# 2021 Sul Ross Lobos football team

The 2021 Sul Ross Lobos football team represented Sul Ross State University during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the American Southwest Conference (ASC). The Lobos were led by eighth-year head coach John Pearce and played their home hames at Jackson Field in Alpine, Texas. The team finished with a record of 2–7 to finish ninth in the ASC. The Lobos struggled on both sides of the ball throughout the season, with the offense getting shutout twice and the defense allowing 70+ points in two different games.
On November 30, just two weeks after the Lobos' season finale, Pearce announced that he would be resigning as the program's head coach. That same day it was announced that offensive coordinator Barry Derickson had been promoted to interim head coach.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On July 24, 2021, the university announced that offensive coordinator Kevin Canty passed away at the age of 37 due to complications from COVID-19. Valparaiso tight ends coach Barry Derickson was named the Lobos' new offensive coordinator.
Due to Canty's death and several positive COVID cases within the program, Sul Ross State announced that the football program would be suspending summer practices.

## Preseason
### ASC media poll

ASC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 196 (17) |
| 2 | Hardin–Simmons | 179 (2) |
| 3 | East Texas Baptist | 153 (1) |
| 4 | Texas Lutheran | 140 |
| 5 | Belhaven | 115 |
| 6 | Howard Payne | 95 |
| 7 | McMurry | 69 |
| 8 | Austin | 62 |
| 9 | Southwestern | 54 |
| 10 | Sul Ross | 41 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 11 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 7 Hardin–Simmons | Jackson FieldAlpine, TX | L 0–27 | 0 |
| September 18 | 1:00 p.m. | at Austin | Apple StadiumSherman, TX | L 7–16 | 898 |
| September 25 | 4:00 p.m. | Texas Lutheran | Jackson FieldAlpine, TX | W 12–10 | 590 |
| October 2 | 1:30 p.m. | at Howard Payne | Gordon Wood StadiumBrownwood, TX | L 30–73 | 2,250 |
| October 16 | 12:00 p.m. | at Belhaven | Belhaven BowlJackson, MS | L 0–44 | 300 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 2 Mary Hardin–Baylor | Jackson FieldAlpine, TX | L 14–72 | 0 |
| October 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at McMurry | Wilfred Moore StadiumAbilene, TX (Battle of I-20) | W 24–11 | 1,123 |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | East Texas Baptist | Jackson FieldAlpine, TX | L 28–31 | 0 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Southwestern (TX) | Bernard Birkelbach FieldGeorgetown, TX | L 15–49 | 1,500 |
| Rankings from D3Football.com Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||
* On October 9, the Lobos hosted an exhibition game against the North American Stallions for Homecoming. The Lobos lost 37–44, though the game did not count in official standings.

## Game summaries
### No. 7 Hardin–Simmons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| Lobos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Jackson Field, Alpine, Texas
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | HSU | SRS |
| First downs | 29 | 9 |
| Total yards | 483 | 164 |
| Rushing yards | 187 | 46 |
| Passing yards | 296 | 118 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:44 | 28:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Hardin–Simmons | Passing | Kyle Jones | 30/44, 292 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Hardin–Simmons | Rushing | Colton Marshall | 13 rushes, 106 yards |
| Hardin–Simmons | Receiving | Cale Nanny | 5 receptions, 67 yards |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 17/25, 106 yards |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Matthew DeLeon | 10 rushes, 34 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 6 receptions, 50 yards |

### At Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Kangaroos | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Apple Stadium, Sherman, Texas
* Date: September 18
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 898
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SRS | AC |
| First downs | 12 | 23 |
| Total yards | 157 | 341 |
| Rushing yards | 83 | 167 |
| Passing yards | 74 | 174 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:00 | 35:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 7/14, 58 yards |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Matthew DeLeon | 16 rushes, 71 yards, TD |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Dre'Chan Moody | 2 receptions, 43 yards |
| Austin | Passing | Tyler James | 16/30, 174 yards, TD |
| Austin | Rushing | Makkedah Brown | 13 rushes, 54 yards |
| Austin | Receiving | Xavier Maxwell | 5 receptions, 72 yards |

### Texas Lutheran

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Lobos | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
at Jackson Field, Alpine, Texas
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 590
* Referee: Esrael Silva
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TLU | SRS |
| First downs | 15 | 20 |
| Total yards | 247 | 307 |
| Rushing yards | 165 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 82 | 222 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:16 | 32:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas Lutheran | Passing | Seth Cosme | 7/10, 82 yards |
| Texas Lutheran | Rushing | Jacob Forton | 15 rushes, 99 yards, TD |
| Texas Lutheran | Receiving | DaKory Willis | 2 receptions, 39 yards |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 25/40, 222 yards, TD, INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Devon Mendoza | 17 rushes, 79 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 7 receptions, 60 yards |

