October 3rd, 2024 5:00am
Week 4 Recap
So what stood out in Week 4?
Now, about last week:
Western Oregon wins at home over West Texas A&M 24-16
Well, West Texas A&M must be thinking “Not this again!” after their fourth straight loss in 2024 and their fourth straight loss to Western Oregon. WOU held the WT rushing attack to just 33 yards, led by Sean Johnson, who had 27 of those yards to go along with 159 passing yards on 21 of 38 passes. Despite the Buffaloes’ offensive difficulties, they had a shot at making this game really interesting. Near the end of the third quarter, Jamaal Joseph scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-9. A failed two-point conversion pass kept the score at 14-9, but it took the Wolves just one play to answer. Kainoa Jones found Damon Hickok on a deep ball that went for a 63-yard touchdown and WOU was back up by two scores at 21-9. WOU would add another field goal before Joseph scored on the game’s final possession with a 3-yard touchdown reception. In the end, it’s now 4 straight losses and 7 losses in the Buffaloes’ last 8 games against teams from the Pacific Northwest.
Western Oregon improves to 2-2 and West Texas A&M falls to 1-4.
Texas A&M-Kingsville wins at home over Sul Ross State 56-21
Experience and physicality are two things that Sul Ross State will need to gain as they progress as a Division 2 team. However, right now they aren’t quite there in either aspect, and against the better teams of the LSC, those issues will eventually come forward and contribute to defeats. But the Lobos did show some life, pulling within 21-14 late in the first half on a Yamil Oaxaca 5-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Martinez. But the Lobos defense couldn’t keep the TAMUK offense down, giving up an 8-yard touchdown reception by Isaiah Smalls from Teague Sedtal, who has solidified his standing at quarterback with 230 yards and 4 touchdowns on 17 of 25 passes. Martinez did complete 13 of 25 passes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Lobos only gained 2 yards on the ground and the Javelinas scored touchdowns on 8 of their 9 possessions. Even the best effort from Martinez would not have made up for the Lobos’ inability to get their defense of the field.
Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 3-1 and Sul Ross State falls to 1-4.
Texas-Permian Basin wins at Midwestern State 27-3
Going into this game, the main thing I thought was whoever had the better running game would have the upper hand in the game. I thought UTPB really needed to establish their running game to take pressure off Dylan Graham and Midwestern State needed a strong sunning game because their passing game is still suspect.
So how did each team do on the ground?
UTPB – 38 carries for 199 yards, 5.2 average yards per carry, 1 touchdown
MSU – 29 carries for 89 yards, 3.1 average yards per carry, 0 touchdowns
With the help of that running game, UTPB held the ball for 33:11 of the game and collected 28 first downs to MSU’s 16. UTPB got into MSU territory 8 times and entered the red zone 6 times, scoring 5 times. MSU got within the UTPB 30-yard line three times, only managing a field goal. While MSU did pass for 164 yards, it took three passers to do that, and Sean Jastrab led the Mustangs with 94 passing yards. It just came down to MSU not being able to sustain drives without a strong running game, as they had 3 drives of more than 6 plays and 3 drives of more than 40 yards.
Texas-Permian Basin improves to 3-2 and Midwestern State falls to 2-2.
Central Washington wins at home over Western New Mexico 36-0
Against teams that finished in the lower 3 of the RMAC in 2023, WNMU has a 2-0 record and has outscored those opponents by a total score of 82-69. In three games against the teams that finished in the LSCs top 3 in 2023, WNMU now has an 0-3 record and has been outscored 98-3 with shutouts the last two weeks. In those two shutouts, the Mustangs have crossed midfield three times and have entered the red zone just once. Compare this to what CWU was able to do in defeating WNMU – of their 9 possessions, they got into WNMU territory every time, were in the red zone on all but two possessions, and likely score more if not for losing two fumbles in the first half. CWU outgained WNMU by 551-94 yards, including 364 rushing yards. The Wildcats earned 29 first downs to 8 for WNMU, holding the ball for 39:31 of game time. Kennedy McGill completed 13 of 18 passes for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns, while WNMU’s Josh Magana also completed 13 passes, but for just 82 yards. I guess the only thing that WNMU did well was that their defense did get two turnovers, but outside of that they didn’t put up much resistance at all.
Central Washington improves to 3-1 and Western New Mexico falls to 2-3.
LSC Standings
School | LSC | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
Central Washington | 2-0 | 3-1 | |
Texas A&M-Kingsville | 2-0 | 3-1 | |
Angelo State | 2-0 | 2-2 | |
Western Oregon | 2-0 | 2-2 | |
Texas-Permian Basin | 2-1 | 3-2 | |
Midwestern State | 1-1 | 2-2 | |
West Texas A&M | 1-2 | 1-4 | |
Eastern New Mexico | 0-2 | 2-2 | |
Western New Mexico | 0-3 | 2-3 | |
Sul Ross State | 0-3 | 1-4 | |
https://lonestarconference.org/standings.aspx?path=football&
Week 5 Preview
There is a very important matchup in Midland between Angelo State and Texas-Permian Basin that will determine if UTPB will climb closer to the top of the LSC or if ASU will stay at the top. Also, we have two “trap game” alerts on the schedule, with Texas A&M-Kingsville hosting a pesky Midwestern State squad a week before going to Angelo State, and Central Washington heading back on the road a week before games with UTPB and TAMUK. Then there’s Western Oregon looking for their third win in a row and Western New Mexico looking for points, any points.
