Stephen F. Austin
Lamar
11/4/2026 9:52:00 AM | Football
All eyes on southeast Texas as share of league title, playoff bid on the line for league-leading Jacks
#2Â Stephen F. Austin vs. #12/13 Lamar
Saturday, November 7Â | 3Â P.M. CT
Umphrey Provost Stadium | Beaumont, Texas
LISTEN: Q107.7 FM
PxP: Chase Merrell
Color: Rob Hipp
WATCH: ESPN+Â
PxP: Dan Gresham
Color: LeMont Williams
Sideline: Nicole Beckelman
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It's the biggest Southland Conference matchup in recent memory and considering the regular season title and postseason implications and the national spotlight lighting up southeast Texas, it's arguably the biggest ever. #2 Stephen F. Austin heads to Beaumont for a clash against #12/13 Lamar with a share of the Southland Conference regular season title and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs on the line for the visitors from the Piney Woods. Kickoff from inside Provost Umphrey Stadium is set for 3 p.m. Live coverage links, including the ESPN+ broadcast as well as SFA audio streaming, are available at www.SFAjacks.com.Â
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the 39th meeting between SFA and Lamar, with the Cardinals holding a 19-17-2 advantage in the all-time series. Lamar is the only opponent on SFA's 2026 schedule that also appeared on the Lumberjacks' inaugural 1923 slate, winning the first meeting 10-0 in Nacogdoches on October 12. SFA has won four straight and eight of the last 10 meetings. The Jacks are 10-11-1 all-time in Beaumont and have won their last three visits, including a 27-20 victory in 2024. In the most recent meeting, SFA defeated Lamar 26-15 in Nacogdoches to clinch a share of the 2025 Southland Conference title.
STATS PERFORM FCS GAME OF THE WEEK
Stats Perform selected Saturday's matchup between No. 2 Stephen F. Austin and No. 12/13 Lamar as its FCS Game of the Week, marking the second time in three weeks the Lumberjacks have been featured. SFA won the previous showcase on October 24, scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half to beat No. 23/24 Southeastern Louisiana, 45–24, on homecoming. This week, a win in Beaumont would clinch at least a share of SFA's second straight Southland title and secure the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. A Lamar win would pull the Cardinals into a tie for first and give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
RARE REGULAR SEASON TOP 15 ROAD TEST
No. 2 SFA's trip to Lamar marks its first regular-season road game between two nationally ranked top-15 teams since Sept. 18, 2010, when the No. 10 Lumberjacks beat No. 13 Northern Iowa, 22–20, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The last time SFA entered a road game ranked in the top five and faced a top-15 opponent was Sept. 14, 1996, when the No. 3 Lumberjacks fell to No. 5 Northern Iowa, 38–12, inside the UNI-Dome.
CLIMBING THE COMMITTEE'S RANKINGS
SFA moved up one spot to No. 3 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee's second Top 10 release on November 5, trailing only Montana State and Tarleton State. The Lumberjacks were fourth in the initial October 20 listing and remain in contention for one of eight first-round byes. Saturday's opponent, Lamar, entered the committee's rankings at No. 10, adding another layer of postseason significance to the Southland showdown in Beaumont. This is the committee's final public ranking before the 24-team playoff bracket is announced Sunday, November 22, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
FCS Top 10 Committee Rankings
NOV. 5: #3
OCT. 20: #4
FCS Top 10 – Ranking #2
1. Montana St.
2. Tarleton St.
3. SFA
4. South Dakota St.
5. Youngstown St.
6. Northern Ariz.
7. Austin Peay
8. South Dakota
9. Tennessee Tech
10. Lamar
FCS Top 10 – Ranking #1
1. Montana St.
2. Tarleton St.
3. Youngstown St.
4. SFA
5. South Dakota St.
6. North Dakota
7. Northern Ariz.
8. South Dakota
9. Austin Peay
10. Harvard
LOWDOWN ON LAMAR
No. 12/13 Lamar enters Saturday at 7–2 overall and 5–1 in Southland play, one game behind SFA. Pete Rossomando's Cardinals have won six of their last seven and are 4–0 at Provost Umphrey Stadium. Lamar checked in at No. 10 in the FCS playoff committee's November 5 rankings, its first appearance in the committee's top 10 this season.
