FRISCO, Texas – On Saturday, September 26, the Howard Payne University football team will become the first college football program to ever host a regular season contest in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The Yellow Jackets welcome Simpson College (IA) for a Week 4 contest, searching for their first 4-0 start to a season since 2021.
THE ESSENTIALS
- TICKETS: General Admission available here ($24)
- WHO: Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (2-0) vs Simpson College Storm (1-1)
- WHERE: Frisco, Texas | Ford Center at The Star
- WHEN: Saturday, September 26 | 3:00 PM CT
WHERE TO FOLLOW
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE STORM
- Howard Payne and Simpson College will square off for the first time in program history this weekend.
HOWARD PAYNE TEAM STATS
- Despite playing one less game than the rest of the American Southwest Conference, the Yellow Jackets stack up third in both total yardage (1,123) and touchdowns (11).
- HPU sits second in the ASC by logging 7.4 yards per play.
- The Howard Payne pass attack ranks second in the ASC with 771 yards through the air.
- Howard Payne's defense is holding opponents to just 247.5 yards per game, the lowest in the ASC.
- Through two games, opponents have scored just 17 points against Howard Payne, making for another league low.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE JACKETS
- Bryce Still is second in the ASC with 709 passing yards while averaging a league-best 354.5 yards per game.
- After a big week against Wayland Baptist, J.D. Mays now sits second in the ASC with 172 total rushing yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Not far behind is Blessing Ngene, whose 6.7 yards per carry rank third in the conference.
- The Howard Payne receiver room is led by Deuce Martin and Ellis Myers, who both logged over 125 yards at Wayland Baptist. Martin (21.0) and Myers (21.2) each sit in the top five of the conference in yards per catch.
- Leading the Jacket defense, Armani Franklin paces the team with 15 tackles. Justin Griffith is coming off a standout performance against WBU with 2 TFL and a strip sack. Donte Zeno also forced a fumble in the Week 3 contest on special teams.
SIMPSON COLLEGE TEAM STATS
- The Storm come in with the second highest scoring offense in the American Rivers Conference (33.0 PPG).
- Through 2 games, SC holds the most explosive offense in the conference, averaging 7.4 yards per play.
- The Simpson rushing attack has been prominent in the early stages, logging 478 yards and coming in second in the ARC.
- Defensively, the Storm have forced two turnovers, both on interceptions. Simpson College has yet to record a sack or force a fumble.
- SC is 15-of-29 on third downs this season, with their 51.7% clip being the best in their league.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE STORM
- Demarico Young will be the prominent name in the backfield for Simpson College. The sophomore leads the ARC in rushing yards (356), averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
- Jayden Thoreson heads the offense at quarterback, currently boasting four touchdowns on 466 passing yards.
- Noah Cracraft leads all receivers with 14 catches for 275 yards and a league-high four touchdowns.
- Defensively, Duece Robinson highlights a strong secondary with two interceptions on the young season.
UP NEXT: Howard Payne University celebrates Homecoming back at Gordon Wood Stadium on Saturday, October 3. The Yellow Jackets face off against Nelson University at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.
