Midwestern State remains atop the Lone Star Conference standings at 5-1 in league play.
 
      The regular season concludes this week with three LSC games and one non-conference contest.
 
      LSC football teams are 40-36 overall this season.  The squads are 7-6 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 TO HOST 2021 DIVISION II FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
After hosting two successful title games, the NCAA Division II Football Committee has chosen McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas, as the host site of the 2021-25 Division II football national championship games.
 
      The 2021 title game is set for 8 p.m. CST on Saturday, Dec. 18 and will be televised by ESPNU.
 
      The Lone Star Conference in conjunction with McKinney ISD hosted the 2018 and 2019 championship games.  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. 18, 2021; December 17, 2022; December 16, 2023; December 21, 2024; and December 20, 2025.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Jarrod Compton, West Texas A&M, JR, Sports Medicine, RB, Lubbock, Texas, Coronado HS
Compton carried the offensive load in the backfield for the Buffs for the second straight week as WT handed #21 Midwestern State a 15-12 Lone Star Conference loss on Saturday night at Buffalo Stadium in Canyon.  The Lubbock Coronado grad carried the ball 30 times for 160 net yards to mark the most rushing attempts by a Buffalo since the 2018 campaign. Compton also caught three passes out of the backfield in the win. He has combined for 48 carries and 305 yards on the ground over the last two weeks as the Buffs have won their last two contests.
 
DEFENSIVE
JT Cavender, West Texas A&M, FR, Mechanical Engineering, LB, Midlothian, Texas, Midlothian HS
Cavender continued to lead the way on the defensive side of the ball for the Buffaloes this past Saturday as WT handed No. 21 Midwestern State a 15-12 Lone Star Conference loss at Buffalo Stadium in Canyon.  The Midlothian, Texas product was all over the field as he registered an incredible 20 tackles (15 solo) to go along with a forced fumble and recovery in the win.  With the Mustangs leading 12-7 in the third quarter, Cavender instigated the turnover to end the MSU drive at the WT two-yard line.  The 20 tackles by Cavender are the most by a Buffalo in a single game since October 11, 2014, when Carter James registered 21 tackles against the Mustangs in a 34-13 win at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. It also ties for the second most tackles by an individual in Division II football so far this season.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Gilbert Garza, Texas A&M-Kingsville, R-FR, Kinesiology, K, Weslaco, Texas, Weslaco East HS
Garza was responsible for over half of the Javelinas' points in the 29-22 win over UT Permian Basin on Saturday as he tied the program record with five field goals made and set a new program record with 17 kicking points on the day. Garza connected on a new season-long 47-yard try in the fourth quarter that extended the lead to 29-13, his second field goal of at least 40 yards on the game and fifth on the year, as he added successful attempts of 40, 32, 27, and 32 yards earlier in the game. He was also successful on both of his point-after tries to round out his flawless day. On the year, Garza owns an 85.7% conversion rate on field goals, successful on 12 of his 14 attempts, and is tied for sixth in the league in total points scored.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-6       CJ Odom, Angelo State
S-13     Clayton Roberts, UT Permian Basin
S-20     Dillon Sterling-Cole, Midwestern State
S-27     Kylan Harrison, Midwestern State
O-4       Hagen Garvin, Angelo State
O-11     Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico
O-18     Zach Bronkhorst, Angelo State
O-25     Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce
N-1       Zach Bronkhorst, Angelo State (2)
N-8       Jarrod Compton, West Texas A&M
 
Defensive
S-6       Xavier Morris, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-13     Dylon Davis, Midwestern State
S-20     Jacob Clarkson, Texas A&M-Kingsville
S-27     Josh Quinton, Angelo State
O-4       Eric Rascoe, Angelo State
O-11     JT Cavender, West Texas A&M
O-18     Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M
O-25     Dee Walker, Texas A&M-Commerce
N-1       Alex Shillow, Texas A&M-Commerce
N-8       JT Cavender, West Texas A&M (2)
 
Special Teams
S-6       Jake Viquez, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-13     Ritse Vaes, Midwestern State
S-20     Fernando Piedra, Midwestern State
S-27     Carson Roberts, UT Permian Basin
O-4       Andrew Pitts, Angelo State
O-11     Gage Urias, West Texas A&M
O-18     Cason Polivoda, West Texas A&M
O-25     Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce
N-1       Kylan Harrison, Midwestern State
N-8       Gilbert Garza, Texas A&M-Kingsville
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Wade Freeman, Texas A&M-Kingsville, collected his second-consecutive 200-yard passing game in the Javelinas' 29-22 road win over UT Permian Basin on Saturday. The junior transfer completed 13 of 20 passes for 218 yards and found Ty Chisum on a 13-yard strike in the second quarter for his lone score of the day. Through his past two games, Freeman has thrown for 430 yards on 33 completions with two touchdowns while leading the air corps.
 
      Hunter Kyle, Angelo State, led the Rams with 12 tackles in ASU's 30-3 win over Texas A&M - Commerce. ASU kept the Lions out of the endzone and held them to 252 yards.  The Rams have allowed 10 or fewer points in each of the last three games. Kyle ranks third in the Lone Star Conference in total tackles, collecting 70 overall on the season.
 
      Jacob Clarkson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, was a force to be reckoned with in the Javelinas' 29-22 win over UT Permian Basin on Saturday has he collected eight tackles, five for loss and four sacks to go with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. He came within one sack of the program record that was originally set by NFL Hall of Famer John Randle who tabbed five back in the 1988, but in the process became the first Javelina in five years to pick up four sacks as Alex Kuyinu did so in 2016. He also became the first Javelina defender since 2018 to pick up five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. On the year, Clarkson now leads the team with five sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.
 
      Asa Fuller, Angelo State, converted three field goals in the Rams' 30-3 win over Texas A&M - Commerce. He hit a long of 42-yards while finishing a perfect 3-for-3 in PATs. With seven total kickoffs, Fuller sent five in the endzone for a touchback, averaging 64.3 yards per kick.