Lamar opened with a 21–14 win over No. 15 Abilene Christian in Beaumont and added a 23–17 road win at Idaho, where Jojo Uga rushed for 105 yards and the defense recorded five sacks. The Cardinals opened Southland play with wins over Nicholls, Northwestern State and UIW before a 34–31 loss at Southeastern Louisiana. They bounced back by holding Houston Christian to 195 total yards in a 35–10 homecoming win, then handed UTRGV its first home loss, 52–23. Bryce McDonald returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in Edinburg, and Blake Thomas earned Stats Perform National and Southland Special Teams Player of the Week honors after returning four kickoffs for 169 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown.
Quarterback Aiden McCown has thrown for 1,699 yards and 16 touchdowns and added 343 rushing yards and four scores. Uga leads the ground game with 530 yards and seven touchdowns, while Thomas leads the receiving corps with 35 catches for 472 yards and tight end Davin Driskell has a team-high eight touchdown catches. Lamar has scored at least 31 points in five straight games and averages 33.1 points per game, up from 21.5 last season.
Third down is where Lamar has been most effective. Through October 31, the Cardinals led the Southland and ranked in the FCS top 10 on both sides of the ball, converting 47.8% of their third downs and allowing opponents to convert just 26.3%, tied for third nationally. That sets up a matchup between the Southland's two best third-down defenses by overall conversion rate, with SFA allowing 27.3%. Lamar has also allowed just 11 sacks in nine games, while SFA enters Beaumont with an FCS-leading 4.11 sacks per game.
WEEKLY PRESSERS
HC Colby Carthel:Â WATCH HERE
LB Malachi Williams: WATCH HERE
NATIONAL POLLING
Stephen F. Austin football held firm at No. 2 nationally, receiving a bump in first-place votes, in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Top 25 and the Opta Analyst Stats Perform FCS Top 25. It marks the 19th-straight week that the Jacks have earned a national ranking, the seventh as a consensus top 10 team in the country and the fourth-straight week inside the national top three.Â
SFA sits behind consensus No. 1 and fellow unbeaten Tarleton State and are receiving first-place votes for the third-straight week. Lamar moved up a single spot to No. 12 in the coaches poll and two spots to No. 13 in the media rankings. UIW is receiving votes in both polls.Â
Opta Analyst FCS Stats Perform Top 25
WEEK 9: #2 (7 first-place votes)
WEEK 8: #2 (5 first-place votes)
WEEK 7: #2 (4 first-place votes)
WEEK 6: #3
WEEK 5: #7
WEEK 4: #7
WEEK 3: #9
WEEK 2: #12
WEEK 1: #13
WEEK 0: #13
PRE: #13
AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25
WEEK 9: #2 (3 first-place votes)
WEEK 8: #2 (1 first-place vote)
WEEK 7: #2 (2 first-place votes)
WEEK 6: #3
WEEK 5: #4
WEEK 4: #5
WEEK 3: #6
WEEK 2: #8
WEEK 1: #9
WEEK 0: #11
PRE: #13
LAST TIME OUT
THREE PHASES, ONE QUARTER:Â SFA scored on offense, defense and special teams in a 20-point third quarter against Houston Christian. Bugs Mortimer returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, Clayton Wayland caught a 46-yard scoring pass and Makai Frisby returned an interception 32 yards for a score. Wayland and Frisby accounted for 13 points in a span of 50 seconds.
FOUR WAYS TO SIX:Â Jaylen Jenkins' seven-yard touchdown run gave SFA a fourth way to reach the end zone against HCU. The Jacks scored on a run, a pass, a punt return and an interception return in the same game for the first time since September 20, 2025, against Cal Poly.
EIGHT AGAINST HCU, AGAIN:Â SFA recorded eight sacks against Houston Christian for the second straight season and set a season high with 14 tackles for loss. Six Lumberjacks recorded a sack, led by Emmanuel Harris and K'Mard Kimble with two apiece. Harris also led SFA with three tackles for loss.Â
THE PINE CURTAIN ON MONEY DOWNS:Â Houston Christian held the ball for 35:41, but SFA stopped the Huskies on 16 of 21 third downs and two of four fourth downs. HCU finished with 265 total yards and came away with two field goals and zero touchdowns on three red-zone trips.Â
FRISBY GETS A HAND ON FOUR:Â Makai Frisby accounted for four of SFA's season-high 10 passes defended with three breakups and his fifth interception of the season. His 32-yard pick-six was his second of the year and extended SFA's takeaway streak to 11 games. It also gave the Jacks an interception return touchdown for the second straight week after A'Amear Walton scored against Southeastern Louisiana.
