Saturday, September 29
Lake Charles, La. / Cowboy Stadium
6 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
No. 11 McNeese
Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
‘Jacks Seek Third-Straight Road Win Over Cowboys Saturday in Lake Charles
9/26/2018 10:32:00 AM | Football
SFA faces first FCS-ranked opponent of 2018, set to take on No. 11/10 McNeese in just second trip to the Pelican State since 2016
Stephen F. Austin (1-2, 1-1 Southland) at No. 11/10 McNeese (3-1, 2-0 Southland)
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. | Cowboy Stadium | Lake Charles, La.
Watch ($) | Listen (Q107.7) – TuneIn App | Live Stats | Game Notes
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. | Cowboy Stadium | Lake Charles, La.
Watch ($) | Listen (Q107.7) – TuneIn App | Live Stats | Game Notes
THE KICKOFF
After claiming its first victory of the 2018 season this past Saturday night, the Stephen F. Austin football team will head to Lake Charles, Louisiana, this Saturday, Sept. 29 for a showdown with Southland Conference leader and 11th-ranked McNeese. Kickoff from Cowyboy Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. The Lumberjacks are seeking their third consecutive road win over the host Cowboys after defeating McNeese in Lake Charles in both 2016 and 2014. For the first time this fall SFA will be taking on a FCS-ranked opponent as McNeese enters the game ranked in both national polls.
FOLLOWING THE LUMBERJACKS
Saturday evening's game in Louisiana will be streamed live online only via McNeeseSports.com/watch with a 24-hour all-access pass available for $6.95. Rob Meyers, the voice of the Lumberjacks, will have the play-by-play call of the game on Q107.7 FM alongside color commentary from Brandon Bernard. The audio broadcast will also be available online at Q1077.com as well as through the Lumberjack Sports Network on the TuneIn app. Live stats will be available at McNeeseSports.com, complemented by Twitter updates from @SFA_Football.
SFA IN THE PELICAN STATE
For just the second time since the 2016 season, SFA will be heading to its neighboring state of Louisiana for a football game. The 'Jacks took on Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana, last November for the 52nd Battle for Chief Caddo as its lone trip into the Pelican State in 2017. SFA made a pair of visits to Louisiana as part of the 2016 season, splitting a pair of tightly-contested games at Nicholls and McNeese. Over the last 10 seasons, the 'Jacks have posted an 11-8 (.579) record in games played in the Pelican State, claiming six consecutive wins in Louisiana between 2009-11.
'JACKS ON SEPT. 29
For the 14th time in program history, SFA will be taking to the gridiron for competition on Sept. 29. The 'Jacks most recently played on the date in 2012 when SFA earned a 42-37 triumph over Central Arkansas in Nacogdoches. SFA is 5-6-2 (.462) all-time on the date with its first game in program history being played on Sept. 29, 1923, a 120-0 rout of Center High School. McNeese served as the Lumberjacks' 1951 opponent on the date with the home contest ending in a 14-14 tie.
