Conque Era Begins at Kansas State Saturday
8/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Stephen F. Austin (0-0) at No. 20 Kansas State (0-0)
Saturday, August 30 • 6:10 p.m.
Bill Snyder Family Stadium • Manhattan, Kan.
Radio: Q107.7 FM (listen online at Q1077.com)
Live Video: KStateHD.TV (subscription required)
Live Stats: KStateSports.com
Twitter: @SFA_Football
SFA Game Notes • Kansas State Game Notes
OPENING KICK
Stephen F. Austin opens up the 2014 season on the road, taking on Big 12 opponent Kansas State on Saturday, August 30th at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. Kickoff against the Wildcats, who are ranked 20th in the preseason FBS AP Top-25 poll, is set for 6:10 p.m.
LUMBERJACKS ON THE WEB
SFA’s game in Manhattan, Kan., will be streamed live through KStateHD.TV, Kansas State’s on-campus high-definition web stream. KStateHD.TV is a subscription-based site with a one-month subscription costing $9.95. Rob Meyers will once again carry the game live over the air on Q107.7 FM or online at Q1077.com. Live stats will be available at KStateSports.com with in-game updates through Twitter at @SFA_Football.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
2013: 8-5 overall; 5-4 Big 12 play. Opens season ranked 20th in preseason AP Top-25 poll
Final 2013 Game: Defeated Michigan 31-14 in Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Dec. 28)
Head Coach: Bill Snyder (William Jewell, 1963). 23rd season at Kansas State (178-90-1, .664)
Key Offensive Players (2013 Stats):
• #15 Jake Waters (Sr., QB): 159-of-260 (61.2%) for 2,469 yds. (189.9 ypg), 18 TDs, 9 INTs; 118 rushes for 312 yds., 6 TDs
• #16 Tyler Lockett (Sr., WR): 81 catches for 1,262 yds. (105.2 ypg), 11 TDs; 22 kick returns for 583 yds. (26.5 avg.)
• #14 Curry Sexton (Sr., WR): 39 catches for 446 yds. (34.4 ypg)
• #48 Glen Gronkowski (So., FB): 5 catches for 194 yds. (14.9 ypg), 3 TDs
Key Defensive Players (2013 Stats):
• #21 Jonathan Truman (Sr., LB): 89 tackles (56 solo), 4.5 TFL, 1 QBH, 2 FF
• #44 Ryan Mueller (Sr., DE): 62 tackles (53 solo), 18.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, 6 PBU, 3 QBH, 4 FF
• #22 Dante Barnett (Jr., DB): 75 tackles (57 solo), 4 INTs, 3 PBU, 2 FR
• #15 Randall Evans (Sr., DB): 59 tackles (51 solo), 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs, 12 PBU, 1 FF
• #95 Travis Britz (Jr., DL): 37 tackles (24 solo), 6.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 4 PBU, 4 BKs
Synopsis: Kansas State, who begins the season ranked 20th in the preseason AP Top-25 poll, returns seven starters on offense and five on defense from a team that posted an 8-5 mark in 2013. The Wildcats return an experienced quarterback in Jake Waters, as well as its top receiving threat in Tyler Lockett, complemented by fellow senior Curry Sexton. KSU’s biggest question mark on offense will be at the running game as the Wildcats lost its top two rushers from 2013 with Waters owning the distinction of KSU’s top returning rusher. On defense, KSU returns senior linebacker Jonathan Truman and his 89 tackles from 2013, along with the Wildcats’ tackle for loss (18.5) and sack (11.5) leader in defensive end Ryan Mueller. Defensive back Dante Barnett was K-State’s leader in interceptions in 2013 (four) with Randall Evans notching 12 PBUs with a pair of interceptions.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between SFA and Kansas State as it will be the Lumberjacks’ eighth game in program history against a current Big 12 member. The ‘Jacks have faced Baylor four times with a pair of meetings against Texas Tech and one against TCU as SFA is seeking its first-ever victory against a Big 12 foe.
