 482 yards and 4 TDs), Malik Jackson (80 for 451 and 3 TDs) and Chandler Rogers (139 for 367 and 1 TD). That trio combined to account for 1,300 rushing yards – 80 percent of last year’s ground game – and eight rushing TDs.
Henry led ULM in rushing (485 yards) and rushing touchdowns (4). In addition, the 5-foot-10, 196-pound Henry gained an impressive 73 percent of his rushing yards (352 of 485) after contact. He ranks second on the team lead in runs of 10 or more yards (11) and in runs that result in first downs (20). Henry led ULM in rushing for the fifth time in 2021 at Texas State, picking up 82 yards on a season-high 23 rushing attempts. He capped off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter. Henry paced the Warhawk ground game for the second consecutive week against South Alabama, gaining 88 yards on 18 carries. He closed the opening drive with a 20-yard TD run. Henry led the team in rushing vs. Liberty on Oct. 16, gaining 80 yards on 15 carries, including a 40- yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Henry made the most of his second career start on Sept. 25 against Troy. The Dallas, Texas, native rushed for 108 yards on 19 carries and scored his first career touchdown, a 40-yard run on a fourthand-1 play. It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a Warhawk since Josh Johnson ran for 109 yards at UL Lafayette on Nov. 30, 2019.
Jackson, who made the transition from slot receiver to running back late last season, averaged nearly 119 rushing yards over the last three games and scored three TDs. The 5-10, 175-pound Jackson gained 112 yards in the season finale against the Ragin’ Cajuns and rushed for a career-high 166 yards and two scores in the home finale against Arkansas State, including a 75-yard run. He led the Warhawks with 21 carries for 78 yards in the Nov. 20 27-14 loss at LSU. He had 15 more carries than the next closest Warhawk (Chandler Rogers, six).
In his first collegiate start, Jackson set career highs with 22 carries for 166 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 2021 home finale against Arkansas State. Jackson, who entered the game with 15 career rushing attempts for 100 yards, was inserted into the starting lineup with Andrew Henry and Isaiah Phillips sidelined with injuries. He began making the transition from slot receiver to running back four weeks prior to the game.
With ULM trailing A-State, 10-0, with 1:28 left in the second quarter, Jackson opened the drive with a 53-yard run up the middle to set up a first-and-goal at the Red Wolves’ 10-yard line. Three plays later, he scored his first career rushing TD from 3 yards out as ULM cut its deficit to 10-7 with :33 left in the first half.
On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, the 5-foot-9, 178-pound Jackson raced 75 yards down the near sideline for another score as ULM took its first lead at 14-10 with 14:48 on the clock. He gained 93 yards on eight rushes in the third quarter alone.
OFFENSIVE LINE CONTINUES TO DEVELOP –
Offensive line development will be another key storyline early in 2022. Only three lettermen return along ULM’s offensive line: left tackle Victor Cutler, who made seven combined starts at three different positions in 2021 (four at center, two at right tackle and one at left tackle), left guard Peyton Dunn (10 starts last season) and right tackle Keydrell Lewis (11 total starts; played a team-leading 837 offensive snaps).
THOMAS RETURNS TO ANCHOR DEFENSIVE FRONT –
Super senior nose guard Caleb Thomas ranked second among ULM defensive linemen and 10th on the team overall with a career-high 37 tackles (12 solos, 25 assists). The 6-foot, 308-pound Thomas finished second on the team in tackles for loss with 7.5 for 30 yards, including 2.5 sacks for 19 yards; his totals for tackles for loss and sacks also represented career highs. He recorded at least a half tackle for loss in seven games. Thomas posted six stops (3 solos, 3 assists) in the season finale at the No. 23 Ragin’ Cajuns, including a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss (9 yards). He made a career-high seven tackles (3 solos, 4 assists) against Georgia State.
