Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce lead the Lone Star Conference standings at 4-0 and 3-0, respectively.  The Texans host the Lions on Saturday in Stephenville, Texas with kickoff at 6 p.m.
 
      This week features four LSC games and one non-conference contest. 
 
      LSC football teams are 31-22 overall this season.  The squads are 6-3 combined versus the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams, which are also in NCAA Super Regional Four.
 
      LSC schedule and results available here: http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=football
 
LSC FOOTBALL ON ESPN3
A pair of Lone Star Conference games will be featured as part of the 2019 Division II football showcase schedule on ESPN3.
 
      The Midwestern State at Texas A&M-Commerce match-up on October 12 in Commerce, Texas, and the Texas A&M-Commerce at West Texas A&M contest on November 2 in Canyon, Texas, were selected to be streamed on ESPN3, and available on the ESPN App.
 
      ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multiscreen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers via ESPN.com/watch and on smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN app. The network currently is available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It also is available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
 
LSC FOOTBALL ON NEXSTAR
The Lone Star Conference and Nexstar Media Group, Inc. announced a new partnership to bring college football fans exclusive coverage of multiple matchups featuring NCAA Division II teams via live television broadcast and streaming online video.
 
      Four LSC games - Western New Mexico at Texas A&M-Commerce (Oct. 26), Midwestern State at Tarleton State (Nov. 2), West Texas A&M at Texas A&M-Kingsville (Nov. 9), and Texas A&M-Commerce at Angelo State (Nov. 16) - will air via live television broadcast and/or streaming online video exclusively on network-affiliated stations and/or websites owned by Nexstar and select broadcast partners including: KTAB (Abilene), KASY (Albuquerque), KCPN (Amarillo), KBVO (Austin), KVEO (Brownsville), KTSM (El Paso), KLBK (Lubbock), KMID (Midland/Odessa), KSAN (San Angelo), KTPN (Tyler), KWKT (Waco) and KJBO (Wichita Falls).
 
LSC TO HOST 2019 DIVISION II FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Following a tremendous experience in 2018, the NCAA Division II Football Committee has chosen McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas, as the host site of the 2019-21 Division II football national championship games.
 
      The 2019 title game is set for 2 p.m. CST on Saturday, Dec. 21 and will be televised live by ESPNU.
 
      The Lone Star Conference in conjunction with McKinney ISD hosted the 2018 championship game.
 
      McKinney ISD Stadium and Community Event Center, a 12,000-seat facility built primarily for football, will host the Division II Football Championship games on Dec. 21, 2019, Dec. 19, 2020 and Dec. 18, 2021.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce, SO, Sports & Recreation Management, QB, Plano, Texas, Plano East Senior HS
Smalls led the No. 20 Lions' offense in a 54-28 victory over Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II National Showcase game. He completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the game with five touchdown passes and 186 yards through the air. He also had 24 rushing yards. He completed passes to nine different receivers, and all five touchdowns were caught by different receivers. He now has a 12:1 touchdown to interception ratio in conference play and ranks fifth in Division II in completion percentage.
 
DEFENSIVE
B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton State, SR, Criminal Justice, DE, Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS
Jefferson continued to wreak havoc on the Lone Star Conference as the senior defensive end led the Tarleton defense in a 49-10 rout of Eastern New Mexico in Portales. The Greyhounds entered the game as the top-ranked rushing attack in the nation but mustered only 173 yards on the ground and 221 yards of total offense against the Texan defense. Jefferson was at the forefront of the attack with eight tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Jefferson also put a stamp on the game with a fumble recovery on Eastern New Mexico’s second drive of the second half that led to the final score of the night from Daniel McCants. It’s his fifth straight game with at least 2.0 tackles for a loss and his second straight game to create a turnover for the defense.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Josh Wilson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, SR, Kinesiology, Coverage, Corpus Christi, Texas, Mary Carroll HS
Wilson made a crucial special teams play for the Javelinas in the 26-14 loss to Western Oregon on Saturday as he returned a blocked kick 70 yards for a touchdown to put the Hogs up 14-7 early in the second quarter. The 33-yard field goal attempt was swatted out of the air by teammate Sesi Salt and it was Wilson who scooped up the ball and sprinted the other way for the score. It is the second special team’s touchdown for the Javelinas in the past three weeks following Donte Ross' 48-yard punt return touchdown against ENMU on September 28.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-9       Daniel McCants, Tarleton State
S-16     Wyatt Strand, Eastern New Mexico
S-23     Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-30     Zimari Manning, Tarleton State
O-7      Paul Terry, Eastern New Mexico
O-14    Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
 
Defensive
S-9       Melik Owens, Midwestern State
S-16     Quincy Arceneaux, Eastern New Mexico
S-23     B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton State
S-30     Josh Quinton, Angelo State
O-7      B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton State (2)
O-14    B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton State (3)
 
