Weekly Release (PDF)

Week 12 Southland Conference Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 15
Southeastern La. at Nicholls St.*, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 17
Sam Houston St. at Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m. (FSN PPV)
Northwestern St. at Stephen F. Austin*, 3 p.m. (SLCTV)
Eastern Illinois at Central Arkansas, 5 p.m.
Lamar at McNeese St.*, 7 p.m.
 All times Central

Week 12 News & Notes
Weekend of Rivalry Games: With the Southland Conference championship race officially finished, the final week of the regular season showcases a trio of rivalry games and a pair of non-conference tilts for the teams that shared the conference title. Action gets underway Thursday at 6 p.m. in Thibodaux with the annual River Bell Classic between Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State. On Saturday, Northwestern State visits Stephen F. Austin to battle for the 7-foot-6-inch, 320-pound Chief Caddo trophy, at 3 p.m. on Southland TV and then later that night Lamar travels to McNeese State in the Battle of the Border at 7 p.m. After earn a share of its second consecutive conference championship last week, No. 3/3 Sam Houston State finishes the regular-season at Texas A&M, which is coming off a 29-24 upset of defending BCS champion Alabama. That game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and is available on Fox Sports Net Pay-Per-View. The Aggies are ranked as high as No. 9 in the FBS polls. No. 10/10 Central Arkansas, which earned a share of its first Southland title to lock up the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Playoffs, welcomes No. 24/25 Eastern Illinois to Conway at 5 p.m. on the eve of the bracket announcement.

Central Arkansas, Sam Houston State Share Title: Central Arkansas clinched a share of its first Southland Conference championship Nov. 3 with a 35-14 win over Northwestern State. Sam Houston State matched UCA’s 6-1 conference mark by beating Northwestern State 52-17 last Saturday to earn a share of its second consecutive Southland championship and its fifth all-time title. The league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Playoffs was secured by Central Arkansas thanks to its 24-20 win over Sam Houston Sept. 22 in the teams’ conference opener in Conway. UCA lost its only conference game the next week, falling 42-37 at Stephen F. Austin. The Bears will be making their second consecutive appearance in the playoffs after earning an at-large berth last year in just its second season of playoff eligibility. UCA opened the 2011 playoffs with a 34-14 win at Tennessee Tech before losing a second-round date at Montana 41-14. The Bears finished the 2008 season with a conference-best 6-1 record, but were not eligible for the Southland title or the NCAA postseason during its transition into Division I.

Selection Sunday: The 20-team bracket for the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship will be announced live on ESPNU Sunday at 12:30 p.m., Central. The 30-minute show will announce the 10 automatic qualifiers and the 10 at-large teams as well as the top-five national seeds. Eight teams open the playoffs Nov. 24 with second-round games being played Dec. 1. The quarterfinals will be played Dec. 7-8 with the national semifinals be played Dec. 14-15. The first four rounds of the playoffs are played on campus sites, while the national championship game will be played Jan. 5, 2013 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas. This marks the third year for the game to be played in Frisco. The Southland Conference, alongside the City of Frisco and Hunt Sports Group, serves as host of the championship game. The bracket grows from 20 teams to 24 teams in 2013.

Week 12 Matchups: Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State will be playing for the 22nd time on Thursday ... Nicholls State leads 12-9, including a 6-2 mark in Thibodaux ... Southeastern snapped a three-game losing streak in the series last year with a 31-14 victory in Hammond ... it was just their second win in the last 12 meetings in a series that dates back to 1972 ... Sam Houston State and Texas A&M meet Saturday for the 11th time and the first time since the Aggies won 59-6 in 1997 ... that was the first meeting between the schools since 1941 ... the Bearkats and Aggies played nine times between 1919 and 1941, including every year from 1932-36 ... Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin have met 68 times previously with the Demons holding a 43-22-3 all-time lead in the series ... the teams have battle for Chief Caddo just 46 times with Northwestern holding a 28-17-1 edge ... SFA has won the last three meetings, including last year 33-0 in Natchitoches ... when Eastern Illinois and Central Arkansas meet Saturday it will be a battle between conference champions ... the Panthers won the Ohio Valley Conference championship last week with a 39-20 win over Southeast Missouri, while UCA shared the Southland title ... it will be just the second meeting between schools ... UCA won 37-7 at Eastern Illinois in 2010 ... Lamar and McNeese play Saturday for the 32nd time ... the Cowboys hold a 21-8-1 lead in the series that includes a 10-5 record in Lake Charles ... McNeese has won the last two games since Lamar returned to the gridiron in 2010, including a 45-17 win last year in Beaumont.