BRINGING THE WOODARD –
Super senior linebacker Zack Woodard, who led the Warhawks in tackles for loss (8.5 for 27 yards) and finished second in sacks (3.5 for 18 yards), was selected Team MVP and Defensive MVP by the coaching staff in 2021. Woodard ranked second on the team with 89 tackles (42 solos, 47 assists) and ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in tackles, averaging 7.4 per game. He produced double-figure tackles in four games, including 11 stops (8 solos, 3 assists) at LSU. Woodard set career highs in tackles (15: 7 solos, 8 assists) and tackles for loss (3.5 for 6 yards), including a 2-yard sack, vs. Arkansas State on Nov. 13.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Woodard posted his second consecutive double-figure tackle game Nov. 20 at LSU with 11 tackles (eight solos, three assists) and a tackle for loss for three yards. It was the fourth time this season and eighth time in his career to post double-figure tackles. He was second on the team with seven tackles (three solos, four assists) and a quarterback hurry in the 27-19 loss at Texas State on Nov. 6.
Woodard recorded seven tackles, including a career-high two pass break-ups, in ULM’s 59-28 loss at App State on Oct. 30. He collected 13 tackles, including a half tackle for loss, to help lead ULM to a 41-31 victory over South Alabama on Oct. 23. He posted double-figure tackles for the second-straight game (10 stops in a 31-28 win over Liberty on Oct. 16). The Warhawk defense held USA to three consecutive three-and-outs during a key stretch in the second half while the ULM offense put 10 points on the scoreboard, which proved to be the final margin in the game).
ULM limited the Jaguars to 89 yards rushing on 32 attempts (2.8 yards per carry). It marked the third time this season the Warhawks have held an opponent below 100 yards rushing. Woodard also produced a career-best 1.5 sacks for 13 yards against Liberty. He was named Louisiana Sports Writers Association Defensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Flames. He was credited with a quarterback hurry to go along with his 10 tackles.
The Warhawk defense played a pivotal role in the upset win against Liberty, coming up with two fourth-down stops and three interceptions. Late in the first quarter, Woodard combined with Jahaziel Lee to stuff Shedro Louis for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the ULM 1-yard line. The Warhawks turned away the Flames, who had four shots to score from the ULM 2 after a 73-yard return after a blocked field goal. In the third quarter, ULM limited Liberty to just two first downs and 36 total yards on 12 plays as the Warhawks turned a 14-0 halftime deficit into a 28-14 lead. Woodard’s interception with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter iced ULM’s 12-7 victory over Jackson State in the 2021 home opener.
Texas Longhorns
Notes
SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record ……………………………………………………… Texas leads, 1-0
In Austin ………………………………………………………………. Texas leads, 1-0
In Monroe…………………………………………………………………….. Never met
At Neutral …………………………………………………………………….. Never met
Bowden vs. Texas………………………………………………………….. Never met
Sarkisian vs. ULM…………………………………………………………. Never met
Current Streak …………………………………………………Texas, Won 1 (2009)
Last Meeting …………………………………………….Texas 59, ULM 20 (2009)
Longest Texas Streak…………………………………………………Won 1 (2009)
Longest ULM Streak…………………………………………………………………N/A
Largest Texas Win……………………………………..Texas 59, ULM 20 (2009)
Largest ULM Win …………………………………………………………………….N/A
GAME NOTES
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Texas kicks off its 130th season of football on Saturday when the Longhorns face ULM for the second all-time meeting.
• UT is 110-16-3 (.863) all-time in home openers, with victories in each of the last four seasons after defeating Tulsa in 2018, Louisiana Tech in 2019, UTEP in 2020 and Louisiana in 2021.
• Texas is 78-17-3 (.809) all-time in openers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
• The 2022 season will mark the 24th time in the last 27 years that Texas has opened its season at home, with the Horns posting a 21-2 record in the previous 23 contests.
• The Longhorns are 106-20-3 (.832) all-time in season openers.
• The Longhorns are 31-9-2 all-time against teams from the state of Louisiana. Texas has faced Tulane (17-1-1), LSU (9-8-1), Louisiana (3-0), ULM (1-0) and Louisiana Tech (1-0).
• Texas currently boasts 928 all-time wins, the fifthmost in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 928-385-33 (.701).
SERIES HISTORY VS. ULM
• Texas holds a 1-0 advantage over ULM in the all-time series with the Longhorns winning the only matchup, 59-20, in the 2009 season opener.
• In the previous matchup, senior quarterback Colt McCoy passed for 317 yards and a pair of touchdowns, senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley caught eight passes for 180 yards and one touchdown and freshman tailback D.J. Monroe returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown the first time he touched the ball.
