Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 159th / 2573 |
| Tackles for loss | 5 | 114th / 1911 |
| Run stops | 24 | 38th / 3263 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 41 | — |
Where Ford's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
2 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | Sam Houston#126 · 1-6 | 7 | 92% | 44 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2025 | Sam Houston#134 · 2-10 | 8 | 34% | 35 | 6.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Dean Ford's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Dean Ford's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 | @ | L 21–24 | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 | L 17–23 | 6.5 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · | |
| 3 | W 59–0 | 6.5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · | |
| 4 | @ | L 14–49 | 5.4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ | L 3–35 | 7.6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | L 3–16 | 8.4 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · | |
| 8 | L 24–30 | 6.6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · | |
| 2026 · 7 games | 6.7 | 44 | 24 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | · | · | ||
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 44 | 137th / 5408 |
| Solo | 24 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 4.5 | 190th / 2450 |
| Sacks | 1 | 489th / 1212 |
| QB hurries | 1 | 629th / 1380 |
| Passes defended | 1 | 704th / 1589 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Troy | ✓ LB | 66 | ~60 (30–66) | 5 | 91% |
| Wk 2 · Tulsa | ✓ LB | 73 | ~58 (29–68) | 4 | 79% |
| Wk 3 · Nicholls | ✓ LB | 58 | ~57 (29–58) | 8 | 98% |
| Wk 4 · Texas Tech | ✓ LB | 65 | ~55 (28–65) | 4 | 85% |
| Wk 6 · Liberty | ✓ LB | 52 | ~52 (26–52) | 6 | 100% |
| Wk 7 · Western Kentucky | ✓ LB | 74 | ~74 (38–74) | 12 | 100% |
| Wk 8 · New Mexico State | ✓ LB | 71 | ~67 (34–71) | 6 | 94% |
| Season | 7 GS | 459 | 423 (355–459) | 45 | 92% |
12 LBs on the Sam Houston roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Dean Ford | LB | JR | 44 | 4.5 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 33 | Brian Bates Jr. | LB | SR | 29 | 4.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 23 | Mike King Jr. | LB | JR | 15 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
| 12 | Elijah Groves | LB | JR | 13 | 3.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
| 26 | Tokyo Gordon | LB | SR | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 18 | Stacy Bey | LB | SO | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 42 | Ca'lub Holloway | LB | SR | 3 | 2.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 45 | Eli Wallace | LB | SR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Cole Worthington | LB | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 32 | Kade Houston | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Ryan Mallory | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 44 | Ray Chatham | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Sam Houston depth chart →