LSC Football Recap 10-17

Taking Charge - George Vondracek, Corpus Christi Caller
When the lights finally came on at Javelina Stadium Saturday night, Texas A&M-Kingsville appeared to have just woken from a nap, the illumination making the Javelinas groggy for a spell.

Once the ninth-ranked Javelinas rubbed the sleep from their eyes, they blindsided the seventh-ranked Buffaloes with a phenomenal second half of football.

The Javelinas limited the explosive West Texas offense to 67 second-half yards and two first downs in pitching a

shutout. A&M-Kingsville’s offense came to life with 503 yards of offense and rallied to shock the Buffaloes 28-24 in front of a homecoming crowd of 14,500.



Javelinas rally for 28-24 win against Buffs - Amarillo Globe News
The West Texas A&M Buffs appeared to have everything in control Saturday night against Texas A&M-Kingsville, cruising along with a 24-6 lead in the second quarter.

However, whatever adjustments the Javelinas made at halftime paid off in impressive fashion.

TAMK exploded for 22 unanswered points - completely dominating the second half - as the No. 9 Javelinas knocked off the No. 7 Buffs, 28-24, in a Lone Star Conference South Division game before 14,500 fans at Javelina Stadium.

Javelinas rally from 18 point deficit to beat #7 West Texas A&M - Video


Gale fires 5 TD passes in ACU romp over Incarnate Word - Abilene Reporter News
Abilene Christian’s first trip south to play Incarnate Word was successful as the Wildcats built a big halftime lead and cruised to a 54-17 victory Saturday.

The No. 5 Wildcats improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Lone Star Conference play. Combined with Texas A&M-Kingsville’s come-from-behind 28-24 win over West Texas A&M, the Wildcats are now alone in first place in the LSC.

ACU and WT play Nov. 6 in Canyon.

Quarterback Mitchell Gale, who did not play in the fourth quarter, threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns — matching a season best.

UIW no match for high-powered ACU - Blake Hurtik, San Antonio Express-News

Incarnate Word's 54-17 loss to Abilene Christian on Saturday night could be summarized in one bone-jarring play.
With the Cardinals already trailing 17-0 late in the first quarter, tight end Andrew Mocio made a catch on a short out route, cut upfield and ... boom! ACU linebacker Nathan Baggs laid a devastating hit, knocking loose Mocio's helmet and the ball, which Eric Edwards recovered and returned 25 yards for a touchdown.

“It dazed me a little bit, and everything went bright,” Mocio said.

He won't be the only Cardinal feeling the after effects of this one.

“We got our butts whooped tonight,” UIW coach Mike Santiago said. “That's a good football team. They're No. 3 or No. 4 or whatever the hell they are for a reason.”



Offense paces Mustangs to win over Angelo State - J. Scott Russell, Times Record News
The Midwestern State defense did a lot of bending in Saturday night’s game against the Angelo State Rams.

And they broke a few times as well.

But the offense of the No. 15 Mustangs was more than up to the challenge when that happened.

MSU scored on five of its first eight possessions and controlled the ball for almost nine minutes in the final period as it picked up a 35-21 win over the Rams in front of 8,055 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The Mustangs improve to 6-1 and 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference South, while the Rams — who have played everyone close — drop their fourth straight to fall to 2-4 and 0-4.

MSU is at West Texas A&M next Saturday for a 6 p.m. game.

“I was excited for the team,” MSU head coach Bill Maskill said. “We made improvements and we competed on both sides of the ball. I was happy for the way we came back. We had guys injured and banged up and they still came through and got the win.”

ASU FOOTBALL: Rams lose fourth straight - San Angelo Standard Times
Angelo State quarterback Josh Neiswander passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as the Rams lost their fourth straight game, 35-21 Saturday to No. 15 Midwestern State at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls.

Neiswander completed 26 of 45 passes, six of which for 146 yards went to CJ Akins, but the Rams couldn’t overcome a 21-point third-quarter deficit and fell to 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the Lone Star Conference South Division. MSU improved to 6-1, 2-1.

