Southeastern Louisiana in Search of Outright Southland Championship
Southland Weekly Football Release (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule:
Thursday, Nov. 21
Nicholls at Southeastern Louisiana*, 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 23
Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State*, 1 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Central Arkansas*, 3 p.m. (SLCTV)
McNeese State at Lamar*, 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Week 13 News & Notes
With at least a share of the 2013 Southland Conference championship already locked up, Southeastern Louisiana will try to become the first Southland Conference team to finish with a perfect conference record since Sam Houston State was 7-0 in 2011 in its first of two consecutive conference titles. The Lions, who have already locked up the league’s automatic berth in the FCS Playoffs, play host to Nicholls Thursday at 6 p.m. in the River Bell Classic. A win guarantees an outright title for Southeastern, which won its first conference championship since 1961 when it claimed the Gulf States Conference title. Southeastern is 9-2 overall and 6-0 in Southland. Should the Lions falter Thursday against Nicholls, the door opens for McNeese State to earn a share of the title. The Cowboys have won a conference-best 13 Southland championships but do not have one since 2009. McNeese would also need a win at Lamar Saturday at 6 p.m. to earn a share of the title. If this happens, the teams would be crowned co-champions.
Week 13 Games: Southeastern and Nicholls meet Thursday at 6 p.m. in the River Bell Classic. Nicholls holds a 12-10 leads in the series, but the Lions are riding a two-game win streak after last year’s 35-16 victory. Stephen F. Austin visits Northwestern State Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Battle for Chief Caddo, college football’s largest trophy, standing 7-foot-6-inches and weighing 320 pounds. Northwestern State leads the Chief Caddo series 28-18-1 though SFA has won the last four meetings, including 34-7 last year. The Demons holds a 43-23-3 all-time advantage in the series. Sam Houston State visits Central Arkansas trying to even that series. UCA holds a 4-3 edge in the series after last year’s 24-20 victory. McNeese State visits Lamar Saturday at 6 p.m. The Cowboys are trying to win for the fourth straight time in the series, which it leads 22-8-1 all-time.
10-Win Teams in Regular Season: Both Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State have a chance to finish the regular season with 10 wins. The Southland Conference has never had two teams reach 10 wins before the start of postseason play. The league had multiple double-digit winners in 1988 and 1995, but in both seasons, one or both teams needed the postseason to get there. In 1988, both Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin finished with 10-3 overall records, but each team won its 10th game in the FCS Playoffs. In 1995, the Cowboys were 11-0 in the regular season, while the Lumberjacks were 9-1. Each team went 2-1 in advancing to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. McNeese finished with a 13-1 overall record and SFA was 11-2.
Three Southland Teams in Top 10: The Southland Conference has three teams ranked in the top 10 of this week’s FCS polls. McNeese State, Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana carry top-10 rankings, marking a first for the conference since the final poll of the 1988 season when Northwestern State (No. 8), Stephen F. Austin (No. 9) and North Texas (No. 10) all appeared in the top 10. This week, McNeese State is ranked No. 6 in the Sports Network poll and No. 8 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll. Sam Houston State is ranked No. 9 in both polls, while Southeastern is ranked No. 8 in the Sports Network poll and No. 10 in the coaches’ poll. Central Arkansas continues to receive votes in both polls this week.
Championship Selection Show: The bracket for the NCAA Division I Football Championship will be unveiled on ESPNU Sunday at 10:30 a.m., CT. This year, the field grows from 20 to 24 teams and for the first time the top eight teams will be seeded. Those eight teams will receive a first-round bye and will await the winners of the eight first-round games. First-round games will be played Saturday, Nov. 30 with second-round matchups scheduled for Dec. 7. Quarterfinal games will be played Dec. 13-14 and the semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 20-21. The 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game will be played Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised by ESPN2 at 1 p.m., CT. The Southland Conference, in conjunction with the City of Frisco and Hunt Sports Group, serves as host of the championship game. This will be the fourth year the game has been played in Frisco.
Week 12 Rewind: No. 14/14 Southeastern Louisiana pulled the upset of No. 4/4 Sam Houston State, the two-time defending Southland Conference champion. The Lions beat the Bearkats 34-21 to not only clinch a share of the conference title, but it also locked up the Southland’s automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs. It’s the first time the Lions have reached the Division I postseason. No. 9/11 McNeese State beat rival Northwestern State 43-17 to keep its hope alive for a share of the title of the Lions lose Thursday against Nicholls. The Lions beat the Cowboys 41-7 Nov. 2 to hold the tie-breaker for the league’s but the teams would be co-champions. In other action, Central Arkansas beat Nicholls 17-10 and Lamar beat Stephen F. Austin 46-45.