Special Teams
S-9       Jaron Imbriani, Midwestern State
S-16     Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M
S-23     Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-30     Donte Ross, Texas A&M-Kingsville
O-7      Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico
O-14    Josh Wilson, Texas A&M-Kingsville
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
      J.F. Thomas, Tarleton State, set the tone for the quick-strike offense on display in a 49-10 rout of Eastern New Mexico Saturday night. The junior wide receiver took the first from scrimmage 65 yards for a touchdown and never looked back as he led the Texans with six receptions for 155 yards and a score.
      Daven Manning, Angelo State, was a force on the ground for the Rams in the homecoming victory over Western New Mexico. Manning rushed for a career and season high of 134 yards without a loss of yards.He punched in a two-yard run in the fourth quarter to push the ASU lead to 31-14 to help claim the Rams victory.
      Paul Terry, Eastern New Mexico, led the way on the ground for Eastern New Mexico with 100 yards rushing on 24 attempts and the lone touchdown for the Greyhounds in a 49-10 loss against Tarleton State. Terry has now rushed for 100 yards or more in every game this season and led the Greyhound offense to 173 rushing yards on Saturday night. The Amarillo, Texas native has accumulated 887 yards on 153 carries and five touchdowns so far this season.
      Nick Gerber, West Texas A&M, had another efficient game as the Buffs overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat UT Permian Basin 14-10 at Ratliff Stadium on Saturday evening. The redshirt sophomore completed 22-of-33 passes for 223 yards for a touchdown while rushing for 22 yards on seven carries. He got the Buffs on the board in the opening minutes of the third quarter with a 12-yard completion to Jordan Johnson. He would later set up the winning touchdown with a 38-yard completion to Chase Sojka on the first play of the fourth quarter.
      Lamontre Huval, Eastern New Mexico, led the way defensively for the Hounds against Tarleton State with 12 total tackles. The junior transfer recorded seven solo tackles and five assisted tackles and also recorded a sack against the Texans. Huval leads the Greyhounds with 46 tackles on the season.
      Darrick Dickerson Jr., Angelo State, Darrick Dickerson was a force on the Rams defense in the 31-14 victory over Western New Mexico. Dickerson grabbed two interceptions and returned them for a total of 28 yards. He tallied six solo tackles and two assists.
      Keimone Davis, West Texas A&M, picked off two passes and blocked a field goal in WT’s 14-10 comeback victory over UT Permian Basin at Ratliff Stadium on Saturday evening. The junior also contributed five tackles as WT improved to 5-1 for the first time since 2013. After blocking a 35-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, Davis picked off UTPB’s Caleb Leake twice in the fourth quarter as the Buffs held the Falcons to 128 total yards (77 passing) in the second half.
      Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce, was electric in defense and special teams for the No. 20 Lions in a 54-28 win over Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II National Showcase game. He had two interceptions in the game, including a key snag in the end zone near the end of the first half to snuff out an MSU scoring threat which would have narrowed the deficit in a key spot. He also had an interception to help seal the game in the fourth quarter. He also made five key tackles in open space on the perimeter to limit MSU yards after the line of scrimmage. He also recorded 150 all-purpose yards, including a highlight reel 65 yard kickoff return to open the game and set the Lions' first score up on a short field. He had 65 kick return yards, 48 punt return yards, 14 interception yards, 15 rushing yards, and 8 receiving yards.
      J.R. Fullen, Tarleton State, kicked off eight times with five touchbacks and had three punts for an average of 47.7 yards per punt with a long of 52 yards and one pinned inside the 20 yard line.
      Tyler Vargas, Eastern New Mexico, continued to handle both the kicking and punting duties for the Greyhounds on Saturday night against Tarleton State, averaging 38.0 yards a punt on eight attempts. The San Diego, Calif. native also connected on his lone field goal attempt for the night from 39 yards out and pinned the Texans inside their own 20-yard line on three different occasions. Vargas also averaged 49.0 yards on three kickoff attempts for the night.
      Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce, was electric in defense and special teams for the No. 20 Lions in a 54-28 win over Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II National Showcase game. He recorded 150 all-purpose yards, including a highlight reel 65 yard kickoff return to open the game and set the Lions' first score up on a short field. He also dazzled on two scintillating punt returns. The Lions scored within five plays after each of his kick and punt returns. All told, Ramsey had 65 kick return yards, 48 punt return yards, 14 interception yards, 15 rushing yards, and 8 receiving yards. He had two interceptions in the game, including a key snag in the end zone near the end of the first half to snuff out an MSU scoring threat which would have narrowed the deficit in a key spot. He also had an interception to help seal the game in the fourth quarter. He also made five key tackles in open space on the perimeter to limit MSU yards after the line of scrimmage.