I have to say that I saw several good and bad things in week 1 across the LSC non-conference games. I went 3-2 last week in predictions. I missed out on the Kingsville and McMurry games, last week. It was a great week of football and this week looks to be even more exciting and fun to watch. Let's get to the players of the week that I thought stood out.



Offense: Tyrik Rollison, Texas A&M Commerce, SR, QB
Rollison threw for an incredible 546 yards going 25-32 for 6 TDs with 0 INTs in their win. The Lion offense broke the NCAA D2 record for total yards, points and TDs.

Defense: Carter James, West Texas A&M University, RS FR, LB
James was all over the field making plays left and right for the buffs in their opener. He tallied 10 solo tackles with 6 assists (total of 16) and 2 TFLs.

Special Teams: Anthony Washington, Texas A&M Kingsville, SR, PR/KR
Washington opened the half for the Javelinas by going 96 yards on the kickoff and in for the score.

　

Week 1 Recaps and Review:

We had some very interesting games in week 1. Several LSC teams had bye weeks, while other teams made SportsCenter and smashed records. I will have to say that I was quite intrigued to see several of these teams in action and can only imagine that they were excited to get back on the field. Let's get to last week's recaps.


Humboldt State v. Texas A&M Kingsville
Final Score: Humboldt State 27 Texas A&M Kingsville 14

The Javelinas opened their season against a winless 2013 Humboldt ball club. I thought this was a tale of two halves. Humboldt struck early with a FG to take the lead, until the Javelinas took a 72 yard TD strike from QB Mitchell to Washington to take the lead, 7-3. The Javelinas came out with a Washington 96-yard kick return to extend the lead to 14-3, in favor of the Javelinas. After that, it was all Humboldt State. The GNAC foe score 24 unanswered points to take down the Javelinas at home. The Javelina offense really struggled in the second half; plus, throw in a blocked punt for a TD and you have a losing scenario.

Takeaways: The Kingsville offense has some growing pains to go through with Mitchell. He was only 11-27 with 1 INT and 158 yards. He will need to step up and increase his completion percentage, which should come with time. The defense play subpar for the season-opener and will need improvements in the run defense. The Javelinas gave up an average 4.8 yards per attempt. I thought they did well in stopping Humboldt in 3rd down situations and really improved in getting the defense off the field. They need to improve on their red zone offense and have to put points on the board, once they reach the red zone.
　

McMurry v. Houston Baptist
Final Score: McMurry 26 Houston Baptist 17

The WarHawks surprised me in this game. I will be there first to admit that. McHugh did a good job getting the ball out in the field and going for 300 yards. The offense actually ran the ball more times than they threw it but it was a good balance between the two. Jeret Smith was clearly the receiver of choice for McHugh, going for 123 receiving yards with a long of 55. The Hawks came out and were consistant the whole game and scored in each quarter to outlast Houston Baptist. Penalties hurt the Warhawks with a total of 126 yards. Strangely enough, both teams had an equal total of 4 turnovers in the game.

Takeaways: The WarHawks did well on the offensive side of the ball. Better than I anticipated and it paid dividends. The biggest thing that I notice for the Warhawks were the turnovers and penalties, which ultimately come down to discipline. They really need to clean those aspects up to continue improving. The receivers really played well for only getting a total of 14 completions.
　

Texas A&M Commerce v. East Texas Baptist (D3)
Final Score: Texas A&M Commerce 98 East Texas Baptist 20

The Lions blew this game wide open from the beginning. The only points scored by East Texas Baptist were in the first half and that was it. This was clearly over by halftime, like I stated in my write-up. I thought this game could be extremely lopsided but did not see 98 points being put on the scoreboard or Colby Carthel being on SportsCenter. This game was an explosive game with 986 yards of total offense. The Lions had 38 first downs!!! Wow. Records were shattered as previously stated. The Lions never punted the entire game.

Takeaways: The Lions blew up the scoreboard in this one. However, it was East Texas Baptist. The Lions have a great team assembled and will be good this year. The main thing that I saw in this one was the 3 turnovers. The Lions will have to do better than that when it comes to some foes that are on their level.
　

ENMU v. New Mexico Highlands
Final Score: ENMU 44 New Mexico Highlands 21

The Hounds jumped all over Highlands from the first quarter to the final minute. Jeremy Buurma took the team up 14-0 until Highlands countered with a score of their own. Then, the hounds scored 2 more TDs and then Highlands countered again with a score. This happened again and then the Hounds scored a TD late in the game to make it 44 points. This was a very balanced performance by the Hounds with 203 rushing and 276 passing. Buurma threw for 4 TDs in this game with only 9 completions. He was only 50% passing on the night but made each completion really count. The Hounds really stepped up and took this game and controlled the game from the get-go.

