Texan Football’s 2023 schedule has been announced

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The next college football season can’t come soon enough, but a start date is now in sight.

Tarleton Football announced its 2023 schedule on Monday, which begins on Saturday September 2nd and runs through Saturday November 11th.

The Texans have another 11-game roster that includes five home games at Memorial Stadium and six real road games, including a Sept. 16 contest at Texas Tech in Lubbock. The schedule alternates between street and home games throughout the season and features a no-bye week until the final week of the college football regular season. This is the first time since 2009 that Tarleton have had no consecutive home games and no consecutive away games. The Texans went 10-3 that year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

All games will be played on Saturdays this season.

Of the 11 opponents Tarleton will face, 10 are NCAA Division I programs, the most the Texans have ever faced in a single season in program history.

“As the Tarleton Football program enters its final year of reclassification, we continue to improve our schedule and this year shows that again,” said head coach Todd Whitten. “This is again the best and most difficult schedule we have ever faced. The 2023 season will be our biggest challenge but I know we are ready for it.”

Announcing the schedule for Tarleton Football 2023 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ANkLOvwB4c

— Tarleton Football (@TarletonFB) January 30, 2023

Tarleton opens in Lake Charles, Louisiana for a September 2 rematch against McNeese. The Texans and Cowboys played a two-overtime thriller in Tarleton’s first game as an NCAA Division I program of the 2020 season, which took place in spring 2021. The Texans last played away at McNeese in 2016, which was Whitten’s first game back with the program in his third stint.

The Texans’ home opener will be a Purple Out against North Alabama on September 9th. This will serve as a conference game for Tarleton as part of the continued ASUN-WAC partnership, serving as a single sports conference for the first time. The ASUN-WAC soccer group has nine participating institutions; Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F Austin, Tarleton and Utah Tech. UTRGV will join the competition on the pitch in 2025. Tarleton traveled to Florence, Alabama last year and ended North Alabama’s 16-game homecoming winning streak with a 43-28 win as the Texans beat the Lions 23-7 in the second half.

Like last year, Tarleton will take on a Big 12 program on the road, this time Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. Whitten will take his Tarleton team to where he began his coaching career in 1988. The Texans have never played the Red Raiders in football. Last season, Tarleton played his first-ever game against a Power Five conference program at TCU, eventually playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

On September 23, Tarleton hosts the Family Weekend against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats, who defeated the Texans last year. On September 30th, Tarleton will be in Hammond at the Southeastern Louisiana of the Southland Conference. The Lions just advanced to the second round of the 2022 NCAA FCS Playoffs.

On October 7th, Tarleton’s Legends Game will feature WAC opponent Southern Utah traveling to Stephenville for the first time. The Texans and Thunderbirds have split their meetings chaotically over the past two years, with Tarleton winning 42-40 last season at Cedar City, Utah, and SUU winning 40-35 at Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Park) in Arlington won the year before. The Texans will honor the 2002-03 men’s basketball program at this year’s Legends Game, a team that went 29-4 on its way to the Lone Star Conference North Division title and a three-game run in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament Overall wins ended , held in Stephenville. Team members interested in attending the celebrations should contact Tarleton Athletics Associate AD for Alumni Engagement and On-Air Broadcasting Byron Anderson at [email protected]

On October 14th, Tarleton will be back in Richmond, Kentucky, this time for a conference game against Eastern Kentucky. The two teams met in 2021 as non-conference opponents. On October 21, the Texans return to Stephenville for their homecoming game against Morehead State. The Eagles from Morehead, Kentucky and the Pioneer Football League will face the Texans for the first time.

Tarleton will then travel to Central Arkansas for the first time on October 28 in Conway to play the Bears. This will be a conference game for the first time, which was not the case when Tarleton hosted UCA at Memorial Stadium in the 2021 season finale. The Texans put on a show and won 24-3.

For the first time since 1974, Stephen F. Austin travels to Stephenville. On November 4, the Texans will face the Lumberjacks for the third straight year, but at home for the first time in 49 years. The WAC Rivalry Game will also be Tarleton’s Military Appreciation Game.

To wrap up the 2023 campaign, Tarleton will travel to Abilene on November 11 to play Abilene Christian. Tarleton’s Bye Week is the final week of the regular season on November 18th.

The full schedule is below and can be found here. Tickets will be available at a later date.

Date and time subject to change | home games on clear | * WAC-ASUN games