STEPHENVILLE – Although there are several months to go before the Tarleton football team takes the field, fans can already make their plans for the fall.
Tarleton announced its 2022 football schedule on Friday, an 11-game slate that opens at home on Thursday, Sept. 1. The Texans will play six games at home at Memorial Stadium, beginning against Mississippi Valley State.
Tarleton’s five-game road schedule begins in Fort Worth on Sept. 10 at the Big 12’s TCU. The Texans will matchup with the Horned Frogs for the first time in program history, the first time they’ll play a Power Five conference team overall.
“Our schedule gets more challenging year after year, and we’ve shown year after year we rise to the occasion,” head coach Todd Whitten said. “To start off our Division I era with back-to-back winning seasons has been gratifying. Now we will take on three FCS playoff teams, a Big 12 team on the road, and play six conference games as the WAC grows. We knew what we signed up for in becoming a Division I program, and we can’t wait to get 2022 started.”
The Texans’ second home game will be Sept. 17 against Eastern New Mexico. They’ll have more than a month in-between home games from there, with a three-game road trip followed by the team’s bye week scheduled Weeks 4-7.
The three-game road trip begins at North Alabama on Sept. 24. Tarleton has played the Lions twice before, once in Florence at Braly Stadium, with the purple and white winning 38-28.
A six-game Western Athletic Conference schedule begins at Lamar on Oct. 1, whom Tarleton trounced at home in 2021, 42-21. On Oct. 8, the Texans will look to get revenge against Southern Utah, a brand-new addition to the WAC. They’ll meet the Thunderbirds in Cedar City, Utah, at Eccles Coliseum. Last season, the two played an epic game at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, former home of the Texas Rangers, where there were 11 combined touchdowns.
After a bye week on Oct. 15, the Texans begin a three-game run against 2021 FCS playoff teams. On Oct. 22, they’ll host Sam Houston in town, a quarterfinalist in 2021 and the national champions in 2020. The Bearkats traveled to Memorial Stadium last season, as well.
On Oct. 29, Tarleton will welcome UIW to the WAC with a conference matchup at Memorial. The Cardinals lost in narrow fashion to Sam Houston in the second round of the FCS playoffs last season. Tarleton is 3-0 all-time against UIW, last playing them in 2012.
On Nov. 5, Tarleton heads back to Stephen F. Austin, their sixth straight meeting on the road. These teams opened 2021 in Nacogdoches, with the Lumberjacks coming out on top 20-10. SFA made the FCS playoffs, losing in the first round to UIW 35-28.
The Texans close their 2022 campaign with two straight at home, four of their last five at Memorial. On Nov. 12, Abilene Christian will head down Interstate 20 for the Texans’ final conference game.
Tarleton will not play the lone remaining team in the WAC this year, Dixie State (set to become Utah Tech on July 1), due to a prior scheduling commitment.
“Due to previous game contracts and the NCAA limit on number of games allowed, the WAC and the administrations at both Tarleton and Utah Tech (currently Dixie State) came to an agreement that the two schools would not meet in 2022,” WAC Assistant Commissioner of Media Relations Chris Thompson said. “The WAC appreciates the willingness of both institutions to work together to help complete the WAC schedule and looks forward to the Texans and Trailblazers meeting on the field in the future.”
The Texans will wrap up 2022 against Houston Baptist on Nov. 19 at home in the programs’ first ever meeting.
All games hosted by a WAC team will be broadcast on ESPN+ in 2022. The full schedule can be seen below and by clicking here.
Date Opponent
Sept. 1 Mississippi Valley State
Sept. 10 TCU
Sept. 17 Eastern New Mexico
Sept. 24 North Alabama
Oct. 1 *Lamar
Oct. 8 *Southern Utah
Oct. 15 BYE WEEK
Oct. 22 *Sam Houston
Oct. 29 *UIW
Nov. 5 *Stephen F. Austin
Nov. 12 *Abilene Christian
Nov. 19 Houston Baptist
Dates and times subject to change | Home games in BOLD | * WAC Game
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