Two Conference Games among Five on Southland Week Four Slate
FRISCO, Texas - Seven of the eight Southland Conference teams will be on the
gridiron this week, a week that features a pair of conference games on Saturday
with Northwestern State visiting Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana
traveling to McNeese State. Two league teams will face teams in the Football
Bowl Subdivision, including league-leading Sam Houston State at New Mexico and
Central Arkansas at former league-member Arkansas State. Stephen F. Austin has
a game against Texas State, which played its final football season in the
Southland in 2010.
Week Four Matchups
Northwestern State and
Nicholls State will battle for "NSU" bragging rights on Saturday at 3 p.m. in
the Toyota Game of the Week on the Southland Conference Television Network ...
Northwestern has a 24-14 edge in the series that dates back to 1973 ...
Nicholls has won the last two meetings and six of the last eight ...
Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State will meet for the 37th time Saturday
at 7 p.m. in Lake Charles ... the Cowboys hold a 21-15 edge in the series and
have won the last five meetings ... Stephen F. Austin meets Texas State
Saturday at 6 p.m. in Nacogdoches and is trying to snap a four-game losing
streak to the Bobcats, who lead the all-time series 55-29-1 ... Central
Arkansas renews its series with Arkansas State Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.com
... the teams meet for the first time since 1997 ... the Bears lead the series
12-9-2 ... Sam Houston State plays New Mexico for the first time ... Lamar is
idle.
Southland TV Entering Fourth Season
The Northwestern State at
Nicholls State game on Saturday will be televised by the Southland Conference
Television Network. Coverage begins at 3 p.m., Central, with kickoff slated for
3:05 p.m. Visit www.Southland.org/television for a list of affiliates. Randy
McIlvoy and Shea Walker will call the action from the booth. The crew will be
joined by Jane Slater on the sideline. As one of the nation's most innovative
broadcast opportunities, the award-winning Southland Conference Television
Network became a reality in 2008 and has broadcast nearly 100 events during its
first three years. The network, which reaches homes in Texas, Louisiana and
Arkansas, has earned a College Sports Media Award (2009) and an honorable
mention (2010) at the College Sports Video Summit as well as four prestigious
Telly Awards. The conference will feature 11 football telecasts in 2011. All
games will be streamed live and free on SLC NOW on Southland.org.
Week Three Rewind
Sam Houston State beat
Central Arkansas 31-10 last Saturday in the conference opener for both teams
... the game was the earliest conference opener for the league since
Northwestern State beat Nicholls State 35-3 on Sept. 17, 1994 ... the league
also got victories from Lamar and McNeese State ... the Cardinals beat Incarnate
Word 45-35 in Beaumont and the Cowboys beat Sioux Falls 31-17 in Lake Charles
... of the seven games involving league teams last week, the home team won all
seven games ... unfortunately for the Southland, the other four games were on
the road against teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision ... Nicholls State lost
38-21 at Louisiana-Lafayette ... Southeastern Louisiana lost 52-6 at Southern
Miss ... Northwestern State lost at SMU 40-7 and Stephen F. Austin lost at
Baylor 48-0.
Three Southland Teams Ranked
in FCS Top 25 Polls
Three Southland Conference
football teams - McNeese State, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin - are
ranked in this week's Sports Network poll. The Cowboys climbed four spots from No.
23 to No. 19 this week, just in front of Sam Houston State, which is No. 20.
Stephen F. Austin fell from No. 19 to No. 22 this week after its loss at
Baylor. Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana received votes in this
week's Sports Network poll. Only McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin are ranked
in the week's FCS Coaches Poll. The Lumberjacks are No. 17 followed immediately
by McNeese State, which is No. 18. Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas are
receiving votes from FCS coaches.
Last of 11 Games for Southland vs. Football Bowl
Subdivision This Week
Sam Houston State and
Central Arkansas will try to give the Southland Conference its first win
against the Football Bowl Subdivision this season and the first since 2009 when
Central Arkansas won at Western Kentucky. The league has played nine games
against the FBS this season and was winless in 11 games against the subdivision
last year. This year, the Southland has played teams from Conference USA as
well as the Big 12, Mid-American, Mountain West, Southeastern, Sun Belt and
Western Athletic conferences. The league is 0-9 in games against that
subdivision this year. Since 2000, the Southland Conference has 16 wins against
FBS teams and has played to within 14 points another 21 times, including twice
this year when Southeastern Louisiana lost 47-33 at Tulane and Central Arkansas
lost 48-42 in overtime at Louisiana Tech.
