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Lone Star Conference Blogger
LSC News:
West Texas A&M Football Head Coach Search:
The search for the next WT Buffaloes Head Coach continues in full stride by WT Athletics. Director of Athletics Michael McBroom has indicated to D2Football.com that the search should be wrapped up and a decision made by the end of finals, which is the week of December 12th thru December 16th. This position has been highly sought after by many coaches across the country and in the state of Texas. I have heard and verified a long list of names that have applied for the position. For anonymity, I will not list all of those names. Former Missouri Western Head Football Coach Jerry Partridge has applied for the position and has received an interview. Partridge had a record of 149-83 and went 117-68 in the MIAA in his 20 seasons as head coach.
It appears that WT may be the only LSC football school looking for a Head Football Coach before next season.
NCAA Division II Bowl Games - Previews and Predictions:
LIVE UNITED BOWL GAME
Texas A&M Kingsville (8-3) vs. Southern Arkansas (9-2), 12 p.m. CST Kickoff
(GAC Sports Network)
Texarkana, Arkansas
nd round of the NCAA Playoffs to the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats by 31-35 in a close game.
Season Statistics for Southern Arkansas and Texas A&M Kingsville:
| Southern Arkansas | Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
Scoring Offense ppg |
36.6 |
39.6 |
Scoring Defense ppg |
24.5 |
23.5 |
Total Offense ypg |
479.7 |
434.2 |
Total Defense ypg |
331.4 |
333.7 |
Offensive yards per play |
5.8 |
6.2 |
Defensive yards per play |
5.3 |
5.1 |
Rushing Offense ypg |
177 |
188.2 |
Rushing Defense ypg |
147.5 |
96.3 |
Passing Offense ypg |
302.7 |
246 |
Passing Defense ypg |
183.9 |
237.5 |
Pass Efficiency Offense |
145.7 |
167.7 |
Pass Efficiency Defense |
110.2 |
128.1 |
3rd Down Conversion Offense % |
44.5 |
46 |
3rd Down Conversion Defense % |
28.9 |
35.7 |
Sacks By |
17 |
45 |
Sacks Against |
21 |
21 |
Tackles for Loss |
62 |
98 |
Tackles for Loss Allowed |
63 |
69 |
Turnover Margin |
+5 |
+3 |
Time of Possession |
35:04 |
32:59 |
Players to Watch:
Texas A&M Kingsville Javelinas
Southern Arkansas Muleriders
ARMO -
The Muleriders run a spread offense that is pass first, run off the pass. Look for Renner to sling the ball around, particularly to his three top targets: wide receivers Weisheit and Higgins, and tight end Hudson. Weisheit and Higgins provide speedy targets, while Hudson is an athletic tight end whose height and speed at the position create matchup problems for linebackers (too slow) and defensive backs (too small) alike. Just because Southern Arkansas (SAU) likes to pass the ball, does not mean they are incapable of pounding it out on the ground. Nunnery is a former fullback that was converted to running back. He is a tough runner that while unlikely to outrun the defense, will lower the shoulder to get the extra yards.
JOE
ARMO -
The Muleriders 4-2-5 defense greatest strength is in the secondary and its ability to defend the pass, but the defensive line has struggled to put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. On paper the run defense looks good, however, SAU struggled against three of the top four rushing offenses in the GAC. Another area of strength for SAU is third down defense. The Muleriders tend to be very aggressive in third down situation and come out on top a little over seventy-percent of the time.
Texas A&M Kingsville Defense:
The Javelinas have a man-to-man defense with certain packages. The strength and heart of this team is the rush defense. They have the #14 nationally ranked rushing defense that is anchored by DE Brandon Jones. This also goes along with their #13 ranked TFLs in the nation. Basically, the D-Line and LBs get a great push and press into the backfield quickly to be the #5 team nationally in team sacks. The secondary has been a little susceptible at times and has bent but not broken. Kingsville has one of the better defenses in the LSC.
ARMO - Outlook:
These two teams are fairly well matched, come into this game with high powered offenses and suspect defenses. Having said that there are a few areas where each team has a leg up on the other. While both teams like to pass the ball and have the ability to gain yards on the ground to keep opposing defenses honest, SAU has the edge in the offensive passing game, while Texas A&M-Kingsville (TAMUK) has a slight edge in the offensive rushing game.
SAU has a great secondary, and they have had to be, given the lack of consistent pressure the defensive line has been able to exert on opposing quarterbacks. While the Muleriders have struggled against some of the better rushing teams in the GAC this season, they have been good on third down defense.