TWO RETURNS, TWO SCORES:Â Bugs Mortimer's 31-yard punt return set up a one-play touchdown drive before halftime, and he took his next return 66 yards for a score. Mortimer finished with 97 yards on two returns, extended his SFA career record to five punt return touchdowns and moved within 84 yards of breaking the program's career punt return yardage record.
TWO LEGS FROM 51:Â AJ Rosen hit his first career field goal from 51 yards as the first half expired, matching Carlos Alvarado's season long. SFA now has two kickers with a 51-yard make this fall, and Rosen's kick was the 27th field goal of at least 51 yards in program history.
TWO PUNTERS, FOUR INSIDE THE 20:Â Dillon McDougal averaged 43.3 yards on three punts, with a long of 52 and two downed inside the 20. JT Kitna averaged 40.5 yards on two punts and placed both inside the 10, including one at the HCU 1.
WAYLAND'S CAREER DAY:Â Clayton Wayland caught a season-high six passes for a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns to earn his first Southland Offensive Player of the Week award. It was his third career game with two touchdown catches, and he became the first Lumberjack with two 100-yard receiving games this season.
AS OF LATE
** ROLLING OUT OF JACKS WEEK:Â SFA has scored 138 points in three games since its open date, averaging 46.0 against Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana and Houston Christian.
** EIGHT SCORES, ZERO PICKS:Â Gavin Rutherford has completed 40 of 62 passes for 571 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception over that three-game span.
** MORE TARGETS, MORE TROUBLE:Â Four Lumberjacks have produced five 100-yard receiving games. Wayland is the first to reach the mark twice this season.
** WINNING THE MONEY DOWN:Â HCU went 5-for-21 on third down. SFA has stopped opponents on 101 of 139 attempts this season.
** NO GUARANTEES INSIDE THE 20:Â HCU entered the red zone three times and came away with two field goals. Opponents have scored nine touchdowns in 21 red-zone trips against SFA.
** FEWER PLAYS, MORE PRODUCTION:Â SFA has outgained opponents by 1,268 yards despite running 26 fewer plays, averaging 7.0 yards per snap to its opponents' 4.7.
** GIVE ME THAT:Â SFA has 18 takeaways, including 13 interceptions, and has forced a turnover in 11 straight games dating to last season's playoff win over ACU. The Jacks are plus-three in turnover margin.
** KEEPING THE SCORE DOWN:Â Six opponents have scored 14 points or fewer, five have finished in single digits and none has reached 30.Â
THE SHOW GOES ON!
On October 26, Carthel, the second-longest tenured head coach in program history, agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep the Texan in the Piney Woods through the 2031 campaign. Carthel's 53 wins at SFA and 32 wins inside Homer Bryce Stadium are both program records. Read more HERE.Â
RANKED DUB
SFA's win over #23/24 Southeastern Louisiana was the eighth over a ranked opponent in Carthel's tenure, the fourth straight in regular season matchups and the fourth straight at home. The 21-point margin of victory is the largest in a ranked win since a 27-0 shutout of No. 6 Youngstown State in 1995.Â
A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Carthel passed Travis "Shorty" Hughes for the SFA record with his 27th conference win against Southeastern Louisiana. The HCU victory brought the total to 28, with 21 Southland wins and seven Western Athletic Conference wins.
HOMER SWEET HOMER
The Jacks kicked off the 54th season of Homer Bryce Stadium and a third-straight campaign with six home games against East Texas A&M and has since improved a home winning streak that dates back to the 2024 season to 13Â games which makes the program record (2019-22). Since the 2020 campaign, SFA is 31-6 inside HBS and is 32-9 at home under Carthel. SFA will have a chance to break the home winning streak record in the regular season finale at Northwestern State.Â
HISTORIC BEGINNINGS
SFA is off to the program's first 9-0 start to a season in program history. It's 4-0 start was the first ever exclusively against DI opposition. The Jacks' next win would ensure the sixth double-digit win season in program history.Â
STREAKIN'
SFA has won a program record 19-straight regular season games following an 0-2 start to the 2025 campaign. That streak is currently the nation's best active streak across both the FBS and FCS. The Lumberjacks have also won a program record 14Â straight in SLC play dating back to last season which is currently tied for the third-longest such streak in league history.Â
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
SFA won its first four games without a 100-yard rusher or receiver before Kylon Harris reached the mark in Game 5. Since then, seven Lumberjacks have combined for eight century performances over five consecutive games. Wayland's HCU outing extended the receiving streak to five games. All five 100-yard receiving efforts have included a touchdown, with eight touchdown catches across those performances.
