There are only three games remaining in the Sul Ross State football team's final season of competition in NCAA Division III.

Sul Ross State makes its longest road trip of the season out to Marshall, Texas to take on East Texas Baptist University for a 1 p.m. CST kickoff at Ornelas Stadium.

>> HEAD TO HEAD:

The series is young as it began in 2000.

East Texas Baptist is 18-4 against the Lobos during that span. The Tigers have won the last five meetings.

Sul Ross State won the series opener by a score of 40-21.

The Lobos also defeated the Tigers in 2006, 2012 and 2016.

Both programs did not meet during the COVID-shortened spring season of 2020.

During the last victory over East Texas Baptist on Nov. 12, 2016, the Lobos won 47-18 on the road as quarterback James Davis scored five total touchdowns while he tallied 326 total yards of offense.

Four years prior, the Lobos had a solid offensive performance on Nov. 10, 2012 when the dynamic duo of running back Dominique Carson and quarterback A.J. Springer combined for six touchdowns and 536 total yards of offense in the 50-37 win.

Last time out, Sul Ross State scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to fall short on the road, 17-14.

>> THE TIGERS:

East Texas Baptist is currently 4-3 overall and 3-1 in American Southwest Conference play. The Tigers are sitting in second place, a game behind Hardin-Simmons and Mary Hardin-Baylor, which both sport unblemished records in conference play.

The Tigers began the season 1-2 with losses to NAIA Louisiana Christian and the University of Wisconsin-OshKosh, which has been receiving votes in the top 25 polls done by d3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association.

East Texas Baptist notched a 38-37 win over Hendrix College during the first three weeks of the season. Now, the Tigers have won three of their last four games with victories over Austin College (35-7), McMurry (14-13) and, most recently, a 16-6 defeat of Texas Lutheran.

The Tigers shutout Texas Lutheran in the first half, 10-0. East Texas Baptist came away with 334 total yards of offense in the win.

Quarterback Carlos Garibay tallied 201 yards, which included a 53-yard touchdown pass.

Receiver Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox caught five passes for 132 yards as he ranks fifth in the conference with 543 yards and six touchdowns.

The East Texas Baptist offense ranks seventh in total offense with 2,231 yards. Both passing and rushing offenses rank fifth in the conference.

Linebacker Joey Verret has recorded 54 total tackles to rank fifth in the conference.

>> THIS AND THAT:

• If conference games counted for the Lobos this season they would currently be tied for fourth place in the ASC alongside Howard Payne.
• Sul Ross State ranks fifth in scoring offense, sixth in total offense (2,325 yards), fourth in rushing (804 yards) and fourth in passing (1,521 yards) in the ASC.
• The Lobos also rank third in the ASC in point after attempts with 20 made PATs and 21 attempts. The Sul Ross State kicking unit ranks third in made field goals (7 for 9).
• Rodd Hudson III is seventh in the conference in rushing with 278 yards.
• Andrew Martinez is the third-best quarterback in the ASC with 1,250 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. Martinez ranks third in individual total offense with 1,423 yards.
• Isaiah Pena still ranks in the top five in receiving in the conference. Pena is fourth with 450 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
• Carlos Arreola is sixth in overall scoring with 41 total points. He is the second-best kicker in the ASC and is tied for the lead in made field goals with seven.
• Vicente Luevano ranks third in the conference with 96 punt return yards.
• Chris Ruiz is currently fourth with 1,246 punt yards. He has landed six punts inside the 20-yard line while three of his punts have gone over 50 yards.
• Jade Rios continues to be the top tackler in the ASC with 69 total tackles and 43 solo tackles.
• Dayln Dunbar is tied for third in the conference with 3.5 sacks.
• Evian Thompson is tied for second in the ASC with six pass breakups.

>> LIVESTREAMING INCONSISTENCIES:

Last week's livestream between Sul Ross State and Hardin-Simmons had no audio because the home radio station did not make it due to personal reasons and secondly the stream had to be muted due to the camera's close proximity to the Lobo coaching staff.

Despite a lot of complaints from the opposition, the stream is now the most-watched game of the season with 4,087 views.

>> LONE STAR CONFERENCE ACTION:

With Sul Ross State transitioning to NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference in 2024, here's how the LSC has been shaping up this season.

The University of Texas-Permian Basin has been having a historic season as it entered the top 25 as the 22nd-ranked program in the AFCA coaches' poll.

UTPB has won six in a row which included a 28-23 defeat of Angelo State last week, which took ASU out of the top 25.

Only two teams remain undefeated in LSC play. Central Washington is also riding a six-game winning streak after it defeated West Texas A&M, 30-14, last week.

Central Washington received 11 votes in the AFCA coaches' poll.

Here are the updated LSC standings:

• UTPB (7-1, 5-0)
• Central Washington (6-2, 6-0)
• Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-2, 3-2)
• Angelo State (4-3, 3-2)
• Midwestern State (3-4, 2-3)
• Western Oregon (3-5, 2-3)
• West Texas A&M (3-5, 2-4)
• Eastern New Mexico (3-5, 1-5)
• Western New Mexico (1-6, 0-5)

>> NEWS FROM AROUND THE ASC:

First place is on the line in the ASC when top dogs Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons clash this weekend in Abilene, Texas.

Here are the scores from last week:

• Mary Hardin-Baylor 49, Austin College 14
• McMurry 45, Howard Payne 21
• East Texas Baptist 16, Texas Lutheran 6

Here are the updated standings:

• Hardin-Simmons (6-1, 3-0)
• Mary Hardin-Baylor (4-3, 3-0)
• East Texas Baptist (4-3, 3-1)
• Howard Payne (5-2, 2-2)
• McMurry (3-4, 1-3)
• Austin College (1-6, 0-3)
• Texas Lutheran (1-6, 0-3)

GAME INFO
>> WHO: Sul Ross State (3-4) vs. East Texas Baptist (4-3) (NOTE: This is ETBU's homecoming game)
>> WHEN: 1 p.m. CST (Saturday, Oct. 28)
>> WHERE: Ornelas Stadium | Marshall, Texas | 1100 Van Zandt Ave.
>> LIVESTREAM: https://goetbutigers.com/watch/live
>> LIVE STATS: https://goetbutigers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
>> TICKETS: https://goetbutigers.com/sports/2023/6/12/tickets.aspx