• The game was played in front of a then-record crowd of 101,096 fans, currently the 15th-largest crowd in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium history.
VS. ULM (ALL TIME)
Year Location Result Score
2009……….Austin……………………………W………..13-17
A TEXAS WIN WOULD …
• Be Texas’ 929th victory all-time, the fifth-winningest program in college football history.
• Give Steve Sarkisian his 52nd victory as a head coach.
• Improve UT’s ledger in season openers to 107-20-3.
• Give the Longhorns their 20th season-opening win in the last 23 years.
• Improve Steve Sarkisian’s record in season openers to 7-2 and be his seventh consecutive win to start a season.
• Give Sarkisian his eighth-straight win in home openers and improve his record in such games to 8-1.
• Improve the Longhorns’ record against current Sun Belt Conference teams to 6-0: Louisiana (3-0), ULM (1-0) and Arkansas State (1-0).
SCORE BIG AND SCORE OFTEN
• In last season’s victory over Texas Tech, the Longhorns scored 70 points in a game for the first time since 2005 Big 12 Championship Game against Colorado.
• It marked only the second time since 1977 and 11th time in school history that UT had scored 70 points in a game.
• The 70 points tied for the second most scored against a Big 12 opponent in conference play, while the 42 points scored in the first half were also the second most in a Big 12 contest.
• Texas scored at least 32 points in six of 12 games in 2021 and had four games of 48 points or more.
• Texas scored at least 40 points in the first half against Rice (44 on Sept. 18) and Texas Tech (42 on Sept. 25), marking the first time since 2003 (41 vs. Rice/49 vs. Tulane) that the Longhorns tallied at least 40 first-half points in back-to-back games.
• Texas scored 28 points in the first quarter against Oklahoma, the third time this season the Longhorns had scored 28 points in a quarter.
• The 28 points in a quarter are the most by UT against Oklahoma since at least 1942.
Sat., Sep. 3 @ 7:00 pm CT
Murray State Racers at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Murray State Racers
Notes
FAST FACTS » Saturday begins the 98th season of football for Murray State and will mark its 75th, and final, season in the Ohio Valley Conference. This season also marks the Racers’ 50th in historic Roy Stewart Stadium.
The season opener for Murray State will mark its first meeting with Texas Tech and second-ever meeting with a Big XII foe, playing at Missouri in 2006 before their departure from the league. The game will be MSU’s just third trip to the Lone Star State, playing at Texas A&M Commerce in 1940 and at North Texas in 1989.
The 2022 season will be Murray State’s final in the Ohio Valley Conference for football, a league it helped found in 1948. In 2023, the Racers will join the nation’s preeminent FCS league, the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Head coach Dean Hood enters his third season at the helm of the Racers in 2022. In two years, Hood has produced back-to-back winning seasons, 24 All-OVC selections, the 2021 OVC Freshman of the Year (D.J Williams) and was named as the 2020 Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year.
SCOUTING THE RED RAIDERS: The Joey McGuire era officially begins in Lubbock Saturday, as the long time high school head coach and collegiate assistant takes the field for the first time as collegiate head coach.
After playing in just four games last season due to injury, Oregon transfer Tyler Shough is ready to take the reins as QB1 for the Red Raiders this season. In limited action a year ago, Shough completed nearly 70-percent of his passes, posted a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2:1 and averaged 218.0 passing yards per game. Top receivers this year for Shough include Myles Price, Mason Tharp and Loic Fouonji who averaged 13.8, 14.1 and 21.0 yards per catch a season ago.
Defensively, the Red Raiders will be running a new formation this season, the 3-3-5. Leading the Texas Tech defense will be inside linebacker Tyree Wilson, who leads all returners with 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 7.0 sacks from last season. Defensive back Dadrion Taylor-Demerson also returns this season, after amassing 62 tackles and team-highs of three interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 2021.
GAME 1 NOTES – TEXAS TECH
BACK-TO-BACK
After winning the final three games of the year, MSU finished the 2021 season at 6-5. Paired with a 5-2 record in 2020, it marks the first time since 2010 and just the third time since 1999 that Racers have posted back-to-back winning seasons.
