SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word football team is set to face North Texas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) in Apogee Stadium.
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE

• Saturday's game is on ESPN+. A live streaming link can be found on the schedule page at uiwcardinals.com/football.
• Live audio is available for all football games on Stretch Internet. A link can be found on the schedule page at uiwcardinals.com/football.
• Live stats can be found on the schedule page at uiwcardinals.com/football.

 
QUICK HITS

• Freshman QB Jon Copeland made his first start on Sept. 1 at New Mexico.
• The Argyle, Texas, native completed 17 of 36 passes for 328 yards.
• This was the first time a Cardinal has thrown for over 300 yards since Trent Brittain had 313 at Lamar on Nov. 14, 2015.
• Copeland also had a long throw of 44 yards and chipped in one passing and one rushing touchdown.
• Ra'Quanne Dickens broke the program record for the longest rush from scrimmage when he scampered 90 yards down the field for a touchdown. He led UIW with 110 rushing yards.
• Phillip Baptiste (112) and Lamont Johnson (103) both recorded over 100 receiving yards against New Mexico.
• The last time two Cardinals had 100 or more receiving yards was against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 3, 2016 (Jordan Hicks with 115 yard and Kody Edwards with 159 yards).
• The Cardinals registered 566 yards of total offense against New Mexico in the season opener. This is more yards of total offense than any single game in 2017, where the team had a season-high 465 yards in its win over Lamar.

 
UIW VS. FBS OPPONENTS: THIS SEASON
This is the first season that UIW plays two FBS opponents in program history. The Cardinals opened the season last Saturday against New Mexico and play UNT this week.
 
UIW VS. FBS OPPONENTS: HISTORY
This is UIW's fifth game against an FBS team. 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).
 
UIW VS. CONFERENCE USA
This is UIW's second game against a member of Conference USA. The Cardinals played UTEP during the 2015 season.
 
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS

• The Mean Green is 1-0 this season after a 46-23 victory over SMU on Sept. 1 at Apogee Stadium.
• Mason Fine led UNT to victory, completing 40 of his 50 pass attempts for 444 yards and three touchdowns.
• North Texas focused on the passing game in their first outing of 2018. They amassed 461 passing yards compared to only 68 rushing yards.
• The Mean Green held SMU to just nine first downs, four rushing yards, and 252 passing yards on Sept. 1.

 
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.
 
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.
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE
UIW has a challenging schedule for the 2018 season. In addition to two FBS opponents, four of UIW's conference foes finished the 2017 season ranked: Sam Houston State (3), Central Arkansas (8), McNeese (18), and Nicholls (23). The Cardinals face these four opponents in consecutive games this season.
 
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.
 
ATTENDANCE: POSSSIBLE MILESTONE
Saturday's game in Apogee Stadium has the potential to be the second-largest crowd the UIW football program has competed in front of in its 10-year history. If more than 22,845 spectators attend, it will surpass the number who saw the Cardinals play UTEP in 2015.
 
ATTENDANCE: THE RECORD (IN ROAD GAMES)
39,447 saw the Cardinals play at Fresno State in the 2017 season opener. This is the largest crowd UIW has played in front of in program history.
 
138th YEAR: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD
In 1881, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, an order of Catholic nuns based in Paris, founded UIW as a center of higher education for young women. In 1970, male students first enrolled in undergraduate programs. UIW is the largest Catholic school in Texas and the fourth-largest private university in the state. Enrollment is 10,389, which includes off-campus learning programs in Texas and international locations.
 
SIX YEARS WITHOUT NATURAL TURF FOR THE CARDINAL GRIDDERS
UIW has played 60 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.