Week 12 Players of the Week: Lamar junior quarterback Caleb Berry was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 78.2 percent of his passes (43 of 55) for 393 yards and three touchdowns in guiding the Cardinals to a 46-45 victory over Stephen F. Austin last Saturday. The junior from Needville, Texas set school records for completions and total offense against SFA. He added 17 rushing yards on 10 carries for 410 yards of total offense. His 393 passing yards rank among Lamar’s single-game top 10. For the season, Berry has thrown for 3,002 yards, which ranks 11th nationally, while his 28 touchdown passes rank sixth. His teammate, freshman kicker Alex Ball, was named the special teams player of the week. Ball drilled a 41-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to complete the Cardinals’ come-from-behind 46-45 victory over Stephen F. Austin. Against the Lumberjacks, the freshman from Westlake, Calif. accounted for 16 points. He connected on all four PATs and made all four field goals, hitting from 28, 35 and 26 yards in addition to his game-winner that snapped a five-game losing streak to SFA. Southeastern Louisiana junior linebacker Isiah Corbett was named the conference defensive player of the week for his dominating performance in Southeastern Louisiana’s 34-21 win over No. 4 Sam Houston State that helped Southeastern secure its first berth in the FCS Playoffs and at least a share of the Southland championship. The junior from Belle Glade, Fla. recorded six tackles, forced a fumble and led the Lions with two sacks and five tackles for loss in the Lions’ eighth consecutive victory. His biggest play came on the opening snap of the fourth quarter, when he intercepted Bearkat quarterback Brian Bell deep in Lion territory and ran it back 61 yards to set up a field goal. For the season, Corbett has 41 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
River Bell Classic to Air Live on ESPN3: Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana will featured Thursday at 6 p.m., CT, on ESPN3. The Lions play host to Nicholls in the River Bell Classic at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond. Ken Berthelot and Gary Barbaro will have the call from the press box and will be joined on the sideline by Erin Cofiell. In addition to the live broadcast on ESPN3, WHNO-TV New Orleans will air the game on a delayed basis Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at noon.
Bearkats, Bears Matchup Selected as Wild Card: The Southland Conference Television Network, which is in its sixth season, has selected the battle between 2012 conference co-champions Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas for Saturday’s wild card telecast for the final week of the regular season. The Bearkats are out of this year’s championship hunt, but remain in serious contention for an at-large bid into the FCS Playoffs. Sam Houston and Central Arkansas reached the playoffs last year and the Bearkats made it all the way to the championship game for the second consecutive season. Randy McIlvoy and Shea Walker will call the action from the press box and Chris Mycoskie will be the sideline reporter. The eight-game network schedule will be featured on more than 20 affiliates across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas and will be available on the Southland Conference Digital Network and ESPN3. Last year, the network won its second College Sports Media Awards honor for live event production. The Southland has the largest broadcast schedule in its history with five games being carried on Comcast SportsNet Houston and another six available exclusively on ESPN3. Check southland.org/television prior to each network broadcast for updated affiliate list.
Cowboys, Cardinals Added on ESPN3: The Southland Conference and ESPN reached agreement last week to add the broadcast of the McNeese State at Lamar game on Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan at 6 p.m., CT. David Saltzman and Nate Griffin will describe the action for viewers. McNeese enters the week with an outside shot of claiming a share of its 14th conference championship. The Cowboys need a Nicholls victory over Southeastern on Saturday and a road win at Lamar.
Southland’s Incoming Teams Complete Seasons: The three football teams the Southland Conference will welcome in 2014 have already concluded their seasons. Transitioning teams Abilene Christian and UIW each finished 6-5 this year, while Houston Baptist was 3-4 in its first football season. ACU closed out its season with a 65-45 victory at Prairie View A&M last week. The Wildcats were 4-0 at home, 2-4 on the road and 0-1 on a neutral field. UIW won three of its final four games of the season. The Cardinals were 6-1 at home and were just 1-4 on the road. Houston Baptist play a condensed schedule in its inaugural season and was 2-2 at home, while going 1-2 in away games.
Sam Houston State’s Timothy Flanders in Contention for Payton Award: Bearkat senior running back Timothy Flanders is one of two players from the Southland Conference appearing on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding player in the FCS. Flanders now has 5,329 career yards and has scored 402 points. He stands No. 8 all-time in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (63), No. 10 in scoring and No. 15 in rushing yards. Flanders holds 31 school records and nine conference marks and is the first Sam Houston running back to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (1,644 in 2011, 1,642 in 2012 and 1,095 in 2013). He has 1,095 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 177 attempts this season for an average of 99.5 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry.
Southeastern’s Bennett is a Candidate for Payton Award: Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Bryan Bennett is also a candidate for the Walter Payton Award. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound transfer from Oregon, has led the Lions to a share of its first Southland Conference championship at 6-0 and has the Lions on a eight-game win streak. He has completed 155 of 250 passes for 2,337 yards and 16 touchdowns, but also is quite mobile, leading the team in rushing with 814 yards and 13 touchdowns on 139 carries. He averages 212.5 passing yards and 74.0 rushing yards per game for 286.5 yards of total offense. His passing efficiency rating of 154.4 is second in the league and 11th in the FCS and his 15.08 yards per completion rank sixth nationally.
