Conway, Ark. - Coming off a tough loss to East Texas Baptist (ETBU) in Marshall last weekend and still seeking their first win, the Hendrix Warriors return to Young-Wise Memorial Stadium this Saturday to begin conference play in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) with the conference's newest member, the Southwestern Pirates.

The Pirates are coming into Conway with two losses of their own. Turnovers have been the story of their first two games, as the Pirates have given it away a combined nine times in both contests. Seven of those came in last week's matchup against Texas Lutheran, with four interceptions. Senior quarterback Damian Gomez will get the ball for Southwestern. Gomez holds a 44 percent completion rate in his first two games, and if his struggles continue expect to see freshman Jaylen Spriggs, who took several snaps in their week two matchup.

The Pirates run game will likely be led by junior utility man Kolby Bartlett, who has 23 carries for 94 yards so far this season. Gomez has also proved to be a rushing threat, with 20 attempts on the years. Through the air, Bartlett will be a target, with seven receptions already on the year for 113 yards, with an average of 16.1 yards per catch. Freshman Graydon Thompson also has 11 catches and will get the start at wideout. Major threats on the other side of the ball include senior Maliq McDonald, who holds the Pirates lone two sacks for the year, as well as four tackles for loss.

Sophomore quarterback Jacob Buniff will look to continue his strong start to the season, coming off two  400+ yard performances against Washington University in St. Louis and ETBU. Buniff has passed for 854 yards already this season, completing 74 percent of his passes on the year. Likely targets for Buniff include senior Christian Gadison and junior Kanyn Utley, who have combined for 420 yards receiving on the year with 22 and 12 receptions respectively. The Warriors will look to Jaxon Corben and Auvic White on the ground, who have taken 32 combined handoffs on the year. On the defense, brothers Nathan and Keaton Hahn will both be threats, along with Connor Samples, who has 1.5 tackles per loss so far on the season.

Hendrix will be looking to capitalize on Southwestern's recent turnover woes. For Hendrix to win on Saturday, their passing game will have to be up to the task, as going through the air has proven successful for the Warriors in their past two matchups. Being able to give Buniff time to work in the pocket will be key. The ground game has been a problem for the Warriors, and they will look to complement their already strong air attack with a solid rushing game.

This is the fourth all-time matchup of the two schools, but only the second since both schools restarted their football programs. Their last meeting in 2013 was a 48-29 Warriors victory. For those curious, the previous matchups happened in 1914, 1915 and 1924. The 1914 matchup ended 80-0 for the Warriors. Hendrix hopes to recreate some of that magic on Saturday as they open conference play and look for their first win on the year.

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM from Young-Wise Memorial Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. Live coverage of Saturday's contest can be found on the Warriors Sports Network.