Javelinas football to face formidable foe in opener
CORPUS CHRISTI — KINGSVILLE — There is a bit of a roadblock in front of Texas A&M-Kingsville’s path back to national football respectability. It stands in the form of perennial Gulf South Conference power Delta (Miss.) State, ranked fourth in the preseason AFCA poll. The Statesmen come calling to Javelina Stadium for the season opener starting at 7 p.m. today.
But much like last year’s road opener against NCAA Division I North Dakota, third-year Javelinas coach Bo Atterberry isn’t shirking from the task. Instead, the Javelinas will again use the opener as a measuring stick of how far the program has come — and how much longer the trek will be.
“Well I can’t really find much negative to think about because it’s scheduled at this point. You sit down and weigh your options,” Atterberry said. “To me, this being our third year, we went and faced a smaller Division I last year. We want to be at the top of Division II. Why not find out? What a great opportunity.
“There’s a lot of teams that wish they had a highly ranked team coming in their place so they can make a statement. I think our guys will be ready to go,” said Atterberry, whose Javelinas are coming off a 7-4 season. “We’ve always viewed this as a great opportunity and we’re just trying to cherish the opportunity. I really can’t think of a negative.”
The maroon & white zone
Analysis, statistics, strategies, quotes and numbers about today's game between the No. 11 West Texas A&M Buffaloes and the No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers ...
1st and Goal: The Buffs have to keep the game on the field and not in the newspapers, polls, Web sites or blogs. According to regular season winning percentage the past four seasons, this game is a matchup of the top two teams in the nation, regardless of division. GVS has not lost a regular season game since October 23, 2004 - a winning percentage of 100 percent (40-0) the past four years. The Buffs are right behind at 93.2 percent (41-3). The difference is the postseason - GVS is 51-2 overall with a pair of national titles since 2005. WT is 44-7.
"This is like a national semifinal game right out of the chute," said GVS head coach Chuck Martin.
"A game like this can really help us or it can hurt us," said WT head coach Don Carthel. "It depends on how we handle it and how we grow from it. We are a young team."
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Mustangs unsure about what to expect in opener
The Midwestern State Mustangs aren’t quite going into tonight’s season opener against New Mexico Highlands blind, but they could use a good pair of glasses.
With no film on the Cowboys and quite a few transfers on their roster, the MSU coaching staff hasn’t been able to find out a great deal about the visitors.
So they’ll have to settle for making sure the Mustangs are at their best as they go for their ninth straight win in a season opener.
Kickoff tonight is set for 7 at Memorial Stadium.
ASU senior linebackers primed for breakout season
They call themselves “The Four Horsemen.”
They are the four senior linebackers at Angelo State University, one of the most talented and experienced group of LBs in the Lone Star Conference.
And they are ready for the 2009 season to begin so they can back up their credentials and help turn the ASU program back into the winning one fans are used to.
UIW faces unusual challenge in Monterrey Tech
There were two grainy videos, ever-changing rosters and a confusing Spanish-only Web site.
And that's just about the extent of what the Incarnate Word Cardinals scrounged up in scouting their first opponent, Monterrey Tech of Mexico.
“Definitely a lot harder than it usually is,” defensive coordinator Todd Ivicic said with a grin.
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