Week Three Conference
Honors
Sam Houston State wide
receiver Richard Sincere was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of
the Week after he ran the ball seven times for 107 yards and two scores in a
31-10 victory over Central Arkansas. Sincere scored on touchdown runs of 9 and
45 yards, the last of which gave the Bearkats a 21-point cushion in the third
quarter. Bearkat safety Darnell Taylor earned defensive player of the week
honors after leading Sam Houston with 11 total tackles against Central
Arkansas. Taylor helped Sam Houston State hold the Bears to 271 total yards.
McNeese State wide receiver/return specialist Darius Carey returned a punt for
68 yards for the Cowboys' second touchdown of the game in a 31-17 over Sioux
Falls. Carey finished the game with 179 all-purpose yards.
Other Notable Performances
in Week Three
- In its 45-35 win over
Incarnate Word last Saturday Lamar quarterback Andre Bevil conducted the Cardinals
on first-half touchdown drives of 65, 64, 62 and 61 yards consuming a total of
21 plays. He completed two with touchdowns, a 10-yard strike to split end J.J.
Hayes and a 25-yard pass to receiver Kye Hildreth. He was also at the controls
when the Cardinals drove 35 yards on 10 plays to Justin Stout's game-clinching
31-yard fourth-quarter field goal.
- McNeese State receiver
Wes Brisco cracked 100 yards receiving for the first time, totaling 113 yards
on four receptions. His 27-yard catch on fourth-and-7 set up the Cowboys'
fourth touchdown of the game and put the game out of reach for Sioux Falls,
which lost 31-17.
- Nicholls State running
back Marcus Washington rushed for a career-high 95 yards on 16 carries with one
touchdown in the Colonels' 38-21 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette. He punched in
Nicholls' first touchdown from 10 yards out. He also caught he first career
touchdown, scoring on a 9-yard reception in the third quarter, which pulled the
Colonels within 28-21.
- Sam Houston State
running back Tim Flanders ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in
the Bearkats' 31-10 win over Central Arkansas. Flanders combined with Richard
Sincere, who was the conference offensive player of the year, to give Sam
Houston State a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time
since 1997. The duo combined for 226 rushing yards. Flanders scored on a
23-yard run.
- Central Arkansas
linebacker recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including 12 solo stops, in the
loss at Sam Houston State. His 3.5 tackles for loss was a career best and
accounted for half of the team's seven tackles for loss against the Bearkats.
- Nicholls State
linebacker Rashar Knight led the Colonel defense with a career-high nine
tackles, including 2.5 tackles for losses totaling 9 yards. Also had a 7-yard
sack of the Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback.
- Southeastern Louisiana
linebacker Tay Alford recorded a career-high 11 tackles in the Lions' 52-6 loss
at Southern Miss.
- Lamar kicker Justin
Stout was perfect on all six PATs against Incarnate Word to stretch his streak
to a perfect 14-of-14. He also nailed his first field goal attempt of the
season, a 31-yarder late in the fourth quarter that helped seal a 45-35
victory.
- Nicholls State
cornerback/return specialist Chika Madu finished with 176 yards on seven kick
returns against Louisiana-Lafayette. His first return of 39 yards led to the
Colonels' first touchdown and a 42-yard return in the third quarter set up
Nicholls for its third score of the game. Madu already ranks fourth on the
school's kick return list with 1,079 yards and moved past Lardarius Webb last
Saturday.
- Sam Houston State punter
Matt Foster averaged 46.3 yards on three punts vs. Central Arkansas. He totaled
139 yards and landed one inside the 20. The Bearkats lead the Football
Championship Subdivision in net punting with a 44.13 average.
NCAA Stat Leaders
- Sam Houston State leads
the Football Championship Subdivision in net punting, averaging 44.13 net yards
per punt. Nicholls State is ninth nationally with a net average of 39.79.
- McNeese State leads the
FCS in punt returns, averaging 35.0 yards per return.
- Sam Houston State ranks
second nationally in rush defense and has only allowed 84 yards in two games
for an average of 42.0 rushing yards per game. Only Georgia Southern, the
top-ranked team in the FCS, is better, allowing just 39.5 rushing yards per
contest.
