Saturday, September 30
Nacogdoches, Texas
6:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
No. 25 McNeese
SFA Returns to Nacogdoches, Faces No. 25 McNeese Saturday
9/27/2017 9:04:00 PM | Football
Marking the 14th-straight year a nationally-ranked opponent has visited Nacogdoches, the Lumberjacks welcome No. 25 McNeese to Homer Bryce Stadium Saturday evening
Stephen F. Austin (2-2, 2-0 Southland) vs. No. 25 McNeese (3-1, 1-1 Southland)
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 | 6 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch | Listen (Q107.7) | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
THE KICKOFFSaturday, Sept. 30, 2017 | 6 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch | Listen (Q107.7) | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
The Stephen F. Austin football team returns to Nacogdoches and the comforts of Homer Bryce Stadium Saturday for a matchup with nationally ranked and Southland Conference perennial powerhouse McNeese. Sponsored by Tipton Ford, the conference tilt will feature the first-place Lumberjacks and the 25th-ranked Cowboys, who sit tied for fifth in the Southland with a 1-1 league mark. It will mark the 14th consecutive year and 16 of the last 17 seasons a ranked opponent has visited Homer Bryce.
FOLLOWING THE LUMBERJACKS
Saturday's game against McNeese will be streamed live online at ESPN3, available at ESPN3.com or through the ESPN app on mobile devices. Rob Meyers, the voice of the Lumberjacks, will call the game along with color commentator Kevin Langford on Q107.7 FM, available online at Q1077.com as well as through the Lumberjack Sports Network on the TuneIn app. Live stats will be available at SFAJacks.com, complemented by Twitter updates from @SFA_Football.
ABOUT THE GAME
Presented by game sponsor Tipton Ford Lincoln of Nacogdoches, Saturday's matchup will be featured as SFA's annual Parent's Day, one of the largest events on campus that brings parents each fall to take part in their student's experiences. The game will also be held as a purple out as fans are encouraged to wear purple inside Homer Bryce. It will be SFA's third home game of the season and last in the month of September with the 'Jacks returning to Nacogdoches for competition just two additional times this season, on Oct. 21 (Houston Baptist) and Nov. 11 (Nicholls).
AFCA COACH TO CURE MD
The Lumberjack coaching staff in Saturday's game will be wearing special arm patches in honor of the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) Coach to Cure MD program. This is the 10th year coaches around the country join together to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Fans are encouraged to donate by texting "CURE" to 50555 or visiting CoachtoCureMD.org.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
2017: 3-1 overall, 1-1 Southland Conference (T5th)
Last Three Games: Win vs. Houston Baptist (27-12), Win at Alcorn State (34-27), Win vs. Florida Tech (42-21)
Head Coach: Lance Guidry (McNeese, 1995). Second season at McNeese (9-6, .600); Second season overall (1-1 as an interim head coach) (10-7, .588).
Key Offensive Players:
• #4 James Tabary (Jr., QB): 89-of-138 (64.5%) for 1,015 yds., 11 TDs, 5 INTs, 43-yd. long, 253.8 yds. per game
• #1 Kent Shelby (Sr., WR): 19 catches for 226 yds., 11.9 yds. per catch, 2 TDs, 56.5 yds. per game, 33-yd. long
• #40 Lawayne Ross (So., TE): 15 catches for 184 yds., 12.3 yds. per catch, 37-yd. long, 46 yds. per game
• #13 Tavarious Battiste (Sr., WR): 9 catches for 130 yds., 14.4 yds. per catch, 2 TDs, 40-yd. long, 43.3 yds. per game
• #2 Darious Crawley (Sr., WR): 12 catches for 125 yds., 3 TDs, 10.4 yds. per catch, 22-yd. long, 31.2 yds. per game
• #20 Justin Pratt (So., RB): 62 carries for 261 yds., 4.2 yds. per rush, 2 TDs, 44-yd. long, 65.2 yds. per game
• #32 David Hamm (Jr., RB): 39 carries for 162 yds., 4.2 yds. per rush, 2 TDs, 19-yd. long, 40.5 yds. per game
• #28 Benjamin Jones (Jr., RB): 16 carries for 117 yds., 7.3 yds. per rush, 2 TDs, 69-yd. long, 29.2 yds. per game
Key Defensive Players:
• #49 Ashari Goins (Sr., LB): 25 tackles (15 solo), 5.0 TFL for -14 yds., 3.5 sacks for -12 yds., 1 pass breakup
• #24 Damion Morgan (Sr., DB): 15 tackles (10 solo), 1 interception for 40 yds., 1.0 TFL for -2 yds.
