LSC Week 11 Preview

November 13th, 2024 5:00am

Week 10 Recap

ANGELO STATE LSC CHAMPIONS

Angelo State earned their second outright LSC championship in the last three seasons with a 38-16 win over an undermanned Western Oregon team that gave it everything they could, but unfortunately there were too many injuries in key positions to keep the Wolves close the whole way. 

Elsewhere, Texas A&M-Kingsville earned a winning record for the 2024 season by holding off a Western New Mexico fourth-quarter comeback attempt.  West Texas A&M improved to a 5-5 record, also holding off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Midwestern State.   Finally, Texas-Permian Basin and Central Washington took no prisoners in blowing out Eastern New Mexico and Sul Ross State. 

Now, about last week:

Texas A&M-Kingsville wins at Western New Mexico 28-20

Connor Ackerley had a chance to be a hero.  Having already led WNMU to two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter in relief of starting quarterback Josh Magana, he had the ball with 5:32 left in the game and the Mustangs at their 18-yard line.  With the help of a Kerry North personal foul penalty, WNMU had the ball for a first down at their 49-yard line.  But then disaster struck.  After Ackerley’s attempt at a touchdown pass to Deuce Zimmerman fell incomplete, North atoned for his personal foul penalty and sacked Ackerley back to the WNMU 41-yard line.  An incomplete pass later, ENMU decided to punt on fourth-and-18 and ride their defense and full set of timeouts along with the 2-minute timeout.   

It was not to be. 

With 3:55 left in the game, Kingsville took to the ground with Roger Hagan and quarterback Jalen Brown, who gained a first down before the game clock struck 2 minutes.  From there, the Javelinas forced WNMU to use up all three of their timeouts while gaining another first down with 1:48 left in the game.  By then, WNMU could only watch Brown take snaps in victory formation and seal the closer-than-expected win. 

This was a game where the weakness of the TAMUK secondary nearly came back to bite them late.  The Javelinas gave up 356 passing yards and 3 touchdowns even though they did get a 98-yard pick-six from D’Cambren Verrett that got them out to a 14-0 second-quarter lead.  Hagan and Brown were once again the backbone of the offense, particularly late in the game when the clock was their best friend.  Ackerly had maybe his best game for WNMU, passing for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he didn’t start out well, as he was responsible for the Verrett pick-six.   Zimmerman was the best player for either side, gaining 182 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 catches. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 6-4 and Western New Mexico falls to 2-8.

Texas-Permian Basin wins at Eastern New Mexico 64-14

If the Central Washington/Sul Ross State game (that recap is a couple games down) was the least competitive game of the week, at least ENMU was in this one for a quarter (the score was 15-7 UTPB after the first quarter) before the UTPB steamroller got going.  Ron Craten, who is nearing 1000 rushing yards this season, scored to close the Falcon lead to 15-7, and then UTPB proceeded to score the game’s next 35 points.  And then, after ENMU finally scored on a 60-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Chad Ragle to Dalton Flowers (which was enough to make Ragle the Greyhounds’ leading passer by 45 yards…but then again, we all know ENMU isn’t known for throwing the ball), UTPB scored on two one-play drives of 65 and 73 yards for the final margin of victory. 

UTPB outgained ENMU by 575 to 245 yards, including 271 to 166 rushing yards.  UTPB also threw for 304 yards, with Issac Mooring contributing 222 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Tyler Cleveland and Kory Harris both scored two rushing touchdowns.   Rashad Carter led ENMU with 85 rushing yards. 

Texas-Permian Basin improves to 6-4 and Eastern New Mexico falls to 3-7.

#20 Angelo State wins at Western Oregon 38-16

In many ways, this was a “what if” game.  What if Dominique Loggins and Kainoa Jones weren’t out with injuries?  What if Jordan McCarty (101 passing yards in just over one quarter) didn’t leave the game injured after losing a fumble on a quarterback keeper?  Could WOU have broken through and scored some touchdowns instead of the field goals they were getting?  Could WOU stay on the field longer, preventing Braeden Fuller and the Angelo State offense from wearing down the WOU defense?  Unfortunately, we will never know, but what we do know is that WOU third-string quarterback Michael Gibson III was pressed into service, and it’s a very tall order when your first action as a college quarterback is against the LSC’s toughest defense.  Gibson completed 9 of 24 passes for 54 yards and committed 3 turnovers (2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble).  Fuller had one of his best games for ASU, throwing for 315 yards and 3 touchdown passes of 80, 33, and 68 yards and was once again interception-free. 

Even with all the WOU injury issues, the halftime score was just 17-13 in ASU’s favor after Jeremiah Schwartz recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a WOU touchdown.  But Gibson just wasn’t ready for prime time and ASU pulled away in the second half, highlighted by a Cameron Dischler hurdle of a WOU defender on the way to a 68-yard catch and run for the game’s final touchdown.    

