Small College Recap

Team of the Week:

No. 6 Tarleton State Texans (12-0, 8-0)

Last Week: Tarleton State was able to force a late fumble to hang on and defeat the defending national champions No. 15 Texas A&M-Commerce 34-28 at home last Saturday in the second round of the NCAA DII playoffs. The Texans were led on offense by quarterback Ben Holmes, who delivered a gutty performance after being injured early in the second quarter. He completed 10-of-21 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while adding 94 rushing yards on only eight carries. The Lions bottled up Xavier Turner most of the game, but Daniel McCants was able to provide 181 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries. DeShun Qualls led the Texans receivers with 91 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. EJ Speed led the defense with 11 total tackles while Ronnell Wilson added six tackles and a critical interception to end a Lions drive deep in Texans territory.

The Verdict: The Texans continue their march into unchartered territory as they reach the regional finals for the first time in program history. Tarleton State also sets a record for most wins in a season (12) and longest winning streak (12) in school history. The Texans will receive a new challenge this week as they will hit the road for the first time in the NCAA playoffs this season and travel to Minnesota to face the top ranked team in the country and top seed in the region.

This Week: Tarleton State will travel to Mankato, Minn., this Saturday as they face No. 1 Minnesota State at noon in the NCAA DII national quarterfinals.

NCAA DI FCS Recap

No. 24 Incarnate Word Cardinals (6-5, 6-2)

Last Week: UIW season ended last Saturday on the road as they fell 35-14 to No. 23 Montana State. The Cardinals defense was unable to contain the Bobcats rushing attack in the snow as they allowed 339 rushing yards and 513 total yards. Quarterback Sean Brophy earned his first start of the season in place of injured freshman Jon Copeland. Brophy was efficient as he completed 22-of-35 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Kody Edwards was outstanding for the Cardinals as he led all receivers with 133 yards and a touchdown on only four receptions. Justin Alexandre and Silas Stewart each recorded nine tackles for the UIW defense with Stewart also recovering a fumble. 

The Verdict: An outstanding season has come to an end for the Cardinals in head coach Eric Morris’ first year. UIW earned their first ever NCAA FCS playoff berth and earned their first ever share of the Southland Conference title this season. The Cardinals only suffered three losses to FCS competition with their other two losses to FBS schools. This is a young team with a ton of promise as freshman quarterback Jon Copeland will return next season along with most of the starters on both sides of the ball. This season will surely help UIW recruit the fertile grounds of the state of Texas and San Antonio in particular. 

This Week: UIW has concluded its season.

Lamar Cardinals (7-5, 6-3)

Last Week: Turnovers proved costly last Saturday as Lamar’s season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs with a 16-13 loss to Northern Iowa. Lamar outgained Northern Iowa 417-346 led by Darrel Colbert who completed 14-of-25 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Colbert added 13 yards on the ground on 18 attempts. Myles Wanza gained 85 yards on 14 carries and Kirkland Banks led all receivers with 77 yards receiving and a touchdown on only two receptions. Banks scored his touchdown on the second play of the game as he took Colbert’s pass 73 yards for a touchdown. Lane Taylor had a terrific game for the Cardinals defense as he registered 14 total tackles in the game. 

The Verdict: A historic season for Lamar came to a close last Saturday to put a close on an amazing turnaround by the Cardinals. Lamar won six of their final seven games to close the season. Their six-game winning streak came on the heels of a four-game losing streak which saw the team ravaged by injuries. Lamar defeated three nationally ranked teams during their run which earned them their first NCAA FCS playoff berth in program history. The Cardinals will look to reload for another run at the playoffs as they look towards head coach Mike Schultz’s third season with the program.

This Week: Lamar have concluded their season.

Prairie View A&M Panthers (5-6, 4-3)

Last Week: PVAMU overwhelmed their rival last Saturday as they scored all their 60 points in the first three quarters on their way to a dominating 60-14 win over Texas Southern. Jalen Morton was outstanding once again for the Panthers as he completed 18-of-26 passes for 185 yards with one touchdown and an interception while adding 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns on only 10 carries. Markcus Hardy led all receivers with 97 yards and a touchdown on eight catches while Tristen Wallace added 95 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven receptions. Trazon Connley relieved Morton early in the third quarter and completed all 12 of his pass attempts for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Will Skinner intercepted two passes to lead the Panthers defense that sacked the Tigers quarterbacks six times and recorded 12 tackles for a loss along with three total interceptions.

The Verdict: The Panthers end a once promising season with a two-game winning streak. Prairie View had hopes of contending for the SWAC championship game, but those hopes were derailed with a three-game conference losing streak over the last half of the season. However, the Panthers will be the favorite next season to win the SWAC west division as they return most of their skill players. Prairie View will once again be dangerous next season against every team they play.

This Week: PVAMU have concluded the regular season.

Texas Southern Tigers (2-9, 1-7)

Last Week: TSU had their worst game of the season at the wrong time last Saturday as they were defeated 60-14 by their rival Prairie View A&M. The Tigers were only able to gain 185 total yards of offense in the game as Glen Cuiellette completed 10-of-20 passes for 119 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tren’Davian Dickson had his best game of the season as he gained 87 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Sean Jones had an outstanding game for the Tigers defense as he recorded 15 tackles including nine solo tackles and one-half sack. The Texas Southern defense allowed 579 total yards to the Panthers including 225 rushing yards.

