This Week In The Southland Conference
10/17/2012 10:19:00 AM | Football
Saturday, Oct. 20
Nicholls St. at Stephen F. Austin*, 3 p.m. (HC; SLCTV)
Lamar at Central Arkansas*, 6 p.m.
McNeese St. at Sam Houston St.*, 7 p.m. (HC; CSNH)
All times Central; (HC) designates homecoming
Week Eight News & Notes
Just Three Games Scheduled in Week Eight:
There are three Southland Conference games scheduled in week eight and all three of the league's one-loss teams are playing at home trying to keep pace of first-place Southeastern Louisiana, which improved to 3-0 with its 27-22 victory over Northwestern State last Saturday.
The Lions are off this week and return Oct. 27 at home against Central Arkansas for homecoming. The 3-1 Bears play host to Lamar Saturday at 6 p.m., CT. Stephen F. Austin, which is coming off an open week with its 1-1 conference record, welcomes Nicholls State to Nacogdoches on homecoming for a 3 p.m. kickoff on the Southland Conference Television Network.
Defending conference champion Sam Houston State plays host to McNeese State on homecoming in Huntsville at 7 p.m., CT, in a game that will be televised by the new Comcast SportsNet Houston.
Week Eight Matchups:
Nicholls State and Stephen F. Austin are meeting Saturday for the 29th time ... the Lumberjacks hold a 21-7 lead in the series after winning 57-21 last year to extend their series win streak to four ... the last win in the series by the Colonels came in 2007 when they won 17-16 in Nacogdoches
Lamar and Central Arkansas will face each other for just the second time this Saturday ... it will be the first game for the teams in Conway ... the Bears won 38-24 last year in Beaumont ... McNeese State and Sam Houston State have played 33 times previously with the Cowboys holding a 24-8-1 edge in the all-time series.
The Bearkats won 38-14 last year in Lake Charles to snap a six-game losing streak against McNeese, which has won 10 of the last meetings ... Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State do not play this week.
Three Southland Teams Ranked in FCS Top 25 Polls:
Sam Houston State continues its ascent in the polls and is ranked No. 6 in both polls this week, up from No. 8 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 9 in the Sports Network poll. Four of the top five teams lost last week. Central Arkansas is ranked No. 17 in the coaches' poll and No. 19 in the Sports Network poll after its win at McNeese State. The coaches kept the Cowboys at No. 21 but they are out of the Sports Network rankings. Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana continue to receive votes in the Sports Network poll.
Southland Names Players of the Week:
Central Arkansas senior wide receiver Jesse Grandy was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he totaled 189 all-purpose yards in the Bears' 27-26 dramatic win over McNeese State last Saturday. The senior from Pine Bluff, Ark., caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 16 yards on two carries and added 80 yards on four returns. Grandy's second touchdown reception pulled the Bears within 19-17 with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter.
UCA sophomore kicker Eddie Camara, was selected the conference's special teams player of the week after he kicked the game-winning field goal from 47 yards out with 23 seconds to play in the game to lift the Bears to a 27-26 victory at McNeese State. The sophomore from Cedar Hill, Texas, also connected on a 41-yard field goal in the first half to go with his career-long 47-yard boot. He also made all three PATs.
Sam Houston State junior linebacker Jessie Beauchamp was named the league's defensive player of the week after he led a Bearkat defense to 41-0 shutout of Nicholls State last Saturday. It was the second shutout by Sam Houston during the past two seasons. The junior from Klein, Texas, totaled nine tackles and had two tackles for loss, including an eight-yard sack, to go with two pass breakups and a pair of fumble recoveries. The Bearkats limited Nicholls to only 20 yards rushing and 238 total yards.
Other Top Performances in Week Seven:
Sam Houston receiver/return specialist Trey Diller set up two Bearkat touchdowns with a 30-yard kick return and a 49-yard punt return ... he also caught seven passes for 72 yards as the team's leading receiver ... Southeastern kicker Seth Sebastian connected of field goals of 22 and 30 yards and was perfect on three PATs in the Lions' win over Northwestern.
McNeese State: The Cowboys allowed Central Arkansas to score twice in the final 1:10, including a game-winning field goal with 23 seconds to play, in a 27-26 loss to the Bears last Saturday ... the loss dropped McNeese to 1-2 in the Southland with the losses coming by a combined two points ... Southeastern Louisiana beat McNeese 25-24 in the conference opener before the Cowboys won 30-22 against Northwestern State ... last week against the Bears, Marcus Wiltz scored on a 29-yard run to give the Cowboys a 26-17 lead with 3:28 to go ... he led all rushers with 104 yards on 18 carries and two scores while QB Cody Stroud connected on 18 of 25 passes for 160 yards ... for the first time since the Middle Tennessee win in the season opener, Stroud did not throw a touchdown pass ... the Cowboys finished with 335 total yards while UCA gained 351, including 254 coming from the arm of Smothers who completed 26 of 41 yards and three touchdowns ... McNeese is averaging 35.2 points and 425.7 yards per game while allowing 20.5 points and 310.5 yards per contest ... Stroud has completed 80 of 132 passes for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns, finding Darius Carey 14 times for 245 yards and two touchdowns ... Javaris Murray leads the team with 57 carries for 354 yards and three touchdowns ... it doesn't get much easier for the Cowboys which play at defending Southland Conference champion Sam Houston State Saturday at 7 p.m. ... McNeese leads the all-time series 24-8-1, but the Bearkats snapped a six-game losing streak in the series with a 38-14 win last year in Lake Charles.
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats improved to 2-1 in Southland play and 4-2 overall with its 41-0 win at Nicholls State last Saturday ... the shutout marked the second time in two years the Bearkat defense has blanked an opponent ... Sam Houston blanked Lamar 66-0 last season in Huntsville ... Timothy Flanders ranks as the 10th all-time leading rusher in Southland history with 3,159 yards ... Claude Mathis who gained 4,694 yards rushing from 1994-97 at Texas State is the conference's career leader ... Flanders stands No. 5 in Southland career rushing touchdowns (42) and is tied for fifth in career total touchdowns (with Jordan Buford of McNeese) with 45 ... QB Brian Bell threw his 37th and 38th career touchdown passes at Nicholls to pass Rhett Bomar (37 touchdowns in 2007-08) in the school career record book ... he is one touchdown behind all-time leader Dustin Long, who threw 39 touchdown passes in 2004 ... with 4,467 yards, Bell ranks behind Rhett Bomar (5,964 yards in 2007-08), Arthur Louis (4,902 yards in 1977-80) and Long (4,588 yards in 2004) ... Bell stands No. 2 at the school in career total offense with 5,340 yards ... Bomar rolled up a school record 6,160 ... K Miguel Antonio also is closing in on a school career record with 247 points on 124 PATs and 41 field goals ... he is 11 behind all-time leader Billy Hayes (258 points in 1985-88) ... on Saturday, for the first time since Sept. 8 against Incarnate Word, Sam Houston State will return from a five-game road trip to play just the second of three home games this season at Bowers Stadium ... the Bearkats will play host to McNeese State on homecoming ... McNeese State leads the series 24-8-1 ... Sam Houston snapped a six-game losing streak to the Cowboys with a 38-14 win last year in Lake Charles.
