‘Jacks Begin 2018 Campaign at Southeastern Conference Stalwart Mississippi State

Saturday, September 1

Starkville, Miss. / Davis Wade Stadium

6:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

No. 18 Mississippi State

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Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography

‘Jacks Begin 2018 Campaign at Southeastern Conference Stalwart Mississippi State

8/29/2018 9:26:00 AM | Football

SFA to play first SEC opponent in program history, travels to the Magnolia State for first time since 1991

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

THE KICKOFF
Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, will be the site of Stephen F. Austin football's opening tilt of the 2018 season as the Lumberjacks are set to take on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. The season-opening non-conference affair serves as SFA's annual matchup with a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent and kicks off the Lumberjacks' 92nd season of football.

FOLLOWING THE LUMBERJACKS
Saturday's game at Mississippi State will be broadcast live on ESPNU and can be streamed everywhere via the ESPN app. Mike Couzens will provide play-by-play of the primetime national TV broadcast alongside color commentary from Kirk Morrison. Rob Meyers, the voice of the Lumberjacks, will have the call of the game on Q107.7 FM with Garrett Altier serving as an analyst. The radio broadcast will be available online at Q1077.com as well as through the Lumberjack Sports Network on the TuneIn app. Live stats will be available at HailState.com, complemented by Twitter updates from @SFA_Football.

INAUGURAL SEC MATCHUP
For the first time in its 92-year history, SFA will be facing an opponent from the heralded Southeastern Conference. The 'Jacks have taken on just one current SEC team - Texas A&M - but have not played the Aggies since Texas A&M joined the league in 2012. Saturday's game will mark just the fourth time SFA has taken on a current SEC opponent, going 0-3 against the Aggies. The 'Jacks last played at Texas A&M in their 2010 season opener while the Aggies were still competing in the Big 12 Conference. Often known as the gold standard in college football, the SEC can lay claim to nine of the last 12 FBS national championships and has had a conference member competing for a national title in 11 of the past 12 seasons. Mississippi State has been a member of the SEC since its inception in 1932.

HEADING BACK TO MISSISSIPPI 27 YEARS LATER
SFA's trip to Starkville, Mississippi, this weekend will mark the Lumberjacks' first time playing in the Magnolia State in 27 years. A non-conference game at Jackson State on Sept. 21, 1991 was SFA's last battle in the state of Mississippi. SFA is 3-3 all-time in the Magnolia State.

SFA IN SEASON OPENERS
The 'Jacks own a 47-9-5 (.544) all-time record in season openers as SFA begins 2018 against an FBS opponent for the third consecutive year. Including Saturday's road tilt, the 'Jacks have begun their season away from the comforts of Nacogdoches all but once since 2013. SFA will attempt to halt a five-year skid in season openers with the 'Jacks last opening weekend victory coming 49-14 inside Homer Bryce Stadium against Southwestern Oklahoma to start the 2012 season. Last season, SFA opened up its campaign by traveling northwest to Dallas to face the American Athletic Conference's SMU where the 'Jacks were handed a 58-14 loss. For the eighth time in program history and fourth since 2010, SFA will take on a current power five school.

'JACKS ON SEPT. 1
For the ninth time in program history, the 'Jacks will be playing on September 1. SFA owns a 4-3-1 (.563) record on the date with wins over McMurry University (82-6) in 2011, Henderson State (49-38) in 2005, Delta State (17-10) in 1984 and Prairie View A&M (37-6) in 1983. The 'Jacks played to a 10-10 tie at Youngstown State in their 1994 season opener on Sept. 1.

JEFF BYRD TAKES OVER REIGNS OF PROGRAM
On June 19, 2018, Jeff Byrd was named interim head coach of the team following the announcement of former head coach Clint Conque being placed on suspension pending an investigation into violations of university policy. Conque then resigned on Monday, August 6, 2018. Byrd enters his first season as interim head coach and second with the Lumberjack football program after serving as SFA's defensive coordinator during the 2017 season. Back in early March, Byrd was promoted to assistant head coach. A coaching veteran known for aggressive defensive play, Byrd has spent the last 15 seasons in the defensive coordinator role. Byrd came to Texas' oldest town after serving as the University of Tennessee at Martin's defensive coordinator for five seasons.

