Texas State Wins Southland Conference Championship, Earn Berth in FCS Playoffs
Texas State 48, Sam Houston State 45 (OT)
Huntsville, Texas ? In a season that featured five comeback victories, the Texas State football team saved their biggest comeback of the 2008 season for their final regular season game when the Bobcats overcame a 21-0 deficit and won their second Southland Conference championship with a 48-45 overtime victory at Sam Houston State on Saturday.
Texas State also was Southland Conference co-champions in 2005, but this is the first outright conference championship for the Bobcats since 1982 when Texas State won the NCAA Division II national championship with a 14-0 record.
Sam Houston State opened the day with James Aston running for a four-yard touchdown run and Rett Bomar throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Trey Payne to give the Bearkats a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
Bomar threw another 20-yard touchdown pass to Jason Madkins with 11:21 left to play in the first half to give the Bearkats a 21-0 lead.
The Bobcats scored their first points of the game midway through the second quarter when Bradley George hit John Gilley with a 14-yard touchdown pass. Andrew Ireland added the extra point to make the score 21-7.
Ireland added two more field goals in the second period to pull Texas State to within 21-13 at halftime.
Sam Houston opened the third quarter with another touchdown as Bomar ran for a 14-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half to give the Bearkats a 28-13 lead with 10:49 left.
But, the momentum of the entire game changed on the ensuing kickoff when Karrington Bush returned Taylor Wilkins’ kick 79 yards for a touchdown to make the score 28-20, giving him his first kickoff return for a touchdown and the longest kickoff return of his collegiate career.
The Bobcats tied the game on their next possession when Bradley George hit Stan Zwinggi for a 91-yard touchdown on a screen pass. The touchdown pass tied a school record set in 1959 when Bob Lewis hit Herb Wulrich for a touchdown.
Texas State took its first lead with 16 seconds in left in the third quarter when Bush scored on a three-yard touchdown run and Ireland kicked the extra point to give the Bobcats a 35-28 lead.
Sam Houston came back to tie the score with 4:38 left to play when Bomar ran for a one-yard touchdown on a sweep to the right side.
Texas State answered again and regained the lead when Alvin Canady scored on a run from two-yards out. Ireland added the extra point to give the Bobcats a 42-35 lead with 1:08 left to play.
Bush set up Canady’s TD with a 20-yard scamper on a second-down and nine play from Sam Houston’s 22-yard line. That run gave him 1,000-yards rushing on the season, making him the first running back since 1997 to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back years.
Sam Houston State took over at its 39-yard line and Bomar took the Bearkats down the field before hitting Jason Madkins for a 27-yard touchdown pass to send the game into overtime with the score tied at 42-42.
The Bearkats took the first possession in the overtime period and earned a first down at the Texas State 12-yard line on a five yard run by Aston. But, the Bobcat defense made a stand when Donavan King tackled Aston for a three-yard loss back to the 15-yard line. That forced the Bearkats to throw the ball and Romar’s two passes intended for Catron Houston. Sam Houston State was force to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Wilkins.
The Bobcats took over at the 25 and began the drive with Clint Toon hitting John Gilley with a six-yard pass to the 19-yard line. Then, Bush ran for six yards to give the Bobcats a first down at the Sam Houston 13-yard line. After running for a pair of four-yard runs, Bush took a pitch from George on an option play to the right side and scampered into the end zone for a five-yard touchdown run to give the Bobcats a 48-45 victory.
The victory clinched the Southland Conference championship for the Bobcats who finish the regular season with a 8-4 overall record and 5-2 SLC mark.
With the win, the Bobcats also clinches the Southland Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs which begin Saturday. The FCS selection show will be broadcast at 6 p.m., CST, on ESPNU with Lowell Galindo and Tom Luginbill serving as hosts.
Central Arkansas 47, McNeese State 30
CONWAY, Ark. ? The University of Central Arkansas Bears made it unofficially official Saturday night.