I like SAU to win this game for three reasons:
Armo - Muleriders in a high scoring affair, 42-38
JOE - Outlook:
These two teams are matched well and should put on a good show for the fans. Both teams boast a great season record and get to have some postseason play action.
The Javelinas had a really high-powered offense this season; however, the Muleriders had even more offense than the Javelinas with almost 500 yards per game. They do like to run the ball but use the passing game for the majority of their damage. I feel that they may really challenge the Kingsville secondary in this game. The Muleriders appear to be a step ahead of the Javelinas in the pass defense and that really could be the difference-maker in this game. I believe that the Javelinas will need to run more than they do on average to make up those extra yards.
I think the SAU secondary and Javelinas secondary is the real deciding factor in this game.
SAU 40 TAMK 36
HEART OF TEXAS BOWL GAME
Eastern New Mexico (7-4) vs. Fort Hays State (7-4), 6 p.m. CST Kickoff
(ESPN 3)
Copperas Cove, TX
The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds are headed back to the Heart of Texas Bowl for the 2nd straight season. They played in this game last season against Arkansas Tech in a high scoring affair, suffering a loss by 35-51.
The Greyhounds are 3-2-1 against Fort Hays State, and the teams have not met since a 30-23 loss in Hays, Kansas, on November 17, 1979. The Tigers have won the last two meetings between the teams.
Season Statistics for Fort Hays State and Eastern New Mexico:
Fort Hays State |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
Scoring Offense ppg |
27.91 |
33.55 |
Scoring Defense ppg |
22.18 |
24.18 |
Total Offense ypg |
381.1 |
479.4 |
Total Defense ypg |
359.5 |
337 |
Offensive yards per play |
5.5 |
6.7 |
Defensive yards per play |
4.7 |
5.3 |
Rushing Offense ypg |
151.3 |
346.9 |
Rushing Defense ypg |
147 |
96.4 |
Passing Offense ypg |
229.8 |
132.45 |
Passing Defense ypg |
212.5 |
240.6 |
Pass Efficiency Offense |
130.24 |
168.7 |
Pass Efficiency Defense |
122.95 |
133.37 |
3rd Down Conversion Offense % |
31 |
40 |
3rd Down Conversion Defense % |
41 |
34 |
Sacks By |
32 |
30 |
Sacks Against |
26 |
19 |
Tackles for Loss |
78 |
80 |
Tackles for Loss Allowed |
72 |
77 |
Turnover Margin |
+9 |
+3 |
Time of Possession |
28:09 |
34:28 |
Players to Watch:
Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds
Fort Hays State Tigers
The ENMU Greyhounds suffered some untimely injuries this season that plagued them throughout. The injuries ended up costing the Greyhounds a few games along the way. It appears that the majority of the team is healthy and ready to play against Fort Hays State.
FHSU plays in the MIAA and has a balanced offense and an incredible defense. On defense, the team is led by a dominant Defensive Line and the MIAA defensive player of the year in Sie Doe, Jr.
This will be an interesting matchup like most MIAA-LSC games can be. Typically, the MIAA has dominated the LSC in football but we will see if that is still the case.
ENMU Offense versus FHSU Defense
The ENMU Offense will be running their infamous triple-option offense that is #2 in the nation in rushing followed right behind #1 Harding that is still in the NCAA Playoffs. The offense will battle one of the best D-Lines in Division 2 and will have to try and maintain some talented defensive ends. The ENMU offensive line will have to play a major role in creating a push for the triple-option of ENMU. If the Hounds do have to throw the ball, most of those passes are going to WR Aaron Johnson. Stand has made some great throws but it is clearly not their norm to throw the ball frequently, only enough to keep the defense guessing and off-balanced. The ENMU passing game will probably not be a major factor in this game, which may give FHSU an advantage to send some safety blitzs to help combat the run game. The last time that FHSU saw the triple-option was in 2013.
FHSU Offense versus ENMU Defense
The FHSU offense has had a good balance this season with a little more passing yards than rushing yards. RB Cooper is on the 1st
Concluding Thoughts: Overall, this looks to be a great game. It can be difficult some time to see where the LSC stands compared to the good MIAA teams. There is a considerable difference, especially on the defense side of the ball. I think the FHSU defense will be better than we all think and will throw the ball well on the Greyhounds. The question is this: can the Tigers stop the ENMU running game.
Prediction: Fort Hays State 34 ENMU 14