SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word football team is set to host a Senior Night season-finale battle with rival Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at Benson Stadium.
 
OPENING KICK
 
Two private Christian universities located in the Lone Star State with young football programs in the transition process to Division I will battle for Southland Conference supremacy.
 
Thursday's action between the Cardinals (2-8, 2-6 SLC) and Huskies (4-6, 3-4 SLC) will air live on Fox College Sports Central (Dish 446 and DirecTV 608) and will also be available online via Fox Sports Go.
 
UIW will honor its 16 seniors prior to the ballgame at approximately 6:35 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
 
2016: 4-6 Overall, 3-4 SLC
Last Game: W vs. Stephen F. Austin (31-24)
Head Coach: Vic Shealy
Key Offensive Players:
#11 Sr. QB Tony Dawson (119-253-3, 1484 YRDS, 7 TD, 731 rushing YRDS, 4 TD)
#8 Jr. RB Terrance Peters (121-599 YRDS, 4.6 YPC, 4 TD)
#1 Jr. WR Isaiah Hall (28-265 YRDS, 9.5 YPC, 1 TD)
#81 Jr. WR Wesley Lewis (22-325 YRDS, 14.8 YPC, 1 TD)
#14 Sr. WR Ricardo Barnett (20-238 YRDS, 11.9 YPC, 2 TD)
Key Defensive Players:
#40 Jr. LB Garrett Dolan (120 TKL, 15.0 TFL, 3 BU, 3 QBH, 2.0 SACKS, 2 FF, 1 RCV)
#20 Sr. LB Dorrin Turner (64 TKL, 4.0 TFL, 1.0 SACKS, 1 INT, 1 BU, 1 QBH)
#22 Jr. LB Cody Moncure (62 TKL, 8.0 TFL, 2.5 SACKS, 2 BU, 2 QBH)
Summary: Houston Baptist enters Thursday's ballgame with a 4-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Southland Conference action. The Huskies are coming off of a 31-24 victory over Stephen F. Austin in Houston.
 
Houston Baptist is averaging 18.1 points and 355.2 yards of total offense per game. The Huskies average 189.5 yards on the ground and 165.7 yards through the air, led by quarterback Tony Dawson. Dawson also spearheads the HBU ground game with team-highs in rushing yards (731) and rushing touchdowns (four). Receivers Isaiah Hall (265 yards, one touchdown), Wesley Lewis (325 yards, one touchdown) and Ricardo Barnett (238 yards, two touchdowns) emerge as the team's most dangerous targets.
 
Defensively the Huskies surrender 35.5 points and 453.4 yards per game, including 193.5 rushing yards and 259.9 passing yards per game.
 
Linebacker Garrett Dolan leads the Houston Baptist defense with 120 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Fellow linebackers Dorrin Turner and Cody Moncure are second and third on the team respectively, totaling 64 and 62 tackles apiece.
 
THE UIW CARDINAL FILE
 
2016: 2-8 Overall, 2-6 SLC
Last Game: W at Lamar (35-28)
Head Coach: Larry Kennan
Key Offensive Players:
#4 Jr. QB Trent Brittain (155-318-5, 2040 YRDS, 15 TD, 4 rushing TD)
#8 Sr. RB Broderick Reeves (112-434, 3.7 YPC, 5 TD)
#10 Sr. RB Junior Sessions (73-241, 3.1 YPC, 2 TD)
#81 Jr. WR Kody Edwards (39-712, 18.3 YPC, 8 TD)
#2 Sr. WR Jordan Hicks (33-479, 14.5 YPC, 4 TD)
Key Defensive Players:
#9 Sr. LB Josh Zellars (78 TKLS, 1.5 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 FR, 1 BU)
#17­ Jr. DB Sean Hoeferkamp (67 TKLS, 4 BU, 1.0 TFL)
#33 Sr. LB Joel Higgins (61 TKLS, 4.5 TFL, 3.0 SACKS, 1 BLKD KICK, 1 BU)
Summary: The Cardinals enter Saturday's matchup at 2-8 overall and 2-6 in Southland Conference play. UIW is coming off of a 35-28 defeat of Lamar in Beamount.
 
The Cardinals are averaging 26.2 points and 354.8 yards of total offense per game. UIW averages 243.3 yards through the air, led by quarterback Trent Brittain. Receivers Kody Edwards (712 yards, eight touchdowns) and Jordan Hicks (479 yards, four touchdowns) emerge as Brittain's favorite targets. Running backs Broderick Reeves and Junior Sessions spearhead the UIW ground game, rushing for a combined 675 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
 
Defensively the Cardinals surrender 38.9 points and 459.1 yards per game, including 273.2 passing yards and 185.9 rushing yards per game.
 
Linebacker Josh Zellars leads the UIW defense with 78 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Defensive back Sean Hoeferkamp has totaled 67 tackles and four pass breakups, while linebacker Joel Higgins has racked up 61 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, one blocked kick and one pass breakup.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals are 3-0 in the all-time series against the Huskies. UIW earned a 24-3 victory in the first meeting between programs on Oct. 26, 2013 in San Antonio. The Cardinals picked up 31-8 win over the Houston Baptist on Oct. 4, 2014 at Benson Stadium. UIW earned a 30-3 victory in the most recent meeting between programs on Nov. 21, last season in Houston.
 
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