FIVE FANTASTIC FLYERS
Five graduates of Illinois high school powerhouse East St. Louis are currently on roster for Murray State and all five will play key roles this season for the Racers. Dylan Appleton, Jhadyn Fridge, Lawaun Powell, KaVan Reed and Damonta Witherspoon all currently feature on the week one depth chart for MSU.
BROTHERLY LOVE
From walk-on to preseason All-American, Levi Nesler has had a career to remember for the Racers. However, his final season for the Blue & Gold will be even more special, as he will be joined on the offensive line room by his brother, Luke. The Neslers are not the only biological brothers on the team, as identical twins Jared and Jarad McCray also return to Racers for their fourth season.
HEAD WEST TO THE LONE STAR STATE
There are 948 miles between Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray and Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, thus making Saturday’s fame the farthest the Racers have played from Murray since 2004 when they travelled 1,096 miles to UConn. The game will be MSU’s just third trip to the Lone Star State, playing at Texas A&M Commerce in 1940 and at North Texas in 1989.
NUMBER CHANGES
As the year changes, so do the numbers. Fifteen Racers will be wearing new numbers for the 2022 season.
NAME NEW# OLD#
Deshun Britten 16 88
Tyler Boone 50 60
Dameon Gomes 80 43
Wesley Haddox 24 40
Cortezz Jones 28 35
Damonyai Lacey 90 57
Andrew Long 56 53
Donovan McBride 99 96
Jarad McCray 7 38
Blake Moody 62 52
Lawaun Powell 9 37
Taylor Shields 18 80
DJ Williams 2 9
Tameron Williams 23 27
Jackson Worthen 48 30
OPENING DAY
Saturday kicks off Murray State’s 98th season of football. After a win over Mississippi State last season the Racers are now 54-39-4 all-time in season openers.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Notes
MCGUIRE ERA KICKS OFF WITH RACERS
After an offseason full of excitement, Texas Tech will officially kick off the Joey McGuire era Saturday when the Red Raiders host Murray State inside Jones AT&T Stadium. McGuire was hired last November as the 17th head coach in program history, building a new brand for Red Raider Football as Texas Tech strives to be the “toughest, hardest-working, most-competitive team in the country.
Texas Tech is 10-5-1 all-time in games where its head coach is making his debut as the Red Raiders have won four-consecutive such contests dating back to Mike Leach in 2000.
WELCOME TO TAKE THREE UNIVERSITY
The term “Take Three” is one many around the Red Raider program have heard daily since Joey McGuire’s hiring. The phrase is a key element of McGuire’s plan to win strategy, highlighting the defensive goal of creating three takeaways per game.
Texas Tech returns six starters on its defense, including the bulk of its secondary such as seniors Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who led the Red Raiders with three interceptions a year ago. The defense also features one of the nation’s top returning edge rushers in Tyree Wilson, the Liberty Bowl Defensive MVP from a year ago who had 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
SHOUGH BACK AS QB1 OF RED RAIDERS
Tyler Shough will return as Texas Tech’s starting quarterback after being sidelined for the final eight games a year ago following a season-ending injury in the Big 12 opener versus Texas. Shough was tabbed the starter by Joey McGuire following a close competition with sophomore Donovan Smith and redshirt freshman Behren Morton.
Prior to his injury, Shough had already powered the Red Raiders to a 3-0 record that was highlighted by a come-from-behind victory against Houston. Shough had completed 69.6 percent of his passes to that point, throwing 872 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for two other scores.
TEAM NOTEBOOK
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first-ever meeting between Texas Tech and Murray State, a matchup added prior to the 2018 season beginning.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT
Murray State competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
The team’s nickname is the Racers. They compete in Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) in Murray, Ky. The largest major city near Murray, Ky. is Nashville, Tenn., approximately 120 miles away.
Murray State was picked to finish third among the seven conference members in the 2022 OVC preseason poll. UT-Martin was picked to finish first (same school current Red Raider offensive lineman Michael Shanahan played for last season) while Southeast Missouri was selected second.
Members from the Murray State football team selected to the 2022 Preseason All-OVC teams were: QB DJ Williams, RB Damonta Witherspoon, WR LaMartez Brooks, OL Levi Nesler, OLB Darnel Victor, ILB Eric Samuta and K Aaron Baum.