UCA’s Wilson Among Candidates Jerry Rice Award Watch List: Central Arkansas freshman receiver/kick returner Jatavious Wilson is among the 20 players considered for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the top freshman in the FCS. Wilson, a 5-foot-9, 171-pound native of Bastrop, La., is UCA’s second-leading receiver with 40 receptions for 397 yards and two touchdowns. He is second in the Southland Conference and third in the nation in kickoff returns with a 31.8-yard average. He has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season, a 93-yarder against UIW in his first career game and an 85-yarder against Stephen F. Austin. Wilson also has rushed for 85 yards on just eight carries this season, an average of 10.6 yards per rush. Wilson is averaging 95.4 all-purpose yards per game and broke a 20-year-old school record with 314 all-purpose yards against SFA. The Jerry Rice Award is in its third season.
Five Southland Football Players Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams: A total of five Southland Conference football student-athletes have earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. Southeastern Louisiana sophomore offensive lineman Joe Graves (3.85 GPA, undecided) and Nicholls senior defensive back Jordan Hanberry (4.00 GPA, biology) were named to the District 6 team. UIW senior defensive back Devin Haywood (3.34 GPA, physical therapy), Abilene Christian senior linebacker Thor Woerner (3.70 GPA, physical science) and Lamar senior punter Kollin Kahler (3.90 GPA, exercise science) earned District 7 honors. All five student-athletes will appear on the ballot for the Academic All-America teams. District 6 includes student-athletes at schools in Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, while District 7 includes universities in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Sam Houston Owns Division I-Best 21-Game Home Win Streak: With wins in each of its last 21 home games, Sam Houston State not only leads the FCS but it also has the longest home win streak in all of Division I. The Bearkats finished 7-0 at home during the regular season. The Bearkats streak dates back to a 33-28 loss to McNeese State on Nov. 13, 2010.
Southland Has Nine on NFL Rosters: Current Southland Conference teams have nine players on NFL rosters this season, including six who appear on active rosters. The group that includes five rookies is led by 11-year veteran Josh McCown, a former quarterback at Sam Houston State who is now with the Bears. Former Nicholls defensive Lardarius Webb has five years of experience in Baltimore and earned a Super Bowl ring last season when the Ravens beat San Francisco 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Former Northwestern State Demon Jeremy Lane has two years NFL experience with the Seahawks and former Colonel cornerback Bobby Felder is on the injured reserve with the Vikings. The others are rookies, including Robert Alford, who was the conference’s lone draft pick in 2013. Alford, who was picked in the second round (60th overall) by the Falcons, became the Southland’s highest draft pick since Stephen F. Austin’s Mikhael Ricks was selected 59th overall by the Chargers in 1998. Alford is joined by former Lumberjacks defensive back Josh Aubrey (Browns) and linebacker Willie Jefferson (Texans) on active rosters. Former McNeese State safety Malcolm Bronson is on the Chiefs’ practice squad while former Sam Houston State safety Dax Swanson is on the injured reserve with the Colts.
Southland Posts Multiple Wins vs. FBS in 2013: The Southland Conference closed out its slate of games against the FBS last week and finished with a 2-10 record against the subdivision. This year was the first year since 2007 that the Southland registered multiple wins against the FBS. McNeese State won 53-21 at South Florida in its opener before Nicholls escaped Kalamazoo, Mich. with a 27-23 victory over Western Michigan in week two. Those same teams had FBS wins in 2007 with Nicholls beating Rice and McNeese State beating Louisiana-Lafayette. McNeese’s win over USF was the first by a Southland Conference team against a team in an automatically qualifying BCS conference. The 53 points McNeese scored at USF were the most by an FCS team over a BCS team in college football history and the 32-point margin of victory was the most by a FCS against a team with a BCS AQ. McNeese has beaten an FBS team to open the season the last two years. Last year, they beat Middle Tennessee 27-21. Nicholls’ win at Western Michigan was the third in program history and the first under fourth-year head coach Charlie Stubbs. The Southland, which has at least one FBS win in each of the last four seasons, now has 20 wins against FBS teams since 2000 and has beaten teams in the American Athletic (1), Mid-American (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (10) conference as well as Conference USA (2) and five former FBS independents.
Southland Conference Celebrating 50 Years: The Southland Conference is playing its 50th season in 2013 and will be celebrating its golden anniversary throughout the season with the release of the league’s all-decade teams. The Southland began playing football with five schools in 1964. Lamar was 3-0-1 that season to finish ahead of Arkansas State, Trinity, Abilene Christian and Texas-Arlington. Of those teams, only Lamar is currently playing football in the Southland. It only resumed playing football in 2010 after dropping its program in 1989. Abilene Christian returned to the conference in July and will play a full Southland schedule next season, which will be its first since 1972. The Wildcats played nine seasons in the conference previously. McNeese State, which joined the league in 1972, leads all teams with 13 championships and 14 appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
Southland to Announce All-Time Football Team on Saturday: The Southland Conference, as part of its year-long 50th Anniversary commemoration, will announce an All-Time Football team on Saturday during the telecast of the Sam Houston State at Central Arkansas football game on the Southland Conference Television Network. Fans were able to participate in the voting through an interactive process presented by MidSouth Bank on thehe Southland’s Facebook page throughout the season. A blue-ribbon panel of approximately 80 individuals with coaching, administrative and media expertise will also participate in the balloting, and the fan voting will be included a portion of the final tally. The overall balloting includes more than 200 outstanding former and current student-athletes and 15 legendary coaches that have patrolled Southland sidelines.