COACH BYRD RETURNS TO HOMELAND
A native of Southaven, Mississippi, which is approximately 2.5 hours northwest of Starkville, coach Byrd will be retiring to his home state for Saturday's season opener. SFA's lead man will be guiding his team for the first time as a head coach at the college level on native soil. Byrd was a letter winner at center for Southern Mississippi and was a member of the Golden Eagles' 1988 Independence Bowl championship team. He has strong ties to the Magnolia State, earning his bachelor's degree from Southern Miss in 1989, followed by his master's degree in education from Delta State in 2005. Byrd served as an assistant coach at Washington High School (1994-98) in Greenville, Mississippi, before taking on the role of head coach and athletic director at Bayou Academy (1999) in Cleveland, Mississippi. He also spent time as a graduate assistant at Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi, and was a defensive coordinator at Northwest Mississippi Community College (2003-04) in Senatobia, Mississippi.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
2017: 9-4 overall, 4-4 Southeastern Conference (T4th SEC West; T6th SEC)
Last Three Games: Win at Arkansas (28-21), Loss vs. Ole Miss (31-28), Win vs. Louisville (31-27) (2017 TaxSlayer Bowl)
Head Coach: Joe Moorhead (Fordham, 1996). First season at Mississippi State (0-0, .000); 5th season overall (38-13, .745)
Key Returning Offensive Players (2017 Statistics):
• #7 Nick Fitzgerald (Sr., QB): 159-of-286 (55.6%) for 1,782 yds., 15 TDs, 62-yd. long, 148.5 yds. per game, 11 INTs
• #26 Aeris Williams (Sr., RB): 236 carries for 1,107 yds., 4.7 yds. per rush, 6 TDs, 59-yd. long, 85.2 yds. per game
• #7 Nick Fitzgerald (Sr., QB): 162 carries for 984 yds., 6.1 yds. per rush, 14 TDs, 45-yd. long, 82.0 yds. per game
• #86 Jesse Jackson (Sr., WR): 27 catches for 276 yds., 10.2 yds. per catch, 0 TDs, 32-yd. long, 21.2 yds. per game
• #4 Deddrick Thomas (Jr., WR): 22 catches for 227 yds., 10.3 yds. per catch, 4 TDs, 25-yd. long, 25.0 yds. per game
• #23 Keith Mixon (Jr., WR): 18 catches for 275 yds., 15.3 yds. per catch, 1 TDs, 45-yd. long, 34.4 yds. per game
Key Defensive Players:
• #41 Mark McLaurin (Sr., S): 79 tackles (43 solo), 3.5 TFL for -10 yds., 1.5 sacks for -7 yds., 6 INTs for 85 yds., 6 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble
• #38 Johnathan Abram (Sr., S): 71 tackles (28 solo), 5.0 TFL for -25 yds., 2.0 sacks for -18 yds., 5 pass breakups, 1 QBH, 2 forced fumbles
• #94 Jeffery Simmons (Jr., DT): 60 tackles (39 solo), 12.0 TFL for -51 yds., 5.0 sacks for -35 yds., 1 pass breakups, 5 QBH, 2 fumble recoveries for 90 yds., 2 forced fumbles, 3 blocked kicks
• #9 Montez Sweat (Sr., DE): 48 tackles (27 solo), 15.5 TFL for -73 yds., 10.5 sacks for -64 yds., 4 QBH, 1 fumble recovery
• #40 Erroll Thompson (So., LB): 46 tackles (25 solo), 5.5 TFL for -36 yds., 2.5 sacks for -18 yds., 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble
• #10 Leo Lewis (Jr., LB): 46 tackles (31 solo), 1.0 TFL for -10 yds., 1.0 sacks for -10 yds., 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble

OPPONENT SYNOPSIS
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Joe Moorhead, the Bulldogs begin their 119th season of football against SFA. Mississippi State has reached a school record eight-straight bowl games and is one of just five SEC programs to have gone to a bowl game every season this decade. Winning their third consecutive bowl game last year, a 31-27 triumph over the Atlantic Coast Conference's Louisville at the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, the Bulldogs wrapped up the season with a 9-4 overall record and a 4-4 mark in SEC play. Mississippi State finished tied for fourth in the SEC West and tied for sixth overall in the SEC, achieving a No. 19 ranking in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and ranking No. 20 in the Amway Coaches Poll. As the Bulldogs begin their 2018 campaign they enter week one of the season ranked No. 18 in both FBS polls, extending their streak of consecutive weeks ranked to eight. For the first time since 2011 Mississippi State will begin its season ranked in the top 20 of both major polls. Since 2014, the Bulldogs have gained the second-most victories of any SEC West team, claiming 34 to sit tied with LSU behind Alabama. Mississippi State is one of only five teams to have held the No. 1 national ranking since the start of the 2014 season, doing so for five-straight weeks during that year and joining Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Florida State. A power football team that relies heavily on the run and is strengthened by a stout defensive line, the Bulldogs return a ton of experience on the defensive front line and have one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. Senior signal caller Nick Fitzgerald has rushed for 2,486 yards during his career, which is fourth-most of any quarterback in SEC history and just 461 yards shy of Tim Tebow's record, however, he will not play against the 'Jacks due to a violation of team policy back in March. Sophomore gunslinger Keytaon Thompson will start behind center against SFA. He threw for 388 yards on 32-of-66 passing last season, while rushing for 446 yards on 75 keeps. Mississippi State's defensive line returns all four starters from 2017, including All-SEC First Team selections Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons. Sweat, a senior, led the SEC and ranked eighth nationally with 10.5 sacks and was also tops in the league with 15.5 tackles for loss. Simmons, a junior, finished with 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, five quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and three blocked kicks in 2017. Both were tabbed as preseason All-SEC First Team picks. The Bulldogs' rushing attack averaged 251.7 yards per game last season, the 14th-best average in the nation and second-best in the SEC. Along with Fitzgerald's 984 rushing yards a season ago, senior running back Aeris Williams racked up 1,107 yards on 236 carries, averaging 85.2 yards per game and 4.7 yards per attempt. Mississippi State was picked to finish third in the SEC West by the media and is 83-33-2 overall in season openers. The Bulldogs are 87-28-2 all-time in home openers.

