Stephen F. Austin
East Texas A&M
NOTES: #24/24 'Jacks Carry Win Streak, Momentum into SLC Battle with East Texas A&M
10/22/2025 2:53:00 PM | Football
SFA eyes sixth straight, looks for first win in Commerce since '73
60th meeting; ETAM leads 44-14-1
Commerce, Texas (Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium)
FULL GAME NOTES ARE HERE
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin carries a five-game winning streak, the second-longest active streak among SLC teams, into Saturday's 60th all-time matchup with East Texas A&M. The Lumberjacks and Lions square off in the first conference tilt between the longtime foes since the early years of the Reagan Administration. The 'Jacks aim for a 4-0 start in league play for the first time since 1999. Kickoff from Ernest Hawkins Field inside Memorial Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
• LAST TIME OUT: A near 90-minute weather delay coming out of the halftime break and a two hour and 17 minute stoppage midway through the third quarter were not enough to dampen #25/rv Stephen F. Austin's convincing 34-7 win over Nicholls which began on Saturday night and concluded in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
• OLD STOMPING GROUNDS : Before seventh-year head coach Colby Carthel carried his coaching career into the Piney Woods, he built East Texas A&M, then Texas A&M-Commerce, into a Division II power. In six seasons, Carthel led the Lions to 58 victories, three 10+ win campaigns, three Lone Star Conference championships, four NCAA playoff appearances and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship.
• IN THE MIX FOR SIX: Saturday night's win gave the 'Jacks a fifth-straight victory which matches its longest such streak since closing out the 2021 regular season with five-consecutive wins. A win in Commerce would give SFA its longest win streak since winning six-straight during the 2020 season. SFA's 5-2 start is the program's best since 2014.
• STREAKIN': During the five-game win streak, the 'Jacks are averaging 395.2 yards of offense and holding opponents to just 231.2 total yards per game. SFA is +8 in turnovers during the stretch and is converting nearly 43% of its third down chances. Opponents are averaging 1.3 yards per carry, while the 'Jacks have collected 17 sacks during that time frame.
• IT'S BEEN HOW LONG?: A sixth-straight victory this season would snap a six-game road losing streak in Commerce. The 'Jacks last won on the road inside Memorial Stadium on October 20, 1973. That win was part of a nine-win campaign for SFA and was the second victory of a seven-game win streak to conclude the season.
• EAST TEXAS RUNDOWN: The Lions enter Week 9 2-5, but both victories have come in league play. ETAM dropped a pair of Power 4 tilts at SMU and Florida State to start the season, dropped a three-point affair at Grambling, lost a shootout vs. NC Central at home and suffered a 10-point defeat against now 6-1 Lamar. Most recently, the Lions ended up on the winning end of a combined 97-point victory over UIW in San Antonio; the program's first-ever win over the Cardinals.
The Lions own the SLC's top passing offense at 270.3 yards per game which rates 12th nationally. Christian Jourdain and Devin Matthews rank third and fourth in the league, respectively, in receiving yards with both players north of 450 on the season. Jourdain averages over five catches per game. Running back EJ Oakmon leads with seven rushing touchdowns.
Three Lions land inside the SLC's top 20 in tackles per game and are led by Koby-Sebasyen King's 8.3 per game. He ranks second in tackles for loss average at 1.29.
• BIG PLAY 'JACKS: SFA has produced 28 offensive plays of 20+ yards this season with 14 accounting for 40 or more yards. The longest play from scrimmage through seven games is a Sam Vidlak to Kylon Harris 76-yard touchdown against McNeese. The 'Jacks have accounted for five plays of 54+ yards this season.
• BACKFIELD BANDITS: The 'Jacks rank second in the FCS in tackles for loss with an SLC-leading per game average of 9.1. Two dozen 'Jacks have recorded at least 1.0 tackle for loss with 15 responsible for 2.0 or more and nine having registered 3.0 plus. Jaydon Southard leads with 8.0 for 29 lost yards; third-highest loss total behind Victor Idusuyi II (4.5-34) and Ky Thomas (6.5-31).
• TOUGH TO GET TRACTION: Opponents have had issue running the football against SFA as the 'Jacks are allowing just under 78 yards per game on the ground at just 2.2 yards per carry. SFA ranks third nationally and leads the SLC in rushing defense.
• LIGHTNING BUGS: Opposing special teams coordinators are going looney in an effort to figure out ways to slow down electric Lumberjack return man Bugs Mortimer. With the lightning momentarily not an issue last Saturday, Mortimer became one for the Colonels and provided his own electricity as the talented return man dazzled with an impressive tight-roping act along the SFA sideline before reversing field on a 66-yard race to paydirt. His 159 punt return yards set a new single-game program record besting former 'Jack and NFLer Floyd Dixon's 126 vs. Abilene Christian in 1985. He is the first 'Jack since Xavier Gipson in 2022 to have multiple punt return touchdowns in the same season and is the first player in the FCS this season to have multiple PR touchdowns.