Murray State received five votes in the FCS Preseason Coaches Poll.
Murray State won a share of the inaugural OVC football championship in 1948. The Racers own eight conference championships with its last coming in 2002.
The 2022 season will be the final season of competition for Murray State in the OVC as it is set to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in 2023.
RED RAIDERS AGAINST THE FCS
Since 1978 when the NCAA divided its Division I schools into two divisions, Texas Tech has compiled a 25-1 all-time record against FCS opponents. All of those games have been played at Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech has won its last 19-consecutive games against FCS foes dating back to the 1988 season. The NCAA renamed Division 1A and Division I-AA to FBS and FCS in 2006 to note the distinction in football programs.
This is the 12th time in the past 16 seasons that the Red Raiders have faced an FCS program in their home opener. Tech is a perfect 11-0 during that stretch.
Texas Tech is averaging an impressive 51.0 points per game against FCS foes. For a 10-year stretch (2010-19), the Red Raiders reached the 40-point mark in each game versus an FCS program and won by an average 40.0 margin of victory (56.7- 6.7). The previous two seasons, the matchups were much closer with Tech claiming a 35-33 victory in 2020 over Houston Baptist (by a then-led Zach Kittley team as offensive coordinator) and a 28-22 victory over Stephen F. Austin last season.
Texas Tech’s lone loss to an FCS program came in 1988 when North Texas stunned the Red Raiders, 29-24, inside Jones AT&T Stadium.
Future FCS teams on Texas Tech’s radar to host at Jones AT&T Stadium include Texas program’s Tarleton State (2023) and Abilene Christian (2024 & 2026) as well as Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2025 & 2027).
RED RAIDERS IN SEASON OPENERS
Texas Tech is 67-27-3 all-time over its 97 season openers after opening 18 of the past 19 years with a victory. The lone loss during that stretch came in 2018 when the Red Raiders fell to Ole Miss, 47-27, at the Texas Kickoff in Houston, Texas. Tech rebounded with wins in its previous three seasons, with most recently taking down future Big 12 foe Houston in its second appearance in the Texas Kickoff.
RED RAIDERS IN HOME OPENERS
The Red Raiders have been dominant in home openers during their history as Texas Tech is 76-18-3 all-time after winning each of its last 22 openers inside Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech has not dropped a home opener since 1999 when North Texas, by then an FBS school, shocked the Red Raiders, 23-14, in the third game of the season.
Since 1980, Texas Tech is 38-4 in home openers with two of those losses coming to ranked opponents (1992 vs. No. 15 Oklahoma and 1990 vs. No. 18 Houston).
Texas Tech has scored at least 40 points in nine of its last 11 home openers. The Red Raiders, who are averaging 48.2 points per game in home openers since 2000, have scored 50 or more points in nine of those games and 60 points four times.
Texas Tech has won each of its last 22 home openers, the majority of which being in a blowout fashion. The Red Raiders have averaged 30.3 points as their margin of victory over the course of the winning streak
OFFENSIVE NOTEBOOK
KITTLEY RETURNS TO DIRECT RED RAIDER OFFENSE
Texas Tech fans will see a familiar face return to the Red Raider sideline this season in offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zach Kittley. Kittley previously served in various roles under Kliff Kingsbury from 2013-17, rising from a student assistant to graduate assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach his final three seasons. Kittley worked alongside Kingsbury in the development of Patrick Mahomes II, tutoring the future NFL MVP into becoming the nation’s leading passer in 2016 and an eventual top-10 selection by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mahomes is one of two NFL quarterbacks to tutor under Kittley as he spent the last three years mentoring Bailey Zappe at both Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky. Zappe, who heard his name called in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this past May by the New England Patriots, NCAA FBS records for single-season passing yards (5,967) and passing touchdowns (62) as a senior for the Hilltoppers, both records that were previously held by former Red Raider B.J. Symons (2003).
Kittley, who turned 31 in August, ranks as the third-youngest power-five offensive coordinator in the country, trailing only Charlie Weis Jr. at Ole Miss (29) and Tommy Rees at Notre Dame (30).
