SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word football team opens its home slate against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at Benson Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).
 
GAME PROMOTIONS
To commemorate the tenth year of intercollegiate football at the University of the Incarnate Word, all tickets for the home opener Saturday night will cost $10 dollars. Fans will receive a free replica field towel, featuring the camo end zones and turf at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital Field.

TICKETS

• To order season membership or for questions, click here or contact UIW Ticket Sales Coordinator Alma Lara at 210-805-3012 or aylara@uiwtx.edu.
• To purchase single game tickets, click here. To purchase tailgating locations or for group ticket information, contact the ticket office at 210-805-3000.

QUICK HITS

• Ra'Quanne Dickens had a 55-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against North Texas. This was his second consecutive game with a touchdown run of at least 50 yards (90-yard touchdown run at New Mexico, Sept. 1; 55-yard touchdown run at North Texas, Sept. 8).
• Dickens added a touchdown run of 42 yards in the third quarter. He led UIW with 139 yards at North Texas.
• Phillip Baptiste had his third reception of at least 20 yards with a 35-yard reception in the first quarter at UNT.
• Silas Stewart registered his first interception of the season in the second quarter against the Mean Green. He has two takeaways this season after a fumble recovery against New Mexico.
• Cody Seidel scored a 29-yard field goal at UNT, marking his second field goal of the season.
• Kody Edwards has 1,565 career receiving yards. and is now just 63 yards shy of breaking the program record (Dominic Hamilton, 1,627 yards, 2009-12).

 
TRUE FRESHMAN QB STARTS SEASON-OPENING GAME
When UIW's Jon Copeland took the field against New Mexico in week one, it was the first time that a true freshman started at quarterback for the Cardinals in a season-opening game. Previously, UIW had started a redshirt freshman in a season opener and a true freshman in midseason games.
 
MAKING THE MOST OF A HISTORIC START
Copeland made the most of his initial start against New Mexico, passing for 328 yards and one touchdown, and running for another.
 
LONGEST TOUCHDOWN RUN AND LONGEST RUN FROM SCRIMMAGE
Ra'Quanne Dickens broke the UIW program record for the longest touchdown run, and the longest run from scrimmage, when he ripped off a 90-yard touchdown run against New Mexico on Sept. 1.
 
RETURN TO DIVISION I FCS COMPETITION 
The first two weeks' opponents, New Mexico and North Texas, have marked the first year in which the Cardinals have played two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents. Overall, UIW has played five FBS opponents. The Cardinals played UTEP in 2015 (L, 17-27), Texas State in 2016 (L, 17-48), Fresno State in 2017 (L, 0-66), and New Mexico last week (L, 30-62).
 
SCOUTING STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

• Stephen F. Austin is 0-1 this season after its home-opening game against Tarleton State was cancelled on Sept. 8 due to inclement weather. The Lumberjacks fell, 63-6, to Mississippi State on Sept. 1.
• Interim head coach Jeff Byrd is in his first season at the helm of SFA. He is also the defensive coordinator, a role he has held for the last 15 seasons.
• Senior Foster Sawyer completed 10-of-27 passing attempts for 147 yards against the Bulldogs on Sept. 1.

 
CARDINAL RECORDS AGAINST THE LUMBERJACKS

• In 2017, quarterback Sean Brophy threw four touchdown passes against SFA, tying Trent Brittain's single game individual record (against Sam Houston in 2016).
• Kody Edwards ran for 186 yards on kick returns in the 2015 game.
• Edwards also had a 100-yard kickoff return in that 2015 game, tying the record for the longest kick return set by two other Cardinals.
• Trey Colbert blocked two kicks against SFA in 2016, tying with two other Cardinals for the single game individual record.
• UIW rolled up a program-best 266 kick return yards against SFA in the 2015 game.

 
SERIES RECORD
UIW and SFA began playing in 2014. The Lumberjacks have won all four games. The teams last played at Benson Stadium on Oct. 29, 2016, when SFA won, 42-19.
 
