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D2Football.com Columnists Lone Star Conference

Lone Star Conference

November 17th, 2009

The Lone Star Conference took to the grand stage last weekend with four teams taking the field in two national playoff games, and they certainly didn't disappoint.

Abilene Christian and Tarleton State survived, both by narrow margins, with the Wildcats earning a rematch at Northwest Missouri State and Tarleton heading to the west coast to challenge the nation's only undefeated contender in Central Washington.

The Tarleton-Texas A&M-Kingsville showdown proved to be one people will talk about for years to come for many good reasons, including:

-Garrett Lindholm's 64-yard field goal as time expired in regulation, sending the game to overtime at 46-46. It was the second longest field goal ever hit by an NCAA (all levels) kicker without the use of a tee (Martin Gramatica of Kansas State hit from 65) and stands alone as a D2 playoff record.

-Scott Grantham's gutsy performance, which included a dazzling 20- yard score on fourth-and-five in double-overtime, the winning two- point conversion run on a quarterback off tackle and 296 yards and three TDs through the air despite an injured throwing shoulder.

-Fred Winborn's career day of 223 yards and four touchdowns on a workhorse-like 35 carries for TAMUK

-Devin Guinn's touchdown reception making him Tarleton's career leader in scoring catches with 26

-The USA Today and ESPN SportsCenter coverage that followed

Abilene Christian's win was just as deserving, and came in a game that - while not near as thrilling - was also very close. The Wildcats needed 17 straight points to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 24-14 lead, then survived an onside kick attempt after Midwestern scored with 1:06 remaining.

What will the remaining LSC teams do for an encore? Can both teams pull upsets and set up an all LSC-South regional championship showdown in Stephenville, Tex? It may seem unlikely, but upsets are part off football.

NCAA Division II Playoffs, Round Two

Tarleton State at Central Washington
2 p.m. (PST) (Noon CST for LSC fans) in Ellensburg, Wa

Central Washington is ranked No. 1 in the country, and anyone who listens to Tarleton coach Sam McElroy analyze the Wildcats would have no problem understanding why.

McElroy calls UCW big, aggressive and fast. He says they do a good job of controlling the ball and they play great defense.

Wait....that sounds a lot like what he said about his weekly opponent throughout South Division play.

Sure, CWU has a big-time win against defending national champ Minnesota-Duluth, and I'm well aware they beat West Texas A&M (albeit pre-Keithon Flemming). I'm also aware they have home field advantage and that Tarleton isn't used to playing in the cold or the snow.

But Tarleton has been successful on the road under McElroy, and getting out of Stephenville is probably the best thing for the Texans. They need to step away from the circus of congratulations and pats on the back from well-wishers who were proud to see them come out on top in last week's wild one. Getting away from local fans for a solid 36 hours before game time gives players and coaches time to get focused on nothing but the game ahead.

CWU has had some scares from teams that would struggle to win a game in the LSC South. And while I respect the talent the Wildcats obviously have, I don't believe they - or anyone else in the country
- could go through the South without a loss.

I know this, if the Wildcats expect to win, they better be up by at least four whenever Tarleton gets its last possession.

Tarleton in an upset, 24-21

Abilene Christian at Northwest Missouri State
Noon CST in Maryville, Mo

ACU has been up and down since rising to No. 1 in the nation at the season's midway point. Now, the Wildcats face what appears to be their most daunting task of all - beating Northwest Missouri State in a rematch after knocking the Bearcats off 19-14 back on Aug. 27 in Abilene.

Gold footballs aren't handed out for wins in August. Not in Division II. Not at any level.

To win trophies and be a national title contender, you have to win in November, and nobody in recent seasons has done that like Northwest Missouri.

Watching the scores from afar, I've noticed that the Bearcats have seemed to get more and more dominant as the season went on. Their offense is much better than what the Wildcats shut down in the season opener for both teams.

That doesn't mean I think NWMo will just run right over ACU. The Wildcats' defense is for real. Never have I personally seen a D2 team better against the run. I remember watching Tarleton try haplessly to rush the ball against the Wildcats, only to finish with a grand total of 27 yards on the ground - backwards. That's right, -27 yards.

But NWMo knows how to win at this time of year, and as much as I will be pulling for both Texas schools to win, I simply don't see it in this one.

Northwest Missouri State 31, Abilene Christian 21

 

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