2020 Tarleton State Texans football team

2020 Tarleton State Texans football
2020 Tarleton State Texans football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–3
Head coach	Todd Whitten (11th season);
Co-offensive coordinators	Jonathan Beasley (4th season); Scott Carey (3rd season);
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Marcus Patton (5th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Stephen F. Austin		–		6	–	4
Tarleton State†		–		5	–	3
Central Arkansas		–		5	–	4
Presbyterian†		–		4	–	3
Eastern Kentucky		–		3	–	6
Dixie State†		–		2	–	3
Houston Baptist		–		1	–	3
Abilene Christian		–		1	–	5
Campbell		–		0	–	4
North Alabama		–		0	–	4

Note: † – Dixie State, Presbyterian, and Tarleton State played only in the spring. All other teams listed played only in the fall. Presbyterian was in a scheduling agreement with the Pioneer Football League, which it fully joined in July 2021.

The 2020 Tarleton State Texans football team represented Tarleton State University as an independent the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team had planned to play in the fall 2020, until the postponement of the season on August 10, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1] A schedule for the spring of 2021 was later arranged. Led by 11th-year head coach Todd Whitten, the Texas compiled a record of 5–3. Tarleton State played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, Texas.

Schedule

The team's 2020 fall schedule was scheduled with six home and six away games. On August 10, 2020, Tarleton State University announced the postponement of the football season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until the spring of 2021.^[1]^[2]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
February 13, 2021	6:00 p.m.	McNeese State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	FSSW+/FS Go	L 37–40 ^2OT	1,324
February 21, 2021	4:00 p.m.	at New Mexico State		Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	FSAZ/FloSports/Comcast	W 43–17	0
February 27, 2021	2:00 p.m.	Dixie State	No. 22	Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+	L 14–26	1,121
March 6, 2021	2:00 p.m.	Mississippi College		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX		W 39–14	3,614
March 13, 2021	8:00 p.m.	at Dixie State		Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT		W 37–15	1,427
March 20, 2021	6:00 p.m.	Midwestern State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX		W 33–21	10,776
March 27, 2021	6:00 p.m.	Northeastern State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX		W 38–0	4,912
April 1, 2021	6:00 p.m.	East Central		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX		L 14–21	2,132
Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final
STATS	—	22	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—
Coaches'	Not released				RV	24	21	RV	RV	—	—

Game summaries

McNeese State

McNeese State Cowboys at Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Cowboys	10	0	0	21	3	6	40
Texans	3	7	14	7	3	3	37

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: February 13, 2021
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Cloudy, 28 °F (−2 °C)
Game attendance: 1,324
Referee: Vidal Jones
TV: FSSW+/FS Go
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

MCN – Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal, 9:15. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 4:31.
MCN – Joshua Matthews 13-yard pass from Cody Oregeron (Jacob Abel kick), 5:26. Cowboys 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 15 yards, 0:44.
TAR – Adrian Guzman 38-yard field goal, 3:37. Cowboys 10–3. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 1:41.

Second quarter

TAR – Ryheem Skinner 4-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 1:05. Tied 10–10. Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 4:25.

Third quarter

TAR – Tariq Bitson 13-yard pass from Steven Duncan (Christian Hernandez kick), 11:07. Texans 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 1:34.
TAR – Braelon Bridges 27-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 2:31. Texans 24–10. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 3:31.

Fourth quarter

MCN – Cody Oregeron 5-yard run (Jacob Abel kick), 12:09. Texans 24–17. Drive: 16 plays, 77 yards, 5:17.
TAR – Braelon Bridges 1-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 7:39. Texans 31–17. Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 4:24.
MCN – Mason Pierce 26-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick), 2:46. Texans 31–24. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:22.
MCN – Trevor Begue 12-yard pass from Cody Oregeron (Jacob Abel kick), 0:35. Tied 31–31. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:10.

Overtime

MCN – Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal. Cowboys 34–31. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards.
TAR – Adrian Guzman 37-yard field goal. Tied 34–34. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards.

Second overtime

TAR – Adrian Guzman 45-yard field goal. Texans 37–34. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards.
MCN – Cody Oregeron 19-yard run. Cowboys 40–37. Drive: 2 plays, 25 yards.

Statistics	MCN	TAR
First downs	27	25
Total yards	400	408
Rushing yards	230	180
Passing yards	170	228
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	33:32	26:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Oregeron	14/34, 170 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Cody Oregeron	19 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Deonta McMahon	2 receptions, 35 yards
Tarleton State	Passing	Steven Duncan	22/39, 217 yards, TD
	Rushing	Braelon Bridges	15 rushes, 112 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tariq Bitson	5 receptions, 87 yards, TD

At New Mexico State

Tarleton State Texans at New Mexico State Aggies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Texans	23	10	7	3	43
Aggies	7	0	3	7	17

at Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas

Date: February 21, 2021
Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST/3:00 p.m. MST
Game weather: Sunny, 58 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 0
Referee: Christian Watson
TV announcers (FSAZ/FloSports/Comcast): Adam Young and Danny Knee
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

TSU – Cameron Burston 70-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 14:36. Texans 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:24.
TSU – Gabe Douglas 86-yard pass from Cameron Burston (Christian Hernandez kick), 11:31. Texans 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 86 yards, 0:12.
NMSU – Juwaun Price 94-yard kickoff return (Ethan Albertson kick), 11:19. Texans 14–7.
TSU – Team safety, 6:42. Texans 16–7.
TSU – Cameron Burston 21-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 3:29. Texans 23–7. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 3:07.