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LSC Football Recap: Oct. 16, 2010 - LSC Office


No. 5 Abilene Christian 51, Incarnate Word 14
SAN ANTONIO, Texas-No. 5-ranked Abilene Christian University scored early and often to beat University of Incarnate Word, 51-14, Saturday night in Benson Stadium, improving its record to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Lone Star Conference.

Sophomore quarterback Mitchell Gale threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns to lead No. 5 ACU over UIW, which fell to 2-5 and 0-3 in the LSC. The Cardinals led the Wildcats in time of possession but when ACU did get the ball, it scored nearly at will.

ACU junior running back Daryl Richardson opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD run at 10:42 of the first quarter, but Gale kept the ball in the air most of the first half, tossing three scoring passes as the Wildcats built a 37-7 halftime lead. Morgan Lineberry contributed a 27-yard field goal and linebacker Eric Edwards returned a fumble 25 yards for another TD.

Wildcat wide receiver Edmund Gates caught three passes for 121 yards and two scores, and Raymond Radway had another 85 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Charcandrick West caught three passes for 82 yards, one of them a 67-yard TD.



No. 9 Texas A&M-Kingsville 28, No. 7 West Texas A&M 24
Kingsville, Texas – A 28-minute power outage merely postponed the offensive fireworks at Javelina Stadium Saturday night, as ninth-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville defeated seventh-ranked West Texas A&M, 28-24.

WTAMU falls to 5-2 on the year, 5-1 LSC, 2-1 LSC South play, while TAMUK improves to 6-1, 5-1 LSC, 3-1 LSC South.

A power failure at Javelina Stadium left the fans in the dark and forced the teams to return to their respective locker rooms just minutes before the schedule start. Power was restored and the game got underway at approximately 7:34 p.m. CST.

From there, it was literally a tale of two halves, as the Buffaloes dominated the first half of play, taking a 24-13 halftime lead, only to see the Javelinas out gain the Buffs, 278-67 in the second half and out shut out the high-powered WT offense in the process

Fighting back from that halftime deficit and with the Buffaloes leading, 24-22, TAMU-K scored the winning points with just 3:24 remaining on the clock as quarterback Nate Poppell found Sherman Batiste on a quick slant route, hitting him for the winning touchdown.

The Javelinas’ offense out gained WT, 503-340, for the game, marking the first time this season that an opponent has out gained the Buffaloes. It was also the lowest offensive output for the Buffs thus far.

TAMU-K’s Nate Poppell completed 21 of 34 passes for 264 yards and two TDs. Ryan Lincoln was his favorite target, catching six passes for 114 yards. Jonathan Woodson gained a game-high 115 yards on 23 carries.

WT’s Taylor Harris completed 17 of 31 passes for 236 yards and three TDs. Stephen Burton had seven catches for 99 yards and two TDs, while Tyson Williams caught five passes for 96 yards. Kelvin Thompson posted his third 100-yard rushing performance of the year, gaining 107 yards on just nine carries.

WT linebacker Kyle Voss led all defenders with his 10-tackle performance.



NORTHEASTERN State 20, Southwestern Oklahoma 10
WEATHERFORD, Oklahoma - Northeastern State University kept its record unbeaten in Lone Star Conference North Division play with a 20-10 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State University Saturday in Weatherford. The win lifted the RiverHawks to 4-3 and 3-0 in the division while Southwestern fell to 1-6 and 1-3 in division play.

Northeastern picked off three passes and collected eight quarterback sacks as the RiverHawks limited SWOSU to three points for much of the game before yielding a touchdown in the game's final two seconds.

NSU's Josh Lewis led the RiverHawks offensively as he rushed for 137 yards on 17 carries as they grind out 229 yards on the ground. NSU had 336 yards of total offense and limited SWOSU to 294.

Kenny Davis completed 11-of-25 passes for 107 yards and through a pair of 14-yard touchdowns to Trey McVey as Northeastern broke open a 6-3 halftime lead to a 20-3 cushion midway through the fourth quarter.

SWOSU was led offensively by Dustin Stenta who completed 14-of-32 passes for 126 yards but was intercepted.