| Date | Opponent | Player | Category | Att./Rec. | Yds. | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31 | Houston Christian | Clayton Wayland | Receiving | 6 | 125 | 2 |
| Oct. 24 | Southeastern Louisiana | Jaylen Jenkins | Rushing | 17 | 159 | 1 |
| Oct. 24 | Southeastern Louisiana | Cameron Kelley | Receiving | 3 | 100 | 1 |
| Oct. 17 | at Nicholls | JT Kitna | Rushing | 4 | 102 | 1 |
| Oct. 17 | at Nicholls | Speedy Jones | Rushing | 9 | 100 | 0 |
| Oct. 17 | at Nicholls | Bugs Mortimer | Receiving | 6 | 103 | 3 |
| Oct. 3 | UIW | Clayton Wayland | Receiving | 5 | 104 | 1 |
| Sept. 26 | Northeastern State | Kylon Harris | Receiving | 3 | 109 | 1 |
NOW DRIVING
SFA's first touchdown against HCU came on its second possession, a 12-play, 70-yard drive capped by Jenkins' seven-yard run. Mortimer's 31-yard punt return later set up a one-play, 35-yard touchdown pass to Wayland, and a 10-play, 56-yard drive in the final 1:10 of the half set up Rosen's field goal. SFA has 53 offensive scoring drives this season, including four one-play touchdowns. Under Carthel, the Jacks have 29 one-play touchdown drives and 39 touchdown drives of at least 12 plays.
- SUSTAINING DRIVES — Twenty-seven of SFA's 29 scoring drives of at least 60 yards have ended in touchdowns, including 18 of 19 drives covering at least 70 yards.
- OPENING STATEMENT — SFA has scored a touchdown on its opening possession in six of nine games. HCU ended a five-game streak.
- QUARTER 2 EARNINGS — SFA has scored a team-high 120 points in the second quarter and led at halftime in all nine games.
FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FLAME
Mortimer's punt return, Wayland's second touchdown catch and Frisby's interception return gave SFA 20 third-quarter points against HCU. It was the sixth quarter of at least 20 points this season and the 29th under Carthel, including 17 against Division I opponents. The Jacks have reached 20 in a quarter in each of their three games since the open date.
GROUND AND POUND
The Jacks average 214.6 rushing yards and 5.7 yards per carry through nine games and have reached 200 yards six times. SFA followed 354 yards at Nicholls and 279 against Southeastern Louisiana with 116 against HCU. Earlier this season, the Jacks put together the program's first four-game run of 200-yard rushing performances since 1999.
HISTORIC EFFORTS IN THIBODAUX
>>> THREE TIMES THE BUGS: Mortimer caught six passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the 56–0 win at Nicholls. He was the first Jack with three touchdown catches in a game since Kylon Harris against Texas A&M-Commerce in 2023.
>>> KYLON'S HISTORIC HOMECOMING:Â Harris became SFA's career receptions leader and its third player to reach 3,000 receiving yards. He finished the game with 244 career catches and 3,028 yards.
>>> GOING THE DISTANCE:Â Kitna's 94-yard touchdown run set a program record. He finished with 102 yards on four carries for his first career 100-yard rushing game.
CHUNK YARDAGE
SFA recorded four offensive gains of at least 20 yards against Houston Christian, bringing its season total to 54 through nine games, including 17 of at least 40 yards. Wayland's touchdown catches of 35 and 46 yards highlighted SFA's offensive gains of 20-plus against HCU. Speedy Jones added a 20-yard run, and JT Kitna connected with Sean Carter for a 22-yard gain on a play that ended in a fumble and touchback. Mortimer's 66-yard punt return and Frisby's 32-yard interception return added explosive scores in the other two phases. Kitna's 94-yard touchdown run at Nicholls and Kelley's 81-yard touchdown catch against Southeastern Louisiana remain SFA's longest run and pass play of the season.
START SPREADIN' THE [NEWPORT] NEWS
Makai Frisby had a hand in four of SFA's season-high 10 passes defended against Houston Christian, breaking up three passes and returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown. It was his fifth interception and second pick-six of the season. Through nine games, the first-year Lumberjack leads the Southland and is tied for fifth in the FCS at 0.56 interceptions per game. His 10 passes defended, five interceptions and five breakups, put him in a tie for second in the Southland and 26th nationally at 1.11 per game.
