Southland football race begins in earnest Saturday
10/5/2010 12:04:00 PM | Football
Five teams had an open date last week and six teams will be playing in their conference opener. McNeese State and Northwestern State opened league play last week with the Cowboys claiming a 24-7 victory over the Demons in Natchitoches, La.
This week No. 15 Texas State visits Southeastern Louisiana at 2 p.m. in a game that will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network.
In other action, Sam Houston State is at Nicholls at 4 p.m., Northwestern State is at No. 22 Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. and No. 5 Stephen F. Austin visits McNeese State at 7 p.m.
The late game features a battle between the teams that shared the 2009 Southland Conference championship. Stephen F. Austin beat McNeese State 16-13 last year in Nacogdoches. The Lumberjacks were surprised three weeks later at Texas State and each team finished 6-1 in conference play. SFA earned the league's automatic playoff berth by virtue of that three-point win against McNeese State. The Cowboys lead the all-time series 17-10-2.
Southeastern Louisiana plays host to Texas State a year after picking up its first victory against the Bobcats. The Lions claimed a 51-50 victory in overtime last year in San Marcos for its first win in 13 tries.
Sam Houston State and Nicholls are meeting for the 25th time. The Bearkats, who won 44-21 last year, lead the series 13-10-1.Saturday will be just the fourth meeting between Central Arkansas and Northwestern State. The Bears hold a 2-1 edge in the series after their 34-0 victory last season.
Sam Houston State downed Lamar 38-10 to win consecutive games for the first time this year. The Bearkats got 153 yards and three touchdowns from Tim Flanders. He is the first Bearkat freshman to run for at least 100 yards in three consecutive games. He is the 15th Bearkat running back to rush for three or more touchdowns in one game. Flanders ranks 11th in rushing the FCS, averaging 113.3 yards. The Bearkats average 181.8 yards per game to rank 31st
Only two games were on the docket last week. McNeese State beat Northwestern State 24-7 in the first Southland Conference game of the season. The score was knotted at 7 at halftime the Cowboys got a field goal in the third quarter. After the Demons missed a long field goal try as the third quarter was winding down, McNeese scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns for the victory.
Last week's other game was between Sam Houston State and Lamar and the Bearkats came out with a 38-10 non-conference victory on the road. The other five Southland teams did not play.
Stephen F. Austin, coming off its third Southland Conference regular-season title and first since 1999, was favored by both the coaches and sports information directors to repeat as conference champions in 2010. The Lumberjacks returned 16 starters and 40 letterwinners, including senior quarterback Jeremy Moses, the 2009 Southland co-player of the year and senior defensive back Andre Banks, last year's newcomer of the year. Stephen F. Austin, which finished 10-3 overall and 6-1 in Southland play, will look to record its first two consecutive conference titles in school history and a return trip to the FCS playoffs.
Stephen F. Austin climbed two spots to No. 4 in the FCS Coaches poll and was up one spot to No. 5 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25. The Lumberjacks had an open date last week, after improving to 3-1 on the year with a 71-3 win over Lamar Sept. 25.
Texas State, which also did not play last Saturday, is now ranked No. 15 in the coaches poll, up three spots. The 3-1 Bobcats, which are ranked 17th in The Sports Network poll, beat Southern Utah 42-28 Sept. 25 in their last game.
Central Arkansas moved up three spots to No. 22 in the coaches poll even though it, too, did not play last Saturday. The Bears, who are also 3-1, have not played since a loss at Tulsa Sept. 25. Central Arkansas is receiving votes in The Sports Network poll and would be ranked 27th. McNeese is 28th in that poll. The Cowboys are also receiving votes in the coaches poll and are 29th.
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