Takeaways: The Hounds were balanced and played a good mix of plays. The only few things that stand out to me is that they gave up 415 yards threw the air on defense, had 2 lost fumbles and only converted 6 of 18 on 3rd downs. The Hounds will have to eliminate the turnover in the coming weeks. Overall, I thought that the team played well and got off to a good start to the season.


Game of the Week: #13 West Texas A&M v. #3 Colorado State Pueblo
Final Score: Colorado State Pueblo 35 West Texas A&M 6

Like many of you, I have thought about this one a few times. I was exactly right regarding the Pueblo score but a little off on the amount of points that the Buffaloes would score. The WT defense secondary was burned multiple times in the game and the offense was abysmal. I have seen both of these teams play better than they did in week 1. Granted it is the beginning of the season, I have seen Pueblo play better than they did. The WT passing game was absent the entire game, except for one 2-minute drill drive. WT's strength and experience is at the wide receiver position. It is hard to utilize that strength if you cannot get the ball in the hands of those playmakers. Pueblo controlled the game for the majority of this one, beginning to end.

Takeaways: The WT offense was completely out of character with the adjustment of a new QB. Rabb appears to have the arm strength but will have to deliver the ball accurately to the receivers. The WT secondary really showed some big holes by getting burned down the sidelines several times. Improvement must be made if this team wants to go back to the playoffs.


Week 2 Previews and Predictions:

Now, we move to this week's slate of games. We have several games on the radar this week with only one big LSC matchup. Last week was a good start to the season and I start off the season with a 3-2 prediction record. Hopefully, I will finish above 75%. That will be the goal. There were no real big surprises in week 1, except for the low amount of WT points and the excessive amount of Commerce points. This week starts the teams fighting for the LSC playoff at the end of the year. All the games this week will be in the evening. Let's get to this week's previews and predictions!

Western State (1-0) v. Angelo State (0-0), Saturday, 6 p.m. Kickoff

San Angelo, TX Legrand Stadium
Weather: High: 69 degrees Low: 61 degrees with 20% Thunderstorms, 10 to 15 MPH wind

The Rams return a lot of experience this season. Kyle Washington will get his first time on the field this year to show what he has and how he has taken the next step. I expect the team will be fired up for this game with several things to prove to this home crowd at the new stadium. Washington was a phenomenal player and ASU barely missed on the majority of their LSC contests. RB Blake Smith is ready to step up and take on the load at the running game with the graduation of Jermie Calhoun. The Mountaineers come into this coming off a win over Wayland Baptist. They amassed 336 yards on the ground last week and will look to add to that as they pound the run game out against the Rams. I suspect that the ASU defense and Rush Seaver will make some big stops in this one to get their season started in the right direction. The ASU wide receivers will be the difference maker with the complement of Washington's running style to add. The Rams roll at home in the new stadium.

Prediction: Angelo State 41 Western State 23

Midwestern State (0-0) v. Missouri S&T (0-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. Kickoff
Wichita Falls, TX, Memorial Stadium
Weather: High 72 degrees Low: 62degress with partly cloudy, with 8 to 13 MPH wind.

The Mustangs return several key players but will definitely miss the play of some big stars they had in Jackson and Conway. Jake Glover is in his senior debut to lead the Mustang offense this year. Marqui Christion returns after an impressive 2013 season that proved he was one of the big impact players on the defense. The Mustangs will stick with their bread and butter style of offense and will see how the new faces adapt in the season-opener. The Miners have been one of the better Division 2 football teams in the country. However, they have struggled the last few seasons and fell in their opener to Chadron State. I suspect this will be a good matchup with the Miners looking to the air for their success and the Stangs using their running game to pound it down the field. I look at this game to see who will emerge as the successor at the running back position. Look for several guys to step up and Glover to make enough plays to take this one at home. The Stangs roll in this one...

Prediction: Midwestern State 35 Missouri S&T 20

Eastern New Mexico (1-0) v. Adams State (1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. Kickoff
Portales, NM, Blackwater Draw
Weather: High: 67degrees Low: 54 degrees mostly cloudy with wind 10 to 15 MPH

The Hounds did a great job to start the season and controlled the tempo of the game the whole time against New Mexico Highlands. This week the game will involve a significant amount of running as both teams love to run the ball. The Hounds did well shutting the run down last week but there were only 20 running attempts. The defense will need to stiffen against an Adams State team that comes in after taking down OK Panhandle State. Buurma will need to pick up his passing percentage to help his team out. He had some stellar passing plays last week throwing 9 completions and 4 going all the way to the end zone. However, 9 for 18 will probably not cut it through the LSC each week. I suspect the Hounds will have success on the ground and through the air against Adams State, as Adams bent quite a bit last week and gave up 390 yards. Look for the Hounds to get up for the home crowd and roll on to 2-0...