The win earns the Rams their second outright LSC championship in the past three seasons after not having earned one since the 1984 season.  Congratulations to Angelo State, head coach Jeff Girsch, and all the Rams players and coaches for another strong season.   

Angelo State improves to 8-2 and Western Oregon falls to 6-4.

West Texas A&M wins at home against Midwestern State 17-12

This was nearly a second-half collapse for West Texas A&M, who scored all their points on three drives of 79, 73, and 74 yards between the second and third quarters.  Then MSU scratched and clawed their way back into contention.  Two Joseph Carlson field goals brought the Mustangs within 17-6, but he missed a field goal on MSU’s next possession that would have made the score 17-9.  At the same time, WT managed just 148 yards of offense in the second half (74 after their touchdown drive) while the Mustangs gained 205 yards along with turning WT over on an interception.  Carlson’s missed field goal did prove costly as MSU scored a touchdown with 1:38 left in the game on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Knebel to Justin White. Christian Olige’s two-point run was stopped, and Carlson’s onside kick attempt was fielded by WT wide receiver Dru Jones.  From there, the Buffaloes knelt to run off the rest of the game clock.  Not saying that MSU would have won the game if Carlson made the field goal, but the two-point play that failed later would have possibly tied the game instead of bringing the Mustangs within 3 points. 

Of note in this game was once again WT winning when they run the ball well.  The Buffaloes ran for 222 yards to MSU’s 92, led by Tre’Jon Henderson’s 110 yards.  WT also held the ball for 35:58 of the game and converted 7 third down attempts to MSU’s 1 third down conversion.  For MSU, Andrew Knebel threw for 175 yards and got better as the game went on while Demonte Green caught 9 passes for 119 yards.     

West Texas A&M improves to 5-5 and Midwestern State falls to 3-7.

Central Washington wins at home against Sul Ross State 66-0

All season long, Sul Ross State has had moments where they showed potential as a Division 2 program.  They hung with more established opponents for a while, made rallies against some oppenents, and even won two LSC games. 

None of that mattered on this day. 

The story of this game was very simple – Everything went right for Central Washington and everything went wrong for Sul Ross State.  I could probably end this recap right here, but I’ll attempt to make a slightly more significant effort to describe what happened.  In the first half, CWU had the ball 10 times.  They scored touchdowns on their first 8 drives, got a field goal on drive number 9, and had halftime stop their tenth and final drive.  Sul Ross State in the first half – They had the ball 9 times and they had 4 punts, 3 interceptions (including 2 by Tanner Volk), 1 fumble, and 1 turnover on downs.  CWU, on their way to a 59-0 HALFTIME LEAD, stopped attempting passes altogether in the second quarter and had their second- and third- (and probably fourth-teamers) playing in the second half with 10-minute quarters.  CWU outgained SRSU 507 (367 rushing) to 86 yards and had 4 interceptions on the night.  It was so bad that on CWU’s first drive of the second half (and only scoring drive of the second half), backup running back Ki’Maree Washington, who may have seen his first action of the season for all I know, ran what looked like the same play 13 straight times at the Lobos defense but was still able to gain all 60 yards and run 8:27 off the game clock on his way to the end zone to make it 66-0.   

Central Washington improves to 7-3 and Sul Ross State falls to 3-7.

Playoff Watch

Here is the last set of Super Region 4 rankings before the official playoff announcements:

In addition to the games involving LSC teams, the following games should catch some attention:

1. Augustana at Bemidji State – Bemidji State has moved into the 7 spot and needs a win to at least stay there.
2. Western Colorado at Colorado Mesa – Mesa needs a win to have a chance to make the playoffs and beating Western Colorado could give them that chance.

LSC Standings

Week 11 Preview

A full slate and a full day of football awaits LSC fans in the regular season’s final week.  Both LSC teams in playoff contention are at home this week in need of wins to punch their tickets to the playoffs.  Angelo State hosts West Texas A&M and Central Washington hosts Western Oregon, with both road teams looking to sting the hosts if they have an off day.  Win and you’re in, Rams and Wildcats.  Lose, and…you really want to risk losing? 

Finishing up the season are Texas-Permian Basin, making the trip to Alpine to face a Sul Ross State team that would like to get some points on the board.  Also, Western New Mexico would like to with their first LSC win in 2024 over Midwestern State.  And finally, in the regular season’s final game, Texas A&M-Kingsville looks to earn their third straight 7-win season as they host Eastern New Mexico. 

All games are on Saturday, November 16.  All game times are in the Central time zone.

