This Week In The Southland
10/5/2011 10:04:00 AM | Football
Sam Houston State is one of just three undefeated teams in the Football Championship Subdivision entering the sixth week of the season. The Bearkats, who entered the top 25 after a three-year absence following a week-four win over Central Arkansas, is 4-0 and joined by No. 1 Georgia Southern (4-0) and No. 4 North Dakota State (4-0) with perfect records.
Sam Houston moved up to No. 11 in this week's FCS Top 25 with consecutive wins against New Mexico and UTSA. The Bearkats play rival Stephen F. Austin in the Battle of the Piney Woods Saturday at 2 p.m. at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
The game will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network. Stephen F. Austin, which has won the last two Southland Conference titles, is 1-4 this season and looking for its first win since beating McMurry Sept. 1 in the season opener.
Other games between Southland teams on Saturday, including Central Arkansas at Nicholls State at 2 p.m. and Northwestern State at Lamar at 6 p.m. McNeese State welcomes Texas State in a non-conference game in Lake Charles, while Southeastern Louisiana has an open date.
WEEK SIX MATCHUPS
Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin will meet for the 86th time Saturday in Houston ... the Bearkats hold a 45-38-2 advantage in the series ... the Lumberjacks have won the last two, including 31-28 last year in the first of four consecutive games between the teams at Reliant ... SFA's win in 2009 snapped a five-game win streak by Sam Houston.
Central Arkansas and Nicholls State meet Saturday for the sixth time in the series ... the Bears have won the last two games, including 31-7 last year in Thibodaux .
Saturday's game between Northwestern State and Lamar will be the 14th game between the rivals as four-year institutions ... Lamar holds a 7-5-1 advantage in that series ... there were two other meetings between the schools, one in 1925 and another in 1950, both won by Northwestern State though Lamar was a junior college team.
Texas State and McNeese State will play a non-conference game Saturday in Lake Charles ... the Cowboys lead the all-time series with Texas State 20-8 but are just 8-6 at home.
WEEK FIVE REWIND
In its first Southland Conference game since 1986, Lamar beat Southeastern Louisiana 48-38 for its first league win since a 10-6 victory over former conference foe North Texas on Sept. 15, 1984. Central Arkansas evened its Southland Conference record to 1-1 and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 38-28 victory home victory over two-time defending champion Stephen F. Austin. McNeese State won for the third consecutive game with a 20-18 win at Northwestern State to become the first Southland team to get to 2-0 in league play. The Cowboys, one of three Southland teams yet to lose a conference game, opened league play Sept. 24 with a 48-27 win at Southeastern. Sam Houston State stayed perfect with a 22-7 victory over UTSA, a first-year program playing as an FCS Independent this season ... Nicholls State lost 38-12 in a non-conference game at Texas State for its fourth consecutive setback.
McNEESE STATE, SAM HOUSTON CLIMB IN FCS POLLS
McNeese State and Sam Houston State continue their ascent in the polls after picking up wins over Northwestern State and UTSA, respectively. The Cowboys, who are 3-1 overall and the only 2-0 team in the league, climbed to No. 15. Sam Houston State has climbed to No. 11 thanks to the win over the Roadrunners a week after beating New Mexico, a Football Bowl Subdivision team in the Mountain West Conference.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES IN WEEK FIVE
- Central Arkansas running back Jackie Hinton rushed for a career-high 129 yards on 20 carries against Stephen F. Austin. He also caught three passes for 36 yards to give him 165 all-purpose yards in the Bears' 38-28 victory against the two-time defending champion.
- Sam Houston State receiver Torrance Williams scored the game winning touchdown against UTSA on a 59-yard reverse in the third quarter. He also gained 37 yards on another key run and led the Bearkats with 96 yards on those two runs. He also had one catch for 14 yards.
- Stephen F. Austin quarterback Brady Attaway completed 41-of-55 passes for a career-high 390 yards. His 41 completions are the third-best single-game total in school history and his three touchdown passes are the most by Attaway against Division I competition.
- McNeese State linebacker Joe Narcisse sat out the first half at Northwestern State with an injury, but returned in the second half to record an eight-yard sack and an 18-yard interception that he returned for the game-winning score against the Demons.
- Sam Houston State defensive back Kenneth Jenkins intercepted two passes in the 22-7 victory over UTSA. His first pick set up the Bearkats' first touchdown in the second quarter. The Sam Houston State defense created five turnovers and limited the Roadrunners to 246 total yards and only 29 yards rushing.
- Stephen F. Austin safety Jordan Aubrey recorded a career-high 22 tackles at Central Arkansas. Among the total were 15 solo stops and two tackles for loss. His 22 tackles are the most by a Southland defender this season.
- Sam Houston State return specialist Brandon Closner gained 102 yards on returns in the win over UTSA. He returned five punts for 55 yards and added three kick returns for 47 yards.
SOUTHLAND IN NCAA STATISTICS
- Sam Houston State leads the nation in rush defense, limiting opponents to an average of only 51.75 per game. Lamar is second in the Southland and 23rd nationally (112.50).
- Stephen F. Austin freshman kicker Justin Wiggs has made 8 of 10 field goals and is ranked second in the nation with a .800 percentage.
- Sam Houston State is fourth in the FCS in rushing offense, piling up an average of 256.5 per game. Running back Tim Flanders ranks ninth in both rushing (126.0) and all-purpose running (172.5). Flanders is also fourth nationally in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game to lead the conference.
- McNeese State is ranked fourth nationally in punt returns, averaging 18.25 yards per return. Nicholls State ranks 20th (14.36) thanks to Bobby Felder, who is ranked 10th in the FCS with punt return average of 15.33.
- Stephen F. Austin ranks sixth nationally in passing offense. The Lumberjacks are averaging 330.6 passing yards per game to lead the Southland Conference. Two other teams are ranked among the top 13 in the FCS, including Southeastern Louisiana (11th with 288.2) and Central Arkansas (13th with 278.8).
- Sam Houston State ranks sixth in the FCS in net punting with an average of 39.32 net yards per punt. Nicholls State punter Cory Kemps ranks sixth nationally in punting, averaging 45.18 yards per boot.
- Sam Houston State ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 17.0 points per game.
SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE CAMPBELL TROPHY
Four Southland Conference football student-athletes are among the 127 candidates for the semifinalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced earlier this week. The honorees from the Southland Conference include McNeese State senior punter Ben Bourgeois, Northwestern State senior linebacker Yaser Elqutub, Sam Houston State senior offensive tackle Travis Watson and Stephen F. Austin senior punter Drew Nelson. All 127 semifinalists are also candidates for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. There were 33 student-athletes recognized from the Football Championship Subdivision.
17TH SOUTHLAND FBS VICTORY
The league played 11 games against the FBS this season and got its first win Sept. 24 when Sam Houston State beat New Mexico out of the Mountain West Conference, 48-45, in overtime. It was the 17th win by a Southland team against the FBS since 2000 and was the first since Central Arkansas won at Western Kentucky in 2009. The Southland was winless in 11 games against the subdivision last year. This year, the Southland played teams from Conference USA as well as the Big 12, Mid-American, Mountain West, Southeastern, Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences. The Southland has played to within 14 points another 21 times, including twice this year when Southeastern Louisiana lost 47-33 at Tulane and Central Arkansas lost 48-42 in overtime at Louisiana
