September 4th, 2024 6:15pm
Opening Week Recap
What stood out to me in the LSC’s opening week?
Now, about last week:
West Texas A&M wins at Sul Ross State 42-21
When following Sul Ross State’s game this past week, I thought of this exchange from “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”:
The little rascal has spirit.
Has what, sir?
Spirit.
Yes he did sir.
No, no, spirit. Bravado, a touch of derring-do.
About 11, sir.
This was one of those games that really shouldn’t have been as close as it was. Sul Ross State had plenty of spirit, they were feisty, plucky…well, you can put in any similar word in here that you want. The Lobos’ defense got a freak 82-yard fumble return for a touchdown that gave them some momentum and a legitimate chance to make the game quite nervous for West Texas A&M. What they didn’t have was nearly enough defense to hold off the Buffaloes’ rushing attack, which racked up 383 of their 522 yards on the night. The Buffaloes moved the ball with ease, not getting too many huge gains, but a lot of small and medium gains, and they very rarely went backwards. The question for future weeks with WT will be whether this is what will be expected of the Buffaloes’ offense, or if this was simply WT sticking to what works against Sul Ross State and not trying to “reinvent the wheel”.
Sean Johnson Jr. led the Buffs with 139 passing yards on 20 of 26 passes, one touchdown, and one interception. He also led with 167 yards rushing on 14 carries with 4 touchdowns and earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week. Tre’Jon Henderson added 85 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. For the Lobos, Andrew Martinez had a 50-yard touchdown pass to Yamil Oaxaca (3 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown) at the end of the first half, but that was nearly half his game total of 116 passing yards.
West Texas A&M improves to 1-0 and Sul Ross State falls to 0-1.
Midwestern State wins at home over Missouri Southern State 18-11
So many times over the past two-plus seasons I’ve written about Midwestern State’s lack of production at quarterback. Last season I think I mentioned it nearly every week how once again an MSU quarterback couldn’t get to 100 passing yards. And I could very easily turn this entry into a rant about how two MSU quarterbacks (and one kicker) combined for 49 passing yards and two interceptions and try to justify it by saying “look at the score!”
But I won’t.
Why? Because it wouldn’t be fair to the MSU defense, who held Southern to 245 total yards, and the MSU running attack, who led the way with 207 yards and both MSU touchdowns in a meat-grinder of an 18-11 win. Ugly quarterback play aside, it’ still a win. Devin Cross led all rushers with 101 yards on 11 carries and the game-winning touchdown from 21 yards put with 4:12 left in the game. It was Christian Olige who scored the game’s first touchdown on one of his two carries of the game to turn a 5-3 baseball score into a less-baseball 11-3 score early in the third quarter. Cross’ score would come two punts after MSSU immediately answered Oilge’s touchdown with a De’Shawn Larson 4-yard touchdown run, with their two-point conversion tying it up at 11.
Yes, the defense was well ahead of the offense for both teams and this one was not pretty, but MSU came up with just enough to get the win. Congratulations to Rich Renner on win number 1 as a head coach.
Midwestern State improves to 1-0 and Missouri Southern State falls to 0-1.
Fort Hays State wins at home over Angelo State 21-7 (Game postponed to Friday, August 30)
So Zeus (or Thor if you’re in the Upper Midwest like our friend Matt Witwicki) decided to postpone this LSC/MIAA get-together for a day with an hours-long lightning delay, and I couldn’t tell you if the extra day benefited either side. It certainly didn’t benefit ASU, whose attempt at Tom Landry’s Craig Morton/Roger Staubach quarterback switch routine with Braden Fuller (48 yards on 8 of 11 passes) and Kaeden Smith (75 yards on 9 of 13 passes) on went about as well as the Cowboys legend’s attempt, meaning not well. The ASU rushing game, with two LSC offensive linemen of the year, also struggled, gaining just 80 yards on 2.2 yards per carry. The Fort Hays offense didn’t do much better after a first quarter where they gained over 200 yards and scored 14 points on two 90 -yard drives, but it turned out that was all the Tigers needed. The Rams fought hard to mount a comeback and more than half the game was spent with the score 14-7, but the Rams couldn’t move the ball consistently to get into scoring position. The nail in the nail in the coffin for ASU was a Brayden Wilcox (18 yards on 8 carries) fumble at the ASU 19-yard line that was returned by Fort Hays’ Ty Cooper to the ASU 14-yard line. Three plays later, Shane Watts (20 carries for 60 yards and 1 touchdown) scored and the extra point made it 21-7. A last-gasp Rams drive with 7 minutes left stalled at the FHSU 9-yard line and that was ASU’s last best chance to score.