All games are on Saturday, October 5. All game times are in the Central time zone.
Western New Mexico at Western Oregon, 3:00 PM
Series History: Western Oregon leads 4-1
Last meeting: 2023 (Western Oregon won 31-10)
Well, as of Wednesday this is the “Game the LSC Doesn’t Want You To Know About” since it’s not on the LSC football schedule page. Maybe the people at the LSC Home Office in Richardson, Texas will remedy this error before the weekend, but this game will go on regardless. Western New Mexico has struggled mightily with two of the LSC’s top defenses in Central Washington and Angelo State, being shut out in both games. While Western Oregon isn’t thought of in the same breath as those two teams, the Wolves have won two straight games, and their defense has significantly improved since their season opener where they were overwhelmed by Idaho State. Since the Idaho State game, WOU has given up 97 rushing yards a game and 197 passing yards a game while allowing 21 points a game. WNMU’s defense, if nothing else, has made teams work a bit to get their points, although their effort against CWU still was still not one to be proud of. I expect this game will be a bit more slow-paced, which favors WOU. I do expect WNMU will score at some point in the game, but I don’t expect them to be able to score enough to pull off the upset. WOU has more talent on both sides of the ball, and they have been improving with each week. Western Oregon by 13 points.
Angelo State at Texas-Permian Basin, 6:00 PM
Series History: Angelo State leads 6-1
Last meeting: 2023 (Texas-Permian Basin won 28-23)
For a team that has given up just 14.5 points per game and has a plus-7 turnover margin, you would think Angelo State would be quite happy with where they are, maybe with an undefeated record. However, ASU’s well-documented offensive issues, as shown by their 16.5 average points per game and 5 touchdowns in 15 red zone chances, have been a big reason why the Rams are 2-2.
UTPB showed glimpses of last year’s offense last week in their win over MSU, particularly with a strong ground game. While I can’t predict that this will continue against a tougher Angelo State defense, the UTPB offense does have more depth than ASU and has still averaged 446 yards a game despite the difficulties they have had in their losses.
I think Angelo State will have difficulty finishing drives in this game against the UTPB defense, which has also been tough, giving up 16 points a game and 96 rushing yards per game. For ASU to win, they need to keep the game close and low-scoring, and hopefully control the time of possession. However, I think that UTPB will be the team that controls the time of possession, and as a result I expect the Falcons to pull away in the second half. Texas-Permian Basin by 10 points.
Central Washington at Eastern New Mexico, 7:00 PM
Series History: Central Washington leads 3-0
Last meeting: 2023 (Central Washington won 38-35)
This is your good-ol’ fashioned trap game right here. CWU faces UTPB and TAMUK the next two weeks but needs to go back on the road to face an ENMU team coming off two straight losses and gave CWU all they could handle last season. I will be very curious about how ENMU’s rushing offense (397 yards per game) will do against the CWU rushing defense (69 yards per game). Now, ENMU is going to run the ball because that’s what they do and they’re not going to give up on it at any time. Can ENMU run enough to finish drives, or will they throw away drives like they did four times last week against Angelo State?
The CWU running game, while not as committed as ENMU, has improved every week in 2024, with a season-high of 364 yards last week against WNMU. The Wildcats will likely prioritize the running game with Kennedy McGill and Tyler Flanagan. Also, with the CWU passing game averaging 215 yards per game the last two weeks as well, CWU should have some success against the ENMU defense, which gives up 397 yards per game (205 rushing and 192 passing). It’s difficult for me to see a situation where ENMU can stay close unless they can cut some CWU drives short and get some turnovers while playing a clean game on offense. It’s a tall order for ENMU against a team that right now is playing better than Angelo State, and ENMU couldn’t beat Angelo State. Central Washington by 13 points.
Midwestern State at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:00 PM
Series History: Midwestern State leads 18-7
Last meeting: 2023 (Texas A&M-Kingsville won 27-21)
This one could be another potential trap game with TAMUK facing Angelo State and CWU the next two weeks and MSU being able to do just enough to possibly keep things interesting with their running game and defense. That being said, this is a must-win for Kingsville, not just for a shot at the LSC title, but also for placement in the playoff conversation. Kingsville has shown offensive flexibility with Teague Sedtal becoming more comfortable at quarterback, allowing Roger Hagan and the typically-reliable TAMUK ground game to be more effective. The Javelinas have been able to finish more drives and average 29 points a game in 2024. MSU hopes to be where TAMUK is with their offense, where quarterback Sean Jastrab has mostly struggled outside of the Western Colorado game.
Like with UTPB last week, I think MSU will have difficulty establishing the running game that they need to have to win. TAMUK has only allowed 64 rushing yards per game and may dare MSU to throw on them, where the Javelinas have picked off 4 passes so far. Unless Jastrab can put up some significant numbers throwing the ball, I’m not sure MSU will be able to move the ball with enough consistency to win. Texas A&M-Kingsville by 13 points.
Sul Ross State and West Texas A&M have the week off.