KERRVILLE, Texas – Eighty-four years have come and gone, and finally, the Howard Payne University football team will hit the road to Kerrville on Saturday, October 17 to welcome the newest members of the American Southwest Conference, the Schreiner University Mountaineers.
THE ESSENTIALS
- WHO: Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (4-1, 0-1 ASC) @ Schreiner Mountaineers (3-3, 0-1 ASC)
- WHERE: Kerrville, Texas | Antler Stadium
- WHEN: Saturday, October 17 | 2:00 PM CT
WHERE TO FOLLOW
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
- Howard Payne is 2-0 all-time against Schreiner University.
- This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1942, a 27-7 win for the Yellow Jackets.
- The first ever meeting between HPU and Schreiner took place in 1934, another win for Howard Payne 19-13.
HOWARD PAYNE TEAM STATS
- Despite Howard Payne's top five offense prior to Week 6 at Mary Hardin-Baylor, the Crusaders limited the Yellow Jackets to just 132 yards last Saturday.
- Even still, the Jackets scoring offense is third in the ASC, averaging 38.4 points per game. Through the air, Howard Payne ranks third with 1,565 yards.
- Howard Payne is the best team in the league on fourth down, converting at a 75% clip (9-12).
- Defensively, the Jackets have forced 5 fumbles through 5 games, ranking them first right next to East Texas Baptist this season.
- On special teams, Howard Payne is third in all of Division III with an average of 31 yards per kickoff return.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE JACKETS
- By a measly one yard, Bryce Still leads the ASC in total offense (1526), while dropping to second in total passing yards (1500).
- Deuce Martin leads the HPU receiving room with 534 yards, a total also good for fourth in the conference. On special teams, Martin is second in all of Division III in average kick return yards, averaging 40.1 yards per return.
- Elijah Flowers-Goodloe had a breakout performance at Mary Hardin-Baylor, earning a spot on the D3football.com "Team of the Week" after 7 tackles on the defensive line along with 4 tackles for loss and a sack.
- Osvaldo Gomez is 6-for-6 on field goals this season. The junior kicker is only 1 of 8 remaining Division III kickers to hold a 100% success rate on field goals in 2026.
SCHREINER TEAM STATS
- On the national stage, Schreiner is second in all of Division III with 153 first downs.
- For the first time this season, Howard Payne will battle an opponent with more passing yards. Schreiner ranks second in the ASC with 1,787 yards through the air.
- The Mountaineer's pace of play will oppose Howard Payne, ranking last in the ASC with an average of 27 minutes per game. HPU leads the conference, holding 34 minutes of possession per game.
- On the defensive side, Howard Payne will play back-to-back games against the top two secondaries in the conference. Schreiner is tied with UMHB at the top of the league with six interceptions this season.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE MOUNTAINEERS
- Isaac Ponce will start at quarterback for the Mountaineers, ranking third in the league with 1,149 passing yards to go along with six passing touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback also ranks in the top ten running the ball with 228 yards and four touchdowns.
- Just above Ponce in the ASC on the ground is Theodis Fields. The freshman back boasts 254 yards on the ground with three touchdowns.
- Through the air, Schreiner's President Calamaco leads the conference in receiving yards (674), joining HPU's Deuce Martin as one of three ASC players to average over 100 receiving yards per game.
- Triston Wilson's name will be mentioned plenty for the Mountaineer defense. The freshman linebacker holds the second-most tackles in the ASC (48).
- In the secondary, Devin Eure is tied for the league-high in interceptions (2). Braylen South is also second in pass breakups (6).
UP NEXT: After seven weeks of action, the Yellow Jackets will take a well-deserved bye week before returning to ASC play on Saturday, October 31 to host #8 Hardin-Simmons University. Kickoff from Gordon Wood Stadium currently sits at 1:00 p.m. Central Time.
