LONE STAR FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
The Lone Star Football Festival returns to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the fourth straight year in 2014, and will feature four games in a single day on Saturday, September 20.
The lineup includes two Lone Star Conference tilts and a pair of non-conference games featuring opponents from the Gulf South Conference. Texas A&M-Commerce faces Texas A&M-Kingsville, and Midwestern State goes against Eastern New Mexico in league action. West Texas A&M plays Shorter (Georgia), and Tarleton State meets Florida Tech in non-conference play.
The action starts at 10 a.m. with A&M-C vs. TAMUK, followed by WT-Shorter at 1 p.m., TSU-FIT at 5 p.m., and MSU-ENMU at 8 p.m. to conclude the football-filled day.
A single ticket will be good for admission to all four games at the festival. Advance purchases will be rewarded with rates of $25 for adults and $10 for students, whereas game-day pricing at the AT&T Stadium ticket windows will be $30 for adults and $12 for students.
The festival has attracted more than 86,000 fans for 16 games in its first three years, making it one of the best-attended football events in all of Division II. Fourteen of those 16 games have been televised, bringing extensive exposure to LSC member institutions and their football teams. The festival also has featured five NFL Draft picks and eight NCAA playoff teams, including the 2012 Division II National Champion Valdosta State.
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LSC FOOTBALL
In addition to four games at the Lone Star Football Festival, Angelo State hosts McMurry in league action.
Tarleton State opened the season with a LSC victory over West Texas A&M, while Texas A&M-Kingsville, Eastern New Mexico, Angelo State, and Midwestern State prevailed in non-conference action last week.
LSC football teams are 8-4 overall this season. The squads are 5-1 combined versus the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams, which are also in NCAA Super Regional Four.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Collin Strahan, Tarleton State University, JR, QB, Mesquite, Texas, Horn HS
In his first career start for the Texans, Collin Strahan lifted No. 16 Tarleton State to a 31-27 victory over No. 22 West Texas A&M in Canyon Saturday night. Strahan put together one of the best overall performances by a quarterback in Tarleton’s football history en route to guiding the Texans to their first win in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium since 2004. Through the air, Strahan was 16-22 for 123 yards, no interceptions and a 119.7 pass efficiency rating while connecting with five different receivers for completions. The signal caller from Mesquite ran the ball 21 times for 124 yards and a touchdown for a team-high 5.9 yards per carry average. His rushing performance is the best by quarterback in school history and is just the fourth time – the first since 1992 – that a Tarleton quarterback has rushed for over 100 yards. He’s also the second quarterback in school history to rush and pass for over 100 yards in the same game, joining Jimmy Hering who did the feat once in 1991 and again in 1992. For the game, Strahan led all Texans in all-purpose yards and his touchdown run was the first score of the second half to break a 10-10 halftime tie and put the Texans on top 17-10.
DEFENSIVE
Clayton Callicutt, Angelo State University, JR, DE, Crosby, Texas, Crosby HS
Callicutt set a career high with three and a half sacks and five tackles for loss in a 38-6 win over Western State. The junior was third on the team with eight total tackles. One of his sacks came on third down in the first half while his other two and half sacks forced a third down. The Rams defense totaled six sacks and 11 tackles for loss during the game while limiting WSCU to just 288 yards of offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Dominique Williams, Midwestern State University, JR, PR/KR, Houston, Texas, Clements HS
Williams started the Mustangs comeback from a 14-point first quarter deficit with his return skills in Midwestern State’s 40-23 win over Missouri S&T. On the first punt return attempt of the season, the 5-8, 180 pound junior from Houston, Texas/Clements received the punt at the Miners 47, broke a tackle and scored the Mustangs first touchdown of the season with the 47-yard return. Williams finished the night with three punt returns for 52 yards and added two kickoff returns for 67 yards, including a 39-yard return. Williams scoring return was his second career touchdown.