Of the two quarterbacks, Smith did perform better, leading the Rams to their lone score and leading the Rams with 37 rushing yards to go with his passing yards and taking fewer sacks, but it remains to be seen if he has earned the starting job or if ASU will continue with a platoon system in their next game. Xavier Walton and Jordan McKinney were standouts on a Rams defense that couldn’t make up for the offensive deficiencies.
Fort Hays State improves to 1-0 and Angelo State falls to 0-1.
https://angelosports.com/sports/football/stats/2024/fort-hays-state/boxscore/5757
https://sanangelolive.com/news/sports/2024-08-30/angelo-state-rams-fall-fort-hays-st-season-opener
https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article126233989.html
Eastern New Mexico wins at New Mexico Highlands 63-37
Highlands was in the position of the track star who gave Usain Bolt a 30-meter head start in the 100-meter dash. In the first game of the Three-Way Dance for New Mexico Dominance, Highlands spotted ENMU a 21-7 first-quarter lead and their defense could not get a stop in this offensive track meet. ENMU scored 9 of the 12 times they had the ball and racked up 635 total yards, 512 of those on the ground. Ron Craten (129 yards on 15 carries and 3 touchdowns) and Mario Sanchez (97 yards om 10 carries and 2 touchdowns; 2 of 5 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns) led the Greyhounds’ offense.
However, despite the big win, the top concern for ENMU must be the defense, which gave up 522 yards to a Highlands team in transition. By the way, that’s the same number of yards ENMU’s next opponent, Sul Ross State, gave up to WT in their game. Joey Cave put up solid numbers, completing 12 of 20 passes for 263 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. Cave’s interception, however, did lead to ENMU’s fifth overall touchdown and first of the second half, putting the Greyhounds up 25-16. ENMU would then score touchdowns 5 of the 6 times they had the ball in the second half – the only time they didn’t score was when they ran out the clock to end it.
It's the fifth straight win for ENMU over Highlands.
Eastern New Mexico improves to 1-0 and New Mexico Highlands falls to 0-1.
Colorado Mesa wins at Texas A&M-Kingsville 16-13
Sometimes you have bad days. Gilberto Garza had a really bad day, missing 3 of 5 field goals, all within his makeable range. But I’m not going to sit here from my laptop and take the easy route and just blame him for the loss. That would be lazy of me and not completely true.
In my opinion, the biggest problem for Kingsville was that they had to try that many field goals in the first place. Colorado Mesa, who led the RMAC in forcing field goals when opposing offenses enter the field goal range, did exactly that to the Javelinas. After their first drive ended in a touchdown, Kingsville had five other drives stall in Mesa territory, with four of those drives ending inside the 25-yard line. The Kingsville ground game was OK, with Roger Hagan (52 yards on 18 carries) and Santana Scott (64 yards on 17 carries) splitting time in the backfield, but no Javelina offensive player really stood out. The longest play of the game for TAMUK was a 30-yard Kannon Williams pass to Jaylin Smith on the drive that gave TAMUK a 10-7 lead in the second quarter, but Williams ended the game with just 104 passing yards on 11 of 17 passes.