AGAINST RANKED OPPOSITION
For the 98th time in program history, SFA will be taking on a nationally-ranked opponent when it takes the field against the Cowboys Saturday evening. McNeese is currently ranked No. 11 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Poll and check in at No. 10 in this week's STATS FCS Top 25. The 'Jacks are 36-58-3 (.387) all-time against nationally-ranked opponents, including SFA's season opening loss at No. 18 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)-ranked Mississippi State. Five out of the last six seasons the 'Jacks have earned a win over a nationally-ranked opponent, dating back to Sept. 29, 2012 when SFA upended No. 12 Central Arkansas (42-37) in Texas' oldest town. In seven of the last nine seasons, the 'Jacks have taken down a ranked team beginning with a 16-13 home victory over No. 7 McNeese on Oct. 10, 2009. During that span, SFA has earned a total of 10 victories
over top-25 programs and holds a record of 10-21 (.323) against nationally-ranked opposition. Of those 10 triumphs, five came against top-10 teams. SFA's most recent win against a ranked opponent took place during the 2016 season when the 'Jacks defeated 13th-ranked McNeese 31-28 in Lake Charles. In 2015, SFA edged No. 21 Southeastern Louisiana 28-27 on the road and shocked sixth-ranked McNeese 31-16 in Louisiana late in the 2014 season during the Lumberjacks' run to the FCS playoffs. That same season, SFA earned an impressive 27-17 win over eighth-ranked Southeastern Louisiana inside Homer Bryce Stadium. This weekend will mark the 16th time the 'Jacks have taken on the Cowboys while McNeese is ranked among the nation's top 25 teams. SFA has gone 4-10-1 (.300) against the Cowboys while they are nationally ranked with three of those four wins taking place over the last nine seasons. In each of the last five meetings between the two programs, McNeese has been ranked nationally. The 'Jacks were ranked when the two teams met in both 2010 and 2005, with the 2005 version of the series taking place as a top-25 matchup.
NO DRY KICKOFFS
Through three games this season, SFA has yet to see a dry kickoff. Each of the Lumberjacks' three contests in 2018 have come with torrential downpours either right before or during the start of the game. At kickoff of SFA's season opener at Southeastern Conference stalwart Mississippi State, the skies opened up as a heavy rain storm moved over Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. The following weekend, the 'Jacks had to cancel their first football game since 2001 following numerous lightning delays caused by thunderstorms in and around Nacogdoches. While in San Antonio, the University of the Incarnate Word's Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium saw off and on rain squalls leading up to kickoff and throughout the contest between the 'Jacks and Cardinals. This past Saturday against Abilene Christian, Homer Bryce Stadium experienced heavy rain showers all the way up until about 45 minutes prior to kickoff as the turf held standing water for entirety of the game. Saturday's forecast in Lake Charles is calling for a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms.
THOU SHALL NOT PASS THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS
Opponents have been unable to locate the space in between the two field goal posts as SFA has seen teams go 1-for-6 (.167) on field goal tries this season. No opponent has hit a field goal beyond 27 yards against the 'Jacks through the opening three games as Mississippi State missed a 40-yarder and UIW a 35-yarder. The Wildcats were 0-for-3 on field goal attempts this past weekend, missing from 36, 49 and 46 yards out. McNeese's Gunnar Raborn enters Saturday evening's game 5-of-8 (.600) on field goal attempts this season.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
2018: 3-1 overall, 2-0 Southland Conference (1st)
Last Three Games: Loss at BYU (30-3), Win vs. No. 12 Nicholls (20-10), Win at Houston Baptist (51-34)
Head Coach: Lance Guidry (McNeese, 1995). Third season at McNeese (18-8, .692); Third season overall (19-9, .679)
Key Offensive Players:
• #4 Tabary James (Sr., QB): 68-of-95 (71.58%) for 815 yds., 6 TDs, 65-yd. long, 203.8 yds. per game, 2 INTs
• #20 Justin Pratt (Jr., RB): 47 carries for 195 yds., 4.1 yds. per rush, 1 TD, 41-yd. long, 48.8 yds. per game
