LSC Roundup 10-25

Kicker the hero for Javs - George Vondracek, Corpus Christi Caller Times
In his 34 previous ballgames, Christian Brom hadn’t received the call to perform last-second heroics.

That is somewhat unusual since the Texas A&M-Kingsville senior place-kicker has climbed to third on the Javelinas’ all-time list with 31 field goals. But not once in those 45 attempts has the outcome of a game been at stake in the waning moments.

That all changed Saturday night. Brom can add game-winning field goal to his resume.

With 21 seconds remaining, Brom kicked a 41-yard field goal to allow the seventh-ranked Javelinas to escape with a 13-10 Lone Star Conference victory over the Texans, spoiling their homecoming in front of 5,812.

“I’m a senior and I’ve been playing for four years and I’ve never got my name called before at the end like that,” Brom said. “I knew that if it would have come down to that, it wouldn’t have made any difference. I’d have tried to execute it like I execute every other kick.”


WT, MSU get 'chippy' at end - Dave Henry, Amarillo Globe News
For whatever reason, the final five minutes of West Texas A&M's 42-29 win against Midwestern State on Saturday night at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium were, shall we say, competitive.

Despite the fact the game was all but over when the Buffs went up 42-15 with 10:25 to play, players and coaches on both sides did not let up.

The Buffs weren't thrilled that MSU called a timeout on defense with 1:53 to play - two plays after punting.

"That's what I thought (the game was over) when they punted to us," said WT head coach Don Carthel.

"To me that is waving the white flag."

The Mustangs weren't thrilled with the physical play of WT's defensive backs.

"(WT) finally got a call (against them) at the end of the game when it doesn't mean anything," said MSU head coach Bill Maskill. "They're coached to do that and they do a good job."


Football Waits Out Win Against Commerce - SWO Sports Information
COMMERCE, Texas – Twice delayed, Southwestern Oklahoma State University could not be denied capturing its second football win of the season with a 24-10 beating of Texas A&M-Commerce Sunday on the road. The Bulldogs had to endure a three-plus hour storm delay that suspended the game with SWOSU leading 17-3 with 12:40 to play in the fourth quarter.

Once play resumed, SWOSU snuffed the Lions after yielding an early score and added another score of their own for good measure. SWOSU improved to 2-6 with the victory and 2-3 in the Lone Star Conference North Division. A&M-Commerce, the unbeaten North division winner of 2009, fell to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the division. The game had been scheduled to be played on Saturday but was postponed to Sunday after heavy storms pounded the Commerce area for much of the day.

SWOSU coach Dan Cocannouer had nothing but praise for the way his team hung together and were able to close out the Lions after what had been a lengthy weekend for his team.

“I kind of felt it was a lot like Groundhog Day.” Cocannouer said. “We kept waking up and realizing that there was still more game to be played. I think this tested us mentally, and it is a credit to our kids of how they continued to keep their focus even when the weather was not cooperating.”

SWOSU quarterback Dustin Stenta was again the driving force behind the Bulldogs. The freshman signal caller completed 19-of-39 passes for 223 yards and one touchdown. He also was the team’s top ground gainer accumulating 76 yards on 11 carries.

SWOSU began to assert itself in the second half after both teams entered the locker room tied at 3-3. Stenta connected on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Davis that gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead with 3:54 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs defense, which dominated the Lions throughout the game, set up SWOSU’s next score. Defensive end Tim Stephenson recovered a fumble by the Lions quarterback Adam Farkes at the Commerce 29-yard line. On the very next play, Isaac Tucker rumbled in from 29-yards out and SWOSU was ahead 17-3 with 13:14 to play.


AFCA Poll 10-25
Mercyhurst (Pa.) upset then-No. 3 California (Pa.), 31-21, and jumped into the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the first time in school history at No. 24. The Lakers are 6-2 on the season and sit atop the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. With California’s (Pa.) loss, the Top 5 teams changed with Abilene Christian (Texas) moving up to No. 3, followed by No. 4 Northwest Missouri State and No. 5 Texas A&M-Kingsville. Grand Valley State (Mich.) and Minnesota-Duluth still sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

There are two Top 25 matchups this coming week as No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 20 St. Cloud State (Minn.) battle for the top spot in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division, while No. 19 Delta State (Miss.) and No. 21 North Alabama meet on Thursday night in a key Gulf South Conference game.