Mesa did what they needed to do to win, scoring touchdowns and 2-point conversions on their first and last drives of the game. Leslie Richardson (5 of 11 passes for 80 yards and 2 interceptions; 8 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown) scored the Mavericks’ first touchdown on a 4-yard run, and Liu Aumavae (4 of 8 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown), an injury replacement for Richardson, completed a 30-yard pass to Jack Burke (his only catch of the game) to win it with 1:04 left in the game. They outgained TAMUK by 4 yards, 237 to 233, and had more passing yards, 157 to 104.
Garza will be better, but will the Javelinas’ offense be better? They have next week off to work on it.
Colorado Mesa improves to 1-0 and Texas-A&M-Kingsville falls to 0-1.
https://cmumavericks.com/news/2024/8/29/football-mavs-open-season-with-thrilling-victory.aspx
#16 Texas-Permian Basin wins at home over Western New Mexico 41-3
This game was a tale of two halves – both thoroughly dominated by UTPB. The first half was a methodical, persistent attack – a death by 1000 cuts. The Falcons were up by just 14-3 at the half, but all four of their drives were 11 plays or more, with an opening drive of 17 plays. Western New Mexico struggled to get their defense off the field.
Then after halftime, the Falcons’ offense turned it up to 11, opening the half with an 83-yard touchdown pass from returning starter Dylan Graham to Ben Patterson. UTPB drove into Western New Mexico territory every time they had the ball in the second half, scoring points on 5 of their 7 second-half drives. Graham has his career-best game as UTPB quarterback, completing 31 of 50 passes for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns. Patterson (4 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown) and Jeremiah Cooley (8 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown) led the receiving corps and Kory Harris (82 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown) led all rushers. WNMU was outgained by 557 to 118 yards and only managed 67 passing yards between two quarterbacks. Deuce Zimmerman was the Mustangs’ lone bright spot with 2 catches for 46 yards and a 35-yard reception. Cole Lalama led all defenders with 11 tackles.
Texas-Permian Basin improves to 1-0 and Western New Mexico falls to 0-1.
LSC Opening Week Standings
School | LSC | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
Texas-Permian Basin | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
West Texas A&M | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
Eastern New Mexico | 0-0 | 1-0 | |
Midwestern State | 0-0 | 1-0 | |
Angelo State | 0-0 | 0-1 | |
Texas A&M-Kingsville | 0-0 | 0-1 | |
Sul Ross State | 0-1 | 0-1 | |
Western New Mexico | 0-1 | 0-1 | |
Central Washington | 0-0 | 0-0 | |
Western Oregon | 0-0 | 0-0 | |
Three-Way Dance for New Mexico Dominance Standings
School | Record |
|---|---|
Eastern New Mexico | 1-0 |
Western New Mexico | 0-0 |
New Mexico Highlands | 0-1 |
Week 1 Preview
Full disclosure – to me, this is really Week 2. I get the whole thing with the numbering and getting the extra week of games in. But to me, the number zero means there is nothing, and since there were plenty of games last week, as far as I’m concerned this is Week 2. OK, sandbox time over. On to the games.
What is going on in the LSC this week?
The following game is on Thursday, September 5. All game times are in the Central time zone.
West Texas A&M at #6 Colorado Mines (RMAC, 0-0), 7:00 PM
Series History: Colorado Mines leads 1-0
Last meeting: 2021 (Colorado Mines won 21-13)
LSC versus RMAC – Round 3.
West Texas A&M takes Angelo State’s place facing Colorado Mines. Since the season-ending loss to Texas A&M-Commerce in 2019, the Orediggers have gone 5-1 against teams currently in the LSC (4 of those games were against Angelo State, with Mines winning 3). Mines is coming off consecutive appearances in the Division 2 National Championship Game, where they lost both times by wide margins. Evan Foster replaces Harlon Hill winner John Matocha at quarterback, but return some of last season's top offensive starters, including wide receivers Max McLeod, Flynn Schiele, and Nick Stone, running back Landon Walker. On defense the Orediggers are a bit younger but return their two top tacklers in linebackers Jaden Healy and Adrian Moreno along with interception leader Jackson Zimmermann, and as a result are once again the favorites to win the RMAC.