Second quarter

TSU – Gabe Douglas 29-yard pass from Cameron Burston (Christian Hernandez kick), 7:16. Texans 30–7. Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:12.
TSU – Adrian Guzman 35-yard field goal, 0:00. Texans 33–7. Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 2:42.

Third quarter

TSU – DeAngelo Rosemond 4-yard run (Christian Hernandez kick), 14:11. Texans 40–7. Drive: 2 plays, 5 yards, 0:28.
NMSU – Ethan Albertson 27-yard field goal, 1:56. Texans 40–10. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:19.

Fourth quarter

TSU – Adrian Guzman 34-yard field goal, 13:38. Texans 43–10. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:18.
NMSU – Robert Downs III 27-yard pass from Jonah Johnson (Ethan Albertson kick), 3:28. Texans 43–17. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:01.

Statistics	TAR	NMSU
First downs	24	14
Total yards	501	241
Rushing yards	249	54
Passing yards	252	187
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	35:40	24:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tarleton State	Passing	Cameron Burston	15/29, 252 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cameron Burston	4 rushes, 79 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Gabe Douglas	7 receptions, 190 yards, TD
New Mexico State	Passing	Jonah Johnson	17/31, 187 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Juwaun Price	14 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Terrell Warner	5 receptions, 77 yards

Due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state of New Mexico, this game was played at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Due to contact tracing, the Texans were missing five players, including starting quarterback Steven Duncan. The Aggies, an FBS team, paid the Texans $150,000 for the guarantee game.^[4]

Dixie State

Dixie State Trailblazers at No. 22 Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Trailblazers	7	10	6	3	26
No. 22 Texans	0	7	7	0	14

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: February 27, 2021
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Foggy, 58 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 1,121
Referee: Dan Lewis
TV: ESPN+
Box score, Recap

Statistics	DXST	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Dixie State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Mississippi College

Mississippi College Choctaws at Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Choctaws	0	6	8	0	14
Texans	21	8	0	10	39

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: March 13, 2021
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
Game attendance: 3,614
Referee: Vidal Jones
Box score, Recap

Statistics	MIS	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi College	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Dixie State

Tarleton State Texans at Dixie State Trailblazers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Texans	14	3	10	10	37
Trailblazers	0	0	3	12	15

at Greater Zion Stadium, St. George, Utah

Date: March 13, 2021
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST/7:00 p.m. MST
Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
Game attendance: 1,427
Referee: Bret MacRae
Box score, Recap

Statistics	TAR	DXST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Dixie State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Midwestern State

Midwestern State Mustangs at Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mustangs	7	7	7	0	21
Texans	20	7	0	6	33

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: March 20, 2021
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
Game attendance: 10,776
Referee: Dan Jones
Box score, Recap

Statistics	MID	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Midwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northeastern State

Northeastern State RiverHawks at Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
RiverHawks	0	0	0	0	0
Texans	14	3	7	14	38

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: March 27, 2021
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Clear, 78 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 4,912
Referee: Scott Hardin
Box score, Recap

Statistics	NOR	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northeastern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

East Central

East Central Tigers at Tarleton State Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	7	0	14	0	21
Texans	7	0	7	0	14

at Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas

Date: April 1, 2021
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 2,132
Referee: Dan Lewis
Box score, Recap

Statistics	ECU	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Central	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ ^a ^b "Tarleton State Postpones Football Season Until Spring". NBC DFW. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^ "Tarleton State postpones football in first Division I FCS season". 247sports.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^ "2021 Spring Football Schedule". tarletonsports.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
^ Groves, Jason (February 21, 2021). "New Mexico State blown out by Tarleton State in first spring football game". Las Cruces Sun News. Retrieved January 4, 2025.

[pptsf-1] "Tarleton State Postpones Football Season Until Spring". NBC DFW. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

[2] "Tarleton State postpones football in first Division I FCS season". 247sports.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

[3] "2021 Spring Football Schedule". tarletonsports.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

[4] Groves, Jason (February 21, 2021). "New Mexico State blown out by Tarleton State in first spring football game". Las Cruces Sun News. Retrieved January 4, 2025.

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[4]

v t e Tarleton State Texans football
Venues	Memorial Stadium (1951–present)
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1915–1948 (junior college) 1949–1960 (junior college) 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025