Frisby opened the season with two interceptions at McNeese, including a 35-yard touchdown return, and became the first Lumberjack with three interceptions through the first two games of a season since Stephon Rhea in 2005. His two picks at McNeese were the first by a Lumberjack in a game since Jaheim Mullen against Northwestern State in 2024 and the first on the road since Trent Perriman at Northwestern State in 2016. Frisby also made a full-extension interception in the end zone against UIW to help preserve a 28–26 win.
The Newport News, Virginia, native blocked field goals in consecutive games at Prairie View A&M and against Northeastern State, becoming the first Lumberjack to do so since at least 2002. He joined Ed Bobino as the only two Jacks in that span to block a kick in back-to-back games. Bobino blocked a field goal against Texas A&M-Commerce and an extra point against Utah Tech in 2023.Â
SACK-OGDOCHES
SFA matched its eight-sack total from last year's HCU game and set 2026 highs with eight sacks for 50 yards and 14 tackles for loss for 65 yards. Emmanuel Harris and K'Mard Kimble recorded two sacks apiece. Ennis, Walton, Eason and Deuce Williams each added one. The Jacks enter Beaumont with 37 sacks for 232 yards and 78 tackles for loss for 333 yards. Jaydon Eason recorded his team-leading 6.5th sack against HCU and now has 8.0 tackles for loss. His three-sack game at Prairie View A&M was the first by a Lumberjack since John Franklin against West Alabama in 2016. Eason also forced a fumble in that game and has two forced fumbles on the season.
INDIVIDUAL (THROUGH NINE GAMES)
Gavin Rutherford and Clayton Wayland — Rutherford leads the Southland in passing efficiency (172.38), touchdown passes (23) and completion percentage (67.1%). He ranks fourth, tied for fifth and 10th nationally, respectively. His 2,059 passing yards rank second in the Southland. Wayland's two touchdowns against HCU brought him to 26 catches for 464 yards and five scores. He ranks 10th in the league at 51.6 receiving yards per game.
Jaylen Jenkins and Speedy Jones — Jenkins leads the Southland with 610 rushing yards and 67.8 yards per game. He scored his fifth rushing touchdown against HCU. Jones ranks fourth in the league at 63.0 rushing yards per game and has gained 441 yards on 62 carries (7.1 per carry). He added a 20-yard run against the Huskies after rushing for 100 yards at Nicholls.
Bugs Mortimer — Mortimer's seven touchdown catches rank tied for 14th nationally and second in the Southland, and his 59.8 receiving yards per game rank fourth in the league. He added 97 punt return yards against HCU, including his program-record fifth career punt return touchdown.Â
Jaydon Eason, Lowote Jurkin and Emmanuel Harris — Eason leads SFA with 6.5 sacks and ranks tied for 20th nationally and second in the Southland at 0.72 sacks per game. Jurkin ranks third in the league in both sacks per game (0.64) and tackles for loss per game (1.21). Harris recorded two sacks against HCU to match Jurkin's season total of 4.5 and ranks fourth in the Southland at 1.00 tackle for loss per game. A'Amear Walton added a nine-yard sack against the Huskies.
Malachi Williams and Eli Ennis — Williams led SFA with seven tackles against HCU and ranks 10th in the Southland at 7.0 tackles per game, with 56 stops in eight appearances. Ennis added six tackles and a 10-yard sack against the Huskies. He has 52 tackles and three sacks.
Makai Frisby, Davonta Morgan-Collins, Jaiydyn Johnson and Chance Sautter — Frisby leads the Southland and ranks tied for fifth nationally at 0.56 interceptions per game. He picked off his fifth pass and added three breakups against HCU. Frisby and Morgan-Collins each have 10 passes defended and rank tied for second in the Southland and tied for 26th nationally at 1.11 per game. Johnson added his eighth breakup of the season against HCU, while Sautter followed his interception against Southeastern Louisiana with four tackles and a breakup.