HE CAN RUN THE BALL, TOO
While all the talk around Zach Kittley has been the record-setting passing numbers, he has been part of Texas Tech staffs that have successfully run the ball in the past. In fact, the Red Raiders featured a 1,000-yard rusher in DeAndre Washington during the 2014 and 2015 seasons as Texas Tech led the country in total offense both of those seasons. During Kittley’s first season as a graduate assistant in 2015, Washington raced for an impressive 1,492 yards on the ground as part of a Texas Tech offense that averaged 579.5 total yards per game, the second-highest total in program history.
To this date, Washington is the only 1,000-yard rusher in the “Air Raid” era, which began with Mike Leach’s hiring in 2000. Washington is the only Red Raider to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Doak Walker Award winner Byron Hanspard did so over his final two years as a Red Raider in 1995 and 1996.
IT’S BROOKS TIME
Tahj Brooks emerged as a steady presence in the Red Raider backfield last season, giving Texas Tech a steady 1-2 punch between himself and senior SaRodorick Thompson. Brooks closed the season as the team leader in rushing yards after totaling 568 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground despite missing four games early in Big 12 play due to injury.
Behind his seven rushing touchdowns plus a team-leading 10 from Thompson, Texas Tech closed the year ranked 20th nationally with 30 touchdowns on the ground, its most since finding the end zone 34 times via the running game in 2015. Besides the 2015 campaign, it matched the second-most rushing touchdowns by the Red Raiders in a season since 1984 (also had 30 in 1993).
NEWS AND NOTES ON THE OFFENSE
SaRodorick Thompson needs 20 rushing yards against Murray State to reach 2,000 for his career, which would make him only the 14th player in school history to do so. Thompson would be only the fifth Red Raider to do so since 2000, joining the likes of DeAndre Washington (2011-15), Taurean Henderson (2002-05), Baron Batch (2006, 2008-10) and Shannon Woods (2005-08). In addition to those already ranked in the top 10, the following three Red Raiders also rushed for 2,000 yards during their respective careers: Woods (2,249), Doug McCutchen (2,222; 1970-72) and Bobby Cavazos (2,137; 1951-53).
Myles Price ranks as Texas Tech’s leading returner among the receiving corps as the junior caught 38 passes for 523 yards and two touchdowns last season. Over his career, Price has 67 catches for 828 yards and three touchdowns.
Texas Tech will break in three new starters on the offensive line this season as the Red Raiders only return junior Caleb Rogers and senior Weston Wright from a year ago. Wright leads all returning Red Raiders with 31 career starts on the offensive line, while Rogers, who will move from right to left tackle this season, has made 16 starts over his career. Both Wright and Rogers started in all 13 games a year ago as part of Texas Tech’s team that won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Despite not being known historically as a strong tight end team, that might be one of the deepest position groups for the Red Raiders this season behind senior Henry Teeter, junior Baylor Cupp and sophomore Mason Tharp. Cupp is a former five-star prospect who transferred to Texas Tech this offseason, while Tharp, at 6-9 in height, caught 14 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown a year ago.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK
MORE ON MCNAMARA…
Punter Austin McNamara enters the season with the top career average (46.3) in the FBS among career active leaders with at least a minimum of 100 career punts.
McNamara set the program record for single season punting average (48.2) in 2021 after booting 42 punts for 2,023 yards. It smashed the Tech single-season record of 46.8 that was set by Mark Bounds in 1991. He is the only Red Raider with two of the top-five punting averages currently in the school record book.
By bombing eight punts of at least 50 yards in a single game, McNamara set a new single game FBS record on Nov. 20, 2021 against Oklahoma State. The performance broke the previous FBS record of seven that was set by Colorado’s Mark Mariscal in a 2002 home game against Southern California. McNamara averaged 56.4 yards per punt overall against the Cowboys, which finished just shy of the Texas Tech single-game record of 57.0 yards an attempt that was set by Alex Reyes in a 2004 win versus Baylor (only three attempts).
For games that included nine or more punts, McNamara’s 56.4 average ranked as the second-best performance in all of FBS football in 2021 behind Matt Araiza’s 56.8 average (nine attempts) in a home game against New Mexico State. It marked the third-highest for any punter with at least nine attempts in a game dating back to 2000, trailing only the clips from Wake Forest’s Dom Maggio in a 2019 contest at Clemson (57.7) and San Diego State’s Matt Araiza and his 56.8 average versus New Mexico State.