Chief Caddo Trophy Game Selected for Southland TV Wild Card: The Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin game will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network. The teams battle annually for Chief Caddo, college football’s largest trophy, standing 7-foot-6-inches and weighing 320 pounds. Northwestern State leads the Chief Caddo series 28-17-1 though Stephen F. Austin has won the last three meetings, including 33-0 last year in Natchitoches. Northwestern State holds a 43-22-3 all-time advantage in the series with SFA. Randy McIlvoy and Rene Nadeau will call the action in the Northwestern State vs. Central Arkansas game. They’ll be joined by Erin Cofiell on the sideline. Fans can watch the game on the new Southland Conference Digital Network’s free mobile and tablet apps for iPhone and Android, and the conference’s website, Southland.org. Visit Southland.org/television for a list of affiliates.

Week 11 Rewind: Sam Houston State defeated Northwestern State 52-17 to earn a share of its second consecutive Southland Conference championship. The Bearkats, who won their fifth overall title, finished 6-1 to tie Central Arkansas atop the league standings, but the Bears earned the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Playoffs thanks to its 24-20 victory against Sam Houston in September. The Bearkats must wait until Selection Sunday to find out if it gets an at-large bid. Also Saturday, Lamar earned its first conference victory of the season 34-24 over Nicholls State; Southeastern Louisiana bounced back from two consecutive losses to beat Stephen F. Austin 42-27; and McNeese State come-back bid came up just short in a 31-24 non-conference loss at Texas-San Antonio.

Two Southland Teams Ranked in FCS Top 25 Polls: Sam Houston State held steady at No. 3 in both FCS polls this week following its 52-17 win over Northwestern State last Saturday. Despite its open date last week, Central Arkansas climbed three spots to No. 10 in the FCS Coaches poll and four spots to No. 10 in the Sports Network poll. Sam Houston and UCA are the only Southland teams in the polls this week though McNeese State is receiving votes in the Sports Network poll and Southeastern Louisiana is receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. The Bearkats, who were the preseason No. 1 team in the Sports Network poll and started the year No. 2 in the coaches’ poll, have been ranked in the top 10 all season. This is the highest ranking for Central Arkansas this year.

Southland Names Players of the Week: Southeastern Louisiana has swept the Southland Conference player of the week awards after its 42-27 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. Freshman running back Xavier Roberson was named the offensive player of the week after he recorded his first 100-yard rushing game with 21 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-27 victory over Stephen F. Austin. The freshman from Atlanta, Ga., capped an 11-play, 76-yard drive on the Lions’ opening possession with a 30-yard touchdown run before his 8-yard score in the fourth quarter capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive. Roberson also returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown after SFA had taken a 21-14 lead with 1:05 remaining in the first half. The return was the fifth-longest in school history and was the first kickoff return for a touchdown at Southeastern since Ray Perkins returned a kick 94 yards against Mississippi Valley State in 2004. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Stoddard was named the defensive player of the week after he recorded a team-high 10 tackles in Southeastern’s win vs. Stephen F. Austin and was part of a defensive effort that held SFA to 168 total yards and five first downs in the second half. The sophomore from Westlake, La., stopped an SFA drive in the second quarter with an interception at the SLU 15 and helped extend the Lions’ drive on the ensuing possession with a 21-yard pass reception on a fake punt. Senior punter Beau Mothe was named the special teams player of the week after he averaged 45.2 yards per punt on five attempts in the win against Stephen F. Austin. The senior from Belle Chasse, La., converted on a fake punt for the second time this season with a 21-yard pass to Tyler Stoddard and teamed with long snapper Rogers Mueller on a successful two-point conversion in the third quarter that gave the Lions a 35-27 lead it would not relinquish.