Tarleton State 34, Texas A&M-commerce 31
COMMERCE, Texas - Facing a second and goal at the A&M-Commerce 21, Nick Stephens completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Saalim Hakim with 40 seconds to go to lead Tarleton State to 34-31 win over Texas A&M University-Commerce on Saturday afternoon in Commerce.

Tarleton State (2-5) marched down the field on a season-long 92-yard drive with 2:39 left in the game. Stephens completed four-straight passes before back-to-back penalties on the Lions moved the Texans to the A&M-Commerce 30. Facing a 3rd and 5, Stephens completed a 21-yard pass to Paul Mansfield for a first down. After the Texans called timeouts, the Lions’ Tevin Moore sacked Stephens to suspend the momentum for Tarleton and prompted a second timeout in the drive. After the timeout, Stephens completed the game-winning strike to Hakim for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning score.

A&M-Commerce (2-5) junior running back Marcus Graham had his third 100-yard game of the season, rushing 21 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. The Lions ground game picked up a season-high 224 yards in the loss. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Danny Mason had a game-best 11 stops, including a sack.

For Tarleton, Stephens completed 17 of 33 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Evan Roberson ran the ball 20 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. Terrence Henry had a team-best seven stops in the win.

To start the game, Tarleton went ahead 3-0 after recovering on an on-side kick to start the game. The Texans marched down the field and Blake Weist made a 24-yard field goal for the early lead.

A&M-Commerce took its possession and went to Graham five times, including a 36-yard jaunt on a 4th and 1 to take an early 7-3 lead. The Lions added to its lead on its next possession when Ahmed Abo-Mahmood made a 32-yard field goal for a 10-3 advantage. Tarleton came right back and tied it when Jerome Regal ran it in from six yards out to tie the game at 10.

The Lions had an answer and again it was with Graham as well as three costly penalties on the Texans. With a 3rd and 14 situation, a Tarleton penalty gave the Lions a first down and extended the drive. After Graham carried the ball down four times down to the Tarleton 11. The Lions capitalized on a personal foul and a facemask on the Texans before Jamar Mosley scored his first career touchdown from three yards to put the Lions back in front, 17-10.

Later in the quarter, the Texans took advantage of an A&M-Commerce turnover to tie the game when Stephens completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jeken Frye to tie the game for the second time.

On the next possession by A&M-Commerce, facing a 4th and 10, the Lions called a fake punt and up back Derek Lee rank the ball down to the Tarleton 6. On the next play, Mosley scored his second touchdown of the game to put A&M-Commerce in front by a 24-17 margin.

On their second drive of the second half, Tarleton cut the A&M-Commerce lead to 24-20 when Blake Weist made a 20-yard field goal. On their first drive of the fourth quarter, Brandon Lowery got his hand on an A&M-Commerce punt to give Tarleton a shorter field. Next, the Texans took advantage of a an A&M-Commerce personal foul and Evan Robertson put Tarleton back in front by a 27-24 margin when he scored from 21 yards out with 11:27 left in the game.

The Lions came back and got a first down, following the kickoff. Next, sophomore London Hamilton broke free from a collection of Tarleton defenders and reversed his course in the process for a 48-yard touchdown run to put the Lions in front, 31-27 with 10:08 to play. The two teams exchanged punts until the game-deciding drive by Stephens with 2:39 to go.



Southeastern Oklahoma 56, Central Oklahoma 55
EDMOND, Oklahoma - Chris Peoples kicked the deciding extra point to lift Southeastern Oklahoma to a wild 56-55 Lone Star Conference North Division overtime victory over Central Oklahoma here Saturday afternoon.

The Bronchos scored first in the extra session on Josh Birmingham’s 12-yard run, but Chris Robbs’ PAT bounced off the right upright to leave UCO with a 55-49 lead and the Savage Storm took advantage.

Baylen Laury covered 25 yards in two consecutive rushes to tie the game and Peoples came on to drill the game-winner as SOSU completed a stunning comeback from a 35-10 third-quarter deficit.