Southland Announces 1960s All-Decade Team: A total of 36 student-athletes are on the 1960s All-Decade Team, including honorees from each of the five institutions that made up the league during its first six years. The all-decade team includes 10 student-athletes from Lamar, eight each from Abilene Christian and Arkansas State, seven from Texas-Arlington and four from Trinity. Abilene Christian quarterback Jim Lindsey was selected as the player of the decade. Lindsey was a three-time first-team all-conference selection (1968, 1969 and 1970), and was named a first-team All-American by both the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association as a senior. Lindsey was the conference player of the year in 1970 and led the conference in passing and total offense all three seasons. When he graduated, his 8,521 passing yards were the most in NCAA history and he still ranks among the top-10 conference leaders in offensive plays (1,460), total offense (8,385 yards), passing yards (8,521), passing attempts (1,237), completions (642) and touchdowns (61). Arkansas State’s Bennie Ellender was named the coach of the decade while leading his teams to three consecutive Southland Conference championships in 1968, 1969 and 1970. The four-time Southland coach of the year (1964, 1968, 1969 and 1970), had an overall record of 39-14-4 (.765) and a conference record of 14-7-3 (.652). His 1970 squad finished undefeated at 11-0 to claim the Southland’s first-ever national championship with his 1969 and 1970 teams winning the Pecan Bowl as the Southland representative. Ellender’s players earned 35 first-team All-Southland honors during his tenure.
Sixty-Seven Former Players Named to 1970s All-Decade Team: A total of 67 former student-athletes make up the 1970s All-Decade Team, including honorees from each of the eight institutions that were members during a period when Southland teams won four national championships and originated the Independence Bowl that continues today in Shreveport, La. Arkansas State won a college division national championship in 1970, and was followed by three consecutive national titles (1972-74) taken by Louisiana Tech, including the first-ever NCAA Division II crown in 1973. The 1970s all-decade team includes 19 former student-athletes from both Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State, 10 from Texas-Arlington, six from Lamar, five from both McNeese State and Louisiana-Lafayette, two from Trinity, and one from Abilene Christian. Louisiana Tech defensive lineman Fred Dean was selected as the 1970s player of the decade. The first four-time All-Southland first-team selection was also the league’s 1972 and 1974 defensive player of the year, and was a first-team All-American in 1974. After being selected in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, Dean went on to a stellar 11-year professional career with the Chargers and 49ers. He was named the NFC’s 1981 Player of the Year, was a four-time bowler and played on San Francisco’s Super Bowl XVI and XVIII championship teams. Dean was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, the only Southland player enshrined in Canton, and followed that with induction into the College Football Hall in 2009. Maxie Lambright, who led Louisiana Tech throughout most of the period, was named the 1970s Southland coach of the decade, accumulating a 73-17-2 overall record and a 34-6-1 league mark during his league tenure (1971-78). Lambright’s Southland teams won three national championships and an Independence Bowl, and included 56 first-team All-Southland players and nine NFL draft picks.
