For the second consecutive week, the Thomas Night Hawks will face a Top 10 opponent.  The Night Hawks will open the 2023 Sun Conference football season against #7 Keiser University in West Palm Beach, FL, at 6PM.  Last week, Thomas faced Bethel (TN), who was also ranked #7 at the time of the game.  Bethel has since risen to #6 in NAIA. 

Keiser enters the contest with a record of 1-2, but a Top 10 ranking.  The Seahawks have lost to NCAA Division II opponents Mississippi College (14-17) and Valdosta State (25-49), on the season, while defeating NAIA Lindsey Wilson (KY), 30-26.  The game will be the Sun Conference opener for both teams.

Keiser is scoring 23.0 points per game, while giving up 30.3 points per game.  Thomas is scoring at a clip of 23.7 points per game, while yielding 24.7 points per game.  The two teams are practically even in yardage, with Keiser averaging 292.7 yards per game and Thomas averaging 289.0 yards per game.  The Night Hawks are the better defensive yardage team, giving up 391.0 yards per game while Keiser yields 542.0 yards per game.  The Night Hawks are in the middle of the Sun Conference in rushing at 159.0 yards per game, while Keiser is next to last, only gaining 111.0 yards per game. 

Thomas ranks 4th in the SUN in offensive efficiency at 128.6, while Keiser is 7th at 117.8.  Thomas has a slight advantage in first downs (15.5 to 15.3) per game, and 3rd down conversions per game (37.9% to 37.8%).  The Night Hawks give up fewer first downs the the Seahawks (18.5 to 25.7).  The Night Hawks are second in the conference in opponent third down conversion percentage at 28.6 while Keiser is last at 56.5.

James Amaker sits eighth in the conference in individual rushing at 59.5 yards per game.  Chris Carter is ninth in the SUN in total offense with 130.5 yards per game.

The action is set to kickoff today at 6pm and will be live streamed on the Sun Digital Network via the Night Hawks Sports Network at www.tunighthawks.com.  For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU Football team by following them via X (formerly know as Twitter) at @NightHawksMFB.