McNamara set social media on fire midway through the 2020 season with his booming 87-yard punt against West Virginia, which marked the longest by an FBS kicker since 2017 and the longest in Texas Tech and Big 12 history. McNamara broke the Texas Tech single*game record for the longest punt that was previously set by R.W. Moyers in 1945 against West Texas State. Moyers launched an 85-yard punt in the win, which is the only other punt of 80 yards or longer in school history.
In addition to his punting duties, McNamara will enter his second-consecutive season as Texas Tech’s primary holder on field goals.
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Texas Tech enters week one with its two kickers that battled it out during fall training camp, fifth-year Red Raider Trey Wolff and first-year transfer Gino Garcia (Houston Baptist), as “or’s” on the depth chart.
Wolff started his career very strong, going 20-for-22 showing on field goals in 2019, ranking him as one of the most accurate kickers in the country. He became only the second player since 2000 to record a field goal percentage of 90.0 or higher (90.9), joining then-school-record holder Clayton Hatfield (92.9 percent) from 2016. Wolff went 1-for-5 in 2020 and did not attempt a field goal in 2021. He owns a career 77.7 percent field goal average (22-for-27) with a career-long 45-yard field goal versus UTEP in 2019. Wolff was Tech’s primary kickoff specialist in 2021, kicking off 72 times with 44 touchbacks (60.2 percent) over 13 games. He is slotted to retain that role full-time in 2022.
Jonathan Garibay unseated Wolff in 2021 and became the third Red Raider since 2000 to record a field goal percentage of 90.0 or higher, topping Hatfield program record with a 93.8 percent average going 15-of-16 a year ago. Garibay ultimately earned All-Big 12 first team honors to join Hatfield and Alex Trilica as the only Red Raider kickers in league history to garner first-team honors.
Garcia, meanwhile, transferred to Texas Tech following three seasons at Houston Baptist and will have two full seasons of eligibility remaining. Garcia was a 2021 first-team honoree on the All-Southland Conference team. He was successful on 9-of-10 field goals, including ones from 59 and 48 yards. Garcia owns six career field goal makes of 48 yards or longer and has not missed an attempt since his career-long 59-yarder on Oct. 16, 2021. The 59-yard kick ranks fourth all-time in Southland Conference history for distance. For his career, Garcia went 32-for-46 in three seasons. Before his 90.0 percent connection rate last season, he went 5-for-10 in 2020 and 18- for-26 as a true freshman in 2019.
Texas Tech’s special teams are coordinated by associate head coach Kenny Perry, a longtime high school head coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He boasts more than 20 years of coaching experience, including 14 as a high school head coach and then nearly a decade at the college level with stops at TCU, Kansas and SMU. SMU boasted one of the top special teams units in the country during the 2021 campaign as the Mustangs rank eighth nationally for both kickoff returns (27.3 yards per return) and tied for 10th for total blocked kicks after getting their hands on four as part of an eight-win season.
ONE OF A KIND
When you don’t hear the long snappers name too often, it’s probably a good thing – he’s doing his job – and that’s what Jackson Knotts has been doing for the Red Raiders. Knotts was the only true freshman in 2021 to play in all 13 games last season. He was put on scholarship to start the spring 2022 semester, surprised in a team meeting on Jan. 12, 2021.
The Florida native is the son of former Florida Gator, Andy Knotts. His dad advocated long snapping, he wanted to play quarterback. He long snapped all four years in high school but also drew a starting safety role his senior season. n Knotts was also a track and field standout, with a javelin focus. He set a since-broken state high-school record in the javelin with a throw of 187 feet, 9 inches and finished third in the Class 4A state meet.
DEFENSIVE NOTEBOOK
VETERAN SECONDARY
The Red Raiders’ two-deep has eight defensive backs, including the Star position, with 145 starts among them in major-college football, including five with at least 20.
