U.T.P.B. Roster | SRSU Roster | 2015 SRSU Season Stats
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The Sul Ross State University Lobos will begin their 88^th season of football on Saturday night when they visit first-year program U.T. Permian Basin in Odessa. The historic game will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. at Ratliff Stadium.

Sul Ross will look to improve on a 3-7 contingency in 2015 under third year head coach John Pearce. The Lobos return 17 offensive and 18 defensive letter winners for the 2016 slate.

KVLF's (1240 AM) pregame broadcast begins at 6:45 and can also be heard at www.bigbendradio.com and www.srlobos.com for fans outside the listening area. Live stats will be available at http://sidearmstats.com/utpb/football/.

QUICK HITS
 

• Saturday's game marks the season opener for both teams and the inaugural season of intercollegiate football at U.T.P.B.
• The Lobos ended 2015 with a 35-23 ASC victory at Howard Payne.
• Sul Ross ended the season at 3-7 and 1-4 under then second year head coach John Pearce.
• The Falcons are a member of the Lonestar Conference (NCAA DII).
• Sul Ross is a former and charter member of the LSC.
• The Lobos enter Saturday's season opener the 2015 ASC Freshman of the Year Byron Jones.
• Jones set and ASC most receiving yards in a game (285) in a 54-46 win at Wayland. 

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
 

• Held first spring ball game in April after being on campus only nine months.
• Head coaching debut of John Carrigan who served as OC at Tarleton State for five seasons.
• Top Feb. signees include safety Justin Douglas (Galveston/Ball) and OLB John O'Kelley (Groesbeck/GHS).
• Douglas was  2ndTeam All-District and 2nd Team All-County in 2015. In his senior year he registered 52 tackles, 3 INT, 8 Pass break ups and four forced fumbles to earn him his second consecutive 2nd Team All-District and honorable mention All-County.
• As a senior O'Kelley registered 137 Tackles, 95 Solos, 16 tackle for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass break ups, 2 interceptions, 4 blocked kicks, and 1 defensive touchdown. and was a 7-4A Defensive MVP. 

KEY LOBO OFFENSIVE RETURNERS

SO, Byron Jones, WR- Jones, the 2015 ASC Freshman of the Year, was just nine yards shy of reaching 1000 receiving yards in 2015 accounting for 991 yards off of 59 catches and eight touchdowns. Jones set the ASC record for most receiving yards in a game with 285 in the Lobos first win of the season. Jones had 14 receptions and three touchdowns to lead SRSU in a 54-46 win over Wayland Baptist (Sept.26) in Plainview. His performance in Plainview also broke Luis Uresti's 271 yard single game record in a 77-33 loss to Howard Payne in 2002. In addition to his Freshman of the Year honor, Jones was also named as an ASC Offensive Honorable Mention.

JR, James Davis, QB- Davis was named to the ASC Outstanding Sportsman Team and is also an Offensive Honorable Mention in 2015. Despite sitting out four games due to injury, Davis completed 69 of 127 passes for 1061 yards and nine touchdowns. He also accumulated 64 carries for 240 yards and a score.

JR, Steven Savedra, TE- Savedra was named to the ASC Second Team All Conference list for 2015. Savedra was a favorite target for the Lobo pass attack finishing the season with 38 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those scores came against ASC powerhouse Mary Hardin-Baylor on October 10. Savedra polled a season best 130 yards in that game with two touchdowns.

KEY LOBO DEFENSIVE RETURNERS

JR, Mike Quinonez, LB-Quinonez, a 2015 Second Team All Conference choice, totaled 56 tackles for the Lobos as a sophomore while recording 3.5 sacks for a total loss of 20 yards. He also posted a fumble recovery along with four pass breakups on the season.

SR, Alonte Thomas, LB- A 2015 Second Team All Conference selection, Thomas notched 49 stops for a total season loss of 15 yards against opposing offenses.

JR, Jermaine Stevens, DB- Stevens earned ASC Second Team All Conference recognition in 2015 following 20 tackles and a team high three interceptions for a return total of 127 yards. One of those returns involved a 100 yard interception return in Sully's 13-7 victory over visiting McMurry on October 24.

