BROWNWOOD, Texas – After a successful trip to the Ford Center at The Star, the Howard Payne University football team celebrates homecoming weekend at Gordon Wood Stadium on Saturday, October 3, welcoming the Nelson Lions back to Brownwood for a Week 5 showdown. Against a non-Division III opponent, the game acts as one final tune-up before league play begins within the American Southwest Conference.

THE ESSENTIALS

• WHO: Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (3-0) vs Nelson Lions (1-3)
• WHERE: Brownwood, Texas | Gordon Wood Stadium
• WHEN: Saturday, October 3 | 3:00 PM CT

WHERE TO FOLLOW

• WATCH LIVE ON FLOCOLLEGE
• LISTEN LIVE ON KOXE
• FOLLOW THE LIVE STATS

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE LIONS

• Howard Payne is 4-4 against Nelson University, with their most recent 42-10 win in 2023 snapping a three-game losing streak to the Lions.
• Nelson's offense has shown out against HPU in the past, averaging 29 points per game.
• In their four wins over Nelson, the Yellow Jackets have ran up the score, logging 36 points per game.

HOWARD PAYNE TEAM STATS

• The HPU offense is on fire, averaging 559 yards per game, a total that ranks 5^th in all of Division 3.
• The Yellow Jacket pass attack ranks second in the country at 403 yards per contest.
• Forcing and recovering four fumbles, the Howard Payne defense ranks best in the conference in the category.
• Despite the low volume of kick returns, the Jackets average 36.5 yards per return, ranking them 4^th in Division 3.
• Howard Payne has been slow and methodical on the ball, ranked second in Division 3 with over 37 minutes of possession per game.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE JACKETS

• Bryce Still leads the nation in both average passing yards (382.3) and total yards on offense per game (388.0).
• J.D. Mays remains second in the American Southwest Conference with 226 total yards on the ground. Blessing Ngene is tied for fourth with 161.
• With three pass breakups, Kevin Jacobs is tied for 5^th in the conference as one of the premiere defensive backs for the Jackets.
• Deuce Martin became the 5^th player in the ASC to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season, recording a 98-yard return against Simpson College for the second-longest return in program history.
• Kicker Osvaldo Gomez is third in the conference with 28 points, including four field goals and 16 extra points.

NELSON UNIVERSITY TEAM STATS

• Nelson, out of the Sooner Athletic Conference, ranks 16^th in the country in average passing yards (276.3)
• The Lions have been held under 17 points in all three of their losses this season.
• The Nelson run game has seen both extremes this year, recording a season-low -12 yards in Week 2 against OUAZ, yet putting together 141 yards the next week against Arkansas Baptist.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE LIONS

• Judah Holtzclaw reached 1,000 passing yards last week at Texas Wesleyan. His 267 passing yards per game is a league-best in the SAC.
• Jermaine Jones has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Lions, leading the SAC in both receiving yards (434) and touchdowns (5).
• Xavier Garcia is a name to watch for the Lion defense as he currently sits with 40 tackles, third-most in the conference.
• The secondary is manned by Kameron Franklin, who has two interceptions and three pass breakups to his name.

UP NEXT: American Southwest Conference play begins in Belton on Saturday, October 10, as Howard Payne hits the road to Crusader Stadium, facing the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a team currently ranked in the top 20 in all of Division 3.