Southland Conference This Week
9/20/2012 11:41:00 AM | Football
Saturday, Sept. 22
Sam Houston St. at Central Arkansas*, 3 p.m. (SLCTV)
Evangel at Nicholls St., 6 p.m.
Mississippi Valley St. at Northwestern St., 6 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin at Texas St., 6 p.m.
Langston at Lamar, 7 p.m.
McNeese St. at Southeastern La.*, 7 p.m.
All times Central
SAM HOUSTON-CENTRAL ARKANSAS MATCHUP HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND
Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas open conference play against each other Saturday in Conway, Ark. in a 3 p.m. game that will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network and on the new Southland Digital Network.
The Bearkats downed the Bears 31-10 last year in the conference opener Sept. 17 in Huntsville. Neither team lost again during the regular season and both teams reached the Division I playoffs. Sam Houston won the conference championship with a 7-0 record and finished the year 14-1 after reaching the national championship game.
Central Arkansas was 6-1 in conference play and earned an at-large bid into the playoffs, where it reached the second round. The Bearkats have won their last nine conference games, while UCA has won its last six conference games.
OTHER GAMES
That matchup is not the only conference games in the Southland this week. McNeese State visits Southeastern Louisiana Saturday at 7 p.m. The Cowboys have started 3-0 this season and are riding a six-game win streak dating back to last year. The other half of the league continues the non-conference portion of their schedules. Nicholls State hosts Evangel University in its home opener Saturday at 6 p.m., Mississippi Valley State is at Northwestern State Saturday at 6 p.m., Stephen F. Austin visits former conference foe Texas State at 6 p.m. and Lamar welcomes Langston Saturday at 7 p.m.
WEEK THREE REWIND
The Southland Conference was just 2-6 last week, but teams showed a lot of progress in their week-three matchups. McNeese State won at Weber State 35-21 and Central Arkansas crushed Bacone 70-3. Sam Houston State dropped a tough loss at Baylor (48-23) after leading the Bears at the half and hanging with them through three quarters. Stephen F. Austin surrendered a late lead to fall 43-35 at Montana State and Northwestern State's offense found its rhythm in nearly pulling off an upset at Nevada before falling 45-34. Nicholls State and Lamar dropped games to Tulsa and Hawaii, respectively, out of the FBS. Southeastern Louisiana lost at Tennessee-Martin on Thursday.
THREE SOUTHLAND TEAMS NATIONALLY RANKED
Three Southland Teams Ranked in FCS Top 25 Polls: Sam Houston State slipped one spot in both polls this week after its 48-23 loss at Baylor of the FBS' Big 12 Conference. The Bearkats are No. 3 in The Sports Network Top 25 and are tied for third in the FCS Coaches Poll behind No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 Montana State. With its win at Weber State on Saturday, McNeese State maintained its No. 19 ranking in the Sports Network poll this week and moved up two positions in the coaches' poll to No. 17. Central Arkansas moved back into the Sports Network poll at No. 25 but fell one spot in the coaches' poll to No. 21 after its 70-3 win over Bacone College. Stephen F. Austin is receiving votes in each of the polls.
BEARS-BEARKATS GAME MARKS DEBUT OF SOUTHLAND TV
When Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas meet Saturday, it will mark the season debut for the Southland Conference Television Network, which is celebrating its fifth season in 2012. Coverage of the game from First Security Field at Estes Stadium will begin at 3 p.m., Central, with kickoff slated for 3:05 p.m.
Randy McIlvoy and Shea Walker return to the broadcast booth to call the action and will be joined by Erin Cofiell on the sideline. Fans can watch the game on the new Southland Conference Digital Network's free mobile and tablet apps for iPhone and Android. Visit Southland.org/television each week for a list of affiliates.
The Houston area outlet will be the KUBE (available in Huntsville on Sudden Link Channel 15)
McNEESE STATE STREAKING
McNeese State has the longest win streak in the Southland Conference having won its last six games. The Cowboys finished the 2011 season with wins in its last three games before opening the current campaign with wins at Middle Tennessee, McMurry and Weber State.
Sam Houston State finished a perfect 7-0 in league play last year and carries a nine-game win streak in conference games dating back to the 2010 season. The Bearkats won 16 consecutive games, including the first 14 games last year before losing the national championship game to North Dakota State.
Central Arkansas also has a conference win streak. After falling to Sam Houston in the conference opener last September, the Bears rattled off six consecutive league wins to earn an at-large berth in the Division I playoffs. Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas meet Saturday.
FRISCO REMAINS THE GOAL
If the first two national championship games in Frisco are any indication, the 2013 championship will be another great game. The destination remains the goal for every team in the Football Championship Subdivision. The championships won in Frisco have been the first for both champions, including Eastern Washington in the 2011 game and North Dakota State last year. The league can draw a little motivation from 2011 Southland champion Sam Houston State, which lost to the Bison at FC Dallas Stadium last January. Opponents will have their work cut out for them, however, with the Bearkats bringing back 19 starters that came up just short from finishing a perfect 15-0 and winning its first national championship.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS NCAA PLAYOFF APPEARANCE IN 2011
Central Arkansas received an at-large berth into the Division I playoffs for the first time in school history in just its second year of eligibility. Not only did it make the playoffs, but they also won the first road playoff game by a Southland Conference team since 2004 when it opened with a 34-14 win at Tennessee Tech in the first round. A loss at Montana the next week ended the Bears season at 9-4 overall. UCA has won at least seven games in four of its last six seasons since making the move to Division I. UCA finished second in the Southland at 6-1, with the lone loss coming to Sam Houston State on the road. The Bears reeled off eight consecutive victories to earn their playoff berth.
SOUTHLAND TV ENTERING FIFTH SEASON
The Southland Conference Television Network will feature 11 live football telecasts during the 2012 season. All games will be carried on more than 20 affiliates across the regional network, including stations in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. This season, for the first time, the network will televise a pair of doubleheaders Oct. 27 and again Nov. 3. The final two Saturdays of the regular season have been designated as wild-card games. Those games will be announced 7-10 days in advance. The Southland Television Network became a reality in 2008 and has broadcast more than 100 events during its first four years. The network earned a College Sports Media Award in 2009-10 for best live/game event in the collegiate division, following that up with an honorable mention in the professional division (2010-11) and a nomination in the collegiate division (2011-12). Plus, the network has captured five Telly awards.
OTHER SAM HOUSTON STATE NOTES
The Bearkats' season started with a 54-7 win over Incarnate Word before Baylor, a member of the FBS Big 12, spoiled Bearkats upset bid last Saturday in Waco ... Sam Houston led 20-10 at halftime and trailed only 24-23 in the fourth quarter before the Bears finished the game with 24 unanswered points ... RB Timothy Flanders became the sixth player in Southland history to score 40 touchdowns with his 26-yard touchdown catch 1:30 before intermission Saturday in Waco ... CB Dax Swanson intercepted a Baylor pass on the final play of the first half ... it marked his 11th career interception, moving him up to fourth place in the Bearkat record books ... DE Preston Sanders blocked a fourth-quarter field goal to set a school record for career field goal blocks (four) ... he now stands seventh in all-time career kick blocks (punt/pat/field goals) ... Sam Houston and Central Arkansas, the teams that finished 1-2 in last year's Southland race, meet head-on in the league opener for both teams ... the Bearkats won last year's meeting 31-10 in Huntsville ... the Bearkats hold a record of 10-14-1 in their previous 25 conference openers.
