MARSHALL, Texas – For the fourth time in five years, East Texas Baptist University opens up the 2022 season facing a Wisconsin program. After playing Wisconsin-Platteville three times, ETBU will travel to Oshkosh, Wis., to face #19 the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
"Wisconsin is almost our second home now as we have been there so much. UWO is a great opponent and the WIAC is comparable to the ASC with several teams that fight to go to a national championship and team trying to break through to the higher level in the conference," says head coach Brian Mayper.
 
ETBU is 2-3 against Wisconsin programs playing Wisconsin-La Crosse twice and Platteville three times. This will be the first time to see Wisconsin-Oshkosh. ETBU won last year over Wisconsin-Platteville, 37-31, in Wisconsin to move to 1-2 in the series. The 2009 and 2010 season brought contests vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse going 1-1. ETBU won the second meeting, 33-20, in 2010. ETBU is 2-1 in Wisconsin vs. the WIAC programs.
 
ETBU is 2-2 under Brian Mayper in season openers including the 2021 Spring CoVID Season. ETBU won both openers in 2021 with a 28-17 win over Southwestern on February 6 and then the 37-31 win on September 2 in Wisconsin vs. Platteville. The first two seasons, 2018 and 2019, were losses to Platteville, 59-44, and 38-30. Overall, ETBU is 8-14 overall in season openers.

This will be the fifth time that ETBU opens up against a nationally ranked opponent as they are 0-4 against national opponents in season openers. The last time they opened a season against a nationally ranked team came in 2012 vs. #3 Wesley (DE) falling, 34-14. They also played Wesley in 2011 in Delaware losing, 34-10. In 2008, ETBU opened up in Minnesota at #5 Saint Johns but lost, 29-15. The 2004 season brought an opener against NCAA Division II #24 Southern Arkansas. ETBU fell in that game, 38-21.

In the ASC Preseason Watch List, ETBU had four players in Alek Child (P; Castroville, Texas), Joey Johnson (LB; Dallas, Texas), K.J. Kelley (DB; Abilene, Texas), and Kaleb O'Bryant (WR; Houston, Texas). All four players were key to the team last season. 
 
Child (Sr.), an All-ASC third-team selection, was one of the top punters in the ASC averaging 33.1 yards per punt with eight inside the 20-yard line. He also doubled as a quarterback starting the final game vs. Belhaven. He also rushed for three touchdowns off the bench in helping ETBU with a come-from-behind win over Sul Ross State.
 
Johnson (So.) played in all 10 games recording 73 tackles to finish second in the ASC. He was an All-ASC third-team selection. He posted a career high 15 tackles vs. Austin College and had 13 vs. Texas Lutheran while forcing four fumbles on the year.
 
Kelley returns for his senior year coming off an injury in the 2021 season. He came into last season as a preseason All-American before the injury and was an All-ASC first-team member. In spring 2021, he was named a D3football.com All-American and on the February "Team of the Month." For his career, he has seven interceptions.
 
O'Bryant heads into his senior season as one of the top receivers in the ASC. He has two 100+ yard receiving games and recorded three touchdowns vs. Texas Lutheran in March 2021. In the final game of fall 2021, he collected 124 yards receiving on eight catches with one touchdown.  

The offense will look a bit different in 2022 under new offensive coordinator Josh Moore. Moore was hired in early spring and brings a new look to the offense after making stops in the NFL, NCAA Division I, CFL, and XFL. He will have a strong offensive line returning in Erick Arellano (Round Rock, TX), Johnny Perez (Gilmer, TX), Cory Stang (Magnolia, TX), and Jack Smith (Marshall, TX). Also returning is H-Back Cade Font (Atlanta, TX), and wide receivers O'Bryant, Joshua Whitmore (Richmond, TX), and Dony Givens (Beeville, TX). Child will receive his second career start at quarterback after finishing the last two games in 2021. He came in off the bench vs. Sul Ross State to guide ETBU to a win and then started the final game of the year against Belhaven.
 
Eight starters return from the 2021 defensive squad that forced 13 fumbles, 12 interceptions, and had 19 sacks. Jahkamian Carr (Longview, TX) led the team with five sacks while starters Robert Williams (Desoto, TX) and Kenneth Bradley (Coushatta, La.) both had two interceptions. Also returning are Joey Johnson (Dallas, TX), who led the team with 73 tackles, EJ Burgess (Denham Springs, TX), and KJ Kelley (Abilene, TX).
 
ETBU opens up the 2022 season on Saturday, September 3 at 1:00 p.m. in Oshkosh, Wis.