• HAND HAS A LEG: Jacob Hand's 54-yard field goal, in his first career attempt, which opened scoring on Saturday against McNeese is tied for the second-longest FG in program history and marked the longest make by a Lumberjack since Storm Ruiz's 54-yarder against Northwestern State in 2019. Hand handles SFA's kickoff duties and is averaging 62.6 yards per kick with 25 touchbacks.
• ADD MAYO: First-year 'Jack Jalen Mayo has proven to be a key addition to the SFA secondary this season. The Virginia Union transfer leads the Southland Conference in passes defended with 1.14 per game. That total ranks inside the top 30 in FCS. He has broken up a pass in four-straight games including two each in wins over UIW and Nicholls.
• GETTING DEFENSIVE: Senior linebacker Jaydon Southard is in the midst of a career year and is coming off a fifth game of double-digit tackles after recording 13 against Nicholls which resulted in weekly SLC honorable mention honors. His 16-tackle effort at UIW led to him being named the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week in addition to receiving SLC defensive honors as well. His 12.7 tackles per game leads the SLC and rates second nationally, while his 5.67 solo stops per game rate seventh in the FCS and are an SLC-best effort. Additionally, Southard's 1.33 tackles for loss per game are tops in the SLC and are a top 20 mark nationally. 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 7 with 63 stops on the season in five games played. He has crossed over 11+ tackles in a game five times in 2025 and Southard is the first Lumberjack with multiple games of 16+ stops since Devin Ducote in 2010.
• BAG 'EM UP: Senior interior defensive lineman Victor Idusuyi II ranks second in the Southland Conference with .57 sacks per game. He has registered 4.0 this season for 33 lost yards behind a single-game best effort 2.5 at UIW. That sack average rates inside the FCS top 45, while teammate Ky Thomas ranks third in the SLC in sack average (.50) and fourth in tackles for loss average (1.08; 6.5-31).
• VIVA LA VIDLAK: Senior quarterback Sam Vidlak has thrown a touchdown pass in each of his last five games including consecutive games with three touchdown strikes in SLC wins over McNeese and UIW. The Applegate, Oregon native is two touchdown passes away from becoming the ninth Lumberjack to reach 40 in a career. He crossed over 4,000 passing yards as a collegian in the win at UIW and sits 460 yards shy of moving into the program's top 10 all-time. Entering Week 9, Vidlak ranks second in the SLC in passing TDs (11) and passing yards (1,362), third in passing average (194.6) and fourth in points responsible for (66).
• BIG PLAY CLAY: Sophomore wide receiver Clayton Wayland has developed into an offensive weapon for SFA in year two. The Southlake, Texas native has hauled in multiple passes in all seven games this season and is coming off of a 4 catch, 68-yard, one touchdown effort in the win over Nicholls. He produced a career-best effort in the win at UIW where he led the 'Jacks in receiving. Wayland delivered a six-catch, 100-yard performance that was highlighted by a 58-yard, YAC-filled grab in the third quarter which set SFA up inside the UIW5 and led to an eventual six. His totals in receptions and yards are single-game bests and the 58-yarder stands as the longest reception of his career. Nearly a fourth of SFA's plays that have went for 40+ yards have involved Wayland as he added a 40-yard catch against the Colonels to the big play at UIW, a 40-yard catch at Houston and a 44-yard reception against Cal Poly.
• 15 + 4 = 6: Sam Vidlak connected with Kylon Harris for SFA's first of three first half touchdowns against UIW. It marked the fourth scoring strike between the duo this season and the 12th TD connection in 15 games played together.
• 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. He is 57 receiving yards from eighth place on the all-time list. His first quarter scoring grab at UIW, the 22nd of his career, moved him into a tie for sixth place on the all-time receiving touchdowns list; five back of fifth place.
• RUNNING BACK RAN IT BACK: Senior running back Jerrell Wimbley was named the SLC Offensive Player of the Week for a second-straight week after an explosive effort against McNeese. The Houston native enjoyed a career-high 171 yards on a single-game best 29 carries vs. the Cowboys. 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.
Entering Week 9, Wimbley ranks second in the SLC in rushing yards (515), rushing yards per carry (5.79) and rushing yards per game (73.6) and ranks third in rushing touchdowns (5). Wimbley is 377 rushing yards away from sixth on the all-time rushing list and he is a rushing TD shy of becoming the eighth 'Jack to score 20 on the ground in a career.
• LET'S KICK IT: First-year Lumberjack Carlos Alvarado has been a key part of the 'Jacks' scoring efforts as of late. Most recently, he nailed a 36-yarder against Nicholls. He answered a UIW FG with one of his third of the season and chipped in with eight key points for the 'Jacks in the second half against McNeese. 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 4-for-4 on FGA this season and has made all 26 of 27 PATs.
• 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 seven games, Pozzobon rates fourth in the SLC in punting average at 41.4. SFA ranks second in the SLC in net punting (40.53) which is the 14th-best mark in the country and boast FCS' 9th-best punt return defense (3.00) in the FCS.
• MAKING MOVES: Seventh year head coach Colby Carthel is moving up the wins charts at SFA. He is currently two 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 24 victories, sixth-most by an SFA head coach, while an unbeaten campaign inside HBS this season would move him into third all-time.