LOBOS FACING CHALLENING 2016 SCHEDULE
 

• The Lobos will face a pair of Top 25 opponents in 2016
• No. 5 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor enters the 2016 season as the favorite to win the ASC Championship and ranked No. 5 in the D3football.com preseason poll. Coach Pete Fredenburg is the longest tenured coach in the ASC and enters his 19th season in Belton and is 181-38 overall.
• No. 10 Hardin-Simmons had a banner season in 2015. The Cowboys posted their best record since 2008 (9-2), won a share of their first conference title since 2004, and made their seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament. HSU also snapped a 13-game losing streak to Mary Hardin-Baylor, stopping a 39-game ASC win streak and 61-game regular-season win streak by UMHB.
• Sul Ross will close out the regular season against former Lobo quarterback and offensive coordinator Scotty Walden and East Texas Baptist University. As first year head coach Walden inherits an ETBU football team that finished the season as part of an ASC tri-champion in 2015. The youngest head coach in the NCAA (26), Walden begins the rebuilding process of the ETBU offense after the departure of three first-team all-conference seniors – quarterback Josh Warbington, wide receiver Tyler Bates and running back Kendall Roberson – the triple threat that led the Tigers to 40 points per game and more than 400 yards of offense on average.

QUOTES FROM COACH JOHN PEARCE
 

• On facing a first-year program: In my 25 years of coaching this is my first experience in competing against a program in its infancy. With coach Carrigan coming over from the OC position at Tarleton we were able to watch some film from TSU. But we're really heading into the unknown with this game. We just need to focus on playing sound on both sides of the ball. We can't get ourselves outflanked but if that does happen we'll just need to adjust.
• Thoughts on the U.T.P.B. offense: We'll probably see some mesh routes, some inside and outside zones and they'll probably run some power. If I were in their shoes I would probably run the ball a lot, try to speed up the clock and stay close.
• Thoughts on SRSU defense: We're really excited about our defensive unit with the experience coming back. Our front seven players are really talented and they harassed our offense throughout training camp. We're not a "doomsday" defense but I think we're building something special and I'm excited to see them compete and get even better as the season progresses.
• On playing in a large alumni market like Odessa: This game is just really great for the West Texas region. For us it's like a home game just two hours away. We have a large, supportive fan and alumni base throughout the Permian Basin so we're looking forward to fans in that market to show up and support the players as we begin the season. 
• On facing a DII to start the year: We played Panhandle State back in 2014 and they were right on the cusp of jumping into DII about the same time as U.T.P.B. was implementing football. They (PSU) were a tough and talented program and this Saturday we'll be facing a tough and competitive team albeit U.T.P.B. is in the genesis of their program with freshmen and sophomores. They're going to make changes after Saturday just like we will. But we're used to facing high-level competition at the DIII level after playing three, Top 25 opponents last season. 
• Thoughts on wrapping up fall camp: We had a few injuries but, fortunately, nothing major. It's been great playing on new turf and with all the rain we've had in August we've only missed one practice because of lightning issues. The field doesn't take very long to recover after a big rain storm which translates into fewer missed practices. Coach Connors came in during the spring as our new OC and has been able to implement his scheme so it's just been a very productive month in terms of fine tuning our game on both sides of the ball.

AROUND THE ASC

BELHAVEN: As Belhaven enters its second season as a conference member, the Blazers will begin the year in the new Bowl Stadium and will host its home games on campus for the first time in program history. Head coach Hal Mumme, who was recently inducted into the Valdosta Hall of Fame, enters his third season at Belhaven. In 2015, Mumme's offense set team records from the opening snap in his second year at the helm. Quarterback Clayton Webb set new marks in completions (47), attempts (62) and yards (525) against Millsaps in Belhaven's first game of its NCAA Division III era. Known for its passing offense, the Blazers led the ASC last season in passing yards per game (316.8), completions (311) and racked up 3,168 yards through the air and 24 touchdowns. Wide receiver Nate Williams returns as the key target for Webb on the Blazers' offense. Williams ranked third in the ASC in receptions per game (6.7) and tallied a team-best 721 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Alvin Vaughn led the Belhaven defense and ranked fourth in the ASC in tackles per game (8.7) coming from the defensive backfield, and was one of just seven league defenders with more than 80 tackles on the year. Belhaven went 2-8 overall in its inaugural Division III season and picked up its first win over an ASC team by a 12-6 margin against Sul Ross State in the final game in 2015.

EAST TEXAS BAPTIST: The ETBU offense is in the right hands. As architect of the Tigers' offense, head coach Scotty Walden has re-written the ETBU record book with 26 game, season and career records while producing four 1,000 yard receivers and two 1,000 yard rushers. Defensively, the Tigers will see the return of linebackers Garrett Gibson, C.J. Johnson and safety Sam Williams. Gibson led the team in tackles (70), Johnson recorded 55 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss and Williams ranked third in the ASC in interceptions (4) and had the most return yards (157).