### At Howard Payne

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 30 |
| Yellow Jackets | 17 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 73 |
at Gordon Wood Stadium, Brownwood, Texas
* Date: October 2
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,250
* Referee: Kenny Kelarek
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SRS | HPU |
| First downs | 20 | 29 |
| Total yards | 326 | 559 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 164 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 395 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:25 | 28:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 26/38, 213 yards, 2 TD |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Kendrick Jefferson | 13 rushes, 58 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 13 receptions, 118 yards, TD |
| Howard Payne | Passing | Landon McKinney | 17/30, 335 yards, 6 TD, INT |
| Howard Payne | Rushing | Tauren Bradley | 12 rushes, 61 yards |
| Howard Payne | Receiving | Otis Lanier | 3 receptions, 98 yards, TD |

### At Belhaven

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blazers | 10 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 44 |
at Belhaven Bowl, Jackson, Mississippi
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 300
* Referee: Arthur Black
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SRS | BEL |
| First downs | 7 | 24 |
| Total yards | 114 | 446 |
| Rushing yards | 35 | 332 |
| Passing yards | 79 | 114 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 22:32 | 37:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 9/14, 79 yards |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 5 rushes, 32 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 2 receptions, 36 yards |
| Belhaven | Passing | Mayowa Asagunla | 9/13, 57 yards, TD |
| Belhaven | Rushing | Kolbe Blunt | 10 rushes, 117 yards, 2 TD |
| Belhaven | Receiving | Ras Pace | 2 receptions, 35 yards |

### No. 2 Mary Hardin–Baylor

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Crusaders | 7 | 31 | 14 | 20 | 72 |
| Lobos | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Jackson Field, Alpine, Texas
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Jeff Bell
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MHB | SRS |
| First downs | 26 | 7 |
| Total yards | 573 | 219 |
| Rushing yards | 208 | 42 |
| Passing yards | 365 | 177 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 20:58 | 39:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Passing | Ryan Redding | 10/13, 201 yards, 3 TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Rushing | Aphonso Thomas | 14 rushes, 86 yards, TD |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Receiving | Benton Martin | 5 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TD |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 5/16, 173 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 12 rushes, 20 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 2 receptions, 85 yards, TD |

### At McMurry

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| War Hawks | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
at Wilfred Moore Stadium, Abilene, Texas
* Date: October 30
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,123
* Referee: Jason Hickey
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SRS | MCM |
| First downs | 23 | 21 |
| Total yards | 360 | 285 |
| Rushing yards | 174 | 133 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 152 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 34:00 | 22:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 19/32, 186 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 17 rushes, 89 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Austin Remo | 3 receptions, 44 yards |
| McMurry | Passing | Dexter Wyble | 12/22, 152 yards, 2 INT |
| McMurry | Rushing | Kameron Session | 17 rushes, 83 yards |
| McMurry | Receiving | Zachary Wood | 3 receptions, 64 yards |

### East Texas Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Lobos | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Jackson Field, Alpine, Texas
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 0
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ETB | SRS |
| First downs | 22 | 13 |
| Total yards | 369 | 396 |
| Rushing yards | 212 | 86 |
| Passing yards | 157 | 310 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 34:04 | 25:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Texas Baptist | Passing | Alek Child | 8/16, 152 yards |
| East Texas Baptist | Rushing | Jaden Thomas | 17 rushes, 120 yards, TD |
| East Texas Baptist | Receiving | Tariq Gray | 4 receptions, 69 yards |
| Sul Ross | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 11/30, 234 yards, TD, INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 14 rushes, 88 yards, TD |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 6 receptions, 165 yards, TD |

### At Southwestern (TX)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
| Pirates | 7 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 49 |
at Bernard Birkelbach Field, Georgetown, Texas
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Robert Newton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SRS | SW |
| First downs | 22 | 26 |
| Total yards | 444 | 441 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 226 |
| Passing yards | 340 | 215 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:16 | 28:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sul Ross | Passing | Clayton Maxwell | 28/43, 340 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Sul Ross | Rushing | Ozias Wright | 13 rushes, 59 yards |
| Sul Ross | Receiving | Vicente Luevano | 8 receptions, 115 yards, TD |
| Southwestern | Passing | Landry Gilpin | 18/25, 207 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| Southwestern | Rushing | Landry Gilpin | 9 rushes, 89 yards, TD |
| Southwestern | Receiving | Eric Ovalle | 5 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TD |