Missouri State · L 3-24
4 tackles
The other 7 games average 6 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Dean Ford
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Second year in the same linebacker corps at Sam Houston. One game to point at: 12 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Western Kentucky — Week 7, 2026.
48 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
48 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sam Houston | 48 | 26 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Sam Houston | 32 | 23 | 6.0 | 2.0 | -- |
| Career | 80 | 49 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 4 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-24@ Troy | 5 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-23vs Tulsa | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 59-0vs Nicholls | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 14-49@ No. 11 Texas Tech | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 3-35@ Liberty | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 3-16vs Western Kentucky | 12 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 24-30vs New Mexico State | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 3-24@ Missouri State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 48 | 26 | 4.5 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
Oct. 27 · L 3-24 at Missouri State, play by play
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble. Third quarter, down 10-3.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Sam Houston’s defense played that day
Missouri State’s 9 drives: 5 stopped · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 7. His forced fumble came with Sam Houston down 7.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +18 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
48tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%4 TFLSack rate
2%1 sackPD rate
2%1 pass breakups48 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 1 sack.
2 seasons under Phil Longo — 3-17 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 7.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 4.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Phil Longo
Pass share
55.6%
278 pass / 222 run
Plays / game
62.5
8 games
Team sack rate
6.0%
319 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #243 at the position.
The No. 2,621 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Conference USA.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: K.C. Keeler → Phil Longo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