Prediction: Eastern New Mexico 28 Adams State 17


Texas A&M Commerce (1-0) v. Stephen F. Austin (D1-FCS) (1-1), 6 p.m. Kickoff
Nacogdoches, TX, Homer Bryce Stadium
Weather: High: 79 degrees Low: 64 degrees with partly cloudy skies and wind around 5 MPH

The Lions come off a record win over a D3 foe and go to the other end of the spectrum taking on former LSC member SFA, now a Division 1 FCS team. Starting the season with a D3 foe and moving on to a Division 1 foe will definitely be an eye opener. However, I expect this Lions team to go toe-to-toe with the SFA Lumberjacks. The Jacks are coming off a big win over former LSC team, Incarnate Word. Gus Johnson ran over the UIW Cardinals and will look to continue his running attack against the Lions. Commerce should come into this game with great confidence and to prove that they can play with the big boys. The Lions are capable of winning this game. I have no doubts. They struggled last week in the turnover battle and giving up some big plays in the secondary. If they turn the ball over like last week, it will be a difference-maker and a game changer. The trenches will be a war on Saturday as old LSC foes battle for supremacy. I'll take SFA in a close one...The Lions will be tested and pushed to the limit this week.

Prediction: SFA 40 Texas A&M Commerce 35


Texas A&M Kingsville (0-1) v. Colorado Mesa (1-0), 7 p.m. Kickoff
Kingsville, TX, Javelina Stadium
Weather: High: 83 degrees Low: 73 degrees with 40% chance of Thunderstorms and wind between 7 to 11 MPH

Kingsville was in great shape last week to win the game going into the 3rd quarter up 14 to 3. A punt block later and the rest is history with the Javelinas spiraling downwards. The offensive production is just not there like the old Kingsville teams that we are used to knowing. The Javelinas welcome the Mavericks from the RMAC. The Mavs are coming off a overtime win against Dixie State. The Mavs will try to stay balanced this week and look for every opportunity to exploit the Javelina defense. The Kingsville offense struggled with turning the ball over last week and will need to turn themselves around in the turnover battle to stay on top of the Mavs. QB Mitchell is still developing and is going to make some mistakes. I suspect that this will be a good crossover game but still believe that the Javelinas have a ways to go in developing an maturing as a team. I'll take the Mavs in a good game in Kingsville...

Prediction: Colorado Mesa 33 Texas A&M Kingsville 21



Game of the Week: #25 West Texas A&M (0-1) v. #23 TarletonState (0-0), Thursday, 7 p.m. Kickoff
Canyon,TXKimbrough Memorial Stadium
Weather: High: 67 degrees Low: 52 degrees mostly cloudy with 10 to 15 MPH winds

LSC fans and readers, I have thought about this game a lot since the end of last season. There are so many factors and variable that are surrounding this game that I could probably write a novel. I typically don't like doing the same team in back-to-back weeks for game of the week; but, sometimes it just falls that way. People have talked to me a lot about this game and I have been intrigued by this matchup.

There are several key factors that surround this contest and that I think about right off the bat. First, Tarleton State had 2 weeks to prepare for WT. Second, WT has game experience already, and TSU doesn't. Third, Tarleton edged WT last year in a remarkable comeback. Fourth, Tarleton is the LSC co-champ. Fifth, the Texans are on the road. Sixth, Kimbrough is a difficult environment to play in. Seventh, both teams have new quarterbacks. In my predictions, I try to weigh many different variables like I listed above to choose a winner and make an accurate prediction. It just seems that there are more variables that stand out in this game than the typical game.

The Texans return some good experience and quarterback Strahan has some game experience from last season. The Texans have Henshaw to carry the run load for the offense and Myers on the outside to burn the secondary. Overall, the Texans return a really good squad and add the addition of Memphis QB Eric Matthews, and TSU has a well-rounded squad. Look for the defense to be just as good as last year. Coach Fowler has been a strong believer in rotating in QBs which has advantages and dis-advantages like everything. One advantage is that it gave QB Strahan game experience and chemistry with the team last year, which is a big advantage. Over the past several seasons, the Texans like West Texas have put some good players into the NFL. These two teams are definitely on the same level.

Watching WT last week was definitely interesting. Everyone saw some good things and some bad things. It was clear that Rabb could not make a downfield pass to any receiver. He had a few lucky passes but nothing like QBs of past (Vaughan, Harris, Null, Bell). He has good arm strength but needs to work on his delivery. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for it being his first game. The accuracy of the QB for WT is critical because the receivers are the most experienced position on the team, plus they are the playmakers in the spread offense. This will in turn open the run game and exploit defenses. On the defense, I thought the LBs played really well but I watched the secondary get burned on some big plays, more than once. WT had several kinks in their hose to start the season. I just have a hard time seeing all of week 1's mistakes getting fixed in a little over a week time. Tarleton opens up LSC play in Canyon with a win, as the buffs continue to struggle with an 0-2 start.

Prediction: Tarleton State 26 West Texas A&M 17


Other Super 4 Regional Games to pay attention to:
#7 Ohio Dominican @ #15 Grand Valley State: Saturday, 7 p.m.