The Rams were able to hold off the Mustangs last week in a game that featured 2 great teams. For those that missed, it was interesting that the lights at LeGrand Stadium in Angelo Stadium went off in a certain section. They had a delay and get the lights back on for around 15 plus minutes. The Rams had a really good 1st quarter which helped propel them to a victory at home. It got close in the 3rd



NCAA Playoff Picture for Super Region 4:

The fate of the LSC in the NCAA Playoffs has a definite answer finally. Only 1 team from the LSC will make the NCAA playoffs. The winner of the Texas A&M Commerce-Angelo State game will advance on to the NCAA Playoffs via earned access. I cannot remember the last time that the LSC had to use earned access to make the playoffs.

Per the NCAA Division 2 Manual, Earned Access is defined as the following:

(Adopted: 1/12/04, Revised: 10/26/09, 1/11/12)

31.3.5.1 Requirements. To be eligible for earned access to the football championship, a member conference must meet the following general requirements: (Adopted: 10/30/13)
(a) Have been a multisport voting member conference of the Association for two consecutive academic years;
(b) Conducted competition in football for two consecutive years at the time of its application for earned ac­cess; and
(c) Have at least six members that sponsor football at the varsity intercollegiate level that are eligible for the NCAA championship and have had at least six members that are eligible for the NCAA championship participate in the process that determines possible earned access (see Constitution 3.4.3.3.3.3). [Once a conference has satisfied the requirements for earned access set forth in Bylaws 31.3.5.1-(a) through 31.3.5.1-(c), the conference must also meet the following criteria:]

(d) Conference Membership.
(e) Conference Compliance Requirement. The conference must maintain and actively enforce compli­ance with eligibility rules at least as stringent as those in Bylaw 14 applicable to its members.
(f ) Impact of Nullification on Automatic Qualification for Use of Ineligible Player(s). 31.3.5.2 Grace Period. (Adopted: 1/12/12, Revised: 10/30/13)




Here are my predictions on the Final 6 and where the LSC will fall into the NCAA Playoff standings for Super Region 4:




  1. Thoughts: The LSC winner of the TAMC-ASU game will most likely be making a trip either to Ohio to play ODU or Michigan to Play MT. WT edged out ODU last season in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This is the most recent information regarding playing either team in the LSC.

    I will continue to cover the LSC team in the playoffs and try to cover a little on the other Super Region 4 Playoff Matchups, since I am the only writer in Super Region 4.

    The final Regional Rankings will be released this weekend by the NCAA on Sunday at 5pm.

Brief Recap on Week 10:

WT 58 McMURRY 13: Game attendance at WT home game: 783. Are the alumni and supporters making a statement about WT football? Game attendance at WT home game (2 weeks prior): 5,827.
WT dominated from beginning to end, as the Warhawks have struggled even more with the loss of McHugh no longer being at the helm, due to injury.

ENMU 61 TAMK 7: The Hounds cruised past the Javelinas, as FB Spight set a new ENMU single-season record with 1,479 rushing yards and 19 TDs. He had 217 rushing yards and 4 TDs against TAMK in the game. The Hounds amassed 617 offensive yards (492 rush). They were 7 for 7 on 3rdrd

TAMC 56 TARLETON 49: A close game all the way throughout and decided on a final goal line stand. Joe Bergeron stood out with his great running and led the game in rushing and scored 3 rushing TDs. He was definitely a critical role in the offense to help win the game.




Week 11 Previews and Predictions:


West Texas A&M (6-4) v. Eastern New Mexico (6-4), Saturday, 1 p.m. Kickoff
Portales, NM, Blackwater Draw

The last time the Buffaloes and Hounds met was only two weeks ago. I would say that both teams are pretty fresh on how they can expect each team to come out and perform.
The Hounds had a dominating first quarter which ultimately was the big key in beating the Buffaloes last time. They had long time-consuming drives to keep the WT offense off the field. They are tops in time of possession in the league and division 2 with 366 minutes.

The buffs have had some trouble on and off the field this season. They come into this game looking to rebound after their slow start last time around against ENMU. They will be looking to have a little more success through the air with having a few key players back and some of the younger guys to have some experience under their belt.



ENMU jumped out to a 21 point lead and it took a while for the buffs to slow the Hound offense and get everything going. By the time they got things going in the right direction and were moving up hill, the game was almost over and eventually concluded.



Prediction: Eastern New Mexico 31 West Texas A&M 28


McMurry (2-7) v. Texas A&M Kingsville (1-9), 7 p.m. Kickoff
Abilene, TX Wilford Moore Stadium

These two teams are playing for pride this weekend as both have had a hard year in the LSC. However, these two clubs had a really good game earlier in the season with McMurry taking the win in a 27 to 21 victory. Since that game, several changes have been made on both teams.

I believe this should be a good game for both of these teams and that they will be excited to come out with a victory. Overall, this will be a fairly even matchup amongst opponents. Both of these teams have had a lot of points scored on them and have struggled with putting enough points on the scoreboard. Their defenses are not quite there in stopping potent LSC offenses around the league.

Overall, McMurry averages a few more points per game than the Javelinas but the Warhawks are giving up an average of 9 more points than Kingsville. The biggest difference is that the Javelinas have had 517 more yards put on their defense than McMurry. These teams have a lot of similar numbers. If McHugh was still playing, I would say that the Warhawks would win at ease. However, he is out and the offense is not quite as potent without hime.

I think the Warhawks will do enough to win this game and I believe the Javelinas will score more points this week than their previous two weeks.