Marquis Waters returns from a season-ending injury to play Star, a hybrid position with safety, outside linebacker and slot cornerback responsibilities. Waters has 39 career starts while his back-up, Keyon Blankenbaker, a transfer from Wyoming, has 27 starts under his belt. Waters previously started in 24-consecutive games at Duke prior to transferring to Texas Tech ahead of the 2021 season.
On the corners, Rayshad Williams and Malik Dunlap, who are competing for one corner spot have 31 starts between them. Williams leads with 20, including 12-straight with the Red Raiders to close the 2021 season. Adrian Frye, on the other side, owns 21 career starts of his own and was an All-Big 12 first team honoree as a true freshman in 2018.
Texas Tech will benefit from a pair of safeties in the back end with plenty of experience as Reggie Pearson Jr. (24) and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (12) have 36 starts as a duo. Taylor-Demerson led the Red Raiders a year ago with three interceptions en route to earning honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades.
Frye, Waters and Blakenbaker are all in their sixth years at the collegiate level after exercising the additional season of eligibility the NCAA allotted players on rosters during the 2020 COVID season.
TEXAS TECH BEEFS UP D-LINE WITH EXPERIENCE TO ADD TO BRADFORD, HUTCHINGS
Even with two proven veterans along the defensive line in Tony Bradford Jr. and Jaylon Hutchings, Joey McGuire and his staff made it a priority this offseason to shore up its defensive line, adding a pair of talented transfers in Vidal Scott Jr. and Myles Cole, who have combined for 28 starts between them at the likes of Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe. Overall, the Red Raiders boast 73 career starts along the defensive front as Bradford has 12 for his career, while Hutchings leads all returners with 33 starts as a Red Raider.
Not many defensive linemen in college football have a carry on their career stat sheet, yet alone two. Jaylon Hutchings can proudly boast he might be the rare exception, however, as he totaled nine yards on the ground in 2019 as part of two fake punt attempts. Hutchings, a former running back despite his size at Forney High School, was included this summer on the annual “Freaks List” column by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.
One area to watch with the Red Raiders in years to come under McGuire is the overall size of the defensive front as it is one of the key measurables Texas Tech now uses in recruiting. In his first signing class as head coach, McGuire and his staff added the likes of freshmen Joseph Adedire (6-3, 270), Syncere Massey (6-5, 330) and Trevon McAlpine (6-3, 305) to go along with both Cole (6-6, 285), who resembles the build of outside linebacker Tyree Wilson.
RED RAIDERS LOOK TO BUILD UPON STRONG RUSHING DEFENSE
Texas Tech is coming off one of its best seasons in recent memory in stopping the run as the Red Raiders allowed only 1,778 yards at 136.8 yards per game a year ago. It marked the fewest total yards allowed by the Red Raiders since 1999 and the lowest yards per game average since 2009 when Tech surrendered a similar 135.1 yards per game. That total marked the sixth-lowest rushing defense average of the Big 12 era, trailing only the marks from 1996 (141.9), 1997 (137.4), 1998 (118.9), 2008 (140.4) and 2009.
Texas Tech limited opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in eight of 13 games last season, which was capped by only 54 yards surrendered on the ground to Mississippi State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Dating back to 2000, it marked the first time during that span that the Red Raiders had six or more games in a season where the opponent posted 100 rushing yards or less in a game.
Among teams nationally, Texas Tech was one of eight FBS schools to hold opponents to 100 rushing yards or less at least eight times on the ear, joining the likes of Georgia (11), Alabama (10), San Diego State (10), Pittsburgh (9), Wisconsin (9), Iowa (8) and Oklahoma State (8).
POLICE CHIEF, TONY BRADFORD JR.
In the midst of a national conversation regarding social injustice in this country, Texas Tech has found a voice with a unique perspective – senior defensive lineman Tony Bradford Jr., who desires to join law enforcement once his playing career is over. Bradford’s goal is to one day rise to the role of police chief in a major city where he says he “can make real change.”
Bradford has received a crash course in his future profession over the last two-plus years as he has served as a security guard with the Texas Tech Police Department. Bradford chose to spend his 2020 Spring Break with TTPD in what was expected to be a one-week internship but was extended through June due to the COVID-19 pandemic that ultimately canceled spring practice. Bradford returned to TTPD each of the past two springs and summers, occasionally even working other Texas Tech athletics events.
