Stephen F. Austin
Incarnate Word
NOTES: 'Jacks, SLC Preseason Favorite Incarnate Word Clash in San Antonio Showdown
10/1/2025 4:49:00 PM | Football
SFA eyes fourth straight win, longest streak since '21 in heavyweight matchup against Cardinals who have won nine-straight at home
9th meeting; SFA leads 5-3
San Antonio, Texas (Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium)
FULL GAME NOTES ARE HERE
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It's the biggest game of the season, because it's the next one. A heavyweight tilt is on tap this Saturday in San Antonio as SLC preseason No. 2 Stephen F. Austin carries a three-game winning streak into Saturday's showdown with preseason favorite Incarnate Word. Kickoff in the heavyweight tilt is set for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.sfajacks.com.
• ON TAP: For the ninth time since the first meeting in 2014, Stephen F. Austin and Incarnate Word matchup on the gridiron in an early season, high stakes affair in San Antonio. Southland Conference preseason No. 1 (UIW) and No. 2 (SFA) meet as the Cardinals look to extend a nine-game home winning streak, while SFA aims for its first road win and fourth straight victory of the season. The 'Jacks are 5-3 all-time in the short series, but UIW has won the previous two overall and the last two in the Alamo City. The top 10 ranked Cardinals edged out a seven-point win over SFA in Nacogdoches last season, while a convincing 42-19 showing by the 'Jacks in 2016 stands as the visitors last win at UIW.
• LAST TIME OUT: Three McNeese turnovers led to as many big opportunities for Stephen F. Austin and the 'Jacks capitalized by hitting paydirt twice and punching in a key 24-yard field goal on their way to a convincing 34-17 Southland Conference opening win against the visiting Cowboys in front of over 10,000 fans inside Homer Bryce Stadium.
• HOME SWEET HOMER: SFA closed out its three-game home stretch unbeaten after wins over Sul Ross, Cal Poly and McNeese. The successful stretch inside Homer Bryce marked the first time since 2014 that the 'Jacks played three consecutive weeks in Nacogdoches which saw SFA defeat Incarnate Word (Sept. 6), Texas A&M-Commerce (Sept. 13) and Weber State (Sept. 20). Half of the Lumberjacks' six home game slate remains. Since the 2020 campaign, SFA is 22-6 inside Homer Bryce Stadium following Saturday night's win over McNeese. The 'Jacks have eight undefeated home seasons inside HBS, winning no fewer than four games in each of those schedules including four each in 2020 and 2021. In home openers, SFA moved to 6-1 under Carthel and has won six straight following the decisive victory over Sul Ross.
• THE SEASON WITHIN THE SEASON: The 'Jacks won a Southland Conference opener for the third time under Carthel and moved the program's SLC record under the seventh year head coach to 14-21. Since the start of the 2021 season, SFA is 14-12 against league opponents after not having played a league slate in '20 and seeing wins vacated in '19 due to infractions committed by a previous staff. In SLC play, the 'Jacks are coming off of a 4-3 season with the three losses decided by an average of four points.
• THE WORD ON THE WORD: UIW suffered a season-opening loss at Nicholls and lost by eight on the road at Northern Arizona in Week 4. The Cardinals dropped a 48-20 decision at UTSA, but own FCS wins over Eastern Washington and Abilene Christian.
The Cardinals are stingy on the defensive side of the football. UIW ranks third in the SLC in scoring defense (25.4), redzone defense (.727) and rushing defense (119.0). Declan Williams paces the defense with 8.4 tackles per game and rates third in the SLC in tackles for loss (1.10). The preseason favorites in the SLC are allowing 214.8 passing yards per game, while boasting the league's top completion percentage (69.0%), second-best first downs offense (115) and the third-highest passing offense (251.6). Additionally, UIW possesses the football at a league-high 32+ minutes per game.
EJ Colson directs the offense behind the league's second-highest passing efficiency (150.1) and second-most points responsible for per game (12.0). Jameson Garcia is Colson's favorite target with 6.2 receptions per game, but Chedon James follows with 5.0 receptions per game. Those marks rank first and second in the SLC, while both players hold top five league marks in receiving yards, receiving yards per game, receiving touchdowns and all-purpose yards per game. Colson and Jaylon Spears both rank inside the SLC's top ten in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.
• SFA 2K: It's real life but the career numbers by a handful of 'Jacks are video game-like. Seniors Kylon Harris and Jerrell Wimbley (see below) continue to etch their names among the program's all-time greats as both players crossed over the 2,000 yard mark for their respective positions in the SLC-opening win over McNeese. Harris delivered the tenth 100-yard receiving effort of his career to reach 2K receiving yards as a Lumberjack. His two touchdowns, the 20th and 21st of his career, moved him into a tie for seventh place on the all-time receiving touchdowns list.
• RUNNING BACK RAN IT BACK: For the second straight week, senior running back Jerrell Wimbley was named the SLC Offensive Player of the Week after an explosive effort against the Cowboys. The Houston native enjoyed a career-high 171 yards on a single-game best 29 carries vs. McNeese. He rattled off a 43-yard touchdown in the final two minutes of the game to set a new personal single-game rushing effort and in the process crossed over the 2,000 career rushing yards mark as he became the 11th Lumberjack all-time to reach 2K on the ground. Wimbley totaled 209 all-purpose yards after hauling in four passes for 38 yards which moves him near the top 10 in career all-purpose yardage at SFA. Additionally, Wimbley is three rushing touchdowns from becoming just the eighth SFA back to record 20 in a career.