• #8 Andre Fuller (Sr., DB): 14 tackles (6 solo), 1 interception for 27 yds., 1.5 TFL for -1 yds., 1 pass breakup
• #92 Chris Livings (Jr., DE): 13 tackles (7 solo), 3.5 TFL for -20 yds., 2.0 sacks for -18 yds., 2 QBH
• #55 Jammerio Gross-Whitaker (Sr., DL): 12 tackles (10 solo), 3.0 TFL for -7 yds., 1.0 sacks for -5 yds., 3 QBH
• #5 Jermaine Antoine (Sr., DB): 11 tackles (10 solo), 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery
OPPONENT SYNOPSIS
With head coach Lance Guidry, who also serves as the team's defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, leading McNeese in his second year, the Cowboys own one of the top offenses in the league. With junior quarterback James Tabary under center, McNeese ranks second in the Southland in both scoring (34.5 PPG) and passing yards per game (253.8). On the ground, the Cowboys are fifth in the conference with a 156.2 rushing yards per game average. Thanks in large part to sophomore running back Justin Pratt, who leads the team with 261 total rushing yards on 62 carries (65.2 YPG) and is averaging a team-best 70.2 all-purpose yards per contest. Tabary's air attack has allowed McNeese to rank right behind No. 3 Sam Houston State as the junior has thrown for a total of 1,015 yards this season, the most of any quarterback in the conference. He has thrown for a league-leading 11 touchdowns through four games and has the third-highest efficiency rating in the Southland (145.3). In total offense, the Cowboys are averaging 410 yards per game, the fourth-most in the conference behind Sam Houston, Central Arkansas and Lamar. McNeese has arguably the best defense in the Southland through four games this season, the Cowboys appear to be very opportunistic with a strong front seven. Ranking at the top of the league in total defense, McNeese is giving up just 310 total yards per game and 24.2 points per game to rank second in scoring defense. The Cowboys have earned a conference-high six interceptions for 90 yards and have registered the second-most sacks (12) for negative 65 yards. Entering the rankings for the first time this season after last Saturday's 27-12 home win over Houston Baptist, McNeese is No. 25 according to the FCS Coaches poll after receiving votes each of the previous weeks. Picked to finish third in the Southland race in 2017, McNeese has been a stalwart in the league. The Cowboys own a conference record 14 Southland titles and have made 16 total appearances in the NCAA Division I playoffs. Seven of those league titles and seven playoff appearances have come this millennium with McNeese owning a .727 winning percentage in conference games since 2000. Only once since 1997 have the Cowboys finished lower than fifth in the final Southland standings. In fact, McNeese has finished among the top four of the league's teams in 18 of the last 20 seasons. The Cowboys ended both the 2002 and 2003 seasons ranked No. 1 in the nation, and advanced to the 1997 and 2002 national championship games.
SERIES INFORMATION
SFA and McNeese will meet for the 37th time Saturday with the two teams each hosting the other an even 18 times. The Cowboys own a 19-5-2 lead in the series and the 'Jacks are 8-9-1 in games played in Nacogdoches. However, SFA has won two of the last three meetings after upsetting a nationally-ranked McNeese team in both 2016 (31-28) and 2014 (31-16). Both of those games came on the road as the 'Jacks took down the 13th-ranked Cowboys on Sept. 17 of last year and defeated No. 6 McNeese on Nov. 8, 2014. Saturday, SFA will be seeking its first home win over the Cowboys since Oct. 29, 2011, when the 'Jacks earned a 37-17 win. That victory was the third-straight for SFA in the series and marks the last time the 'Jacks earned back-to-back wins against McNeese. The Cowboys have won the previous two meetings inside Homer Bryce, defeating SFA by a convincing score of 69-38 in 2013 and 28-14 in 2015. In each of the last four meetings between the two programs, McNeese has been nationally ranked. The 'Jacks were ranked when the teams met in both 2010 and 2005, with the 2005 version of the series taking place as a top-25 matchup.
SFA AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS
The 'Jacks are 36-52-3 all time against nationally ranked opponents for a winning percentage of .412. SFA will be attempting to make it six years in a row of defeating a nationally ranked team as the 'Jacks have earned a win over a ranked opponent the last five years dating back to Sept. 29, 2012, when they upended No. 12 Central Arkansas (42-37). In seven of the last eight seasons, SFA has taken down a ranked team beginning with a 16-13 home victory over No. 7 McNeese on Oct. 10, 2009. During that span, the 'Jacks have earned a total of 10 wins over ranked opponents, holding a record of 10-15. Of those 10 victories, four came against top-10 teams.
SFA ON PARENT'S DAY
SFA is 22-11 (.667) all-time in Parent's Day games and has won five of the last seven. Since 1983, one SFA home game each season has tied in to the university's Parent's Day weekend with McNeese earning the honors for the 2017 season.