Texas-Permian Basin at Sul Ross State, 12:00 PM

Series History: Series tied 1-1

Last meeting: 2017 (Sul Ross State won 47-22)

This isn’t the end of the season that UTPB was hoping for back in the Summer, but a win here over a team they should beat will give the Falcons 7 wins and some confidence going into the offseason.  Sul Ross State should probably burn the tape from last week’s game and hope they don’t get in the same situation this week.  Now, the problem with that strategy is that UTPB has been more than willing to throw the hammer down and blow out any and all opponents, and their offense has improved in recent weeks with Issac Mooring doing well filling in at quarterback.  I expect UTPB to be able to run the ball and keep the Lobos defense on the field, especially since the Sul Ross State run defense gives up an average of 260 yards per game, 40 yards more per game than UTPB’s last opponent, ENMU.  I don’t expect the Lobos to be completely out of it from minute one, but it’s tough for me to see this one being very close.  Texas-Permian Basin by 17 to 20 points. 

Western New Mexico at Midwestern State, 1:00 PM

Series History: Midwestern State leads 7-3

Last meeting: 2023 (Midwestern State won 56-7)

Western New Mexico almost came back from the dead against TAMUK but came up just short.  However, this doesn’t mask the fact that since starting out 2-1 this season, the WNMU Mustangs have scored more than 20 points in a game just once, in the Chile Bowl two weeks ago (34 points).  The MSU Mustangs have had similar offensive issues, scoring above 21 points in a game once since starting out 2-1 this season when they scored 40 points against Sul Ross State in what was their last win (they’ve lost 6 of their last 7 games). 

So this game has to end 60-59, right?   Not so fast.  Neither team has shown the offensive firepower to turn this into a shootout.  Also, the MSU defense has at least put some resistance at times this season (370 yards of offense and 28 points per game given up) compared to WNMU (466 yards of offense and 35 points per game given up).  I can see this game being a bit sloppy, with both teams struggling to find their offensive footing and maybe committing a few turnovers along the way, but I think the MSU defense will provide the Texan Mustangs with more opportunities to score, and I think they will get a late score to put the game out of reach.  Midwestern State by 10 points. 

Western Oregon at Central Washington, 3:00 PM

Series History: Central Washington leads 43-21

Last meeting: 2023 (Central Washington won 17-7)

It is the annual “Back to the GNAC” game between the last of the football-playing former GNAC members CWU and WOU.  Their recent history suggests this upcoming game will be a low-scoring, defensive match, which may mean that WOU could stay in it longer, especially if the Wolves are still dealing with injuries to Dominique Loggins, starting quarterback Kainoa Jones, and backup quarterback Jordan McCarty.  Regardless of who’s on the field, WOU is going to go after their rivals with all they have and hope they can finish some drives to keep it close.  However, CWU is at full strength and Tanner Volk would love nothing more than to repeat last year’s game where he intercepted two WOU passes.  This game will likely be close most of the way, but CWU is better on both sides of the ball, and it should show in the second half.  Central Washington by 10 points. 

West Texas A&M at #19 Angelo State, 6:00 PM

Series History: Angelo State leads 21-16

Last meeting: 2023 (Angelo State won 27-10)

Angelo State comes home after winning the LSC title to face a West Texas A&M team that has won 4 of their last 5 games.  WT has averaged 221 rushing yards in those wins and managed just 98 rushing yards in their loss to UTPB.  An ongoing trend for the Buffaloes has been their ability to run the ball well, so we’ll see how they fare against an Angelo State defense who gives up 115 rushing yards per game.  On the flip side of that running success has been the fact that the Buffaloes haven’t scored that many points the last three weeks, putting up point totals of 7, 21, and 17 points against tougher defenses.  WT has struggled against better defenses all season, scoring 13, 17, 3, and 16 points in their 4-game losing streak that preceded their current 4-1 streak. 

I can’t imagine WT is going to be able to solve the problems they have had with scoring against the LSC’s best defense.  In my opinion, Angelo State and Central Washington are near-mirror images of each other, and CWU went to Canyon and beat WT 45-3.   I see yards being very hard to come by for the Buffaloes, whose defense might keep it close in the first half but will likely wear down due to having to spend too much time on the field.  That will be when Braeden Fuller and the ASU offense will pull away.  Angelo State by 14 points.

Eastern New Mexico at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 8:00 PM

Series History: Texas A&M-Kingsville leads 27-11

Last meeting: 2023 (Texas A&M-Kingsville won 35-14)

What stands out right away is how the ENMU running attack (334 yards per game) will fare against the TAMUK run defense (89 yards per game) because even though the Javelinas have had lapses in pass defense this season, I don’t exactly see ENMU adopting the “Air Raid” offense, or even throwing more than they are comfortable with, for this game.  The TAMUK offense has shown more diversity with Jalen Brown at quarterback, but they have still struggled to score, putting up 21, 14, and 28 points in the three games he has played.  Statistically speaking, the ENMU defense, which gives up 428 yards per game, presents an opportunity for Brown, Roger Hagan, and the Javelinas to put together a strong offensive showing to end the season.  Not only should TAMUK be able to move the ball more effectively, but their defense is quite a bit better than ENMU, so I see the Greyhounds having to work very hard for very few points.  Texas A&M-Kingsville by 14 points.