West Texas A&M was solid but not spectacular in defeating Sul Ross State. A methodical, run-based attack was enough to beat the Lobos, but Sul Ross State was still very much in the game well into the third quarter. The Buffaloes will need much more than that to hold their own against a still-powerful Mines team. Even with the personnel losses on Mines’ side, they are still a playoff contender and WTAMU is still working to get to that level. Colorado Mines by 16 points.
https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/07/31/mines-football-ranked-no-1-in-rmac-preseason-poll/
The following games are on Saturday, September 7.
Angelo State at Emporia State (MIAA, 1-0), 1:00 PM
Series History: First meeting
LSC versus MIAA – Round 3.
Angelo State’s reward for a rough trip to Kansas – another trip to Kansas! The Rams are hoping their second trip will come with some more offense than last week against Fort Hays State. The Rams need to Emporia State is coming off a 30-14 win over Washburn in their annual “Turnpike Tussle” game and is looking to reach the playoffs after two straight 9-3 seasons ending in bowl wins.
The Hornets’ offense is led by a familiar face to Big XII fans, Gunnar Gundy. The Oklahoma State transfer and son of OSU head coach Mike Gundy threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns while also leading with 99 rushing yards. Billy Ross Jr. was the top running back with 68 yards and Trenden Collins led all receivers with 88 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches. Defensive back Bo Odom and linebacker Sage Sieperda led with 8 and 6 tackles while defensive back Tyler Schultze had two of the Hornets’ four interceptions (his identical twin brother Ethan caught 4 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown too).
Angelo State’s defense was solid after a nightmare first quarter and were the primary reason they were in the game until a late fumble and short-field touchdown doomed them. I think that unit keeps the Rams in the game, but Angelo State needs to prove they can move the ball with confidence, especially on first down. Emporia State by 7 points.
https://www.emporiagazette.com/gaz/article_15afa524-6688-11ef-9824-b7d14efeef4b.html
#7 Central Washington at U. of San Diego (Division 1 – Pioneer Football Conference, 1-0), 3:00 PM
Series History: First meeting
Central Washington looks to repeat what Colorado Mesa pulled off last year-go to San Diego and win. San Diego started their season last week with a 27-21 win over Cal Poly, who will host Western Oregon next week. The Toreros play in the Pioneer Football Conference, a coast-to-coast conference that exists as a non-scholarship league for schools who might have not offered scholarships in the past or tucked away their football programs in Division2 or Division 3 before the NCAA disallowed the practice. OK, long story short, San Diego isn’t your regular FCS team. They were picked to finish fifth in the PFL after a 4-7 2023 season.
San Diego is led by head coach Brandon Moore, who some may remember as having coached at Colorado Mines in 2022. Grant Sergent (153 passing yards) runs the Toreros’ offense, running backs Matt Colombo and Isaiah Smith both had around 80 rushing yards against Cal Poly, and receivers Ja’Seem Reed and Cole Monach led in receiving yards. Standout defensive players from their win over Cal Poly include defensive backs Matt Ballentine and Trey Ortega, who had dual 40-yard pick-sixes.
CWU is the preseason favorites to win the LSC in 2024. The Wildcats return many of their top offensive players from 2023, including quarterback Kennedy McGill, running backs Tyler Flanagan and Cam Daniels, wide receivers Darius Morrison and Marcus Cook. On defense, the nation’s top tackler and interception leader Tanner Volk is back along with second-leading tackler Brett McCalla.
