Lone Star Conference action starts this week with four league match-ups and one non-conference game.
      Seven LSC teams - Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, UT Permian Basin, Texas A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M – remain undefeated after two weeks of play.
      LSC football teams are 14-3 overall this season.  The squads are 5-0 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 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
Wyatt Strand, Eastern New Mexico, SR, Mathematics, QB, Logan, N.M., Logan HS
Strand accounted for four total touchdowns in the Greyhound's 44-37 overtime win on the road at Colorado Mesa, including the game-winning score on a six-yard rushing touchdown in overtime. The Logan, N.M. native captained the Hound offense in a wild second half with two rushing touchdowns in the half to finish the night with 96 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. Strand was also effective through the air, completing 6-of-12 passing attempts for 127 yards and a score. Strand and company totaled 561 yards of total offense, 434 of which came on the ground to record the team's second straight game with over 400 yards rushing.
 
DEFENSIVE
Quincy Arceneaux, Eastern New Mexico, JR, Health and Physical Education, DE, Lafayette, La., Acadiana HS
Arceneaux recorded five tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in Eastern New Mexico's 44-37 overtime win at Colorado Mesa. Arceneaux's 56 yard scoop-and-score with 13:30 remaining in the third quarter kick-started a strong quarter for the Hound's that saw Eastern score 27 points. The Greyhound defense allowed just 100 yards in the first half and limited the Mavericks to 381 total yards for the game.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M, SR, Psychology, PR/KR, Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville HS
Harris did it all for the Buffs on Saturday in their 49-21 victory over William Jewell in Liberty, Mo.  The sophomore finished the game with a total of five returns for 211 yards and a touchdown as WT scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Cardinals. Trailing 7-0 after the first drive of the game, Harris took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for his first career kickoff return touchdown. In the third quarter, he busted off a career-high 80-yard punt return putting the Buffs inside the WJC 10-yard line which resulted in another touchdown. After two games, the Pflugerville, Texas product ranks first in NCAA Division II in combined kick return yards and second in punt return average.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-9       Daniel McCants, Tarleton State
S-16     Wyatt Strand, Eastern New Mexico
 
Defensive
S-9       Melik Owens, Midwestern State
S-16     Quincy Arceneaux, Eastern New Mexico
 
