These past two weeks, the Sul Ross State football team has logged in 1,680 miles with trips to San Antonio and Kingsville.

Along each road trip, the Lobos learned a lot about themselves.

Last week against Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville, Sul Ross made a huge leap in improvement on both sides of the ball.

Being able to run with a quality opponent like the Javelinas proved that the Lobos can compete with just about anybody when they put their minds to it.

This week, the Lobos will finally be able to shine in front of the home crowd as they take on Austin College at Jackson Field in Alpine for a 1 p.m. CST kickoff.

"First of all, our guys are going to be juiced to play at home," said Sul Ross interim head coach Barry Derickson. "We definitely got to do our part in our due diligence and preparation so that way we can win."

>> HEAD TO HEAD: Since 1998, this will be the 11th meeting between Sul Ross and Austin College.

The Kangaroos got the best of the Lobos with a 16-7 victory last season during a defensive battle.

Sul Ross has not defeated Austin College since 2004 when the Lobos came away with a 38-28 victory.

Prior to that, the Lobos downed the Kangaroos back-to-back in 2001 and 2002 by the scores of 13-12 and 25-9, respectively.

The matchup between both schools took a 15-year hiatus from 2006-2021. Austin College departed the American Southwest Conference after the 2005 season to join the Southern College Athletic Conference from 2006-2011.

Austin College then became an independent program in 2012 before rejoining the SCAC in 2013. The Kangaroos later shifted back into the ASC in 2021.

>> THE KANGAROOS: Austin College is off to an 0-2 start after being outscored 43-7 by Hendrix and Rhodes, respectively.

Last week against Rhodes, the Kangaroos were held to 153 yards of total offense in a 23-7 loss. The lone touchdown was scored on a 39-yard run by Colin Mushinksi during the fourth quarter.

Austin College finished 1-8 last season with its lone victory coming against Sul Ross.

The Kangaroos went 5-5 in 2019, which was their first time at .500 since 2015. The program recorded three-straight 5-5 campaigns from 2013-2015.

Under 13-year head coach Loren Dawson, the Kangaroos are led by senior Kennon Magers at running back, who has 20 carries for 87 yards.

Mushinksi, a junior wide receiver, has amassed 86 yards rushing on six carries. He also leads the way in all-purpose yards with 144.

Austin College has 267 rushing yards as a team.

On defense, the Kangaroos have tallied seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Sophomore linebacker Brady Dygert leads the defense with 17 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

Freshman linebacker Eliel Sandoval has also been a force with 14 total tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive back Texas Gordon also has 14 total tackles along with one forced fumble.

>> THE LOBOS: Senior Ronin Williams has been a huge playmaker for the Lobos on defense.

The Monahans native has 27 total tackles (18 solo) as well as 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Last week, Williams came away with 12 tackles, two forced fumbles, one sack and one tackle for loss.

Sul Ross had a good showing from running back Travell Lumpkin, who has rushed for 89 yards on 21 carries.

Quarterback T.J. DeShields improved last week by completing 16 of 32 passes for 162 yards with two touchdowns.

DeShields has now amassed 276 passing yards and three touchdowns.

"I saw a lot of improvement on both sides of the ball. We still need to continually improve on our special teams," added Derickson. "The biggest thing for this week is being consistent in our preparation just like we did last week, so that way we go out and get a dub against Austin College."

>> HOME SWEET HOME: The Lobos haven't won their home opener since Sept. 23, 2017, when they defeated rival McMurry in dominating fashion, 35-7.

"We just want to make sure that we have that exact same laser-like focus that we had this past week," said Derickson. "These guys can play with anybody. It's just about being consistent."

>> CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: With ASC play beginning this weekend for Sul Ross, here's a quick glance at the conference.

ASC STANDINGS:

• Howard Payne 1-1 (1-0)
• Hardin-Simmons 1-0
• Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-1
• Southwestern 1-1
• East Texas Baptist 0-1
• Texas Lutheran 0-1 (0-1)
• Sul Ross 0-2
• McMurry 0-2
• Austin College 0-2

WEEK 2 SCORES:

• UW-Whitewater 28, Mary Hardin-Baylor 24
• Rhodes 23, Austin College 7
• Millsaps 27, McMurry 13
• Belhaven 42, Southwestern 15
• Texas A&M-Kingsville 35, Sul Ross State 14
• George Fox 42, Howard Payne 39

 
GAME DAY INFO
WHO: Austin College at Sul Ross State
WHERE: Jackson Field, 204 S Cockrell St.
WHEN: 1 p.m. CST, Saturday, Sept. 17
LIVESTATS LINK:  https://srlobos.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
LIVESTREAM LINK: https://livestream.com/srsumedia/events/10614082