Carlos Alvarado — Alvarado leads the Southland with 71 points and 7.9 points per game, converting eight field goals and 47 extra points.Â
TEAM (THROUGH NINE GAMES)
| Category | SFA mark | FCS rank | Southland rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacks per game | 4.11 | 1st | 1st |
| Scoring defense | 13.4 points per game | 2nd | 1st |
| Interceptions | 13 | 2nd | 1st |
| Rushing defense | 98.2 yards per game | 3rd | 1st |
| Kickoff return defense | 13.14 yards per return | 4th | 1st |
| Scoring offense | 40.9 points per game | 4th | 1st |
| Third-down defense | 27.3% | 6th | 2nd |
| Total offense | 466.4 yards per game | 9th | 2nd |
| Rushing offense | 214.6 yards per game | 10th | 1st |
| Kickoff returns | 25.85 yards per return | 13th | 1st |
| Completion percentage | 66.3% | 14th | 1st |
| Offensive first downs | 208 | T-17th | 2nd |
| Total defense | 325.6 yards per game | 20th | 2nd |
>>> THE PINE CURTAIN — SFA leads the FCS with 37 sacks in nine games and ranks in the national top three in scoring defense, rushing defense and interceptions. The Jacks also lead the Southland in pass efficiency defense (106.27) and red-zone defense (66.7%), allowing just nine touchdowns on 21 opponent trips inside the 20.Â
>>> BALANCE ON OFFENSE — The Jacks rank in the FCS top 10 in scoring, total offense and rushing offense. SFA leads the Southland in passing efficiency (167.41) and fourth-down conversion rate (72.7%), and has outgained opponents by 1,268 yards despite running 26 fewer plays.
>>> WINNING FIELD POSITION — SFA leads the Southland on both sides of the kickoff, averaging 25.85 yards per return while allowing just 13.14. The Jacks rank 13th nationally in kickoff returns and fourth in kickoff return defense.
HOW THE 2026 JACKS STACK UP THROUGH NINE GAMES
Since Carthel's first season of 2019
>>>Â Through nine games, SFA has scored 368 points and allowed just 121, both the best marks under Colby Carthel at this point in a season. The resulting plus-247 scoring margin tops the previous nine-game high of plus-212 in 2024. The Jacks have also set Carthel-era nine-game highs with 4,198 yards of total offense and 1,931 rushing yards, already surpassing the 2024 team's full-season rushing total. The Pine Curtain's 37 sacks are nine more than the previous nine-game high, and its 98.2 rushing yards allowed per game trail only last season's 72.6.
AXE MARKS
>>> OCTOBER TREATS: SFA went 4–0 in October, its third unbeaten October under Colby Carthel, joining the 2020 and 2025 squads. The 37–6 win over Houston Christian was the Jacks' eighth straight October victory and improved Carthel's record in the month to 19–11 overall and 12–3 at home. October is SFA's winningest month under Carthel, both in total wins and winning percentage (.633). SFA has also won its last three Halloween games.Â
>>> BAYOU BUSINESS: Carthel owns an 10–6 career record against Louisiana programs, including an 10–5 mark against the Southland's four Louisiana schools since arriving at SFA in 2019. He is 6–4 and a winner in four-straight games played in the Pelican State. The Jacks have also won six consecutive meetings with Louisiana opponents.Â
>>> WELCOME HOME: The Jacks improved to 44-41-1 all-time in homecoming games with the 21-point win over Southeastern Louisiana. SFA moved to 4-3 in such games under Carthel and have won three-straight homecoming matchups for the first time since 2013-2015 which was part of a five-game HOCO streak that began in '11.
>>> 625-PLUS UNDER CARTHEL: SFA piled up 642 yards of total offense in its 56–0 win at Nicholls, the most against a Division I opponent under Colby Carthel. The Jacks rushed for 354 yards and passed for 288 in their second game of at least 625 yards under Carthel. Only the 675-yard effort against North American in the 2024 opener ranks higher during his tenure.
>>> SLC SHUTOUT: SFA's 56–0 victory at Nicholls marked its first shutout of a Southland Conference opponent since a 33–0 win at Northwestern State on November 19, 2011. The 56-point margin is the largest margin of victory in a shutout of a Division I opponent in program history and it established the largest victory in the SFA–Nicholls series, surpassing the Jacks' 56–3 win in 1995.