No. 10 HARDIN-SIMMONS: Senior quarterback Ryan Breton and senior place kicker / punter Nico Francino were named the ASC Preseason Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, respectively. Breton returns to lead an HSU offense that ranked second in scoring (43.5), passing (291.3) and total offense (455.5) and ranked third in rushing (164.2). Breton led the ASC in passing efficiency (175.5) and ranked second in passing touchdowns (22) and completion percentage (.614). The 2015 ASC Special Teams Player of the Year, Francino led the league in punting (43.6), ranked fourth in scoring (50) and was named a D3football.com first team All-American. Defensively, HSU will see the return of linebacker duo Cory Ward and Matthew Hawkins and defensive back Kylon Mills. Ward (7.2) and Hawkins (7.0) ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, in the ASC in tackles per game. Mills had four interceptions, returned two for touchdowns and had 10 passes defended. Head coach Jesse Burleson enters his sixth season with the Cowboys and has a 31-19 record.

HOWARD PAYNE: Howard Payne enters the season under the guidance of first-year head coach Hunter Sims. A six-year member of the HPU coaching staff, Sims spent three seasons as offensive coordinator before being named head coach last January. Sims first task will be replacing the offensive contributions of the quarterback Richard Young to wide receiver Colby Mica connection. Both players ranked in the top five in the ASC in passing in receiving. Defensively, HPU will return senior linebacker Jason Disney and junior cornerback Kris Mack. Disney led the ASC in tackles per game (11.3) and ranked second overall (113). Mack was one of the league's better defenders in the secondary with an ASC-best 20 passes defended. This season marks the 111th edition of football at Howard Payne making the Jackets the longest standing program in the conference.

LOUISIANA COLLEGE: The Wildcats return quarterback Easton Melancon and running back Aurren Cooksey into the 2016 season. Melancon passed for 1,550 yards and 18 touchdowns and ranked eighth in the ASC in total offense per game (159). Cooksey returns as the league's top rusher with more than 1,000 yards in 2015 (1,048). One of just two ASC running backs with more than 200 carries last season , Cooksey averaged over four yards per rush (4.9) and ranked fifth in all purpose yards (111.9). Defensively, Louisiana College will be led by defensive back Orel Ledet, Jr. The top tackling freshman in the ASC in 2015, Ledet ranked fifth overall in tackles (82) and had seven passes defended. Coach Dennis Dunn enters his 11th season with the Wildcats with a 65-44 record and has led Louisiana College to a runner-up finish in four of the last six seasons.

No. 5 MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR: Mary Hardin-Baylor advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 13th time in the last 14 years. UMHB has won at least a share of 11 consecutive ASC titles, 13 of the last 14 league crowns, and won at least one NCAA tournament game in each of the last 12 seasons. Several key starters return for the Cru including running back Duane Thompson and wide receiver Wykeyhe Walker. Thompson anchored the top rushing offense in the ASC in 2015 with 825 yards rushing for a 6.1 per carry average and nine touchdowns. Walker ranked in the top 10 in both receptions per game (4.8) and yards (78.6). Over 12 games Walker hauled in 943 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Jackson will step in for the departed Zach Anderson to lead the Cru offense. A dual threat QB, Jackson rushed for 355 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing for another 559 yards and another seven touchdowns in the air. On defense, UMHB is led by defensive end Teidrick Smith. Smith was named the ASC Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2015. The first player in ASC history to receive both awards for two consecutive seasons, Smith led the ASC in sacks (14) and tackles for loss (27) with both numbers listed among the top five in Division III. Smith also received honors from D3football.com as a second team All-American.

MCMURRY: McMurry enters the third season of a four-year transition into NCAA Division III in 2016-17. The War Hawks played one season in the NCAA II Lone Star Conference in 2014. McMurry's games will now also count toward the ASC conference standings. The War Hawks - playing a partial ASC slate in 2015 – amassed a record of 4-6 (with four of those losses by a combined 11 points). McMurry made its mark early with a week one win over eventual ASC tri-champion East Texas Baptist. The War Hawks are led by third-year head coach Lance Hinson. In its first season against ASC teams last year Offensively, Hinson will have 125 players to choose from to replace the team's top rusher in Paxton Grayer and passer in quarterback Matthew McHugh. On defense, McMurry returns linebacker Marlon Jackson and defensive back Decorian Johnson. Jackson ranked seventh in the ASC in tackles per game (7.7) and Johnson ranked fourth in passes defended per game (1.12) in addition to three interceptions and six pass break-ups.