RANKED TEAMS
Four LSC squads are ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (Sept. 13).  ACU leads the way at No. 5, while Kingsville is ranked sixth, West Texas A&M ninth and MSU 12th.

 

 

CROSSOVER TIME
Week four includes five crossover games.  The league has played nine crossover contests this season with the South Division holding a 6-3 advantage. 

 

IN 2010, ALL LSC GAMES COUNT
Due to the addition of Incarnate Word, all 14 LSC football teams will play 10 conference games with four crossover and six division contests.  Previously, each team counted only nine games in the conference standings and due to unequal teams in the divisions, three South Division teams played a crossover game that did not count in the standings.

 

NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
The LSC will play 13 non-conference games this year including five in week one, six in week two and two more in week four.  After 11 games, the LSC is 5-6 against foes outside the LSC.  Games are scheduled against opponents from the Mid-America Intercollegiate (MIAA), Great Lakes Intercollegiate, Gulf South, Northern Sun and Rocky Mountain conferences along with the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and NAIA ranks.  Below is the breakdown:
 MIAA (5): Texas A&M-Kingsville 16, NW Missouri State 7; Abilene Christian 34, Washburn 26; Emporia State 27, Southwestern Oklahoma 7; Pittsburg State 31, Central Oklahoma 20; Fort Hays State 45, East Central 23
 GLIAC (1): Grand Valley State 34, West Texas A&M 31
 GSC (1): Henderson State 44, Southeastern Oklahoma 13
 NSIC (1): Texas A&M-Commerce 33, Upper Iowa 10
 RMAC (1): Midwestern State 52, New Mexico Highlands 6 
 NAIA (2): Langston 28, Incarnate Word 20; Eastern New Mexico 59, Southern Nazarene 21
 DIVISION I FCS (2): Northeastern State at North Dakota; Tarleton State at Northwestern State

 

FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
In week 3 the LSC had one quarterback throw for 300-plus yards, six receivers and three rushers over the century mark and seven double-digit tacklers.  Top performances included:
  Passing: 304, Taylor Harris (13-22-1), WTAMU at SWOSU  
  Rushing: 28-163, Fred Winborn, TAMUK at ECU
  Receiving: 3-168, Brandon DeFrance, SE vs UIW
  Tackles: 15, Tillman Stevens, ENMU vs MSU

 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NORTH OFFENSIVE
Ethan Sharp, University of Central Oklahoma, SO, QB, Eufaula, OK/Eufaula HS
Sharp led UCO to a 37-21 league crossover win over Tarleton State, hitting 19-of-24 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns while adding 25 yards and a TD on six rushes. The sophomore quarterback, making his second career start, connected on 16 of his last 18 passes for 170 yards with TD tosses of 10 and 29 yards. Sharp was 5-of-5 passing for 53 yards and had a key five-yard run on a third-and-two play during a 77-yard TD drive that gave the Bronchos a 10-0 second-quarter lead and his three-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter made it 31-21.

 

NORTH DEFENSIVE
Dontae Smith, East Central University, JR, CB, Deland, Florida/Deland HS
Smith intercepted two passes, totaled nine tackles (six solo) and had a stop for a 1-yard loss in ECU’s 20-7 home loss to sixth-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville. One of Smith’s pickoffs led to a 72-yard return and the other resulted in a 5-yard return, both in the first half. 

 

NORTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Chris Peoples, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, FR, K, Vian, Okla./Vian HS
Peoples was perfect in place kicking opportunities as he helped Southeastern to a home-opening win over Incarnate Word. Peoples put SE’s first points on the board by drilling a 30 yard field goal. He followed by converting a perfect 5-of-5 on PAT kicks. He also chipped in on kickoffs, averaging 67.8 yards per kickoff, including a pair of touchbacks.

 

SOUTH OFFENSIVE
Dekarai Pecikonis, Angelo State University, SO, WR, Allen, Texas/Allen HS
Pecikonis used a career-long 83-yard touchdown strike from Josh Neiswander in the second quarter to move past 1,000 receiving yards in his 12th game as a Ram. More importantly for Angelo State, the reception snapped the offense out of an early funk and answered Texas A&M-Commerce’s opening field goal. Pecikonis caught three passes in the game while leading the receiving corps with 111 yards. It marked the second-consecutive game with more than 100 yards for the sophomore from Allen, Texas. Pecikonis sits at 45 catches for 1,029 yards after the second game of his second season in blue and gold.

 

SOUTH DEFENSIVE
DeIra Glover, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SR, S, Hempstead, TX/Hempstead HS
Glover spearheaded a defensive unit that led the Javelinas to a 20-7 victory at East Central. He led the team with nine tackles and picked up his first interception of the year as part of four turnovers forced by the team. He played a key role in limiting ECU to minus-9 yards rushing and just 87 total yards of offense.

 

SOUTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Chris Jones, Abilene Christian University, R-FR, Coverage, White Settlement, TX/Fort Worth Brewer HS
The ACU Wildcats’ special teams were dominant in Saturday night’s 43-13 win over Northeastern State as they accounted directly or indirectly for 37 of ACU’s 43 points in their second straight win of the season. … ACU blocked three punts – returning one for a touchdown and recovering another in the end zone for a touchdown. ... Jones blocked two of the punts with Nate Bailey picking the first block out of the air and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown. ... Jones – who also had several big hits on the Wildcats’ kickoff team – blocked another punt midway through the third quarter that was again recovered and returned by Bailey, this time to the 12-yard line. ... ACU would score a touchdown two plays later to go ahead 40-13.