>>> OUTTA JACKS WEEK:Â Since Carthel's first season in 2019, the Jacks are 6-4 in games immediately following an open week.Â
>>> RARE AIR: With SFA win No. 50 coming against UIW, Carthel became just the third coach to reach 50 wins with multiple four-year programs in the state of Texas. Carthel captured 59 wins at Texas A&M-Commerce (now East Texas A&M) and joined College Football Hall of Famer Dana X. Bible and McMurry legend Randolph M. "Med" Medley. Bible totaled 198 wins in his career of which 72 came at Texas A&M with another 63 at Texas. Medley won 61 times at McMurry and reached 50 at Southwestern.Â
>>> ROAD WARRIORS:Â SFA became the first team in the program's Division I era and just the third in school history to win three road games in its first four games of a season.
>>> THE CHAMPS ARE HERE:Â SFA took down defending conference champs in consecutive weeks (ACU, PVAMU) for the second-straight season (UIW, ACU in 2025). Prior to last season, a such feat had not happened since 2006 when SFA knocked off defending SLC co-champs Texas State and Nicholls.
>>> ROAD DAWGS:Â With the Week 2 victory over then #23/25 Abilene Christian, the Jacks beat a Top 25 team on the road for a third-straight season after earning wins at #20 Incarnate Word (2025) and at #22 Lamar (2024).
>>> LABOR DAY:Â Following thorough research, the 2026 Lumberjacks are believed to be the first NCAA Division I team (FBS & FCS) to win two conference games in the same season before Labor Day. Since the NCAA split Division I into 1-A and 1-AA in 1978, the Jacks are believed to be the fourth team to start a season 2-0 before the holiday.Â
>>> HOME OPENERS:Â SFA moved to 7-1 in home openers under Carthel and has now won seven-straight after beating East Texas A&M. SFA holds an overall record of 60-37-3 (.611) and is 8-1 overall in such contests since 2018.
ON THE HEELS OF HISTORY
The Lumberjacks are coming off a historic 2025 that saw SFA capture the program's fifth SLC title and first since 2010, while making the program's ninth FCS postseason appearance. That title came behind the program's first eight-win conference season and first perfect finish in league play in 99 seasons. The Jacks reached double-digit wins for the fifth time in program history, and the 11 victories last fall are the most since the '95 campaign.
CENTURY MARK INÂ PIGSKIN CAMPAIGNSÂ
Not long after Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College opened its doors, Dripping Springs, Texas native Robert H. Shelton was designated by SFASTC President Dr. A.W. Birdwell as the program's first football coach. Shelton, who would later become known as the "father of SFA Athletics," not only led that first team in 1923, but dressed out and practiced as well. Eleven days after welcoming students, SFASTC played the first game in program history resulting in a historic 120-0 trouncing of Center High School. It was the first of three wins in the inaugural season and the first of 16 victories in Shelton's six-season tenure. The point total remains a program record for points scored in a single game. Twenty-three players appeared in the first team photo published in the 1924 Stone Fort yearbook. Fast forward ten decades later and one opponent from season one: Lamar, which was known then as South Park Junior College and too in its inaugural season, is part of the '26 slate. The Cardinals won the 1923 meeting 10-0 on October 12 in Nacogdoches. The two sides meet for the 39th time on November 7 in Beaumont.
FOUR DECADES OF DI FOOTBALL
The last four decades of Lumberjack Football has been contested at the Division I level. SFA joined the division in 1986 and in that time has accumulated 240Â victories with last season marking the fifth double-digit win season as a DI member.Â
IT'S THE 'LAND, MAN!
Season No. 37 of Southland Conference play is underway for the Lumberjacks. The Jacks' five league titles are the second most among active members behind overall league leader McNeese with 14.
ALL TEXAS, ALL THE TIME
Entering his eighth season directing the gridiron operations in the Piney Woods, head coach Colby Carthel eyes a championship encore for his program which enters the 100th season in school history on a daily mission to "be the best version of the 2026 Lumberjacks" they can be. If anyone embodies #EastTexasTough, it's a man who has spent over a quarter century coaching, and his entire life, in the Lone Star State. A former two-sport standout at Angelo State, all 14 of the Friona native's collegiate head coaching seasons have been spent in East Texas. He's totaled 112 wins, with No. 100 coming in a road blowout of Houston Christian last season, across two stops at a pair of institutions that call the timber-ridden region home. Of the 100+ victories, a program-record 53 have come at SFA. On September 26, Carthel passed Lumberjack legend Jim Hess (1982-88) for first on the all-time wins list. He is one of just six coaches in program history to win 20 or more conference games and SFA's win against Southeastern Louisiana set a new program record for league wins with 27.
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#AxeEm x #EastTexasTough