SOSU scored 32 unanswered points in turning its 35-10 deficit into a 42-35 fourth-quarter lead, but the Bronchos came back to tie it and then went ahead 49-42 on Ethan Sharp’s 38-yard TD pass to Carter Whitson with just 1:02 left to play.

The Savage Storm drove 62 yards in 15 plays to force overtime on the final play of regulation when Logan Turner hit Chad Laury with a six-yard TD pass and Peoples followed with the tying PAT.

SOSU racked up 602 yards in 95 plays on the day, with Turner hitting 24-of-41 passes for 298 yards and five TDs. Baylen Laury finished with 198 yards and two TDs rushing on 23 carries.

UCO finished with 460 yards, getting 205 yards and three TDs rushing from Birmingham while Sharp was 20-of-37 for 242 yards and four TDs.

Birmingham had TD runs of 60 and 66 yards while also scoring on a 33-yard pass to stake the Bronchos to their 35-10 lead in the opening minute of the third quarter.

SOSU improved to 3-4 on the year and 2-2 in North Division play, while UCO fell to 2-5 and 1-2.



East Central University 22, Eastern New Mexico 19
ADA – Quarterback Tyler Vanderzee connected with Chris Espinoza on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 2:07 to go as East Central University rallied for a 22-19 Lone Star Conference North football victory over Eastern New Mexico Saturday afternoon at Norris Field.

The Vanderzee-to-Espinoza connection for touchdowns was successful three times in the game as the pair hooked up on a 15-yard scoring pass in the first quarter and a 31-yarder in the third quarter.

Vanderzee was 24-of-48 passing for 282 yards and the three touchdowns while being intercepted once on a pickoff by Perron Sellers, while Espinoza caught seven passes for a team-leading 82 yards and the three scores. Jason Stephenson also hauled in seven passes for 68 yards for the Tigers, who improved to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in the LSC North.

ENMU quarterback Wesley Wood was 36-of-49 passing for 368 yards, but was intercepted three times – twice by Dontae Smith and once by Norris Wrenn.

Darian Dale caught a game-leading 10 passes for 98 yards for the Greyhounds while Chase Kyser latched on to six for 102 yards.

ENMU’s Melvis Hawkins had a 2-yard scoring run in the second quarter and Tony Valenzuela scored off a 13-yarder, which put the Greyhounds on top 19-14 with 14:55 remaining in the contest.

The Tigers had a few scoring chances in the fourth quarter go awry, getting deep into Greyhound territory, but missing a 27-yard field goal and throwing an interception at the 10-yard line.

Defensively for ECU, Wrenn topped the Tiger tackle chart with 11, including eight solos, to go with the interception and forced fumble. Defensive end Travis Buchanan posted three tackles for lost yards, including 2.5 sacks. Tyler McGrew also had a pair of sacks.

For ENMU, Tillman Stevens led the way with 14 tackles, including eight solos and a pass breakup. Nathan Uland collected 11 tackles, including three for lost yards. Sellers also had 11 stops, with four unassisted, to go with his interception.



No. 15 Midwestern State 35, Angelo State 21
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Lester Bush rushed for two touchdowns to lead No. 15 Midwestern State to a 35-21 Lone Star Conference win over Angelo State Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The win secured the 11th consecutive winning season for the Mustangs, who improved to 6-1 on the season.

Bush rushed for a game-high 77 yards including touchdown carries from 5 and 1 yards out as MSU raced out to a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter.

Angelo State, bolstered Josh Neiswander's 333-yard, two-TD passing performance, clawed to as close as two scores in the second half, but suffered its fourth-straight loss to fall to 2-4.

Eskridge completed a touchdown for the 21st consecutive as he hit David Little for 18-yard scoring strike with 13:53 to go in the contest as the senior signal caller finished hitting 12-of-17 passes for 169 yards.

Little made eight receptions for 114 yards for the Mustangs, while C.J. Akins made six catches for 146 yards for Angelo State.

Midwestern State takes on West Texas A&M Saturday at 6 p.m. in Canyon, while the Rams play host to Incarnate Word.