Other Top Performances in Week 11: Lamar wide receiver Barry Ford helped Lamar win its first conference game with a career-high nine catches for 111 yards and one touchdown ... it was the first touchdown for the junior since his freshman season ... he leads the Cardinals with 44 catches for 431 yards ... McNeese State quarterback Cody Stroud set career highs with 346 passing yards, 34 completions and 46 attempts and became just the 11th player in school history to surpass 4,000 career yards on offense ... he also had two touchdown passes, increasing his career-best total to 17 ... Nicholls State running back Marcus Washington recorded his third career 100-yards game, rushing for 104 yards on 15 carries against Lamar ... he added four receptions for 29 yards against the Cardinals ... Washington ranks fourth in the Southland with 62.9 rushing yards per game ... Sam Houston State receiver Trey Diller totaled 216 all-purpose yards with seven catches for 119 yards and 97 yards in returns in helping the Bearkats earn a share of its second consecutive title ... Stephen F. Austin running back Gus Johnson tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana in a game that he totaled 124 yards on 20 carries and added 34 receiving yards on four catches ... Lamar linebacker Marcus Malbrough had two of Lamar’s five sacks against Nicholls State ... he ambushed the Colonels quarterback for 20 yards ... the Cardinals’ five sacks matched a season high ... Nicholls State linebacker Kerry Guidry recorded one sack among his two tackles for loss and registered four tackles against Lamar ... Sam Houston State corner back Robert Shaw recorded a 13-yard sack and totaled seven tackles to spark a defense that limited Northwestern State to only 42 rushing yards and 183 yards of total offense ... Stephen F. Austin defensive back Iziah Perry recorded a career-high 12 tackles and 10 solo stops against Southeastern Louisiana ... Sam Houston State kicker Miguel Antonio made all seven PATs and connected on a 34-yard field goal to build his career total to 284 points ... only running back Timothy Flanders has scored more points (324) ... Antonio has made 56 consecutive PATs.

Two From Southland Earn CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors: Two Southland Conference football student-athletes – Northwestern State senior kicker John Shaughnessy and Lamar junior punter Kollin Kahler – were selected to Capital Once Academic All-District Teams and are now eligible for the Division I Academic All-America ballot. Shaughnessy, with a 3.69 grade point average in biology, was voted to the All-District 6 Team. Shaughnessy, a Shreveport-Byrd product, plans to attend medical school. Kahler, ]a former standout at Waco High School, was voted to the All-District 7 Team. An exercise science major, Kahler is maintaining a 3.90 grade point average. Both players will appear on the ballot for Academic All-America honors. To be eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-America awards program, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA, have reached sophomore athletic eligibility and have completed one full calendar year at the nominating institution.

Around the Southland
Central Arkansas: The Bears had an open date last week after playing the first 10 weeks of the season ... UCA has its highest ranking in the polls this week, checking in at No. 10 in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls ... the Bears earned a share of their first Southland championship with a 6-1 league record, tying Sam Houston State ... UCA earned the league’s automatic berth into the playoffs though since it defeated the Bearkats 24-20 on Sept. 22 in the head-to-head tiebreaker ... the bid give UCA its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I playoffs ... UCA is a perfect 10-0 on “The Stripes” at First Security Field at Estes Stadium ... the homecoming-game victory against Northwestern State Nov. 3 that clinched the league’s playoff berth first drew a season-high crowd of 11,579 ... the Bears were 2-0 this season on the Southland TV Network ... junior QB Wynrick Smothers earned the L.B. Jackman Award that goes to the outstanding player in the homecoming game after he ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and completed 18 of 27 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns for 322 total yards of offense ... UCA’s defense held the Demons to just 77 yards in the second half, forcing seven consecutive punts and intercepting a pass on the eighth possession ... WR Dominique Croom moved into sixth place on the career receiving yards list at UCA with 1,821 yards after getting 64 more Saturday ... he is No. 5 in receptions with 146 ... after 10 consecutive games to start the season, the Bears have an open week before finishing the season at home with a non-conference game against Eastern Illinois ... UCA has won 10 consecutive homecoming games and is 12-1 in those games under head coach Clint Conque ... Conque, the winningest coach in UCA history, inched closer to 100 career victories and is now 97-53 heading into its regular-season finale against Eastern Illinois ... this will be the second game between the Bears and Panthers ... UCA claimed a 37-7 victory against Eastern Illinois in 2010 ... EIU is ranked as high as No. 24 in the polls.