1980s All-Decade Team Features 82 Former Student-Athletes: A total of 82 former student-athletes make up the 1980s All-Decade Team, including honorees from each of the 12 institutions that were members at some point during the period. The Southland underwent significant changes in membership during the decade, and the league also became an NCAA Division I-AA powerhouse with a national championship, four national title game appearances, and five semifinal playoff games. The 1980s All-Decade team includes 13 former student-athletes from McNeese State, and 12 from Louisiana-Monroe, which won the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA national championship. Pat Collins, who led Louisiana-Monroe from 1982-88, was named the 1980s Southland coach of the decade, accumulating a 52-29-0 overall record and a 26-14-0 league mark during his league tenure. Collins’ 1987 team ran off a 13-2 overall mark and 6-0 league record on the way to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship, a 43-42 win over Marshall. His team also shared the 1983 Southland title, and he coached 35 first-team All-Southland players and eight first-team All-Americans. McNeese State running back Buford Jordan was selected as the 1980s player of the decade. A three-time All-Southland first-team selection (1981-82-83), he became the league’s first-ever 4,000-yard rusher, and was the Southland’s 1981 and 1983 season rushing leader. He was the 1980 Freshman of the Year in the conference, and followed that with the 1981 Offensive Player of the Year. He also was the Southland’s 1981 scoring and all-purpose yardage leader. After initially playing in the USFL, Jordan enjoyed a seven-year career with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
Mathis Named Player of the Decade for 1990s: A total of 89 former student-athletes make up the 1990s All-Decade Team, including 23 former student-athletes from McNeese State, which played for the 1997 Division I-AA national championship, and 16 from Northwestern State, which advanced to the 1998 national semifinals. Louisiana-Monroe placed 12 members on the all-decade squad, followed by Stephen F. Austin, Troy and Texas State with eight, Sam Houston State with seven, North Texas with three, and Nicholls State and Jacksonville State, both with two. Texas State running back Claude Mathis was selected as the 1990s player of the decade. A four-time All-Southland first-team selection (1994-95-96-97), he became the league’s all-time leading rusher with 4,694, a mark that would stand until the 2013 season. He also set Southland career marks for all-purpose yardage (7,264) and rushing attempts (882). He was the 1994 Freshman of the Year, the 1996 and 1997 Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-America choice in 1996 and 1997. His 310-yard rushing performance against Stephen F. Austin in 1997 still stands as the Southland’s single-game record. Bobby Keasler, who led McNeese State from 1990-98, was named the 1990s Southland coach of the decade, accumulating a 78-34-2 overall record and a 43-13-2 league mark during his tenure. Keasler’s teams won eight NCAA Division I-AA playoff games during the decade, and his 1997 team ran off a 13-2 overall mark and 6-1 league record on the way to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship, a narrow 10-9 loss to Youngstown State. Keasler was named Southland Coach of the Year a record five times (1990, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997), and his teams won the 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 Southland titles, and he coached 53 first-team All-Southland players and 16 first-team All-Americans.
2010 Payton Winner Jeremy Moses Headlines 2000s All-Decade Team: A total of 106 former student-athletes make up the 2000s All-Decade Team, including honorees from each of the 10 institutions that were football members at during the period. The 2000s team includes 25 former student-athletes from McNeese State, which played for the 2002 Division I-AA national championship, 16 from Northwestern State, and 15 from Sam Houston State, which advanced to the 2004 NCAA semifinals. Texas State, a 2005 NCAA semifinalist, placed 13 players on the all-decade team, followed by Nicholls State with 12, Stephen F. Austin with 11, Central Arkansas with seven, Jacksonville State and Southeastern Louisiana with three each, and Troy State with one. Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses was selected as the 2000s player of the decade after becoming the first-ever Southland player to win the Walter Payton Award, signifying the nation’s top FCS player, in 2010. During his 2007-10 career, Moses rewrote the Southland passing record book, establishing nine passing and three total offense records. The 2009 and 2010 Player of the Year, and 2010 Offensive Player of the Year, Moses is the Southland’s career passing leader with 13,401 yards and also threw for a Southland record 121 touchdowns. He led the league in passing during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, becoming only the second league quarterback to do so in three seasons. Tommy Tate and Matt Viator, who both led McNeese State during the decade, were selected as the 2000s Southland co-coaches of the decade. Tate led the McNeese program from 2000-06, accumulating a 49-26 overall record and a 25-10 league mark, while leading the team to playoff appearances in each of his first four seasons. His 2002 team was 13-2 overall and 6-0 in Southland play on the way to the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA championship game, a 34-14 loss to Western Kentucky. He earned the 2002 Eddie Robinson Award, signifying him as the national coach of the year in Division I-AA. Viator picked up the leadership of the program after four games in 2006, and continued the high level of success at McNeese, compiling 33-10 overall and 22-5 league records through the 2009 season. His teams won three Southland championships in his four years during the decade (2006, 2008 and 2009). He coached 26 first-team All-Southland selections to close out the decade, and earned 2006 and 2007 Coach of the Year honors.
Around the Southland...
Central Arkansas: The Bears snapped a two-game losing streak with a 17-10 victory at Nicholls last Saturday ... UCA is now 6-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play ... Desmond Smith had career highs of seven receptions and 140 yards, including a key second-quarter touchdown catch, to lead the UCA offense, which finished with 365 total yards ... Howard finished 17 of 27 for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while Taylor Reed was 8 of 11 for 106 yards ... Willie Matthews led all rushers with 78 yards on 19 carries ... senior middle linebacker Justin Heard finished with 10 tackles, including two for loss and a sack, while Blake Childress had nine tackles (two for loss) and Jonathan Woodard had seven (two for loss, one sack) ... Howard, who has come on in relief of the injured Wynrick Smothers, the 2012 Southland Conference Offensive Player of the year, the second half of the year, has completed 120 of 198 passes for 1,499 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games ... he’s throwing for an average fo 187.4 yards per game and has thrown only four interceptions ... Matthews is the team’s leading rusher with 475 yards and four touchdowns on 105 carries and Dezmin Lewis is the leading receiver with 45 catches for 647 yards and five touchdowns ... Heard leads the team with 82 tackles and Jonathan Woodard leads the conference with eight sacks ... Marvin Mitchell has three interceptions for 173 yards and a touchdown ... UCA ranks 18th nationally in total offense (449.5), but are fifth in the Southland ... Jatavious Wilson, a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the top FCS freshman, is averaging 31.8 yards per kickoff return to rank third in the nation ... he is also third on the team with 37 receptions ... he has 397 receiving yards and two touchdowns ... he leads the team with 1,049 all-purpose yards, an average of 95.4 per game ... the Bears are 3-2 at home this season, including 1-2 in conference play ... Saturday’s game with Sam Houston State is a battle of last year’s co-champions ... the Bears hold a 4-3 lead all-time in the series after winning 24-20 in last year’s game, which was also in Conway ... the win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bearkats ... kickoff for the Bearkats at Bears game is 3 p.m. on the Southland Conference Television Network.
