Relax, it is September - Dave Henry, Amarillo Globe News
The West Texas A&M Buffaloes have 10 games left in the regular season. Their first LSC game is this Saturday at Southwestern Oklahoma State, a game that should be a prime opportunity for the Buffs backups to get some playing time.
That's why the Buffs' 34-31 loss to second-ranked Grand Valley State Thursday - while disappointing - is not that big a deal. WT played a DII traditional power - which has now won 26 regular season home games in a row - to a standstill. And arguably should have won. The loss is not going to have that much of an impact, though. The Buffs will drop in the national top 25 rankings, but have 10 games to climb back.
The fall won't be that great with top-ranked and defending national champion Northwest Missouri State falling to Texas A&M-Kingsville, 16-7, in a shocker. The Buffs travel to Kingsville Oct. 16.
Relax, the Buffs have a long way to go.
Javelinas take business-like approach to upset win - George Vondracek, Corpus Christi Caller
A&M-Kingsville not surprised by upset of No. 1 NW Missouri St
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Though there was probable cause, there wasn't a lot of outward hooting and celebrating from Texas A&M-Kingsville's football players after they opened the season by knocking off the top-ranked NCAA Division II team in the country Thursday night.
To be sure, there were a few joyful shouts, hugs and high-fiving. Yet there was no swagger as the Javelinas departed Mel Tjeerdsma Field at Bearcat Stadium with a 16-7 victory over Northwest Missouri State, the defending Division II champions. Instead, the exit by the 14th-ranked Javelinas was more akin to 9-to-5 factory workers leaving the plant after another daily grind.
"I'm sure they're having some fun in the locker room. But like I said we didn't show up to get together and just to win the opener," A&M-Kingsville coach Bo Atterberry said. "So we've got business ahead of us. I want them to enjoy the win but there's a lot of football to be played."
College football preview: Upper Iowa ready to rumble - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
FAYETTE, Iowa - How blue-collar is Upper Iowa's football squad? Consider this: the Peacocks plan to bus to their season opener, at Texas A&M-Commerce. ... That's more than 13 hours spent pounding the pavement.
Hey, when you're a fledgling Division II program, you do whatever it takes.
But the novelty of simply being a member of the Division II ranks is starting to wear off for Upper Iowa - it's time to string together some wins on a regular basis.
"Everybody's got a little edge to them this year, and feels like we can win," noted running back Jordan Otdoerfer. "Everybody's competing, and feeding off that energy.
"We have a bunch of teams in the (Northern Sun) conference that we haven't beaten at all since we joined Division II," Otdoerfer, the former Starmont standout, added. "So it's just about getting over that hump, and getting that confidence so we know we can play with those elite teams."
Tigers ready for first test of 2010 - Bob Forrest, Ada Evening News
Ada — East Central head coach Tim McCarty, his players and coaches know history won’t be on their side when they travel to Kansas to play Fort Hays State Saturday night (kickoff 7 p.m.) in their 2010 season opener.
But let’s face it, recent history hasn’t been too friendly to ECU football anyway.
The Tigers haven’t opened a season with a victory since 2005, when they beat NAIA rival Bacone, 21-7, at Norris Field. They haven’t finished above .500 since 2004, when McCarty’s first ECU squad went a surprising 6-4, and that was also the last time the Orange and White won more than three games in a season.
There is a new attitude around the Tiger football offices and practice field these days, though, and after seeing his program hit rock bottom with last fall’s 0-11 campaign, McCarty views Saturday’s game as an opportunity to prove that times — and perhaps history — are changing at ECU.
“We feel we have accomplished everything we wanted to in preseason,” McCarty said Wednesday. “I feel this team is ready to play a game...this team NEEDS to play a game. They’re at that spot right now. We just arrived there late last week or early this week.
“The kids are excited about it, I’m excited about it,” he added. “Are we a better football team than we were last year? We are on paper. We just need to go play a game.”
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