The 13th-ranked Bears, in just their second full season in the Southland Conference, knocked off perennial power and No. 14 McNeese State 47-30 at First Security Field at Estes Stadium. The victory gave the Bears sole possession of first place in the league even though the Bears are not eligible for the conference’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
UCA finished 10-2 overall and 6-1 in the SLC. McNeese dropped to 7-4 and 4-3 and also missed out on the playoffs. Texas State finished with a win Saturday and earned the bid as the second-place team in the SLC.
On Senior Night, a trio of seniors on the offensive side of the ball went out with a bang for the Bears. Quarterback Nathan Brown added to his legacy, becoming the first quarterback in Arkansas collegiate history to throw 100 touchdown passes in his career, connecting twice.
He hit senior Eric Ware from 33 yards out at the end of the first quarter, then hit the century mark with an 18-yarder to senior tight end Marquez Branson late in the third period.
Brown also added the UCA single-season passing yardage record to his column, finishing the season with 3,206 yards (surpassing Zak Clark’s 3,157). He also erased the season touchdown mark and finished with 31, passing Brian Stallworth’s 30. Brown finished his career with 10,558 passing yards.
Brown did it on the ground as well, leading the Bears in rushing for the first time in his career (7 for 71) and scoring twice, just his second and third rushing touchdowns of his career. Junior tailback Brent Grimes got in on the action, as he always does, scoring two touchdowns on runs of 10 and 4 yards, the latter sealing the game with 7:34 remaining.
The Cowboys, 12-time SLC champions, actually outgained the Bears 458 to 421 yards, but UCA won the turnover battle 2-1 and provided the defense when it counted. McNeese went 0 for 4 on fourth-down conversions, including fourth-and-3 and fourth-and-15 plays in the fourth quarter.
McNeese did close a 13-point gap to 40-30 on Allen Nelson’s 15-yard interception with 9:36 remaining, Brown’s only hiccup on the night. But UCA freshman Isaiah Jackson of Conway returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the MSU 37. Grimes went for 11 and 10 yards on the first two plays, and was aided by a facemask that moved the ball to the McNeese 8.
Back-to-back four-yarders by Grimes, the leading scorer in the SLC, gave the Bears a 47-30 lead with 7:34 remaining. After the UCA defense held, with help from a Tim Holloway sack, the Cowboys were down to their last possession, starting at their own 20. Consecutive incomplete passes and a 6-yard sack by Holloway and Larry Hart put them in a hole. After Derrick Fourroux’s pass to Henry Bernardo came up three yards short of the first down, the celebration began for the Bears, who had their first first-place finish since the 2005 season in the Division II Gulf South Conference.
Junior safety Derrick Boyd topped the UCA defensive chart with 11 tackles, while Holloway had three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks among his nine tackles. Junior tackle Taylor Scott had a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, while junior linebacker James Lancaster had an interception and returned it 48 yards to set up UCA’s fifth touchdown.
Sophomore kicker Eddie Carmona made a career-long 47-yard field goal in the first quarter and added a 22-yarder later.
McNeese running back Todd Penland, the SLC’s top rusher, had 110 yards on 17 carries, while Fourroux completed 22 of 33 passes for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Northwestern State 34, Stephen F. Austin 24
NACOGDOCHES, Texas ? Tough to say what was more surprising in Northwestern State’s 34-24 season-ending win Saturday night at rival Stephen F. Austin.
Was it the run-oriented Demons, with a patchwork offensive line, passing for a school-record 368 yards?
Or perhaps NSU’s Purple Swarm defense shackling the nation’s No. 2 passing attack, permitting only 241 yards to a spread attack averaging 355 per game, and containing the 11th-ranked scoring offense (36 points per game).
In the annual Battle for Chief Caddo, the largest sports trophy (7-foot-6, 320 pounds) in the world, left the Demons on the brink of a Southland Conference co-championship and a national playoff berth. Only a 48-45 overtime win by Texas State at Sam Houston State Saturday prevented NSU from accepting two trophies postgame, not just the Chief.
