October 7th, 2014 12:00am
In referring to the lengendary Bear Bryant, the late Bum Phillips once said "he can take his'n and beat your'n and take your'n and beat his'n".
If Phillips were still alive today and able to follow LSC football, he just might attribute those same words to the Carthel family.
Don Carthel- with son Colby at his side as defensive coordinator- took over a moribund West Texas A&M football program in 2005 and immediately turned the Buffaloes into a winner. Together the Carthels led the team to a 79-22 record between 2005 and 2012, including a NCAA semifinal appearance in their last year together.
Don was let go by WTAMU after the 2012 season for an NCAA violation, but Colby landed the head job at another downtrodden LSC school: Texas A&M-Commerce. In less than two seasons, Colby has the Lions on top of the LSC after they went 5-26 in the three years prior to his arrival. Wherever the Carthels go in the LSC, wins definitely follow.
This season the Lions (4-1, but unbeaten against D2 competition) have been winning using a formula very similar to what was used by the Carthels at West Texas: throw the football. Despite losing starting quarterback Tyrik Rollison to injury two weeks ago, the Lions still smacked preseason conference favorite Tarleton State 53-25 last week behind 324 yards passing from backup Deric Davis.
The Lions still have several tough games coming up on the schedule, starting with this week at Angelo State. But TAMUC appears to be the class of the LSC and if they continue to play well, definitely have the potential to reach the NCAA playoffs for the first time in 19 years.
Observations from Last Week
-I'm shocked that I have to mention this, but the CSU-Pueblo offense is having a hard time scoring points. In two of the three conference games the Thunderwolves have struggled- and they are yet to face the top defensive teams in the league. Senior quarterback Chris Bonner is struggling as he has completed just 51% of his passes and has a 122 pass efficiency rating.
-West Georgia made a statement that they are ready to compete now in the GSC as they knocked off West Alabama 26-17. The Wolves will play Valdosta State this week in what has to be the biggest game the in-state rivalry has seen in at least a dozen years.
-Remember when Texas A&M-Kingsville was among the top programs in the country each year? Those days have to seem eons away to Javelina fans. TAMUK was shut out at home 31-0 by Eastern New Mexico last week to drop to 1-4 on the season. That's after losing to lowly McMurry the previous week. After looking at the remaining games on the schedule TAMUK might not win another game this season.
-UNC-Pembroke is another team that has fallen on hard times. After reaching the playoffs last year, the Braves have started this season just 1-3 and haven't scored more than 17 points in a game. It doesn't get any easier this week as UNCP takes on North Alabama.
Top Games this Week
Minnesota State (5-0) at Winona State (3-2)
WSU's surprising 27-7 loss to Wayne State last week certainly removes some of the luster from this game. But since it is nationally televised on Thursday night on CBS Sports, it's still worth checking out as you can see one of the top teams in the country in action. MSU is very good in all phases of the game and they should show the country why they have won 29 of their last 31 games. Minnesota State 38 Winona State 21
Humboldt State (5-0) at Azusa Pacific (4-1)
APU was riding high coming off the double overtime win over Grand Valley State on national TV to open the season. The Cougars were quickly smacked back to earth in a 30-10 loss to HSU in game two. This meeting however is much higher stakes as it counts in the GNAC standings while the first meeting was a non-conference game. These are the two best teams in the GNAC , but even away from home I think HSU is slightly better in all phases of the game. Humboldt State 24 Azusa Pacific 20
American International (4-1) at St. Anselm (5-0)
AIC was the preseason favorite in the Northeast 10, but St. Anselm has come out of nowhere to contend in the league. AIC has the better defense, but the Hawks can score points as evidenced by two straight 50+ point outings. This should be a close and entertaining game. American International 24 St. Anselm 21
Augustana (3-2) at Sioux Falls (5-0)
This is quite the rivalry as these two schools are separated (literally) by a city block. The Cougars have been impressive so far, as they have cleaned up on the softer part of their schedule. The Vikings are perfectly capable of staying in and winning this game but they must avoid the critical mistakes that have plagued them in both losses. Sioux Falls 27 Augustana 20
West Georgia (5-0) at Valdosta State (3-2)
As I mentioned earlier, UWG has proven they are ready to compete in the GSC in year one of the Will Hall regime. This is a huge game for the Blazers because they need to win to keep their playoffs hopes alive and they also don't want to give ground in this rivalry to the upstart Wolves. The key will be whether the Wolves can keep their rushing attack going against a pretty stout VSU run defense. Valdosta State 30 West Georgia 24
Slippery Rock (5-0) at California (4-1)
SRU's 31-28 win over Gannon last week has put them alone on top of the PSAC West, making them the team to beat in the division. Both of these teams are explosive on offense and make just enough stops defensively to win games. I expect that trend to continue this week. Slippery Rock 35 California 31
Texas A&M-Commerce (4-1) at Angelo State (3-1)
Both of these teams can move the football and score points so I expect this to be an entertaining game. The ASU secondary was badly exposed by West Texas A&M in the Rams' only loss a couple of weeks ago and I'm afraid that in the end ASU won't be able to slow down the Lions' prolific passing attack enough to win the game. Texas A&M-Commerce 45 Angelo State 38
Mailbag
[Q] Do you think it's an unfair advantage for the MIAA schools that the national championship game is now going to be held in Kansas City?
Robert
[A] No. The game is not being played in anyone's home stadium as it was for nearly three decades in Florence. Granted, Kansas City is in the heart of the MIAA and certainly the fan support will probably be fairly one-sided if an MIAA team is in the game. But the game has to be somewhere and it doesn't make sense to put the game in a place where there isn't much interest in D2 football just so it can be equally "hard" for the fans to get out and support their teams. As I have said in the past, the only thing that concerns me about the location in Kansas City is the potential for winter weather problems. We will have to cross our fingers and hope they get lucky in that regard.
[Q] Seriously, who is picking these games for the CBS game of the week on Thursday nights? No wonder D2 doesn't get that much respect when we don't even have our best teams on TV.
Josh
My understanding is that Division II has to actually pay CBS Sports to televise the games. Since the money comes from a fund that belongs to all of the schools in the division, there is an obligation to spread out the coverage among all schools. I believe prior to this year there have been 42 D2 football games televised as part of the game of the week package and there have been 42 different schools that have hosted.
I think considering the circumstances they do a decent job of selecting games. It's going to be impossible to avoid having a few duds when they are trying to get exposure for all the teams in the division.
Contact
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