Prediction: McMurry 24 Texas A&M Kingsville 20


Tarleton State (4-5) v. Midwestern State (6-3), 1 p.m. Kickoff
Wichita Falls, TX Memorial Stadium

Tarleton almost pulled the upset but just missed on trying to send the game into overtime on their final drive. They went back and forth with the Commerce Lions all night and had a great game plan. On the other side, the Mustangs fell behind early against the Rams and could not climb back and beat the Rams.

I was surprised how ready both of these teams were last week. They did not back at any moment during their games and fought to the very end. These teams played early in the season, as MSU edged out the Texans by a score of 27 to 23. The Mustangs scored with 1:05 left in the game to take the win in a very close game with several lead changes. I expect this game to go the same way and be a close hard fought game.

The Mustangs have one of the best defenses in the league. Strangely, they are the second best and give up 392.4 yards per game. That is a lot of yards for being in the #2 spot. However, all but 2 teams have a 400 plus yards per game average on the offensive side of the ball. There is a ton of offense in the LSC this year by all teams.

The Texans and Mustangs have definitely have had their woes this season but these two are still really good teams. The Texans lost Strahan a few weeks ago and have a new QB at the controls and Woerner has proven to be a decent QB for the Texans. He will look to challenge the MSU secondary with his arm. Of course, the Texans will go to old reliable from time to time (Zach Henshaw). The difference between Strahan and Woerner is their styles of play. Strahan appears to like running the ball more from the QB and Woerner likes to throw the ball more and has a 69.83% completion.

Midwestern has been shifting their QBs in and out this season between Jake Glover, Quade Coward and Hutchinson. Glover has the most passing yards amongst the crew with 1,367 passing and 12 TDs. I expect them to continue to try and stay balanced in their game plan between the pass and run; however, they have been more effective running the ball, then passing the ball.





Prediction: Tarleton State 35 Midwestern State 31


Game of the Year and Lone Star Conference Football Playoff Championship
Angelo State (7-2) v. Texas A&M Commerce (8-2), 4 p.m. Kickoff
Commerce, TX Memorial Stadium

The Commerce Lions and Angelo Rams come into this contest with a (TAMC) 7-1 and (ASU) 7-2 division 2 records. Commerce just has the additional win over East Texas Baptist, who is a division 3 opponent.

As everyone knows, the Lions are led by QB Tyrik Rollison, who has an incredible season. He had a few bruises throughout the season but has proven to be a quality quarterback amongst Division 2. On the other side is Kyle Washington, who is another incredibly talented young man. He has led the Rams all year with great passing and running. The 2 guys will need to put everything out there in this game. I suspect that they will because they know how much is at stack and on the line.

These two programs have had a NCAA playoff drought for a good amount of time. Now, for one of these programs, that drought is about to come to an end. The question is: Who will be that team to step up and make the necessary plays to push their team into the postseason, as the only Lone Star Conference representative. I know that each team, each player, each coach, each person will dig down deep to put everything that they have out there and put it all on the field. One team moves on, while the other packs it up with the hope of a possible bowl invite.



A word from Texas A&M Commerce Lions Head Coach Colby Carthel:

Joe: Now that the Lions truly know their own destiny... Win and you will make the NCAA playoffs. How do the players feel about this situation going into the last week of the season?



Joe: Joe Bergeron really stepped up last week with some good runs. What kind of factor has he been for this Lions team, both as a leader and player?



Joe: Some may say that the Lions have some of the most talented and athletic receivers in all of Division 2. How do you feel about this receiver core in V. Johnson, R. Collins, S. Smith, etc.?

Coach Carthel: They are definitely a special group, and can all really stretch the field vertically. Having more than one go-to guy has really helped open up our offensive playbook. These receivers, along with a pretty salty QB, keep opposing defenses on their toes and worried about the big ball, on every down. Our offensive staff has done a great job dispersing the ball, and I think the results speak for themselves.

Joe: Playing Angelo State for a second time, what are some of the things that you saw in the Rams the first time around?



Joe: What comments do you want to share about this upcoming re-match game
against Angelo State?



A word from Angelo State Rams Head Coach Will Wagner:

Joe: Now that the team truly knows their own destiny... Win and you will make the NCAA playoffs. How do the players feel about this situation going into the last week of the season?



Joe: Kyle Washington really stepped up last week with some good runs (15.3 avg.) and passing. What kind of factor has he been for this Rams team, both as a leader and player?



Joe: The Rams offense only has 4 lost fumbles on the season. How do you get the players not to turn the ball over and to play so disciplined with holding on to the ball?

Coach Wagner: The last couple of years, turnovers have really hurt us. Our coaches and players have put an emphasis on protecting the ball this season through drills and their focus during practice. The players understand the importance of securing the ball and the consequences for the team if they turn it over. Their understanding and determination have led us to protect the ball and not turn it over.

Joe: Playing Texas A&M Commerce for a second time, what are some of the things that you saw in the Lions the first time around?

Coach Wagner: Commerce is loaded on both sides of the ball. They are not complex in what they do, but execute on a high level. We must protect the ball and create turnovers to be successful.

Joe: What comments do you want to share about this upcoming re-match game against Texas A&M Commerce?



WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THIS GAME?



The Lions have suffered several injuries this season as everyone has beaten up on each other. I just wonder how much this will play an effect. They have lost an LB, Tuaau has struggled with an ankle injury and several others have had issues.

The Rams have been up and down at sometimes this year but appear to be playing some of the best ball that they have all season. I worry that they may not have enough of a run game with their running backs to help out in this game (excluding Kyle Washington). Washington needs the backfield to really help balance the offense and make some key plays. He does a great job running but he cannot run every time or the defense will catch on quickly.






Prediction: Texas A&M Commerce 45 Angelo State 42