• #32 David Hamm (Sr., RB): 31 carries for 100 yds., 3.2 yds. per rush, 22-yd. long, 25 yds. per game
• #1 Cyron Sutton (So., WR): 14 catches for 225 yds., 16.1 yds. per catch, 2 TDs, 65-yd. long, 56.3 yds. per game
• #19 Parker Orgeron (Jr., WR): 11 catches for 124 yds., 11.3 yds. per catch, 31-yd. long, 31.0 yds. per game
• #3 Kylon Highshaw (Sr., WR): 11 catches for 114 yds., 10.4 yds. per catch, 2 TDs, 18-yd. long, 28.5 yds. per game
• #13 Nate Briscoe (R-Fr., WR): 4 catches for 91 yds., 22.8 yds. per catch, 65-yd. long, 22.8 yds. per game
Key Defensive Players:
• #8 BJ Blunt (Sr., LB): 24 tackles (17 solo), 6 TFL for -33 yds., 5.0 sacks for -32 yds., 2 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery
• #4 Trent Jackson (Jr., DB): 17 tackles (9 solo), 3 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery
• #7 Darion Dunn (So., DB): 16 tackles (16 solo), 2 TFL for -5 yds., 1 sack for -4 yds., 2 INTs for 18 yds., 3 pass breakups
• #47 Christian Jacobs (Sr., LB): 15 tackles (10 solo), 2 TFL for -2 yds., 1 fumble recovery
• #12 Tré Porter (Sr., LB): 13 tackles (8 solo), 1 pass breakup
• #8 Cody Roscoe (So., DL): 12 tackles (9 solo), 5 TFL for -23 yards, 4.5 sacks for -23 yards, 2 QBH
• #2 Cory McCoy (So., DB): 12 tackles (7 solo), 2.5 TFL for -4 yds., 1 forced fumble, 1 pass breakup
OPPONENT SYNOPSIS
Behind head coach and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, McNeese enters this weekend touting a 3-1 overall record and a clean 2-0 mark in Southland play as the league leader. Last weekend, the Cowboys led FBS independent BYU on the road 3-0 following the first quarter of play before falling 30-3. Prior to its FBS game, McNeese had three strong showings against FCS opponents. The Cowboys began their 2018 campaign with a hard-fought 17-14 road triumph over Northern Colorado, before opening up conference action with a 51-34 rout at Houston Baptist and earning a 20-10 home win against 12th-ranked Nicholls two weeks ago. Known for its hard-nosed gritty defense, McNeese features a reliable ground attack with an offense that can stay on the field. Much like SFA, the Cowboys are averaging 32:13 in time of possession as the 'Jacks lead the league and are 14th nationally in that category (33:27). Through four games this season, McNeese is holding opponents to 22 points per game, 328 yards of total offense per game and 113 rushing yards per contest. The Cowboys lead the Southland in scoring defense and rushing defense, while ranking second in total defense. Picked to finish fourth in the league with one first-place vote according to the Southland's preseason poll, McNeese went 9-2 in 2017 and barely missed the FCS playoffs after finishing the regular season ranked No. 19 in the nation. The Cowboys went 7-2 in conference play last season and ended the year in a two-way tie for third place with Nicholls. This season, McNeese looks to have one of the top rushing defenses in the nation once again after leading all of NCAA Division I football in 2017 by allowing just 54.5 yards per game. Ranked fifth in the FCS in total defense (262.5 YPG) last season, the Cowboys feature preseason All-Southland First Team linebacker BJ Blunt, who leads the team defensively with 24 total tackles and 17 solo stops. Blunt has already notched six tackles for a loss of 33 yards and five sacks, not to mention owning a pair of pass breakups. He leads the Southland and ranks ninth nationally with 1.25 sacks per game. His 1.5 tackles for loss per game average is fourth-best in the league and ranks 33rd in the nation. Offensively, McNeese has weapons in preseason All-Southland First Team selections David Hamm, Lawayne Ross, Gunnar Raborn and Alex Kjellsten, not to mention reliable senior quarterback and National Performer of the Year Watch List member James Tabary and leading rusher Justin Pratt. Senior running back Hamm, a 2017 All-Southland First Team pick, has 31 carries for 100 yards, while Pratt has gained 195 yards on 47 carries. Tabary, a preseason All-Southland Second Team pick, has thrown for 815 yards and six touchdowns on 68-of-95 passing. Ross, who earned STATS FCS preseason All-America honors, has hauled in five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Raborn was tabbed an All-American Second Team kicker by both the AP and the AFCA in 2017, while Kjellsten is averaging 40.7 yards per punt and has pinned seven punts inside the 20-yard line this season.