“We were one overtime away from playing next Saturday,” said Demons coach Scott Stoker, whose seventh NSU team finished 7-5 overall, 4-3 and tied for second in the SLC. “These guys did everything you could ask. I don’t have the words to express how proud I am of the way they played and competed tonight.”
Quarterback John Hundley threw for a season-best 294 yards, completing 29 of 44 passes without an interception. Senior Dudley Guice threatened school single-game records with 11 catches, third-best in school history, and 190 yards, sixth all-time. He snatched a 74-yard touchdown on NSU’s first play on a flanker reverse pass by true freshman Calvin Stoker.
Defensively, the turnover-starved Purple Swarm swiped four Jeremy Moses passes, including one just 89 seconds into the game that safety Gary Riggs returned 39 yards for a quick 7-0 lead. Safety Wesley Eckles had a pair of interceptions and a team-high 8 tackles, while senior linebacker Mack Dampier made 5 stops and his first career interception. End Ledell Love also recovered a fumble as NSU, having produced only 15 turnovers entering the night, came up with five more.
Moses, third nationally in total offense (337 yards per game), had only 251 total yards, just 241 in the air on 24-of-44 aim as SFA ended 4-8 overall, 2-5 in the SLC after a winless 2007 season.
“Our defensive staff had a great plan. We played a lot more man than it looked back there, and we were switching a lot, but the biggest factor was we tackled pretty well,” said Stoker. “We told the defense that when they caught it, we had to plant them right there, and we did on all but a few plays. “
Offensively, the Demons ran a season-high 89 plays, 50 by halftime, and netted a season-best 489 yards in unlikely fashion. In fact, even NSU didn’t plan on passing on half its snaps.
“SFA played us defensively pretty much like McNeese did last week, and that was a big surprise. We decided last Sunday if anybody did that to us again, we were going to adjust on the fly, and these guys did it. We had five-and-a-half offensive linemen patched together and they did a great job protecting and creating some cracks for the backs,” said Stoker. “Hundley made a ton of good decisions, took what they gave us, didn’t make any terrible mistakes. We didn’t give their offense the ball any more than they should have had it and that helped our defense.”
By halftime, Northwestern had already topped its total offense per game average, rolling up 357 yards.
Robert Weeks, who broke the school record for consecutive extra points on the second Demon TD (that gave him 52 in a row), booted a 20-yard field goal on the last play of the half to boost NSU up 24-14. He added a 24-yarder late in the third period to give the Demons a two-score advantage, 27-17, and it never got closer. An 18-yard Sterling Endsley run with 3:28 to go stretched NSU’s lead to 17 and soon afterward, Demon players were plotting their course to behind the north end zone where Chief Caddo stood, waiting for his return to Natchitoches after the final horn.
“For these seniors, the five-year guys, that’s keeping the Chief four years out of five. That’s huge. That’s upholding tradition. This team deserved to have a winning record and a winning conference record. As it turned out, we were one play away from playing in the playoffs next Saturday. That says a lot about how these guys competed. This was not an easy schedule - Cal Poly lost to Wisconsin in OT today, Grambling is rolling through the SWAC, Baylor is as good as they’ve been in years, and this conference was as competitive as it’s ever been. I am proud of my guys and so happy they sent these 12 seniors out this way.”
Nicholls State 35, Southeastern Louisiana 28
THIBODAUX, La. ? On a day where 21 seniors put on the Nicholls colors for the final time, it was the underclassmen that ensured their careers ended the right way with a 35-28 victory over Southeastern La. in John L. Guidry Stadium.
Fullback Trey Hopson (13 caries, 90 yards) had the best game of his Colonels career reaching pay dirt two times, while Corey Buchanan reached the 100-yard barrier for the first time in his career with 107 yards on 18 carries to propel the Colonels to the win over the Lions. With the win, the Colonels brought the River Bell back to Thibodaux.
“I’m proud of this team for fighting,” head coach Jay Thomas said.
“The defense just had to come out and had to make a play, and they did. But overall I’m proud of the guys for getting a win.”
