No. 6 Tarleton State delivered a statement to the rest of the remaining teams in NCAA DII today as the Texans dominated No. 24 Azusa Pacific 58-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Xavier Turner led the attack once again as he gained 206 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Ben Holmes completed 13-of-17 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns and Zimari Manning added 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five receptions for the Texans.

Azusa Pacific struggled to gain any traction in any phase of the game as the Cougars were held to 217 total yards of offense. Tyrone Williams Jr. completed 17-of-37 passes for 216 yards with one interception. Darrell Adams Jr. caught six passes for 63 yards and Bryce Grandison was the Cougars leading rusher with 26 yards rushing in the game.

TEAM PLAYOFF RECORDS

Tarleton State set many new individual playoff records during their dominating victory. Xavier Turner set new team playoff records for rushing attempts per game (23), rushing yards in a game (206), rushing touchdowns in a game (3), and the longest run in team playoff history when he broke free for a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Ben Holmes tied a team playoff record with three touchdown passes and Zimari Manning tied a team playoff record with two receiving touchdowns. Ron Reid set a new team playoff record for longest punt as he delivered an 84-yard punt in the in the first quarter.

The Texans offense and defense also broke many team playoff records in the game. The offense set new team records for rushing attempts in a game (62), rushing yards in a game (355), total offensive yards in a game (579), and average yards per play (7.3). The defense was not to be outdone as they set new team playoff records for fewest rushing yards allowed (1), fewest total yards allowed (217), and fumble recoveries in a game with two.

GROUND BREAKING SEASON

This was the first NCAA DII home playoff game for the Texans as Tarleton State continues to set a new standard for the football program. The Texans earned the second seed in Super Region Four, which is their highest seed in the NCAA DII playoffs in program history and their first appearance in the playoffs since 2009. Tarleton also earned their fourth overall Lone Star Conference championship and first outright championship in program history. The Texans have already set new school records in touchdowns scored and rushing yards in a season. This was the first undefeated regular season for Tarleton State since they joined the NCAA in 1994 and have tied their longest winning streak and most wins in a season in school history (11).

MARCH TO MCKINNEY

Tarleton State will continue their road in the NCAA DII playoffs next Saturday as they will host No. 15 Texas A&M-Commerce, who defeated No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 33-17, at a time to be determined (announced Monday) at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville. The winner of next week’s second round playoff game will meet the winner of No. 1 Minnesota State vs. No. 9 Colorado State-Pueblo at the home of the highest remaining seed in the national quarterfinals. The NCAA DII national championship game will be played in McKinney, Texas, on Dec. 15.