The Verdict: A disappointing loss ends a disappointing season for Texas Southern. The Tigers were unable to gain any traction on offense this season and end the year on a three-game losing streak and lost nine of their last 10 games. Texas Southern will need to find a quarterback to lead the team next season as two of the quarterbacks they utilized this season were graduate transfers. The Tigers should also focus on a one quarterback system as they were unable to gain any consistency using multiple quarterbacks each game.

This Week: TSU have concluded the regular season.

NCAA DII Recap

No. 15 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (10-3, 7-1)

Last Week: Texas A&M-Commerce showed the heart of a champion last Saturday before coming up just short in a 34-28 loss to No. 6 Tarleton State in the second round of the NCAA DII playoffs. Senior Kristov Martinez became the all-time leading kick scorer in NCAA DII history and tied a playoff game record with five made field goals including a career long 55-yard field goal to go along with field goals of 19, 38, 33, and 53 yards. Senior Garrett Blubaugh set a school record with 21 tackles in a game including 12 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss. Brucks Saathoff added 16 total tackles (10 solo) for the Lions. Quarterback Kane Wilson led a furious fourth quarter rally as he completed 25-of-60 passes for 388 yards with one touchdown and an interception as the Lions scored 13 points in the final quarter. Senior Marquis Wimberly was also impressive as he recorded 139 receiving yards on seven receptions.

The Verdict: The Lions had a remarkable season despite a disappointing end to the year. The Lions entered the year with multiple question marks after having to replace multiple seniors on offense including the Harlon Hill winner Luis Perez. The Lions also had replaced their defensive coordinator. They were able to reload on offense and used their experience on defense to return to the playoffs this year and make another run. TAMUC will need to replace many key players on defense along with LSC Academic Player of the Year Kristov Martinez. The Lions have become a premier program in the nation and will no doubt be formidable next season.

This Week: TAMUC has concluded their season.

Angelo State Rams (6-5, 4-4)

Last Week: Angelo State did not have a game scheduled last week.

The Verdict: The Rams new head coach Jeff Girsch will now have three extra weeks of practice with his young team as they accepted a bid to play in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. ASU also appeared in the Heart of Texas Bowl game last season where they were defeated 41-25 by Washburn. With a win the Rams will secure their seventh win of the season which would be the most wins for the Rams since 2015. Angelo State made a good choice to play in the bowl game as they have a young team on both sides of the ball and can use this extra practice to jump start a possible run for the Lone Star Conference title next season.

This Week: ASU will play Central Oklahoma (7-4, 7-4) in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl at Waco I.S.D. Stadium in Waco, Texas at 4:05 p.m. this Saturday.

NCAA DIII Recap

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (12-0, 9-0)

Last Week: Mary Hardin-Baylor delivered a statement to the teams remaining in the NCAA DIII playoffs last Saturday as they scored the game’s first 69 points on their way to a dominating 75-9 win over No. 18 Berry in the NCAA DIII second round. Markeith Miller led the offensive explosion as he gained 118 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries as the Cru gained 354 rushing yards in the game. T.J. Josey, Jonel Reed, and K.J. Miller each recorded a receiving touchdown for the Crusaders. Jase Hammack, DeNerian Thomas, and Ryan Redding combined to complete 13-of-17 passes for 221 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. De Jackson led the Cru defense with 10 total tackles including seven solo tackles. 

The Verdict: The Cru dominated once again as they march towards their goal of another appearance in the national championship game. UMHB has 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAA DIII second round. The Cru will need to focus on this week’s formidable opponent, but their biggest test to date could come in the national semifinals as they would most likely face fellow national powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

This Week: UMHB will host No. 5 Saint John’s (Minn.) this Saturday at noon in the NCAA DIII national quarterfinals.

NJCAA Recap

No. 4 Kilgore Rangers (9-2, 5-2)

Last Week: Kilgore did not have a game scheduled last week.

The Verdict: The Rangers have now won seven straight games and have been dominating over the last few weeks outscoring opponents 309-119 during their seven-game stretch. Kilgore will play in the TIPS-C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl in Waco, Texas on Dec. 1 which is a nice reward for the Southwest Junior College Football Conference champions. The Rangers will meet a good Pima team that may not be ready for the hottest team in the NJCAA. 

This Week: Kilgore will play No. 20 Pima (6-3, 4-2) in the TIPS-C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl at Waco ISD Stadium in Waco, Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Blinn Buccaneers (6-4, 4-3)

Last Week: Blinn College did not have a game scheduled last week.

The Verdict: The Buccaneers accepted a bid to play in the Valley of the Sun Bowl on Dec. 1. This is a nice reward for Blinn as they won four straight games to open the season and five of their first six games before an injury to their starting quarterback led to the offense struggling for a couple weeks. The Buccaneers will gain three extra weeks of practice to not only prepare for this bowl game but will provide an opportunity to begin preparations for next season.

This Week: Blinn College will play No. 14 Scottsdale (7-3, 4-3) in the Valley of the Sun Bowl at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz. at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Navarro Bulldogs (6-4, 4-3)

Last Week: Navarro did not have a game scheduled last week.

The Verdict: The Bulldogs earned a bid to play in the Salt City Bowl despite the ending to their game in the SWJCFC semi-finals. Navarro won three straight games and four of five game before their 45-14 setback to red hot Kilgore in the semi-finals. The Bulldogs will be an underdog in their game against Hutchinson but will have an opportunity to show the strength of the SWJCFC with a victory. Navarro will also be able to use this extra practice time to prepare for next season.

This Week: Navarro College will play No. 13 Hutchinson (8-3, 6-1) in the Salt City Bowl at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson, Kan. at 1 p.m. Saturday.