It was only fitting that much like the Colonels (3-6, 3-4, SLC) other victories, this one also came down to the final minutes. Despite jumping out to a 35-7 lead in the fourth quarter, the Lions roared back, pulling within seven.
Facing a fourth and five at the Nicholls 40 with just over two minutes remaining, Southeastern (5-7, 2-5) quarterback Brian Babin rolled right but was chased down by Jordan Nevels and sacked for a loss of 15 yards, sealing the game for the Colonels.
After a strong opening stand by the Colonels defense, which forced the Lions to a three-and-out, the Colonels offense started things off on a high note. Behind the bruising of fullback Hopson, the Colonels put together a nine-play, 72 yard drive. Hopson gave the Colonels the spark they need with an eight-yard run on fourth-and-one. Hopson added another big run two minutes later with an 18-yard scoring run to put the Colonels ahead 7-0 after Ross Schexnayder’s extra point with 8:43 to play.
Both teams traded possessions the remainder of the first quarter before making things interesting in the second.
After trading punts the Lions moved the ball inside Colonels territory to the seven yard line, quarterback Brian Babin’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by freshman Bobby Felder. The Colonels responded with the senior connection as Chris Bunch found Patrick Gordon for 12 yards. Schexnayder’s extra point extended the Colonels lead to 14-0 with 10:10 left in the first half.
The stout Colonels defense forced the Lions to punt, but the reward was short-lived. Corey Buchanan put the Colonels in good field position at their own 33 yard line. However, an errant pitch from Vince Montgomery to A.J. Williams was recovered by Southeastern’s Quinten Pierre and returned 65 yards to the Colonels, one. On the very next play, Mike Neville ran up the middle to cut the lead to 14-7 with 5:14 showing in the first half.
In spite of giving up their first points of the game, the Colonels weren’t fazed, rebounding on their possession.
On their ensuing possession the Colonels turned to their power once again as Hopson notched his second score of the night from 35 yards out to cap off a three-play, 46 yard drive. The Colonels led 21-7 with 3:51 left before half.
The Lions had one final chance to get on the scoreboard before half, but Jeff Turner’s 43-yard kick attempt sailed wide right, and the Colonels carried a 21-7 lead into halftime.
In an effort to get the momentum back in the second half, the Lions tried and onside kick. The ball bounced off a Lions defender and the Colonels pounced on it, giving them the ball at the 39 yard line. From there the Colonels went on an 11 play, 61-yard drive over the next 5:15 that ended with a two-yard scamper by sophomore Corey Buchanan. Schexnayder’s extra point put the Colonels ahead 28-7 with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
After going scoreless the final 9:35 of the third the Colonels started the fourth quarter with a 38 yard pass from Bunch to Antonio Robinson. Buchanan carried the ball 12 yards two plays later, before Bunch scurried in from two yards out to extend the Colonels lead to 35-7 with 14:11 left in the game.
However, the Lions refused to go down.
The Colonels defense held Southeastern’s Jay Lucas scoreless until the fourth quarter when he capped off a six play 80 yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Babin to make the score 35-14 with 11:41 left in the game.
On the Colonels ensuing possession, the turnover bug bit again as another errant pitch from Bunch to Isa Hines was recovered again by Pierre and taken 20 yards for the score. The Lions cut the lead to 35-21 at 10:13.
After the Colonels offense failed to produce, they were forced to punt on a three-and-out. Following that, the Lions put together an eight play, 87 yard drive set up by a pass interference call in the endzone. Babin found Cole Wardell in the endzone for a three yard pass and suddenly the Colonels lead was cut to seven at 35-28 with 5:08 remaining.
The Lions held the Colonels in check one final time but the Colonels defense stood proud on the Lions last possession to preserve the win.
Thomas said he looks to take the adversity for this season and use it as a stepping stool headed into next year.
“This season for us is probably one of the most difficult seasons we had to deal with as for as adversity goes,” said Thomas.
“We had to come out and get the guys ready to play every week despite being behind. These guys came together this season, they are a family. Hopefully we can use this as a lesson and come back even better next year. I’m just glad they finished the way they did today.”