Southland Conference Kicks Off 47th Football Season Thursday
FRISCO, Texas - The 47th season of Southland Conference football gets underway Thursday with a pair of league teams in action. Central Arkansas plays host to Elizabeth City State and Southeastern Louisiana visits Tulane. Both games are at 7 p.m.
The other six Southland teams play Saturday. All but one of those games is against the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A). Sam Houston State visits Baylor and Stephen F. Austin visits Texas A&M out of the Big 12 Conference. Both Northwestern State and Nicholls face the Mountain West Conference with games at Air Force and San Diego State, respectively. Texas State visits Houston. That gives the league six games against the other Division I subdivision the opening week of the season.
The lone home game in the league Saturday renews an old rivalry. McNeese State plays host to Lamar. It is the Cardinals' first game on the gridiron since 1989. Lamar, which technically plays its first season back as an unclassified team, will play four Southland teams this season before rejoining the league for a full slate of games in 2011.
Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State Among Ranked Teams
Stephen F. Austin is ranked No. 8 in both the FCS Coaches and Sports Network polls entering the season, while McNeese State is ranked 11th in the coaches' poll and 12th in the Sports Network poll. SFA finished the 2009 season ranked ninth and 10th in the two polls, while the Cowboys finished 12th in both rankings. Five other Southland Conference teams received votes in the coaches' poll, including Texas State, Southeastern Louisiana, Central Arkansas, Nicholls and Sam Houston State. Texas State, Southeastern Louisiana and Central Arkansas also received votes in the Sports Network poll, as did Northwestern State.
Eleven Games Scheduled Against FBS in 2010
The Southland Conference has 11 games scheduled against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision this season and is getting six of those games out of the way this week. Nicholls plays two consecutive FBS programs to open its season. After playing at San Diego State in the season opener, the Colonels visit Western Michigan Septl 11. Other games against FBS schools this season include McNeese State at Missouri (Sept. 11) and at LSU (Oct. 16), Central Arkansas at Tulsa (Sept. 25) and Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana-Monroe (Sept. 25). Last year, Central Arkansas beat Western Kentucky for the Southland's 14th win against the FBS sicne 2000. Since 2000, Southland teams have played to within 14 points of FBS teams a total of 17 times.
SFA's Moses Headlines Walter Payton Award Watch List
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses headlines the initial watch list for the 2010 Walter Payton Award. Moses was the 2009 Southland Conference Co-Player of the Year and is already SFA's all-time leader in completions, touchdown passes, passing yards and total offense. He is on pace to become the conference's all-time leader in all four of those categories. The senior from Baytown, Texas (Lee), has recorded 18 300-yard passing games, four 400-yard passing games and one 500-yard effort during his career. Moses was the highest vote-getter among the returning players, finishing in seventh place in balloting last year.
SFA's Williams on Buchanan List
Stephen F. Austin linebacker Jabara Williams has been named to the watch list for the 2010 Buck Buchanan Award. Williams is one of 20 players to appear on the watch list for the Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. The award is sponsored by Fathead.com. The Lumberjack senior was a first-team All-Southland Conference selection and a second-team Sports Network All-American in 2009. A native of Garrison, Texas (Garrison), Williams finished third in the conference with 113 total tackles, averaging 8.7 per game. He registered 9.5 tackles for loss, including two sacks, and was credited with seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Seven Southland Players Named TSN Preseason All-Americans
Seven Southland Conference football players, including Texas State guard D.J. Hall and Stephen F. Austin linebacker Jabara Williams who both earned first-team recognition, have been named preseason All-Americans by the Sports Network.
Hall, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound native of Palestine, Texas, was also named a first-team preseason All-America selection by Phil Steele and a second-team selection by Lindy's. Last season, he was a first-team All-Southland Conference performer as an offensive lineman after being named a second-team selection in 2008. Hall started 11 games and helped the Bobcats hold their opponents to an average of 1.36 sacks per game. He and the Bobcat offensive line paved the way for the offense to gain an average of 422 yards and score 32 points per game. He has started 24 straight games for Texas State entering the 2010 campaign.
One of the Southland Conference's leading tacklers, Williams recorded another outstanding season for the Lumberjacks in 2009. He finished second on the team with 87 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for losses and one sack. A two-time All-American, Williams helped lead a resurgent SFA defense that was one of the toughest in the nation. Williams, who led the conference in tackles following his sophomore season, led a defense that was one of the most improved in the country. The Lumberjacks finished the season ranked sixth in the country in sacks, and 18th in tackles for a losses.
The Southland landed three players on the second-team, including SFA quarterback Jeremy Moses and Southeastern Louisiana receiver Simmie Yarborough on offense. Central Arkansas defensive end Markell Carter also earned second-team laurels.
Southland Among Hosts of Title Game
The Southland Conference, along with the City of Frisco, Texas, and the Hunt Sports Group have been named hosts of the NCAA Division I Football National Championship Game for each of the next three years. The game moved to the Dallas suburb from Chattanooga, Tenn., after 13 seasons and will be played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, which is home to the Southland Conference office. The first game will be played Jan. 7, 2011, a later date to help accomodate expansion of the playoff bracket from 16 to 20 teams. More information about the championship can be found on page 22.
