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BROWNWOOD- Sul Ross (2-7, 0-4) hits the road for the final game of the 2015 season as the Lobos face off with Howard Payne University (1-8, 1-3) this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Brownwood ISD's Gordon Wood Stadium.

KVLF's (1240 AM) pregame broadcast begins at 12:45 and can also be heard at www.bigbendradio.com and www.srlobos.com for fans outside the listening area. Live stats and video of the game can be found at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/hpu/.

QUICK HITS

• Saturday's game will mark the 63^rd meeting between the Lobos and Yellow Jackets in a series dating back to 1927. Both teams are charter members of the American Southwest Conference.
• Sul Ross is coming off a 12-6 setback to Belhaven last Saturday in Jackson, Miss. The Lobos had their chances but were only able to convert once out of seven trips inside the Blazer red zone.
• Sul Ross outpaced Belhaven in total offensive yards 372-314. BU coach Hal Mumme's air raid attack accounted for 265 yards through the air which bested the Lobo passing attack by a 99 yard margin.
• James Davis (Houston/South Houston) nailed down 12 of 29 pass attempts for 166 yards and suffered three interceptions in the process. Davis was also sacked four times on the afternoon.
• Davis led the Lobos in running yards netting 110 yards off of 20 carries while Williton Grear (Austin/Del Valle) ran for 88 yards off of 26 carries.
• Howard Payne is fresh off a 67-14 loss to No. 13 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
• HPU's Colby Mica had five catches for 91 yards.
• Jason Disney had nine tackles.
   

SERIES HISTORY

• Sul Ross and Howard Payne will meet for the 63^rd time on the grid iron in a series dating back to 1927 as coach B.C. Graves' Lobos fell to HPU, 33-7.
• Howard Payne won the first five games of the series while Sul Ross defeated the Jackets for the very first time in a 27-13 Lobo win in 1958.
• Howard Payne leads the all-time series, 44-18.
• Sul Ross capped the 2014 season under first year head coach John Pearce with a 60-21 homecoming victory over the Yellow Jackets in 2014.
   

LAST MEETING

• In their best performance in the last two seasons, the Lobos scored on each of their first two possessions, built a 33-0 halftime advantage, and went on to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 60-21 in 2014's season finale at Jackson Field.
• Davis completed 19 of 31 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns, a pair of scores, while rushing 12 times for 111 yards and a score.
• Former Lobo Derick Bernard (Texas City/TCHS) rushed nine times for 61 yards and a score and caught eight passes for 136 yards and two more scores.
• Former wide receiver Cordrick Mobley (Cameron/Yoe) caught two touchdown passes and Xavier Jefferson (Austin/MCallum) one.
• Richard Young was 16 of 30 passing for Howard Payne for 116 yards and a touchdown.
• HPU's Acosta rushed nine times for 44 yards and Colby Mica caught four passes for 34 yards.
• Sul Ross' point total was their highest since they scored 70 points in a 70-65 win at Texas Lutheran three seasons ago.
   

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS

• Howard Payne's lone victory came on October 31 in an 18-16 edging of visiting Louisiana College. HPU's Josh Martinez converted a 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in regulation for the win.
• The Jackets' Justin Acosta leads the team netting 271 yards off the run after nine games. Acosta averages 30.1 yards per contest heading into the finale against the Lobos.
• Quarterback Richard Young has connected on 166 of 310 passes for 1784 yards and nine touchdowns. Young has given up 16 interceptions on the season.
• Young recorded a season high 376 yard passing performance on September 12 in a 44-34 home to Wayland Baptist University.
• Colby Mica has been Young's favorite target accounting for 768 yards and five touchdown receptions.
• Jason Disney leads the HPU defense and the ASC with 105 tackles. Disney sports an interception which was returned for 35 yards and also has a forced fumble to his credit.
• Martinez ranks fourth in the ASC in field goal conversions at 12-18 and second in PAT kicks. Martinez has missed just one point after attempt on the season at 17-18
   

SUL ROSS CONFERENCE NOTES

• The Lobos currently rank third in passing offense completing 173 of 327 passes for 2216 yards and 17 touchdowns.
• Sul Ross is fourth in the league in third down conversions at 38-114.
• Williton Grear (Austin/Del Valle) and Hasan Lipscomb (Houston/Cypress Ridge) rank fifth and sixth in the league in rushing. Grear is netting 553 yards off of 125 carries and two touchdowns while Lipscomb posts 528 yards off of 87 attempts and four scores.
• Byron Jones (League City/Clear Springs) is third in the ASC in receiving yards with 55 catches for 874 yards and seven touchdowns.
• Jones is also in the top ten in receptions and currently ranks fifth in the conference.
• Fernie Gonzalez (El Paso/Canutillo) is second in the league in tackles with 80 stops.
• Gonzalez leads the conference in fumble recoveries with three.

QUOTES FROM COACH JOHN PEARCE

• On red zone performance against BU: "I think we were definitely the better team but seven trips inside the 20 and the fact that we only capitalized once is just a real credit to their defense. They tightened up when they had to. But we were really our own worst enemy. We dropped two well thrown passes in the end zone which would have spelled a different outcome. A couple of penalties really hurt our effort also. We made it down to the 10 yard line and we end up back at the 25 or 30. That's just a little too far out of range for our kickers right now, especially in that kind of weather. So it just deflates any offensive momentum you're trying to establish."
• Thoughts on special teams play in rainy conditions: "The kicking game really wasn't there for both teams because things were just so wet. Their main kicker was injured so in the overall scheme was just trying to maintain ball security with our return teams. We had a punt returned for a touchdown that got called back which was another example of blown opportunities. We did punt the ball well and I was pleased on how well our snapper was able to get the ball quickly and accurately to our punter even on a soggy playing surface."
• On quarterback James Davis being sacked four times: "Definitely not our best outing on the offensive line. There are several holes we have to seal up in order for James or Jordan (Reyes) or anybody else to establish confidence that they can get the ball thrown to our receivers. When that confidence is missing it makes for a very long day for the passing game."
• Thoughts on the defense: "Our guys stepped up. Right now we're finding out the right personnel especially right after the ETBU game. Coach Mumme loves to throw the ball and I thought we did a better job of containing their throwing game than we did the week before. We had a bunch of our young guys who just went out and competed."
• On Howard Payne to close out the season: "They're a much better team than they were last year. Their record doesn't really show that but neither does ours. They're playing solid football. They're going to be tough to run against. They have a very talented defensive line. They're not at the level of UMHB up front but they're consistent. They had a big win against Louisiana College a couple weeks ago that came down to their field goal unit."