Lamar: The Cardinals picked up their first conference win this season with a 34-24 victory against Nicholls State ... Lamar improved to 4-1 all-time against Nicholls in football, including a 3-0 record in Beaumont ... Kevin Johnson caught a touchdown in the first quarter for his 13th score of the season to match the single-season Lamar record set by Sammy Carpenter in 1952 ... Johnson has 10 receiving touchdowns which is the second highest single-season total in school history ... he trails Howard Robinson, who recorded 12 in 1979 ... QB Ryan Mossakowski got his first start since the Sept. 29 conference opener against Southeastern Louisiana ... Mossakowski was 15 of 24 for 168 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions before getting knocked out of the game in the third quarter ... the Cardinals play their most common opponent in McNeese State this Saturday in the Battle of the Border ... Lamar is 8-21-1 all-time against McNeese State as a four-year institution ... the Cowboys have won eight of the last nine meetings and both games since Lamar resumed its football program, including 45-17 win in Beaumont last year ... in last year’s game, Lamar wide receiver J.J. Hayes snagged a school-record 14 catches in the game ... Hayes finished with 189 yards and a touchdown in the game ... QB Caleb Berry, who relieved Ryan Mossakowski Saturday against Nicholls, came off the bench last season against McNeese State to finish 16 of 23 for 150 yards with a touchdown and two picks.

McNeese State: The Cowboys saw a two-game losing streak come to an end Saturday in a 31-24 non-conference loss to Texas-San Antonio ... the Cowboys have secured their eighth consecutive winning season, which is the longest streak in the Southland Conference ... WR Darius Carey made four catches against UTSA to extend his streak to 21 consecutive games with at least one catch ... McNeese entered the game plus-15 in turnovers but did not force one for the first time this season ... the Cowboys held the Roadrunners scoreless in the first quarter – that’s the fifth time this season and the third consecutive game for McNeese to hold an opponent scoreless in the opening period ... the Cowboys scored on their opening drive for the fifth time this season ... McNeese led 10-7 at the half against UTSA and have held a lead in all but one game this season at the break ... the Cowboys are now 6-3 when leading at the half ... WR Wes Briscoe set season highs with six receptions and 99 yards receiving at UTSA ... he also caught a touchdown pass for the third consecutive game with all three being the first score for the Cowboys ... Saturday marked the first time this season for McNeese to outgain its opponents in a loss ... the Cowboys put up 439 yards to UTSA’s 358 ... McNeese will close out the season on Saturday in a rivalry game against Lamar and will be looking to finish a season with seven wins for the first time since 2009 ... McNeese holds a 22-12-1 lead in the all-time series against Lamar and is 2-0 since resuming the series in 2010 ... the Cowboys are 3-1 at home this season ... during Saturday’s game, McNeese will recognize its 1997 team that won the Southland Conference championship and was the national runnerup.

Nicholls State: The Colonels lost their 13th consecutive conference game and sixth straight overall after dropping a 34-24 decision at Lamar last Saturday ... the conference drought is the longest in program history ... RB Marcus Washington recorded his third career 100-yard game, finishing with 104 yards on 15 carries ... he ranks fourth in the Southland in rushing, averaging 62.9 yards per game ... LaQuintin Caston rushed three times for seven yards and a score ... QB Landry Klann threw a career-high 42 passes for 209 yards and also recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season ... RB Jesse Turner caught six balls for 42 yards ... he leads the team with 29 receptions ... DB Toren Joseph notched his first career interception ... LB Kerry Guidry recorded a sack for the second consecutive game and also had an interception ... LB Jordan Piper led Nicholls with eight tackles and leads the Southland with 10.2 per game ... K Andrew Dolan was 1 for 2 on field goals, connecting on a 25-yard attempt. His miss was from 53 yards ... Nicholls State gave up 14 points in the second quarter ... in Southland play, Nicholls has been outscored 75-20 in the second stanza ... in six Southland games, Nicholls is averaging a league-low 14 points, while giving up a conference-high 37 points. ... Nicholls scored on 4-of-5 red zone attempts with two touchdowns ... the Colonels went into the game 8-of-15 in conference play, which is last in the conference ... Nicholls gave up five sacks to Lamar ... the Colonels rank last in the FCS, giving up four per game ... the Colonels will host Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night in the annual River Bell Classic ... Nicholls leads the all-time series 12-9, winning 10 of the last 12 ... the Colonels have won the last five meetings in Thibodaux ... Southeastern won last year’s meeting in Hammond 31-14.