Special Teams
S-9       Jaron Imbriani, Midwestern State
S-16     Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
   Khalil Banks, Tarleton State, sparked the offense for the No. 5 Texans with a career-high 168 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Banks had touchdown runs of 11 yards and 72 yards in the first quarter for the game's first points at the newly renovated Tarleton Memorial Stadium. Banks' performance gave the Texans a 100-yard rusher at home for the 10th straight game.
   Quinton Childs, Midwestern State, rushed for a career-high 135 yards and three touchdowns to No. 16-ranked Midwestern State to a 28-27 win over Lindenwood Saturday night at Hunter Stadium. The 5-10, 180-pound running back staked the Mustangs to an early 14-0 lead polishing off an 8-play, 65-yard drive with a 3-yard TD before bursting down the right side line for a 46-yard touchdown on the first play of MSU Texas' second possession. Childs added a 19-yard scoring scamper midway through the third quarter as the Mustangs regained the lead for good.
   Luis Lopez, Texas A&M-Kingsville, was the workhorse for the Javelina ground game on Saturday against Sul Ross State as he led the group with 132 yards on 12 carries for three touchdowns and started his evening with a spark en route to the 72-0 win over the Lobos. Lopez took the first play from scrimmage to the house for 70 yards for his first score of the game, followed up with a three-yard surge early in the second and ended his day with a two-yard burst at the start of the second half for his third rushing touchdown.
   Lloyd Howard III, Angelo State, exploded on offense for the Rams, rushing for 130 yards. In the second quarter, the Rams went 61 yards on three plays in 29 seconds with Howard rushing for 49 of those yards for the Rams touchdown to take a 37-0 lead over the Clan. The Belle Glade, Florida native, rushed for a career-high long of 49 yards.
   Duke Carter IV, West Texas A&M, needed only 17 carries to go over 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in his career in West Texas A&M’s 49-21 victory over William Jewell on Saturday afternoon. The senior running back finished with 103 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown as the Buff scored 35 unanswered points to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the game. He scored his first touchdown of the season with 5:12 remaining the third quarter on a 6-yard run up the middle.
   E.J. Thompson, Texas A&M-Commerce, was the top producer for the Lions in a 34-28 road win at Western Oregon, scoring three touchdowns of 9, 1, and 5 yards. His touchdown with 8:22 to play in the fourth quarter tied the game at 27-all, and his score with 5:59 to play was the game-winner. He is the first Lion to have three rushing touchdowns in a game since Joe Bergeron did so twice in 2014. He now leads the LSC in scoring per game and had 120 all-purpose yards including his receiving yardage.
   Taylor Null, UT Permian Basin, threw for 303 yards and a pair of touchdowns as UT Permian Basin picked up a 40-24 win against Northern Michigan. Null connected with Kobe Robinson on an 80 yard touchdown on his first attempt of the game early in the second quarter, and later hit Kyle McBride in the back corner of the end zone on a 19 yard pass seven minutes later. It was his fourth game of over 300 passing yards in 11 games played over the past two seasons.
   Chris Hoad, UT Permian Basin, paced the Falcons on defense this past week, leading all players in the game with 16 total tackles. He had 1.5 tackles for loss on the night for two yards, and had one pass break up. His 16 tackles was the most by an individual through the first two weeks of the 2019 season.
   Frank Honang, West Texas A&M, had an impressive game for the Buffs in their 49-21 victory over William Jewell on Saturday afternoon in Liberty, Mo. The senior finished with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack to go along with a forced fumble. The Saginaw, Texas native has now recorded 10-plus tackles in consecutive games as WT held the Cardinals to 16 rushing yards on 17 attempts in the second half.
   Melik Owens, Midwestern State, the NCAA Division II sack leader, continued to dominate from the defensive end position producing nine tackles including three tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks to help Midwestern State to a 28-27 win over Lindenwood Saturday night at Hunter Stadium. The 6-3, 225-pounder got to Lions quarterback Cade Brister for a 13-yard sack in the second quarter before proving to be a real menace in the third stanza. Owens teamed with linebacker Zack McMahen for a 5-yard sack midway through the frame before coming clean off the edge to force Brister into a fumble which was returned 66 yards by teammate Zach Edwards to setup a Mustangs' touchdown. Owens leads NCAA Division II averaging two sacks per game and is eight nationally while leading the LSC making 2.8 tackles for loss per game.
   B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton State, led the Texan defense with a game-high seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage. Jefferson and the Texans held Doane to only 84 yards of total offense and just three points that came in the fourth quarter.
   Jacob Clarkson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, had a hand in every phase of the defense on Saturday in TAMUK's 72-0 win over Sul Ross State as he finished with five tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup and three QB hurries as the defense held the Lobos to 97 total yards, including a net rushing yardage of -1. Clarkson recovered a fumble early in the opening quarter as the turnover led to a Javelina touchdown, and posted both his sacks in the first half en route to the win.
   Kader Kohou, Texas A&M-Commerce, fourth quarter interception and 25-yard return set the Lions up deep in Western Oregon territory, and was the precursor to the game-winning touchdown as A&M-Commerce beat WOU 34-27 in Oregon.
   A'quan Randolph, Midwestern State, battered his way through the line to block a would-be, game-tying point-after attempt with 7:15 to play in Midwestern State's 28-27 win over Lindenwood Saturday night at Hunter Stadium. It was one of three blocked kicks for the Mustangs as Michael McDonald and Khalil Finley also blocked field goal tries from 32 and 25 yards out to key the victory for the Mustangs.
   Jake Viquez, Texas A&M-Commerce, was perfect in the kicking game as the Lions defeated Western Oregon, 34-27. He was 4-for-4 on PAT attempts and connected on field goals of 30 and 20 yards on a thick grass surface.
   Jared Defelice, Angelo State, saw his first game action this week against Simon Fraser kicking two field goals and totaled seven points in the 68-7 victory. He made 10 kickoffs for 564 yards with a 56.4 yard average. The Lago Vista, Texas native averaged 39.3 yards per punt, taking three punts and putting two inside the 20-yard line.