- Sam Houston State is
allowing an average of only 8.0 points per game to rank third nationally among
teams in the FCS. North Dakota State (4.5) and Towson (6.5) are better.
- Three Southland
Conference teams rank in the top 14 of the FCS in total defense. Lamar leads
the league, allowing only 224.67 per game to rank third, while Sam Houston
State allows 243.5 per game to rank seventh. Nicholls State ranks 14th with an
opponent average of 275.33 total yards per game.
- Lamar has the
seventh-best pass defense in the FCS. The Cardinals are allowing only 122
passing yards by opponents. Nicholls State is ranked 14th (136.33) and McNeese
State is ranked 19th (146.00).
- Central Arkansas ranks
eighth in the FCS in passing offense, averaging 305.67 yards per game. Three
other Southland teams rank in the top 20, including McNeese State (304.00 in
10th), Stephen F. Austin (303.33 in 11th) and Southeastern Louisiana (268.67 in
20th).
- Nicholls State punter
Cory Kemps is ranked fourth in the FCS with an average of 45.26 yards per punt.
He has punted the ball 19 times for a total of 860 yards.
- Sam Houston State
quarterback Brian Bell ranks 10th in the FCS with a passing efficiency of
161.57. McNeese State quarterback Cody Stroud is ranked 16th (153.65).
A Different Eight
Southland Teams in 2011
There is a change in the
Southland Conference alignment for the 2011 season. The league welcomes back
Lamar to the conference gridiron. The Cardinals were an original Southland
member in 1964, but became an independent in the Football Championship
Subdivision following the 1986 season before they discontinued the program in
1989. Lamar reinstated football last year and played as an independent, going
5-6. While Lamar joins the league, Texas State departs. The Bobcats began their
transition into the Football Bowl Subdivision in the offseason and as a result
became ineligible for the NCAA Division I Championship and also for the
Southland Conference championship. Texas State will play the 2011 season as an
FCS Independent, and, while it stays on the schedule for the eight Southland
teams, it will count as a non-conference game.
Northwestern State Nearing
Milestone
Demon football is one win
shy of 500 all-time victories since its first season in 1907. Northwestern is
499-417-22 after it opened the season with a 24-23 victory over Delta State.
Stephen F. Austin Going for Three-Peat
Stephen F. Austin claimed
an outright Southland Conference championship in 2010 to give the school its
first back-to-back conference titles. The last Southland team to win three
consecutive titles was McNeese State, which shared the 2001 title with Sam
Houston State before winning the league outright in 2002 and 2003. Arkansas
State won three consecutive Southland titles from 1968-70 and Louisiana Tech
won three in a row from 1972-74.
McNeese State, SFA Picked
as Favorites
Stephen F. Austin and
McNeese State, which finished as the top two teams in the Southland Conference
last season, were again picked as the favorites heading into the 2011 season as
voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors. McNeese
State was the coaches' preseason pick, receiving three out of a possible eight first-place
votes and 44 points to edge defending champion SFA by just one point. In the
SID poll, the Lumberjacks garnered four first-place votes and tallied 44 points
to edge the Cowboys by just one point.
Northwestern State's Rose
Named to Buchanan Watch List
Northwestern State junior
linebacker Derek Rose has been named to the watch list for the 2011 Buck
Buchanan Award sponsored by Fathead.com. The Buchanan Award is in its 17th
season and will be presented to the Football Championship Subdivision's outstanding
defensive player at the national awards banquet Jan. 6, 2012, in Frisco, Texas.
Rose is one of six linebackers to be named to the initial watch list and is the
only player from the Southland Conference to join the group. The New Orleans,
La., native earned first team All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana honors
his sophomore season, as well as second team Sports Network All-America honors
after he led the league with 138 tackles - the most at Northwestern since 1991
when senior All-America linebacker and Walter Payton Trophy runner-up Andre
Carron set the single-season record with 176.