Northwestern State: Northwestern State has watched its last two opponents celebrate conference titles ... first it was at Central Arkansas who won 35-14 Nov. 3 in Conway and then last week, Sam Houston State clinched a share of the title on the Demons’ home field ... the Bearkats won 52-17 handing Northwestern its second consecutive loss in the series and back-to-back losses this season for the first time ... it was also the first loss of the season for the Demons Turpin Stadium, where they had been 4-0, which was their best start since their conference championship season of 2004 ... the Demons were held to just six first downs and 183 total yards, only 42 on the ground ... the Bearkats posted 509 total yards, including 253 rushing and 256 passing and ran 31 more plays than the Demons while notching 26 first downs and holding the ball for 38:33 ... Northwestern did get an 82-yard kickoff return touchdown by true freshman Ed Eagan that answered Sam Houston’s first score ... senior safety Brashard Booker had a career-high 16 tackles while two-time All-America linebacker Derek Rose, also a senior, posted a career best with 14 stops, matched by junior linebacker Pat Black ... Rose leads the team with 89 total tackles ... Northwestern is averaging 24.8 points and 306.0 yards per game, while allowing 32.0 points and 394.7 yards per contest ... QB Brad Henderson has completed 55.8 percent of his passes (168 of 301) for 1,706 yards and 12 touchdowns against only three interceptions ... Daniel Taylor leads the Demons with 145 carries for 304 yards and four touchdowns, while Louis Hollier is the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 340 yards and a pair of scores ... Northwestern visits Stephen F. Austin on Saturday ... Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin have met 68 times previously with the Demons holding a 43-22-3 all-time lead in the series ... the teams have battle for Chief Caddo just 46 times with Northwestern holding a 28-17-1 edge ... SFA has won the last three meetings, including last year 33-0 in Natchitoches.

Sam Houston State: The Bearkats clinched a share of their second consecutive Southland Conference title with its 52-17 win at Northwestern State last Saturday ... it was the school’s fifth Southland title ... only last year’s championship was won outright ... Sam Houston’s lone league blemish was a 24-20 loss at UCA back on Sept. 22 ... that sealed the conference’s automatic playoff bid for UCA ... the Bearkats other titles came in 1991, 2001 and 2004 ... the win against Northwestern was the program’s 28th under third-year head coach Willie Fritz ... those 28 victories (six in 2010, 14 in 2011 and eight so far in 2012) stand as the most wins by the Bearkats in any three consecutive years in the 97 seasons of Sam Houston football ... Walter Payton Award candidate Timothy Flanders turned in his 22nd career 100-yard game against the Demons ... he carried the ball 17 times for 138 yards and scored on runs of 56 and 4 yards ... the Bearkats’ leading rusher now ranks second all-time in touchdowns (54) and rushing touchdowns (51) and is No. 6 in all-time rushing yards with 3,679 ... QB Brian Bell, the school’s all-time winningest quarterback, has directed the Bearkats to 27 wins ... he ranks second with 5,333 passing yards and 6,124 yards of total offense, trailing former Bearkat QB Rhett Bomar in both categories ... WR Trey Diller caught seven of those passes for 119 yards and a score ... the Bearkat defense allowed Northwestern only 141 total yards and 42 on the ground while the Sam Houston offense rolled up 509 total yards, including 253 rushing yards and 256 passing yards ... Sam Houston will put its conference-best seven-game win streak on the line at Texas A&M on Saturday ... the Aggies pulled off a 29-24 upset of previously top-ranked Alabama, a team so-called experts thought was invincible ... Sam Houston and Texas A&M have met 10 times previously with the Aggies winning all 10 times, including a 59-6 score in 1997, the last time the teams played.

Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions snapped a two-game losing streak with a 42-27 win at home against Stephen F. Austin ... Southeastern clinched its second winning season in Southland Conference play since joining the league in 2005 ... the Lions posted a 4-3 league record in 2009 … as a result of the win, Southeastern swept this week’s conference players of the week awards ... RB Xavier Roberson totaled 117 yards on 21 carries to go with a pair of scores ... he also added a pair of kick returns for 118 yards and a touchdown ... fellow freshman Rasheed Harrell also ran for 151 yards, giving Southeastern two 100-yard rushers since Sam Fairley and Zeke Jones each rushed for 108 yards in a win over UT Martin in 2010 ... Harrell’s 151-yard performance was the most by a Southeastern freshman and the best single-game performance by a Lion since Jay Lucas rushed for 174 yards against Nicholls State on Nov. 17, 2007 ... Southeastern returned a kickoff (Xavier Roberson – 96 yards) and a punt (Tony McCrea – 54 yards) for touchdowns for the first time in school history ... first-year TE Jeremy Meyers, who originally signed with Southeastern as a quarterback before moving to the defensive side in 2011, caught his first touchdown pass of his career with a 26-yard strike from Nathan Stanley in the third quarter ... Southeastern’s 53 rushing attempts were tied for the most in a single-game since the school restored football in 2003 ... the Lions’ 278 yards rushing were the second-most since resuming football, trailing a 294-yard performance against Central Arkansas in 2007 ... Southeastern controlled the football for 37 minutes, 18 seconds, it’s best total since restoring the program ... the Lions, who are receiving votes in this week’s coaches poll, visit Nicholls State Thursday night in the River Bell Classic ... Nicholls leads the all-time series 12-9, but the Lions won 31-14 last year in Hammond.

Stephen F. Austin: The Lumberjacks got surprised Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana and dropped a 42-27 decision to the Lions ... SFA finished the game with 380 yards of total offense, which ended a streak of four consecutive games of at least 500 yards of total offense ... it also marked the first time in 2012 that SFA had been outgained, 487-380 ... sophomore Gus Johnson finished the night with 124 yards on 28 carries ... he had scoring runs of 13, 4, 19 and 11 yards ... Johnson tied an SFA single-game record with four rushing touchdowns Saturday night ... that is a feat that has only happened three other times in school history, and the first time since the 1995 season (Kerry Bennett) ... the other two SFA backs to rush for four touchdowns in a game were Bill Tyler (1973) and Gaylen Ramm (1971) ... freshman Doug Gentry added 86 on 14 carries as SFA totaled 210 rushing yards against Southeastern ... although injuries have prevented senior receiver Cordell Roberson from playing in the team’s past two games, he still has a shot of becoming the conference all-time receiver ... Roberson needs 12 catches for 151 yards to become the conference all-time leader in both categories ... with a win this Saturday in the rivalry game with Northwestern State, the Lumberjacks could finish with a winning record in conference play at 4-3 ... they’ll have the home field advantage ... Homer Bryce Stadium one of the toughest places to play for conference teams over the course of the past three seasons ... SFA is 12-1 (.923) in conference games at home since 2010 ... the teams compete for the largest traveling trophies in college football – Chief Caddo – which stands 7-feet, 6-inches and weighs more than 320 pounds ... the schools have been playing for Chief Caddo since the 1961 season ... the Demons hold a 28-17-1 advantage since Chief Caddo was added to the rivalry.

Are You Southland Strong? The Southland Conference has launched a new marketing campaign known as “Southland Strong.” The motto encompasses a positive mindset and confident outlook for everything that happens in the Southland. It is about competitiveness and success in the conference, in the NCAA, in professional sports and many other great achievements by member institutions and student-athletes. But it is more than just excelling in competition; it is also about being successful in the classroom and in the workforce. Southland Strong is also about great works by the league’s athletic departments reaching out and giving back to the local communities and student-athletes providing leadership through their endless efforts with local charity and youth groups. The conference encourages its member institutions and student-athletes to help promote the campaign by joining the social media conversation by using the #SouthlandStrong hashtag to tell why someone or something is Southland Strong.