Entering Week 6, Wimbley leads the SLC in rushing yards (377) and rushing yards per carry (6.61), ranks second in rushing average (75.4) and is fourth in the SLC in rushing touchdowns (3).
• LET'S KICK IT: First-year Lumberjack Carlos Alvarado added eight key points for the 'Jacks in the second half as he knocked in two of his four extra point attempts in the final half hour in addition to nailing the first two field goal attempts of his Lumberjack career. A ten-play drive late in the third quarter was capped by a 40-yarder that placed the 'Jacks up two touchdowns, while a 24-yarder ended a near seven-minute drive halfway through the fourth quarter to give SFA a 17-point advantage. Alvarado is 2-for-2 on FGA this season and has made all 20 PATs.
• SLINGIN' SAMMY: Senior quarterback Sam Vidlak tossed three touchdown passes in the McNeese victory to move into tenth place all-time on the Lumberjacks' passing touchdowns chart. He has 37 career scoring strikes in 25 games played over his career with 34 of those coming in 14 games as a Lumberjack. He is six touchdown passes shy of ninth all-time. Vidlak enters Week 6 31 yards shy of 4,000 yards passing as a collegian and 240 from entering SFA's top 10.
• WEEK 4 WARRIORS: Special efforts resulted in SLC honors for three Lumberjacks following the Cal Poly win. Kylon Harris was named the SLC Special Teams Player of the Week following his 65-yard punt return and Jerrell Wimbley carried ten times for 130 yards highlighted by runs of 46 and 22. It is the most yards by an SLC back against and FCS foe this season. Wimbley garnered SLC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. Malachi Williams added seven tackles, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry to his interception return TD. He was named honorable mention SLC Defensive Player of the Week.
• SPECIAL FORCES: Speaking of game changers. Freshman punter Lachie Pozzobon put on a punting clinic against Cal Poly inside HBS. The first-year 'Jack punted seven times at an average of 41.4 yards per punt with a long of 51. Of his seven punts, Pozzobon placed four inside the Cal Poly 11 yard line with two of his boots downed inside the CP1. Through four games, Pozzobon rates third in the SLC in punting average at 42.3. SFA leads the SLC in net punting (41.05) which is the tenth-best mark in the country and boast a top 30 punt return defense (4.17) in the FCS.
• MAKING MOVES: Seventh year head coach Colby Carthel is moving up the wins charts at SFA. He is currently four victories shy of becoming just the fourth head coach of the Lumberjacks to reach 40 in a tenure and he would be just the third since the 1980 season. At home, Carthel has totaled 22 victories, sixth-most by an SFA head coach, while an unbeaten campaign inside HBS this season would move him into third all-time.
• BIG PLAY 'JACKS: SFA has produced 34 offensive plays of 10+ yards this season with over half (20) accounting for 15 or more yards. Of the 20 that have went for a first down and a half, 15 have accounted for 20 or more yards. The longest play from scrimmage through five games is a Sam Vidlak to Kylon Harris 76-yard touchdown against McNeese. The 'Jacks have accounted for nine plays of 40+ yards this season.
• BACKFIELD BANDITS: The 'Jacks rank inside the FCS top 5 in tackles for loss with an SLC-leading per game average of 8.2. Twenty-one 'Jacks have recorded at least 1.0 tackle for loss with a dozen responsible for 2.0 or more and Jaydon Southard, Jalen Mayo and Ky Thomas each leading with 3.0.
• TOUGH TO GET TRACTION: Opponents have had issue running the football against SFA as the 'Jacks are allowing just under 90 yards per game on the ground at just 2.4 yards per carry. SFA ranks tenth nationally and leads the SLC in rushing defense. The 'Jacks' Week 6 opponent UIW ranks third in the SLC and holds a top 25 mark nationally in rushing defense at 119.0 per game.
• REESE RACES: Senior Richard Reese, in his first year with the 'Jacks, tallied 142 all-purpose yards against Sul Ross. He touched the football six times and in the process recorded the longest rush and the longest reception of his career. Reese hauled in a 64 yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter and then followed with a 58-yard scoring scamper with just over eight minutes remaining before the half. His two endzone trips marked the sixth time in his career that he scored two or more times in a game with the first five instances coming during his time at Baylor.
• OUR GUY MALACHI: Junior linebacker Malachi Williams ranks inside the SLC's top ten in tackles per game with over eight. He delivered 17 tackles against ACU in just his second game as a 'Jack. That's the most in a game by an SFA defender since Gavin Roland's 17 against Nicholls in 2019. Williams has logged 42 over his first five games at SFA.
• SOUTHARD SMOTHERS: Senior linebacker Jaydon Southard leads the SLC with a top ten mark nationally in tackles per game at 11.0. He produced back-to-back double-digit tackle efforts for the first time as a Lumberjack after a career-high 16 vs. Abilene Christian, which followed 11 in the season opener against Houston. He reached the century mark as a Lumberjack in the win over Cal Poly and enters Week 6 with 44 stops on the season in four games played. He has crossed over 10+ tackles in a game three times in 2025.