San Diego looks like they are set for improvements in 2024, having dealt with a season-altering hazing scandal in 2023. Beating their third FCS scholarship program since 2016 in Cal Poly still doesn’t mask the fact that Cal Poly was picked eleventh in a twelve-team Big Sky Conference and, hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 and hasn’t won more than three games in a season since 2018. CWU’s defense kept them in the first half of the Weber State game last season, and Weber State is on a higher level than San Diego. CWU will give USD all they can handle, and I think the Upset Watch should be on full alert here. I’m taking Central Washington by a field goal.
https://pioneer-football.org/news/2024/9/1/football-quartet-claims-pfl-week-1-awards.aspx
https://wildcatsports.com/news/2024/8/20/wildcat-football-names-2024-captains.aspx
Western Oregon at Idaho State (Division 1 – Big Sky Conference, 0-1), 5:00 PM
Series History: Idaho State leads 1-0
Last meeting: 2017 (Idaho State won 37-6)
Western Oregon starts the 2024 with the first of two trips to Division 1 FCS schools, this week to Idaho State, about 3 hours north of Salt Lake City. The Bengals, picked to finish eighth in the Big Sky Conference, tried to punch above their weight class by visiting Pac-12 opponent Oregon State (yep, they still consider themselves the Pac-12). The Bengals even got out to a 9-7 first-quarter lead before ultimately losing 38-15. Kobe Tracy led four Bengals quarterbacks with 114 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Christian Fredrickson (5 catches for 68 yards). Keoua Kauhi and Donald Austin had 39 and 36 rushing yards to lead ISU. Defensive back Janari Boone led ISU with 9 tackles and three other defenders had 8 tackles each.
Western Oregon does return five of their top receivers from 2023, including yardage leader Keyvaun Eady and touchdown leader Brenden Hodge. Top running back Dominique Loggins is back, however, the top returning quarterback is Jordan McCarty, who had just 250 yards in limited action behind Gannon Winker. Top tackler Malcolm Liufau and leading defensive backs Tyler Copeland and Xavier Owens all return along with top sacker Joseph Northcutt. Unless this game shows that WOU has dome some significant upgrading on both sides of the ball, a 3-win Division 2 team will be hard-pressed to win against a so-so Division 1 team.
WOU will need a lot of things to go right to stay in this one all the way. Idaho State by 21 points.
Western New Mexico at Adams State (RMAC, 0-0), 7:00 PM
Series History: Adams State leads 39-23-3
Last meeting: 2022 (Western New Mexico won 34-20)
LSC versus RMAC – Round 4.
Western New Mexico never got off the mat in losing to UTPB. The Mustangs’ only bright spots were wide receiver Deuce Zimmerman and linebacker Cole Lalama. This week they face an Adams State team that is starting their 2024 season after going 3-8 in 2023. The Grizzlies were picked to finish eighth in the RMAC Preseason Poll, slightly above New Mexico Highlands and Fort Lewis.
Adams State was decimated by injuries last season, but returning quarterback Chase Nelson has been named the starter. Daylen Boddie (166 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023) is the top returning rusher and top receivers Aaron Johnson (323 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Alex Reid (264 yards) returns. On defense, Adams State will rely heavily on their linebackers, particularly Christian Toeleiu, who is retuning after an injury-marred 2023. Also returning at linebacker are Labarrio Mays and Zachary Ray. Safety Traivian Denetso is the top retuning defensive back.
This is an opportunity for WNMU to show improvement against a team with a similar profile. The bottom of the RMAC, where Adams State is picked to be near, contains some of the weakest teams in the entire nation. I won’t go as far as to say that WNMU should win the game, but I will say that it will be a disappointment to me if they aren’t at least competitive for most of this one. That being said, I think Adams State is slightly better. Adams State by 9 points.
https://asugrizzlies.com/news/2024/8/30/2024-football-season-preview.aspx
https://www.alamosacitizen.com/adams-state-football-looks-to-build-on-experience/
#15 Texas-Permian Basin at CSU-Pueblo (RMAC, 1-0), 7:00 PM
Series History: First meeting
LSC versus RMAC – Round 5.
