LSC Roundup 10-31

MSU ends decade-long skid vs. Texans - J. Scott Russell, Times Record News
The Midwestern State Mustangs have accomplished a lot during Bill Maskill’s tenure — gone to the playoffs three times, won a conference title and have had one of the best offenses in the country.

But Saturday night in front of a homecoming crowd of 8,532 in Memorial Stadium, they finally accomplished something that had eluded them for 10 years.

They beat the Tarleton State Texans.

Keidrick Jackson rushed for two touchdowns and Lester Bush ground out 70 yards and a score of his own as the No. 22 Mustangs held on for a 31-26 win over the Texans.

The win broke a seven-game slide against TSU and the Mustangs improved to 7-2 for the season and 3-2 in Lone Star Conference South action. MSU will be at Texas A&M-Kingsville next Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against the Javelinas.

The Texans fall to 2-7 and 1-4 under first-year head coach Cary Fowler — a former offensive coordinator at MSU.

“We had to go the whole distance for the win,” Maskill said. “We had a lot of things we had to overcome and we didn’t play that well. To get a significant win and not play as well as you are capable of playing is obviously a good thing. It was a real good win for the kids.”


No. 3 Wildcats fight off Rams to remain unbeaten - Joey Richards, Abilene Reporter News
This one wasn’t easy. The Angelo State defense put a lot of pressure on quarterback Mitchell Gale, keeping him off balance much of the day. Yet the Abilene Christian sophomore still managed to make some plays, enough to keep the No. 3 Wildcats unbeaten.

Gale threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns to lead ACU past the Rams 33-20 in a Lone Star Conference football game on Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.

“We’ve got a lot of fight in us,” Gale said. “We knew it was going to be a struggle with them. They’re a good team. It wasn’t going to be easy. but we came out on top. Now, we’ve got to get ready for next week.”

The victory keeps the Wildcats (9-0 overall, 5-0 LSC) alone atop the LSC standings with two games remaining. The Wildcats began the day with a one-game lead over Texas A&M-Kingsville, which beat Southwestern Oklahoma State in an afternoon game. ACU already has beaten the Javelinas this season.


Buffs work over Incarnate Word - Amarillo Globe News
West Texas A&M did exactly what was expected Saturday afternoon, dominating an overmatched Incarnate Word squad in a 49-10 victory in the first meeting between the teams.

Despite coasting in the second half at Benson Stadium, the Buffs handed the Cardinals the third-worst loss in the program's two-year history. WT had an opportunity to eclipse that 44-point mark but chose to let the game clock expire at Incarnate Word's 11-yard line.

The victory kept WT on track for its Lone Star Conference showdown against third-ranked Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. Saturday at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

Buffs head coach Don Carthel said maturity kept his team from overlooking the Cardinals.

"They're old enough to know what's at stake," Carthel said. "This game today was just as important as the one next week against Abilene in terms of wins and losses."

"(Incarnate Word is) a team we are supposed to beat on film. They are a young team, they play hard and are well-coached, but we've got more talent then they do and we have more depth then they do."


Texas A&M-Kingsville rolls over Southwestern (Okla.) State - George Vondracek, Corpus Christi Caller
For one game, Texas A&M-Kingsville got all it wanted across the board against Southwestern (Okla.) State.

In their most dominating performance since 2005, the fifth-ranked Javelinas buried the Bulldogs 56-17, rolling up 546 yards of offense at Milam Stadium.

There was no question about offense concerning the offense as the Javelinas improved to 8-1 on the season and 7-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The yardage was the most gained this season by the Javelinas, who got four touchdowns from Jonathon Woodson, two shy of the all-time school record set in 1938 by Leroy Fry.

“Everybody just came out and played hard. It was a simple game plan,” said Woodson, who rushed for three TDs and 117 yards and added a pass reception for a score. “We were going to come in and run the ball and give it a chance. That’s what happened. We did very well with it.”

A&M-Kingsville totaled a season-best 325 rushing yards. The Javelinas bombarded SWO with four TDs on their first five possessions, built a 42-3 halftime lead, possessed the ball for almost 37 minutes and rarely looked back. It was A&M-Kingsville’s most lopsided victory since Bo Atterberry became coach in 2007 and the Javelinas’ most lopsided win since a 60-6 verdict over Texas College in the 2005 season opener.

“Finally, finally a little bit different. We finally put it together from the beginning,” said Javelinas quarterback Nate Poppell, who threw for 183 yards and TD passes of 6 yards to Woodson and 73 yards to Ryan Lincoln. “We were able to withstand it the whole game.

“It was a good week of practice. We knew the expectations coming into it,” Poppell said. “We were the first to understand how we’ve been playing throughout the season. I think after last week we were a little disappointed in the way we came out. We just came out today and made up for it and really put it to them.”