Lamar: The Cardinals got back in the win column last Saturday with a 46-45 victory over Stephen F. Austin ... the win was Lamar’s second in their last three games and improved the Cardinals to 5-6 overall and 2-4 in Southland games ... the fifth win of the season ties a record for wins in a season since Lamar brought the program back in 2010 ... Alex Ball was the hero against the Lumberjacks, lift the Cardinals on a 41-yard field goal with 15 second remaining in the game ... it was his fourth field goal of the night ... he also had kicks of 28, 35 and 26 yards and made all four PATs for a total of 16 points in the game ... he was named the conference special teams player of the week ... quarterback Caleb Berry was the conference’s offensive player of the week after setting Lamar records for completions and total offense ... he completed 43 of 55 passes for 393 yards and thre touchdowns and added 17 rushing yards for 410 yards of total offense ... he completed 19 of his first 20 passes ... sophomore Reggie Begelton hauled in 18 passes for 167 yards and two scores. His 18 receptions set a new school single-game record, while his 167 receiving yards was the seventh-best single-game mark in school history ... junior Kevin Johnson left a lasting impression on the Lamar secondary, despite having just recently moved to the defensive side of the ball ... Johnson picked off two passes finishing the game just one pick shy of tying a school record for interceptions in a game ... Berry has completed 274 of 434 passes for 3,002 yards and 28 scores ... only one other Southland quarterback has more yards and touchdowns this season ... his 28 touchdowns rank sixth in the FCS and his 272.9 passing yards per game rank 14th ... Lamar ranks 16th in the FCS in passing offense, averaging 284.2 yards per game ... Berry’s 286.1 yards of total offense rank 17th nationally ... Lamar plays host to McNeese State trying to snap a three-game losing streak to the Cowboys after last year’s 35-0 loss ... McNeese holds a 22-8-1 advantage all-time in the series ... Saturday’s game will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
McNeese State: The Cowboys won for the second straight week, beating Northwestern State 43-17 in the home finale ... McNeese is 9-2 overall and 5-1 in Southland games ... the Cowboys are the highest ranked Southland team this week, checking in at No. 6 in the Sports Network poll and No. 8 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll ... McNeese has an outside shot at a share of its 14th Southland Conference title, but need a Southeastern Louisiana loss at home to Nicholls Thursday night and a win against Lamar ... the Lions have already clinched the league’s automatic berth into the FCS playoffs after beating the Cowboys 41-7 Nov. 2 ... the win over Northwestern State last Saturday was coach Matt Viator’s 61st career win ... the team’s nine wins are the most by the Cowboys since it won nine games in 2009 ... it was the ninth consecutive victory against Northwestern ... with his 135-yard game against Northwestern State, running back Marcus Wiltz has five 100-yard games this season ... quarterback Cody Stroud has thrown 25 touchdown passes this season, which is the second-best season total in school history ... Kerry Joseph set the record with 27 in 1995 ... the Cowboys ran for 285 yards against Northwestern State, which is the sixth time this season the offense has rushed for 200 or more yards in a game ... McNeese has won each of those games ... Jereon McGilvery’s score on a blocked punt was the first time that has happened since 1999 when Joe Judge did it against Maine in the first round of the FCS playoffs ... with 5 PATs, Ryan Rome became McNeese’s single-season record holder, now with 56, breaking the old mark of 52 held by Jose Larios and set in 1995 ... the Cowboys dominated the time of possession on Saturday with a 38:52 to 21:08 advantage ... McNeese possessed the ball 23 of the 30 minutes in the second half ... McNeese has scored 468 points on the season through 11 games, 10 shy of the single-season record of 478 set in 2002 in a 15-game season ... tight end Nic Jacobs has caught at least one pass in all 11 games this season ... McNeese visits Lamar Saturday and is riding a three-game win streak in the series ... the Cowboys hold a 22-8-1 all-time lead in the series and won 35-0 last year ... this week’s game kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Nicholls: The Colonels lost for the fifth consecutive game, dropping a 17-10 decision at home to Central Arkansas ... Nicholls is 4-7 overall and 1-5 in conference play ... the Colonels have lost five straight to the Bears and is 2-6 all-time against UCA ... the Colonels outgained UCA in total offensive yards, 324-323 ... the 17 points surrendered by the defense was the lowest of the season, and the 323 yards was the second lowest given up ... quarterback Tuskani Figaro rushed for 31 yards to become the second Colonel in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season (1,019 )... Figaro needs 54 yards to break the program’s all-time single-season rushing record held by Nakia Lumar, who rushed for 1,072 yards in 1996 ... Figaro ranks third in the Southland in rushing (101.9 ypg) ... sophomore Michael Henry rushed for 59 yards on nine carries. .. quarterback Beaux Hebert completed 13 of 21 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown ... wide receiver Erik Buchanan caught his fifth TD pass of the season on an 11-yard reception with 48 seconds remaining in the contest ... Buchanan leads Nicholls with 462 yards receiving on 19 receptions. .. the Colonel defense recorded three sacks, matching its season high ... redshirt freshman defensive lineman Chris Lorden notched his team-high third sack of the season and finished with a career best eight tackles ... linebacker Chris Bermond had a career-high 11 tackles and leads Nicholls with 78 stops on the year ... B.J. Lewis blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter, giving Nicholls its second blocked field goal of the season... Nicholls will close out its 2013 campaign in the River Bell Classic Thursday night at Southeastern Louisiana ... the Colonels lead the all-time series 12-10 but have lost the last two including last season’s 35-16 decision in Thibodaux ... the game will stream live on ESPN3 ... kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ... WHNO will replay the game twice, including Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at noon.