UIW IN SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE/BENSON STADIUM OPENERS

• UIW is 1-3 in Southland Conference opening games since it joined the conference in 2014. The Cardinals won their 2016 conference opener, 21-18, against Northwestern State. 
• The Cardinals are 4-5 in home-opening games. UIW won Benson Stadium's inaugural game in 2009 against Monterrey Tech. UIW also won home-openers in 2012 and 2013, both against Texas College; in 2015 the Cardinals defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville.

 
10TH YEAR: CARDINAL FOOTBALL
This is UIW's 10th year of college football. The Cardinals won their inaugural game on Aug. 29, 2009, by a score of 42-39 against Monterey Tech. In that first year, UIW competed as a Division II independent. For the next four seasons, UIW played in the Division II Lone Star Conference. The Cardinals joined the Division I ranks as an independent in 2013 before becoming a member of the Southland Conference in 2014.
 
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Four schools represent the Southland Conference in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, released on Sept. 10: Sam Houston (4), Nicholls (12), McNeese (15), and Central Arkansas (17). Beginning with an Oct. 20 game against McNeese, the Cardinals play these schools on consecutive weekends.
 
COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHING PRODIGY
Eric Morris, at age 32, is one of college football's youngest head coaches. Born on October 26, 1985, he is more than two years younger than another coach who has received a lot of attention for his youth, 34-year-old Lincoln Riley of Oklahoma. Morris is not the youngest head coach in college football, however. Sean Lewis of Kent State, another 32-year-old, is more than six months younger.
 
HEAD COACH: DEEP TEXAS TIES
UIW's new head coach, Eric Morris, comes to UIW from Texas Tech and has deep Texas ties. He played at Tech before spending five years as its offensive coordinator, and he plans to bring the same exciting style of offense to Benson Stadium. He was also a graduate assistant under University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, who later went on to coach at Texas A&M. Additionally, Morris coached at Washington State under former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach.
 
ASSISTANT COACHES: MORE TEXAS TIES
Only one of Eric Morris' 11 position coaches/coordinators does not have a Texas background as either a player, coach, scholar, or native-born son.
 
PASSION FOR CHANGE
The Cardinals have an all new staff filled with young coaches who have a ton of energy and passion. Throughout the spring and in fall camp, they worked to change the culture of the team and will look to sustain that momentum throughout the season. Many of the players have remarked that they can relate to a youthful coaching staff that seems to have boundless energy.
 
SIX YEARS WITHOUT NATURAL TURF FOR THE CARDINAL GRIDDERS
UIW has played 61 consecutive football games on an artificial playing surface. The Cardinals last played on natural grass on Oct. 13, 2012 at Texas A&M-Kingsville's Javelina Field. All Southland Conference football teams play home games on artificial turf.
 
SPEAKING OF PLAYING SURFACES
UIW enjoys the Southland Conference's newest crop of artificial turf. Benson Stadium received new Field Turf over the summer, replete with a camouflaged end zone pattern in school colors of red and black with white lettering. The installation of the field turf garnered national attention from social media, Sportscenter, and more.
 
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
When new UIW head football coach Eric Morris held spring football drills in March, he had a roster that numbered in the sixties. When fall drills began in August, those numbers had increased to 105. The new roster included a 20-player recruiting class announced on Feb. 7 (19 high school prospects and one transfer), plus numerous recruited and walk-on players who joined the team later.
 
MAKING THE GRADE
Since UIW head coach Eric Morris took charge of the Cardinal football team in December 2017, his student-athletes have increased the team GPA -- previously under a 2.5 -- through hard work and dedication. The emphasis that Morris and his assistant coaches placed on classroom attentiveness paid off in one semester. When spring semester grades arrived in late May, the team achieved a collective GPA of 3.2.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
Five team captains, chosen by their fellow players, will provide leadership on and off of the field for the Cardinals this season. Center Tyler Preston from Georgetown and wide receiver Kody Edwards from Mesquite, both seniors, represent the offense. Senior linebacker Silas Stewart, from Wilmington, Delaware, and junior linebacker Mar'kel Cooks, from Irving, Texas, will lead the defense, while special teams members will look to senior kicker Cody Seidel, from Keller, Texas.