Stephen F. Austin Favored to Repeat in Southland
Stephen F. Austin, coming off its third Southland Conference regular-season title and first since 1999, is favored by both the coaches and sports information directors to repeat as conference champions in 2010. The Lumberjacks, which shared the 2009 title with McNeese State, received seven out of a possible eight first-place votes and 49 points in each of the coaches' and SID polls. Voters could not vote for their own teams. Southland coach of the year J.C. Harper and the Lumberjacks return 16 starters and 40 letterwinners, including senior quarterback Jeremy Moses, the 2009 Southland co-player of the year and senior defensive back Andre Banks, last year's newcomer of the year. Stephen F. Austin, which finished 10-3 overall and 6-1 in Southland play, will look to record its first two consecutive conference titles in school history and a return trip to the FCS playoffs.
Southland Places Two Teams in Playoffs
Both Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State earned berths into the NCAA Division I Playoffs last season. By virtue of its 16-13 home win over the Cowboys on the opening Saturday of conference play last season, SFA owned the tie-breaker for the Southland's automatic berth into the playoffs. McNeese State, which had defeated No. 2 Appalacian State the second week of the season, was rewarded with an at-large playoff berth. It marked the 17th time overall and the first time since 2005 that the league placed at least two teams in the same playoffs. Both Southland teams also opened the playoffs at home, marking the first time that has happened since the 1998 season.
SFA Reaches Quarters, McNeese Surprised
Stephen F. Austin's appearance in the playoffs was its first since making a run to the national semifinals in 1995. The Lumberjacks, who were only two seasons removed from an 0-11 season, opened the 2009 playoffs with a 44-33 home victory over Eastern Washington, but it's magical season ended in the quarterfinals in a 51-0 loss at Montana, a team that reached championship game for the second consecutive season. McNeese State also earned a home playoff game, giving the league two home games to start the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Cowboys, however, dropped a 49-13 decision to New Hampshire, which went on to lose in the quarterfinals at Villanova, which defeated Montana to win the national championship.
UCA Has Completed Transition
The Bears have completed their four-year transition to NCAA Division I and are fully eligible for postseason play this fall. Central Arkansas finished with a league-best 6-1 football mark in 2008 but was ineligible to win the conference title or participate in the NCAA playoffs during its transition. In three years as a member of the Southland Conference, UCA is 21-14 overall and 13-8 in league play. The Bears return 10 starters and 40 letterwinners in 2010.
UCA's Conque a Win Away from Milestone
Central Arkansas coach Clint Conque is one victory away from tying the school record of 74 coaching victories. He is currently 73-43, trailing only UCA Sports Hall of Famer Harold Horton (74-12-5). Conque is beginning his 11th season at UCA.
Lamar Rejoins the Southland in 2011
After a 20-year absence, Lamar is fielding a football team in 2010. The Cardinals will play as an unclassified team this season when it plays an 11-game schedule that includes four Southland Conference teams: McNeese State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State. Lamar rejoins the Southland next season for a full slate of conference games.
Two New Southland Coaches in 2010
Two coaches join the Southland Conference coaching fraternity in 2010. Nicholls named Charlie Stubbs its ninth coach in school history last January. Stubbs, a 30-year coaching veteran, moves to Thibodaux, La., for his first head coaching position at the college level. Sam Houston State also welcomed a new coach to campus when it named Willie Fritz the school's 14th coach last December. Fritz, a former graduate assistant (1984-85) and special teams coach (1991-92) at the school returns to Huntsville, Texas, after 13 seasons as the head coach at Central Missouri. Coincidentally, Stubbs was Fritz's offensive coordinator at the Division II school the last two seasons. Nicholls and Sam Houston meet Oct. 9 in the conference opener for both schools.
Battle of the Piney Woods Moves to Reliant
"The Battle of the Piney Woods" between Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin will be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, Oct. 23. It will be the 85th football duel between the two rivals. The series is the second oldest FCS rivalry in Texas. The Battle of the Piney Woods dates back to 1923, with Sam Houston State holding a 48-34-2 edge in the series. The next four games will be played at Reliant. This year's game will be televised by Southland TV.
Northwestern State Drawing Inspiration from Rival
To say second-year Northwestern State coach Bradley Dale Peveto did not like the result of his first season in Natchitoches, La., would be an understatement. The Demons were winless in 11 games last season, just like Stehpen F. Austin was in 2007. Two years later, the Lumberjacks shared the Southland Conference championship and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Playoffs. The schools compete annually for Chief Caddo, which at 7-feet, 6-inches and 320-pounds, is the nation's largest football trophy. Northwestern State leads the battle for the trophy, 28-15-1.
Texas State Riding Road Win Streak
The Bobcats have won seven consecutive conference road games after going 3-0 last year and 4-0 in 2008. The streak is the second longest road win streak by a current Southland Conference member. McNeese State won nine straight Southland road games from 2006-08.