Northwestern State: The Demons had a two-game win streak stopped at McNeese State, which picked up a 43-17 win last Saturday in Lake Charles ... Northwestern State is now 5-6 overall and 2-4 in the Southland ... junior quarterback Zach Adkins has tied the school single-season mark for passing yardage (2,393) and will pass Scott Stoker’s 13-game total in 1988 with his next completion, getting it done in 12 games ...in last week’s game at McNeese, he threw for two touchdowns, and his 18 this season breaks a nearly 50-year-old single-season mark ... Don Guidry threw 16 scoring strikes in 1968 ... seven different receivers have caught a touchdown pass from Adkins ... of Guidry’s 16 in 1968, Al Phillips caught a school record 10 ... Adkins broke the single-season record for completions (189) two week ago against Lamar and has 222 now ... also at McNeese, Adkins set the season record for pass attempts (349) topping 330 last year by Brad Henderson ... Adkins has completed 63.6 percent of his passes ... Henderson set the school record in 2011 at 61.6 percent ... Northwestern has 2,479 yards passing on 229 completions in 363 attempts, with 18 touchdowns ... the school records are 2,833 yards in 1982 (354 yards away), 203 completions in 1982 (broken this year) and 399 attempts (also in 1982, 36 away this season) ... the regular-season record for total offense (4,631 yards in 1982) could fall ... the Demons have 4,211 yards and needs 421 to top the mark ... the mark for total plays (826) is in danger with 775 already run this year ... first downs could fall (record 241 in 2004, 230 so far in 2013) ... senior Louis Hollier has 107 career catches, just two away from tying Nathan Black (109 from 1998-2001) for second in school history ... Derrick Doyle (126 from 2003-06) is the career leader ... Hollier’s 1,283 receiving yards gives him a chance to rank near the top 10 all-time ... T.J. Sutherland had 1,327 (1997-2000) and Dick Reding 1,353 (1963-66) while No. 10 Al Phillips had 1,484 from 1967-70 ... Hollier needs 45 yards to pass Sutherland, 71 to top Reding and a career-best 202 yards to crack the top 10 ... the Demons welcome Stephen F. Austin to Turpin on Saturday ... kickoff has been moved up to 1 p.m. ... Northwestern State leads the all-time series 43-23-3 though the Lumberjacks have won the last four, including 34-7 last year.
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats lost last Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana to snap a three-game win streak ... the loss dropped Sam Houston to 8-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play, two games behind the Lions, which clinched at least a share of the title with the win ... the Bearkats were denied a bid at a third consecutive conference championship with the loss ... McNeese State is the last Southland team to win three straight titles, claiming crowns in 2001, 2002 and 2003 ... Sam Houston quarterback Brian Bell threw three touchdown passes before halftime ... they were short throws to Richard Sincere and Torrance Williams and a 21-yard toss to Gerald Thomas ... those scores helped the Bearkats establish a 21-10 lead ... he finished 9 of 17 for 135 yards and added 112 rushing yards on 16 carries ... it was his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season ... Bell ranks ninth in all-time Southland career passing, throwing for 8,128 yards ... he has 78 touchdown passes, the fourth highest total in league history ... running back Timothy Flanders continues to add to his career totals ... he now has 5,329 career yards and has scored 402 points ... he stands No. 8 all-time in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (63), No. 10 in scoring and No. 15 in rushing yards ... he holds 31 school records and nine conference marks ... he is the first Sam Houston running back to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (1,644 in 2011, 1,642 in 2012 and 1,095 in 2013 ... Richard Sincere’s Sam Houston career rankings now include No. 4 in all-purpose yards (3,623), No. 8 in rushing (2,23) and No. 14 in receiving yards (1,162) ... Sincere has averaged 8.84 yards each time he rushes, catches a pass or returns a kick ... Torrance Williams leads both the Southland Conference and the nation in punt returns with a 17.8 average per return ... his 25 returns for 444 yards this season are a Sam Houston school record ... Williams ranks No. 9 in the school career record book in receiving (1,584 yards) and No. 14 in career all-purpose yards (2,672 yards) ... the Bearkats close the season against Central Arkansas, the team it shared last year’s conference championship with ... the Bears won 24-20 last year in Conway to take a 4-3 series lead ... that loss snapped a three-game series win streak ... Sam Houston returns to Conway on Saturday for a 3 p.m. kickoff that will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network.
Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions ran their win streak to eight games by beating two-time defending Southland champion Sam Houston State last Saturday in Hammond ... the win improved Southeastern to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play ... the Lions clinched at least a share of the Southland Conference title and its first-ever berth in the FCS playoffs ... Southeastern’s conference championship is the program’s first since 1961, when the Lions were the champions of the Gulf States Conference under legendary coach Stan Galloway ... Southeastern, which tied a school record for single-season victories, will be part of the 24-team FCS playoff field, which will be announced on Sunday, at 10:30 a.m. on ESPNU ... Southeastern battled back from an 11-point second quarter deficit to claim its sixth straight double-digit victory over a league opponent ... junior quarterback Bryan Bennett, a Walter Payton Award candidate, threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, finding senior Marquis Fruge’ on a pair of scoring tosses and also throwing a 62-yard touchdown to sophomore Xavier Roberson ... junior Marquis Hayes rushed for a touchdown for the second straight week, while senior Seth Sebastian made two field goals to improve to 11-for-11 on the year on field goal tries ... Bennett, who also led the Lions with 51 rushing yards, engineered a Southeastern offense that racked up 413 total yards – marking the fourth straight plus-400 yard performance for the Lions ... the Lion defense held the Bearkats without a point for the final 31 minutes of the contest ... junior Isiah Corbett led the Lions with five tackles for loss, two sacks and what proved to be a game-clinching interception ... he was named the conference player of the week and was recognized as the Sports Network national defensive player of the week ... junior Jacob Newman, senior Cqulin Hubert, senior Jeremy Williams, junior Marquel Combs and sophomore A.J. Bowen all had sacks for the Lions, while senior Kevin Harmon led the Lions with eight tackles and an interception ... Southeastern closes the regular season on Thursday when Nicholls visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff in the River Bell Classic ... with a win, the Lions will win an outright Southland Conference title and win a school record 10th game of the season ... Nicholls leads the all-time series 12-10, but have dropped the last two to the Lions, which won 35-16 last year.
Stephen F. Austin: The Lumberjacks lost their fourth consecutive game, falling 46-45 at Lamar to drop to 3-8 overall and 1-5 in Southland games ... Lamar’s Alex Ball kicked a game-winning 41-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining, to spoil what would have been the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack football team’s first road victory of the season ... with the loss, SFA remained winless in five road games ... the last time SFA did not win a road game was in 2007 when the Lumberjacks finished 0-11 in J.C. Harper’s first season ... the loss to Lamar was the first since 1987 and ended a five-game series win streak against the Cardinals ... the Lumberjacks had won all three meetings against Lamar since the program returned in 2010 as well as a pair of victories in 1988 and 1989 ... quarterback Brady Attaway completed 24-of-42 passes for 342 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions, the last of which coming in a desperation-drive in the closing seconds of the game ... two of Attaway’s three touchdowns were on plays 50 yards or more, including a 71-yard pass-and-catch to junior Tyler Boyd in the fourth quarter ... Boyd finished with a career-high 229 yards on nine catches ... he scored on a 55-yard play in the first quarter ... Boyd’s previous high was 206, set in the loss to Sam Houston State Nov. 2 ... junior Gus Johnson carried the ball 20 times for 165 yards, which is his second highest total this season since rushing for 179 in SFA’s loss to Prairie View A&M (Sept. 28) ... it was his conference-best seventh 100-yard game this season ... he is second in the league in rushing, averaging 105.7 yards per game ... he is one of four 1,000-yard rushers in the league this season ... the Lumberjacks are the only team in the league to have a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver ... Boyd has 1,085 yards and eight scores on 72 receptions ... with 3,953 passing yards, Attaway is just 47 yards away from reaching 4,000 passing yards and trails FCS leader Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois, who has 4,012 by just 59 yards ... SFA will close the season with the Battle for Chief Caddo at Northwestern State on Saturday at 1 p.m. ... the Lumberjacks, despite trailing the all-time series 24-42-3, are riding a four-game win streak against the Demons ... SFA won 34-7 last year.