1. Grand Valley (1)
2. Minnesota-Duluth (2)
3. Abilene Christian (4) received a first place vote
4. Northwest Missouri (5)
5. Texas A&M-Kingsville (7)
6. Albany State (8)
7. Central Missouri (9)
8. Augustana (11)
9. Nebraska-Kearney (12)
10. Valdosta State (14)

Other Super Region 4 Teams
14. West Texas A&M (17)
22. Midwestern State (13)
Receiving Votes - Central Washington, Washburn, Humboldt State, Southwest Baptist



LSC Football Weekly Release: ACU continues perfect season - LSC Office
ACU CONTINUES PERFECT SEASON
Abilene Christian topped Eastern New Mexico in Lone Star Conference crossover action to improve to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play, while remaining 4-0 in the South Division. The top two teams in the North - Northeastern State and East Central - square off on Saturday.

Click here for the complete release




ACU, KINGSVILLE RANKED IN TOP-FIVE
Two LSC teams are ranked in top five of the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (Oct. 25) with ACU moving up a spot from last week to No. 3 and Texas A&M-Kingsville at No. 5 up from seventh. West Texas A&M is No. 14 after defeating Midwestern State who fell to No. 22.

DIVISIONAL PLAY CONTINUES
Division play continues in week 10 with six contests. A crossover game will be played as well. The league has played 19 crossover contests this season with the South Division holding a 16-3 advantage.

STAT LEADERS
In week nine, the LSC had three quarterbacks throw for 300-plus yards, four receivers and five rushers over the century mark and 14 double-digit tacklers. Top performances included:
Passing: 410, Taylor Harris (41-60-2), WTAMU vs MSU
Rushing: 22-222, Baylen Laury, SE vs ECU
Receiving: 7-139, Stephen Burton, WTAMU vs MSU
Tackles: 15, Curtis Jackson, ENMU vs ACU

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
SOUTH OFFENSIVE
Taylor Harris, West Texas A&M University, SR, QB, Whitesboro, Texas, Whitesboro
Harris passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns as the Buffaloes took a crucial 42-29 win over Midwestern State, marking the third time this season that Harris has passed for four or more touchdowns.. His 41-of-60 passing performance also marked the first time that a WT quarterback has both completed more than 40 passes and attempted 60 or more passes in a single game since Keith Null went 42-of-63 (for 595 yards and seven TDs) against Abilene Christian on Nov. 22, 2008.

SOUTH DEFENSIVE
Curtis Jefferson, West Texas A&M University, JR, S, Houston, Texas, Cy-Ridge
Jefferson has made a habit of returning interceptions fairly long distances. Against 13th-ranked Midwestern State, he returned a Zack Eskridge interception 59 yards for a score to mark the second time this year he’s returned a pick-six. He returned an interception 53 yards for a TD earlier this season at Southwestern Oklahoma State.

SOUTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Christian Brom, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SR, K, McAllen, TX, McAllen
Brom posted his second straight multi-field goal game of the season for the Javelinas. After missing a 38-yarder at the beginning of the game he bounced back with a 32-yard field goal to open the scoring against Tarleton State. He kicked his first ever game-winning field goal when he drilled a 41-yarder with 21 seconds left to provide the margin of victory.

NORTH OFFENSIVE
Baylen Laury, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, SR, RB, Forney, Texas, Forney HS
Laury turned in the best outing of his career in a 20-19 loss to rival East Central. He rushed for a career-high 222 yards on 22 carries and reached the endzone twice. His 222 yards is the best in the Lone Star Conference this season and is the sixth-best single game outing in Southeastern history. He averaged 10.1 yards per carry and the game was his fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. He also added five catches for 21 yards, finishing the day with 257 all-purpose yards in the contest.

NORTH DEFENSIVE
Dontae Smith, East Central University, JR, CB, Deland, Florida, Deland HS,
Smith had the game-winning 36-yard interception return for a touchdown while recording five total tackles (four solo) and three pass breakups in the Tigers’ come-from-behind 20-19 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State. One of Smith’s tackles went for a loss of five yards. He now leads the team with five interceptions on the season.

NORTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Cody Lenz, Northeastern State University, JR, P, Deer Park, Texas, Deer Park
Lenz had a spectacular day, punting four times for a 46.5 yard average despite the rainy playing conditions. The junior punter had one punt inside the UCO 20 yard line and his longest punt was a 53-yarder. With Northeastern State holding an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, Lenz had two punts in the final 5:19 that were of 50 and 43 yards to keep the Bronchos from putting together a serious comeback bid.