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Things were shaken up again this week. There are several Lone Star Conference games this week. Currently, there are two teams ranked in the D2football.com and AFCA poll: #9/15West Texas A&M and #17/17 Midwestern State.
- nd half and let the Rams come back in the 4thrd quarter. The defense really stepped up and made some good stops against the good Hounds rushing game. I expected ENMU to control most of the game but that did not happen. Kingsville was a few plays from breaking it open but the offense has just not found its firepower. I just wish Robert Armstrong had one more season of eligibility because he is a really talented young man and is a great player to watch.
Harlon Hill Watch in the Lone Star Conference
Through 8 games of play:
Dustin Vaughn: 245 completions out of 376 attempts with 3 Interceptions
65.2 Completion Percentage
3,176 passing yards and 31 passing TDs
Currently, Vaughn is 2nd in the nation in passing yards and is only 71 passing yards behind the leader. He is also 2nd in passing TDs with 31 and is 7 TDs behind the leader. Vaughn ranks 2nd in average passing yards per game at 397 yds/game, which is only 8 yards behind the current leader. Strangely, Vaughn has not thrown the most passes in Division 2. Another QB has thrown 79 more passes than him from Merrimack. Vaughn ranks 15th in passing efficiency, which is impressive for a team that throws, as much as WT does.
Vaughn will need to get as close to 5,000 passing yards as he can. I suspect he will get somewhere in the range of 4,000 to 4,500. Will this be enough yards to get him the Harlon Hill Trophy? We will start getting an idea at where Vaughn ranks at in the next couple of weeks.
Other players in contention for the Harlon Hill Trophy:
Kevin Rodgers, QB, JR, Henderson State, Stats: 3,112 passing yards, 27 passing TDs
Joe Clancy, QB, SR, Merrimack, Stats: 3,247 passing yards, 38 passing TDs
Franklyn Quiteh, RB, SR, Bloomsburg, Stats: 1,520 rushing yards, 22 rushing TDs
Tyler Tonderum, RB, JR, Southwest Minnesota Stata, Stats: 1,518 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs
Super Region 4 Rankings:rd spot because they have run the rest of the table and only lost to an undefeated team. They have a difficult 3-game schedule to conclude the season and could suffer another loss. The 3rdPossible scenario: There is a possibility that WT and Midwestern will win out and then play each other at the end of the season. If Midwestern were to lose to WT, they have a chance of not making the playoffs and packing it up for the season. On the other hand, if WT were to lose, they have a chance of not making the playoffs. There is also a possibility that they could still make the playoffs because if you notice that Chadron is in the #7 position and WT beat Chadron earlier in the season. It is a possibility but it is hard to determine at this time what will happen.
#17/17 Midwestern State (6-1) (3-1) v. Menlo College (Ca.) (3-4) Saturday, 1 p.m. Kickoff
Wichita Falls, TX Memorial Stadium
Midwestern must have had difficulty finding an opponent for this week on the schedule because they are dipping down and playing a NAIA team in Menlo College. Menlo is a very balanced team that has passed and rushed for around 1,100 yards in each department. They will use this balance approach to keep Midwestern guessing. They are also giving up the same amount of yardage in the passing and rushing game. The Mustangs come into this game with the leading rusher and the 2nd
Prediction: Midwestern State 52 Menlo College 14
#9/15 West Texas A&M (7-1) (3-1) v. Eastern New Mexico (4-3) (2-1) Saturday, 6 p.m. Kickoff
Canyon, TX Kimbrough Stadium
The ENMU hounds come in on a 3-game winning streak and are 2-1 in league play. The only league loss that each team has lost to is Tarleton State. ENMU will run the ball, as much as possible. They are pre-dominantly running the ball but have started to throw the ball around over the past few weeks and seem to have a little success through the air. On that note, I think they will try to run, especially with the WT defense having difficulty stopping the run. Last week the Buffs gave up 300 yards on the ground. They will have to stiffen the defense if they want to have any success on the defensive side of the ball. The buffs should continue to have success through the air and on special teams play. The ENMU defense has not been able to get to the QB as much as they would like to, coming in with only 13 sacks. They are proficient at dropping the runner having 40 TFLs. Look for the buffs to make enough stops to win this game and throw the ball fairly easily on the ENMU defense. Buffs retain the wagon wheel.
Prediction: West Texas A&M 45 Eastern New Mexico 28
Texas A&M Kingsville (2-5) (0-4) v. Tarleton State (5-2) (4-1) Saturday, 7 p.m. CST Kickoff
Kingsville, TX Javelina Stadium
Tarleton State comes into Javelina Stadium on a 2-game skid and much in need of a win. The Javelinas played one of their best games of the season last week, only losing by 3 points to ENMU. They will be looking to try and stall out the Texans and get a big upset. Unfortunately, this Javelina team has not nearly lived up to par, compared to the old teams that we know. On the other hand, the Texans are having one of their best seasons and have just not been able to capitalize the past two weeks to walk out with wins. Look for the Javelinas to try and establish a good running game and try to get the ball into the hands of Armstrong. Tarleton should be up and ready for this game with their backs against the wall. The Texans are passing and running the ball very well but have just not been lucky for the past two weeks and have been in every game this year. Look for running back Henshaw to have a big game and unload on this Javelina defense. The Texans get back on track with a win at Javelina Stadium.
Prediction: Tarleton State 35 Texas A&M Kingsville 14
Texas A&M Commerce (6-2) (2-2) v. Angelo State (2-5) (0-4) Saturday, 2 p.m. Kickoff
Commerce, TX Memorial Stadium
Texas A&M Commerce comes into this game with ones of its biggest wins of the season over Tarleton State. Commerce lost Rollison a few weeks ago to injury and the 2nd and 3rd string QBs have played like there is no tomorrow. QB Stewart and Davis have played great coming in to fill the role at quarterback. Angelo State has played good defense through the past few games. They will have their secondary tested this week. The Lions will come in looking to throw the ball over the field and looking for the big play down the sideline to Johnson. I think Commerce will have their hands full but the Rams are giving up 2,177 yards through the air. This bodes well for a pre-dominantly passing team like Commerce. The Lions will have to line up and find a way to stop Kyle Washington and Jermie Calhoun from running away in this game. Is this the big of the season for the Angelo State Rams? I think so. They certainly have a good chance at rocking to boat this week. Can the Rams beat this new Commerce team? Absolutely. The biggest question is can they close the game out with more points than Commerce? Look for this to be a tight game going back and forth. Lions roll to their 5th
Prediction: Texas A&M Commerce 38 Angelo State 31
LSC Trivia of the WeekWho was the last Harlon Hill Trophy Winner in the Lone Star Conference and where are they at today?
Answer: Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian University. Scott was the 2007 Harlon Hill runner-up to Danny Woodhead and won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2008. Scott won the trophy in a landslide, getting the third-highest vote total in the history of the trophy. Scott was drafted in the 6th round as pick #209 to the Cincinnati Bengals. Scott was recently traded to the Baltimore Ravens and serves as the 3rdWhat two schools in the Lone Star Conference have the largest stadium and what are their capacities (name the stadium, school and capacity)?
Please feel free to say the answer in the comments section below. I will answer the question next week with a detailed answer.
Thanks for reading and travel safely to your sporting events!
Feel free to contact me with any questions in regards to LSC football. [email protected]