CONQUE ERA BEGINS AT SFA
Saturday’s game at Kansas State officially marks the beginning of the Clint Conque era at Stephen F. Austin. Introduced as the 19th SFA head football coach on December 19, 2013, Conque brings with him an established track record, compiling a 105-59 record in 14 seasons as the head coach at Central Arkansas. He led the Bears to a pair of Southland Conference titles and four postseason appearances (two in Division II and two in Division I) as he ranks second all-time in collegiate coaching victories in the state of Arkansas behind only legendary Razorback coach Frank Broyles. A three-time Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year finalist, Conque posted a 33-16 record in SLC play with seven top-25 finishes, coaching 37 All-Americans and 31 players who have gone on to sign professional contracts.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Over the past seven years, SFA has emerged as one of the top programs in the nation when it comes to the quarterback position. Since 2007, the Lumberjack quarterback duo of Jeremy Moses (2007-10) and Brady Attaway (2011-13) combined for just shy of 25,000 passing yards (24,834) and 210 passing touchdowns, ranking one-two in both SFA and Southland Conference program history. This season the mantle appears to be passed to sophomore transfer Zach Conque with junior Joe Minden also expected to take a significant number of snaps. Conque played in one game at UT-San Antonio in 2013 after redshirting in 2012 while Minden threw for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns in six games in 2013.
RUSHING TOWARDS HISTORY
Senior Gus Johnson enters his final season in an SFA uniform poised to cement his legacy as one of the Lumberjacks’ all-time leading rushers. The two-time All-Southland Conference selection (including first team honors in 2013) enters the 2014 season with 2,224 career rushing yards, which currently ranks sixth all-time in program history. Johnson has also found the endzone 28 times as a Lumberjack, which ranks third all-time among SFA rushers. He posted 1,061 rushing yards in 2013, the fifth-best single-season performance in program history, and ranks second and fourth in single-season touchdown rushes (14 in 2012, 11 in 2013).
EXPERIENCE ON THE OUTSIDE
Of all the positions across the field for SFA, the one that has the fewest question marks is the wide receiving corps. SFA returns seven of its top eight leading receivers from the 2013 team that led the FCS in receiving yards, averaging 389.0 yards per game and setting a program single-season record. Senior Tyler Boyd, a preseason first team All-SLC selection, anchors the Lumberjack wideouts coming off his 79-reception, 1,183-yard season in 2013, both of which rank second all-time in program single-season history. Senior DJ Ward ranked third on the team last season, hauling in 61 catches for 809 yards and seven touchdowns while junior Aaron Thomas reeled in 40 catches for 719 yards, including setting a program single-game record with 242 receiving yards against Prairie View A&M.
PLAYING WITH A CHIP
All eyes will be on the SFA defensive unit in 2014, and with good reason. The Lumberjacks gave up 49.3 points and 527.8 yards of total offense per game in 2013 while surrendering three of the top-10 highest single-game point totals in the program’s history. Under new defensive coordinator Matt Williamson, SFA has undergone a complete transformation on the defensive side of the ball, switching to a 4-2-5 defensive and instilling a new sense of physicallity. Led by seniors Ishmiah Miles (defensive line), Collin Garrett (linebacker) and Trey Vallier (secondary), the ‘Jacks have upped their intensity and appear much more solid defensively.
WATCH OUT FOR WIGGS
Senior kicker Jordan Wiggs has been a constant in the SFA special teams unit for the past three years and his consistency has him on the cusp of history. The Grand Prairie native enters the 2014 season with 268 career points, ranking second all-time in program history. Wiggs has connected on 46 of his 63 field goal attempts and is 129 of 135 on extra point attempts as the three-time All-SLC honorable mention selection trails SFA great Chuck Rawlison by 33 points as the ‘Jacks’ all-time point leader tallied 300 points from 1988-91.
NEW ERA, NEW FACES
Lumberjack fans will see a lot of new faces this weekend when SFA takes the field in Manhattan, Kan. Of the 70-man roster the ‘Jacks are taking to Kansas State, 25 of them will be suiting up in a Lumberjack uniform for the first time, including 10 true freshmen. That constitutes 35% of SFA’s roster for this weekend as 14 of the 25 players are listed among the Lumberjack two-deep roster.
For the complete game notes in PDF form, click the link above.
-SFA-
