UT Permian Basin Football is back tomorrow night with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. against Southwest Baptist at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland.  Last season the Falcons opened the year with a win over the Bearcats on the road and won their last three season openers. 
 
Weather – Low 80s, wind 9 mph around kickoff

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Scouting the Opponent
Last season the Falcons went to Bolivar, Missouri to start the year and came away victorious in a rain-soaked battle.  The Falcons won 24-16, holding Cooper Callis to 289 passing yards and sacked the eventual Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year four times. 

Callis returns for his senior season to lead the offense.  As a junior he threw for 3,712 yards and 35 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions.  Leading rusher Abel Carter is back as well as leading receivers Preston Carson and Jordan Kent.  Carson grabbed 61 passes for 867 yards and seven touchdowns while Kent had a breakout freshman season with 734 yards and a team leading eight touchdowns.

The Bearcats didn't rush the ball much in 2021, combining for just 1,014 yards.  Defensively they slow down the passing game, holding opponents to 224.6 yards per game, but allow 215.5 yards per game on the ground. 
 
Under Center

The Falcons enter camp with a multitude of quarterback options.  Suddin Sapien is the only returner from last season on the roster while he is joined by transfers Jordan Barton and Dylan Graham.  Graham has shown a big arm in camp to win the starting job.
 
Offensive Weapons

The Falcons will have plenty of weapons on offense this season.  Nathan Tilford returns to the backfield after rushing for 569 yards and a pair of touchdowns 

This year's receiver core is probably the deepest in program history.  MJ Link looks to continue to dominate after a First Team All-Lone Star Conference season.  The senior led the team with 628 yards and eight touchdowns while pulling in 42 catches.  Joining him for his senior season is the explosive Marcus Molina, who will look to build off an impressive freshman campaign in which he caught 31 passes for 369 yards and two scores.  In the team's bowl game he went off for seven catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown.  Redshirt freshman Shemar Davis will get the start on the outside for his first collegiate action.  The Falcons also return tight ends Matt Zubiate and Brock Johnson.  Zubiate had 11 catches for 120 yards and two scores while Johnson's only catch of the season went for a touchdown against Midwestern State.
 
No Fly Zone

Some late season injuries slowed down the Falcon secondary but they still held opponents to just 191.4 yards per game through the air.  Boasting one of the best secondaries in Division II the Falcons look to continue that trend in 2022.  Jaquez Tyler is back after leading the nation with 13 break-ups and four interceptions.  The junior also blocked a pair of kicks on the year.  Trent Ward is also back for his final season of eligibility after finishing with three picks and 43 tackles. 

One of the best playmakers in the country, D'Ondre Robinson returns.  The senior has five career interceptions and 115 tackles in three seasons playing all over the defense.  Also returning to the secondary is Levon Barnett, 46 tackles and an interception, JT Walker, 36 tackles and a pick, and Donta Stuart, seven career interceptions.
 
Putting the Special in Special Teams

Teams at all levels of football look to gain an edge on special teams and the Falcons seem to have found it.  Former First Team All-LSC punter Sergio Landeros returns after redshirting the year.  Carson Roberts was a Second Team All-LSC selection after averaging 40.6 yards per punt and pinning 15 inside the opponent's 20.  Also returning is Michael Mayfield who was 3-for-4 on field goal attempts and averaged 58.6 yards per kickoff.  Hayden Decossas adds depth with 52 career PATs made.

They are also adept at blocking kicks.  Last season they blocked two field goals and one punt.  Two were by Jaquez Tyler and the other by Jamil Pittman.

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