Frisco is Again the Goal for All FCS Teams
After a successful NCAA
Division I Football Championship Game last year at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco,
Texas, the destination remains the goal for every team in the Football
Championship Subdivision. Eastern Washington beat Delaware, 20-19, in the first
championship at the venue. It was the first of at least three scheduled
championship games in Frisco, a north side suburb of Dallas and the nation's
fastest growing city. The Southland Conference, along with the City of Frisco
and Hunt Sports Group serve as hosts for the game, which moved to Texas from
Chattanooga, Tenn., last year after 13 seasons. Last year's championship was
played Jan. 7, 2011, to accommodate expansion of the playoff bracket from 16 to
20 teams. This year's championship moves to Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 and will be
played at noon, Central, on ESPN2.
Lumberjacks Surprised in 2010 Playoffs
Making consecutive
appearances in the NCAA playoffs for just the second time in school history,
Stephen F. Austin received a first-round bye thanks to bracket expansion from
16 to 20 teams. A second-round date with defending champion Villanova was set
for Dec. 4 with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. SFA jumped out to a
21-7 first quarter lead, but struggled to hang on to the football. The
Lumberjacks scored only three points on their next five possessions, which
included an interception, a fumbled punt and kick return. Villanova seized the
opportunity, outscoring SFA, 27-3, during the next 16 minutes to take a
10-point lead at the half. The Wildcats never trailed after that, rattling off
40 unanswered points in a 54-24 victory. Villanova upset No. 1 seed Appalachian
State in the quarterfinals and played at Eastern Washington in the semifinals.
Moses Won 2010 Walter Payton Award
Stephen F. Austin
quarterback Jeremy Moses won the 2010 Walter Payton Award to become the first
Southland Conference player to receive the honor in its 24-year history. He was
presented with the award Jan. 6, 2011, at the Frisco Conference Center on the
eve of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
A two-time Southland
Conference Player of the Year, and the 2010 Southland Offensive Player of the
Year, Moses guided SFA to a 9-3 record and its second consecutive conference
title. Moses guided the Lumberjacks through a historical season that was capped
by a return trip to the NCAA Division I Playoffs. Moses was the catalyst for
the nation's most prolific passing offense each of the past two seasons. The
Lumberjacks led the country, averaging better than 360 yards per game, and were
also ranked among the nation's top six in scoring offense and total offense.
Three from Southland Named
Preseason First-Team All-Americans
McNeese State free safety
Malcolm Bronson, Northwestern State linebacker Derek Rose and Stephen F. Austin
return specialist Gralyn Crawford have garnered preseason first-team
All-America honors by at least one organization. All three received first-team
mention on the Phil Steele FCS Preseason All-America Team. Crawford was also
honored by College Sporting News, The Sports Network, Consensus Draft Service
and Lindy's. Rose also received kudos from The Sports Network, Lindy's and
Beyond Sports Network. A total of fifteen Southland Conference football players
earned recognition on preseason All-America teams.
Twenty-Six Southland
Players on CFPA Preseason Watch Lists
A total of 26 Southland
Conference football players were named to position watch lists by the College
Football Performance Awards. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon
objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players
increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.
Twelve Former Southland Players in NFL
A total of 12 players who
played at current Southland Conference schools appear on rosters in the
National Football League in 2011. The Buffalo Bills lead all teams with three
former Southland players, including a pair from Northwestern State. Cornerback
Terrence McGee and offensive lineman Demetrius Bell from Northwestern are
joined by former Southeastern Louisiana receiver Felton Huggins in Buffalo.
McGee is the longest tenured NFL player from the conference with nine years of
experience. The Demons lead the conference with three former players on NFL
rosters. Former Northwestern linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse is with the Dallas
Cowboys. Central Arkansas, McNeese State, Nicholls State and Southeastern each
have two players in the league. Stephen F. Austin has one.
Atlanta
Falcons
Marquez
Branson, Central Arkansas
Baltimore
Ravens
Lardarius
Webb, Nicholls State
Buffalo
Bills
Demetrius
Bell, Northwestern State
Terrence
McGee, Northwestern State
Felton
Huggins, Southeastern Louisiana
Dallas
Cowboys
Isaiah
Greenhouse, Northwestern State
Kansas
City Chiefs
Quinten
Lawrence, McNeese State
New
England Patriots
Markell
Carter, Central Arkansas
St.
Louis Rams
Jabara
Williams, Stephen F. Austin
Kevin
Hughes, Southeastern Louisiana
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers
Devin
Holland, McNeese State
Washington
Redskins
Kareem
Moore, Nicholls State