SERIES INFORMATION
Saturday evening will be the first ever meeting between SFA and Mississippi State on the gridiron.

PACE ON PACE
SFA features a very talented wide receiver group in 2018 and returning All-Southland Second Team selection Tamrick Pace is on pace to etch his name in the program's record book. Needing just 48 catches and five touchdown receptions to break into the Lumberjack top-10 career list in both of those categories, the junior ranks 23rd in career receiving yards (1,481) among all 'Jacks who have played the game. Pace led the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (645) for the second consecutive season in 2017. He reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark last season in just 15 games played and has scored 13 touchdowns on 105 catches in his first two seasons at SFA.

WILKERSON TABBED AS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Senior long snapper Chris Wilkerson was named preseason All-America First Team by both STATS FCS and the Phil Steele FCS Magazine. He enters his third season as the Lumberjacks' starting long snapper and is a true NFL prospect. Appearing in each of SFA's 22 games over the last two seasons, Wilkerson has reliable snaps on punts, field goals and extra points. He has played in a total of 32 games over the last three seasons.

PHIL STEELE FCS MAGAZINE NAMES WARD PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior safety Alize Ward, a preseason All-Southland Conference First Team selection as a defensive back and preseason All-Southland Second Team pick as an all-purpose player, was tabbed a preseason All-American Fourth Team member by the 2018 Phil Steele FCS Magazine. Ward made the second-most tackles (75) on the team a year ago and led the 'Jacks with 40 solo stops. He picked off four passes and racked up 122 interception return yards for the second-most in the Southland. As SFA's main kickoff return man in 2017, Ward was one of the primary reasons the 'Jacks set a single-season program record and ranked third nationally, second in the Southland, in yards per kickoff return (26.5). Ward's 25 yards per kickoff return average last season was 13th-best in the nation and second-best among all kickoff returners in the conference. He accumulated 726 yards on 29 kickoff returns for the fourth-most in a single season in school history and had three different games with over 100 kickoff return yards.

FIVE 'JACKS CLAIM PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND HONORS
Along with Ward, four other 'Jacks picked up preseason All-Southland nods. Pace and senior punter Caleb Lewallen were both tabbed as preseason All-Southland Second Team offense picks, while senior linebacker Ryan Woods and sophomore safety Trenton Gordon were placed on the preseason All-Southland Second Team defense. Lewallen totaled 2,935 yards on 75 punts in 2017 as SFA's starting punter and kickoff specialist. Behind Lewallen's leg, the 'Jacks ranked 25th nationally and third in the Southland in net punting (37.7 YPP) last season. His 39.1 yards per punt was the seventh-best average in the Southland as he landed five punts inside opponents' 20-yard line and had five punts of 50 yards or farther. Woods had a breakout season last fall, starting the final seven games and making 55 total tackles to tie for the fifth-most on the team. He posted 24 unassisted tackles, made 5.5 tackles for loss, broke up a pass, had a quarterback hurry and recovered a fumble. Woods looks to continue where he left off in 2018 after claiming five or more tackles in six different games last year and collecting 10 or more stops in the last two games of the season. The Lumberjacks' leading tackler in 2017 as a true freshman, Gordon wasted no time in making his impact in the league. Gordon led SFA with 76 total tackles, including the second-most solo stops (39). Ranking ninth in the league in tackles per game (7.6), Gordon posted 1.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble while tallying a career-high 11 tackles on three different occasions.

SFA PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE SOUTHLAND
For the second-straight year, SFA was chosen sixth in the Southland's annual preseason poll as voted upon by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The 'Jacks picked up 90 total points from head coaches and SID's votes, finishing just above seventh-place Abilene Christian in the poll and edging the Wildcats by a single point. SFA went 4-7 overall last fall and 4-5 in Southland play, tying for sixth in the league's final standings. The 'Jacks started conference play 2-0 in 2017, defeating UIW at home and ACU on the road before later posting convincing wins over Houston Baptist and Lamar. This fall, SFA looks to continue its recent success against in-state opponents after going 4-1 against FCS opposition in 2017, marking the first time since 1989 the 'Jacks claimed four victories over FCS Texas foes in the same season. Last season also marked the first time since 1995 SFA recorded four wins over Lone Star State schools in the same year. The 'Jacks are attempting to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2014.

-SFA-