When you look at CSU-Pueblo’s roster, there are quite a few faces familiar to LSC fans. First, you have former WNMU head coach Philip Vigil on the ThunderWolves sidelines. Then, you have former ENMU running back Howard Russell V as their leading rusher in the opening week win over South Dakota Mines. Former MSU defensive backs Peyton Shaw and Ben Wilson are also in the CSU-Pueblo lineup. And finally, you have Vigil’s old quarterback at WNMU, Devin Larsen, throwing for a school-record 508 yards and 5 touchdowns against South Dakota Mines.
UTPB wasn’t challenged in their blowout win over WNMU, but they did show dominance on both sides of the ball and a persistent offense with big-strike capabilities not unlike last year’s attack. The defense, quietly solid last year, also did well, but again, it’s tough to know how good they really are until they face a team like CSU-Pueblo whose offense is going to pressure UTPB’s defense from every angle with their passing attack.
This game has shootout written all over it, which probably means a repeat of the UTPB/Bemidji State game from last year. Last year, UTPB was in a similar spot on the road against Western Colorado after an easy first game and nearly came back from the dead. I worry this could happen again to UTPB. However, I think they will be ready this time with so many players having been through those bumps last year, and I’m going with the Falcons in a close one with lots of points. Texas-Permian Basin by a field goal in what might be the week’s best game.
Midwestern State at #19 Western Colorado (RMAC, 0-0), 7:00 PM
Series History: First meeting
LSC versus RMAC – Part 6.
After two seasons facing UTPB and West Texas A&M, Western Colorado will start their 2024 season by taking their shot at Midwestern State in the brand-new Rady Sports Complex for the program’s first-ever home night game.
Midwestern State managed to win against Missouri Southern with their defense and running game, the same recipe they had in their wins last season. The major concern I have regarding the Mustangs isn’t necessarily the quarterback position, but how their offense will move the ball against a Mountaineers defense that returns many of their best players from a unit that gave up just 16 points a game in 2023 (so I guess it is the quarterback position).
Western Colorado’s offense is led by quarterback Drew Nash (2447 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 2023). Braeden Hogan (540 yards and 9 touchdowns) is the top retuning rusher, and their numbers 2 through 5 top receivers in yardage all return. On defense, linebacker Kendall Lightfoot is the Mountaineer’s top returning player, with a team-leading 86 tackles in 2023. Also retuning at linebacker are Cy Shope and Dylan Cardenas. Defensive backs Bryce Lucas and Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell also return along with star defensive lineman Ricky Freymond (14 tackles for loss in 2023).
Midwestern State’s defense and running game will keep it close some of the way, but Western Colorado has the home field and more than enough defense to keep MSU at arms’ length. Western Colorado by 10 points.
https://gomountaineers.com/news/2024/8/8/lightfoot-named-to-d2football-com-elite-100-watch-list.aspx
Sul Ross State at Eastern New Mexico, 7:00 PM
Series History: Sul Ross State leads 13-11-1
Last meeting: 2023 (Eastern New Mexico won 51-12)
When is a conference game not a conference game?
Sul Ross State heads to Portales for the first half of their home-and-home series, with this one acting as the return game from last year’s matchup and not counting towards LSC conference standings. The teams will meet again in Alpine on November 2. ENMU will be looking to tighten up a defense that gave up as many yards in their win as Sul Ross State gave up in their loss to WT, an ugly 522 yards.
Sul Ross State gets to face another run-heavy team in Eastern New Mexico after giving up 383 yards to West Texas A&M. So maybe the Lobos can come up with a plan to hold back the Greyhounds? My guess is that they won’t be able to, so their best hope is for a track meet like Highlands put ENMU in last week. Sul Ross State will put up some points because ENMU’s defense seems to have some question marks, but the Lobos’ defense isn’t quite ready for prime time, so the last thing they want to see is another member of the Josh Lynn coaching tree. Eastern New Mexico by 17 to 20 points.
Texas A&M-Kingsville has the week off.