'Jacks Travel To Lubbock For Season Finale
11/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2001
Following last week's loss to Northwestern State in the final Southland Football League contest of the year, the Lumberjacks enter this week's match-up with Big 12 member Texas Tech with playing out the string. The loss last Saturday ended the 'Jacks hopes of at least sharing the SFL title for the second time in the past three years, and possibly earning an at-large bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs.
Texas Tech meanwhile enters Saturday's regular season finale with a 6-4 overall mark, and a 4-4 record in conference play. The Red Raiders stayed close with the defending national champion, Oklahoma Sooners last week, but eventually fell, 30-13, before 52,008 fans in Jones Stadium. The 'Jacks once again struggled in trying to run the ball against Northwestern State last week, which forced QB Wes Pate to make a career high 50 pass attempts. Pate ended the afternoon 35-50-2, for 353 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked nine times. The 353 yards passing Saturday moved Pate's season total to 2,626 yards, the second highest single season passing total in SFA history. Todd Hammel passed for 5,364 yards in 1989. Pate has thrown for 300 yards or more in a game on four occasions this season. In his previous two seasons, Pate had recorded two 300+ yard passing games. The Arp, Texas senior has 19 TD passes on the season, tied for the third highest single season total in school history. He needs 246 yards passing against Tech to move into second on the career passing yardage list, a spot currently occupied by Todd Whitten with 6,304 yards passing from 1983-86.
S David Crocker also turned in a Herculean effort in the loss, recording 27 total tackles against the Demons. Crocker was credited with seven solos and 20 assists, as well as, two tackles for losses and one pass defended. The 27 stops moves Crocker over the 100 tackle total for the season, as he becomes the first Lumberjack defender since LB Jeremiah Trotter to go over 100 tackles in a season for the 'Jacks. Trotter chalked up two straight 100+ tackle seasons in 1996 and 1997.
This week's game with Texas Tech is the first ever meeting between SFA and a member of the Big 12. The 'Jacks are 1-2 over the past three seasons against Division I-A teams. SFA lost to UL-Monroe 21-10 in 1998, in a game they should have won. Seven SFA turnovers spelled doom in that one. The 'Jacks also dropped a 51-17 decision to Utah State in 1999, and in the third game of 2000 took Louisiana Tech to overtime, and won, 34-31.