SERIES INFORMATION
For the 38th time the 'Jacks and the Cowboys will meet on the gridiron Saturday evening. McNeese owns a 20-15-2 (.568) advantage in the series but SFA has claimed two of the last four and five of the last nine meetings between the two teams. The 'Jacks won three consecutive contests in the series between 2009-11 and have come away with victories in three of their last four trips down to Lake Charles. SFA and McNeese met for the first time in football in 1951 as the game, which was played in Nacogdoches, ended in a 14-14 tie. After the Cowboys won the next contest between the two programs, the 'Jacks won back-to-back games in 1953-54 and claimed three-straight wins between 1988-90. The longest winning streak in the series is held by McNeese at four, which the Cowboys achieved twice from 1992-95 and again during the 2005-08 seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
SFA notched its first mark in the win column of the 2018 season this past Saturday night inside Homer Bryce Stadium, earning a 24-21 win over visiting Abilene Christian during the Lumberjacks' annual parents weekend. Sophomore wide receiver Remi Simmons, who claimed a career-high seven catches for 72 yards, pounced on a Wildcat onside kickoff with just under a minute and a half remaining to seal the victory for SFA. A six-minute opening drive for the 'Jacks resulted in a field goal before SFA took a 10-7 lead into halftime following an acrobatic 17-yard touchdown catch by Simmons. With tremendous defensive play in the third quarter, the 'Jacks mounted a 10-point, 17-7 lead when sophomore defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols applied pressure on ACU quarterback Luke Anthony, who lost the football prior to it being scooped up in the end zone by sophomore safety Trenton Gordon. Junior Texas transfer quarterback Josh Covey scampered across the goal line from 11 yards out with 11 and a half minutes remaining to cap a five-minute, 77-yard drive that put SFA ahead 24-14. The Wildcats would score a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play from the two-yard line with 1:24 to go but it would be too little, too late as Simmons' onside kick recovery put the game away. It was the Lumberjacks' third consecutive win over ACU as SFA held the Wildcats, who had been averaging 234 yards per game rushing, to just 54 yards on the ground. ACU entered the game averaging better than 525 yards per game and ranked 10th in the nation in third-down conversion, however, the Lumberjack defense held the Wildcats to 337 total yards and 2-of-12 on third-down plays. Gordon's third-quarter touchdown fumble recovery marked the SFA's first defensive score since Alize Ward's improbable game-winning pick-six against UIW last season.
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 36 catches and five touchdown receptions to break into the Lumberjack top-10 career list in both of those categories, the junior now ranks 22nd in career receiving yards (1,650) among all 'Jacks who have played the game after Saturday's performance against ACU. Pace reeled in five catches for 72 yards against the Wildcats and needs just nine more yards to move into 21st place on the all-time list. On opening weekend at SEC mainstay Mississippi State, Pace was the second-leading receiver in the game, hauling in five catches for 73 yards against the FBS 18th-ranked Bulldogs.
BLUMRICK BECOMES A 2,000-YARD PASSER
Junior starting quarterback Jake Blumrick had one of his finest performances wearing the Purple and White Saturday, throwing for 258 yards and a touchdown on 26-of-38 passing against ACU. With his outing, Blumrick moved into 19th place on SFA's all-time career passing list. He has accounted for 2,068 yards through the air in three seasons seeing game action and became the program's 19th 2,000-yard passer.
AGAINST MCNEESE IN 2017
Despite having several ample opportunities to come away with points, the 'Jacks were unable to score against a very athletic McNeese squad on parents day inside Homer Bryce Stadium. SFA was held to just 224 total yards of offense in the 35-0 home loss to the 25th-ranked Cowboys, who racked up 342 yards on the ground and another 163 through the air. Ranked No. 25 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, McNeese showed its strength in all facets of the game, registering eight tackles for loss on defense, including four sacks, and tallying 10 pass breakups. The Cowboys had two 100-yard rushers in Hamm (164) and Pratt (125), while Tabary completed 12-of-24 passes and tossed three touchdowns.
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