LAST TIME OUT: SFA 20, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 10
The 'Jacks won their second consecutive game and claimed their first road victory of the season with a 20-10 defeat of Abilene Christian last Saturday. For the first time in 2017 SFA outgained its opponent, racking up 414 total yards of offense compared to 328 by the host Wildcats. The 'Jacks were plus-four in the turnover margin after claiming four takeaways, the most in a game for SFA since homecoming last year versus Central Arkansas. Registering a season-high 191 yards on the ground, the 'Jacks passed for another 223 on a total of 94 offensive plays, the most in a contest this season. SFA held ACU to 105 rushing yards as the game saw a combined 16 punts, eight by each team. A two possession game with just 2:06 to go, ACU needed to score in a hurry but junior safety Lawrence Ghansah (Cypress, Texas) stepped in front of a Dallas Sealey pass for the Lumberjacks' fourth takeaway of the night and his first career interception. The pick sealed the deal for the conference road victory. Sophomore Jake Blumrick finished the game going 14-for-25 for 110 yards, while junior Foster Sawyer (Fort Worth) was 11-of-20 for 113 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Jamall Shaw (Broken Arrow, Okla.) led SFA's rushing attack with a career-high 69 yards as Blumrick gathered 42 on the ground. Iheanacho made a season-high six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown reception. Defensively, Ghansah led with a career-high eight total tackles and three solo stops.
LAST TIME VS. McNEESE
SFA and McNeese resumed what has become one of the Southland Conference's most underrated rivalries, exchanging blow for blow at Cowboy Stadium. But in the end, it was the Lumberjacks that delivered the knockout, rallying to defeat the Cowboys 31-28 in both team's Southland opener. Trailing 28-24 with five minutes remaining, Alize Ward turned momentum in SFA's favor with a key interception at midfield, which was followed by the eventual game-winning touchdown pass from Hunter Taylor to Tamrick Pace with 3:35 remaining. A final stand for the Lumberjack defensive unit then helped seal the victory for the 'Jacks, marking the fourth-straight year with a win over a nationally-ranked opponent. The victory snapped a McNeese nine-game conference winning streak and marks the second time in the last three years the 'Jacks have beaten a ranked Cowboy team on their home turf. The 'Jacks finished the night with 410 yards of total offense compared to 486 for McNeese, but the SFA defensive unit was on the field for 10 minutes longer and had to withstand 90 Cowboy plays compared to 73 for the Lumberjacks. SFA finished with 301 passing yards on the night, 262 of which came from Zach Conque with 39 from Hunter Taylor who engineered the game-winning drive. On the ground, SFA managed 109 yards against one of the nation's stingiest defensive units, led by Conque's 63 rushing yards. SFA notched the win despite converting just three of their 18 third down situations, 13 of which were from six yards or greater.
COACH CONQUE FOURTH ALL-TIME IN SOUTHLAND VICTORIES
Head coach Clint Conque is quickly climbing the all-time career Southland victories top-10 list as he now has a total of 48 Southland wins after this past Saturday's triumph at Abilene Christian. He holds a career record of 48-29 in Southland contests since 2007, including going 33-16 in the league while at the helm of Central Arkansas from 2007-13. Conque is just one game shy of third place on the all-time Southland wins list as former Northwester State head coach Sam Goodwin occupies the spot with a 49-32-2 career record. A win on Saturday over McNeese would allow Conque to tie for third on the list. He is also No. 6 on the Southland's all-time career overall victories list with a 72-50 record while coaching in the conference. A victory Saturday would tie coach Conque for fifth on the all-time career overall wins list with former Louisiana Tech head coach Maxie Lambright (73-17-2). Conque is 6-4 all-time against McNeese, including 2-1 at SFA and going 4-3 while at Central Arkansas.
PACE REACHES THE 1K RECEIVING YARDS MARK
Sophomore standout wide receiver Tamrick Pace (Brownsboro, Texas) reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his career this past Saturday with a 17-yard reception in the third quarter against Abilene Christian. His lone catch in the win gives him 1,012 career receiving yards as he reaches the milestone in just 15 games played.
FRANKLIN MOVING UP THE CAREER LISTS
Senior defensive end John Franklin (Greenville, Texas) registered half a sack last weekend in the win over Abilene Christian, moving him into the all-time top-10 list for career sacks in program history. He now has 15.5 sacks for his career and sits tied for ninth with Ishmiah Miles and James Kern. Additionally, Franklin collected 1.5 tackles for loss this past Saturday to move into eighth on SFA's all-time career top-l0 list for tackles for loss (28.5). A week ago in the home Southland opening win over Incarnate Word, Franklin recorded his 27th career tackle for loss to break into the career top-10 list for TFL's.
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