The season rolls on for Lone Star Conference teams with a pair of league games and four non-conference contests this week.
      Six LSC teams - Angelo State, Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Commerce, UT Permian Basin, West Texas A&M, and Western New Mexico - started the season with wins last week.
      LSC football teams are 6-2 overall this season.  The squads are 2-1 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 Saturday, Dec. 18.
      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
CJ Odom, Angelo State, JR, Communications, RB, Hemet, Calif., West Jordan HS
In the Rams' opening season game against No. 21 Lindenwood, Odem led with 127 yards on the ground and a touchdown. His average of 12.7 yards per rush was the highest in the game as ASU finished with a 40-20 victory on the road.
 
DEFENSIVE
Xavier Morris, Texas A&M-Commerce, SR, General Studies, LB, Converse, Texas, Judson HS
Morris led A&M-Commerce with nine tackles in its 12-6 win at CSU-Pueblo, who was ranked No. 12 at the time. The Converse native also recorded a tackle for loss and caught an interception in the fourth quarter with the Lions leading by just six points. His nine total tackles were second most among all players in the LSC this week.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Viquez, Texas A&M-Commerce, SR, Computer Information Systems, K, Rockwall, Rockwall HS
Viquez accounted for all 12 points in No. 5 A&M-Commerce’s 12-6 win at No. 12 CSU-Pueblo. Battling strong winds all night, Viquez nailed his four field goal attempts, including a 52-yard attempt that gave the Lions a 12-6 cushion. The 52-yard kick was the second-longest kick in program history and the longest kick made among all conference kickers in week one, the second-longest kick was 40 yards.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-6       CJ Odom, Angelo State
 
Defensive
S-6       Xavier Morris, Texas A&M-Commerce
 
Special Teams
S-6       Jake Viquez, Texas A&M-Commerce
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
      Khalil Harris, West Texas A&M, led the Buffs to a 73-0 season opening win over Texas College on Thursday night as WT scored the most points in a single game since October of 2013.  The Frisco, Texas native carried the ball seven times for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns in limited snaps, averaging 15.9 yards per carry as the Buffs ran for 388 total yards in the season opener. Harris started the game in style with a 69-yard TD on the first offensive snap of the game followed later by a five-yard score on WT's third possession of the game.
      Antonio Leali'ie'e, Texas A&M-Commerce, rushed for 79 yards in the Lions win at No. 12 ranked CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves. Lions are currently ranked No. 5. Leali’ie’e accounted for 79 of the team’s 103 rushing yards in the game. He also caught a pass for six yards.
      Clayton Roberts, UT Permian Basin, led an efficient Falcon attack after a last-minute scheduling change that forced the team to start the season on the road.  The junior finished 18-of-29 for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the season opening win.  Facing fourth-and-long on the opening drive, Roberts found Jordan Smart for the first touchdown of the season.  In the final minute of the first half, he found MJ Link on a wide-open wheel route for his second TD pass of the day.  Roberts put the final nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter, eluding a sack and dashing up the right side for a 45-yard touchdown run that gave the Falcons a two-score lead in their eventual 24-16 win.
      Dillon Sterling-Cole, Midwestern State, accounted for four touchdowns to lead MSU to a 48-27 win over Quincy Saturday afternoon at QU Stadium. The senior from Orange, Texas completed 18-of-31 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns, while rushing two more scores to help the Mustangs win their eighth consecutive season opener.
      Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico, had a 95-yard TD pass reception in Thursday's game against Central Washington. This pass reception was the second-longest in program history.
      Jaylon Abdul-Karim, Midwestern State, lead Midwestern State's defensive unit with seven tackles including two stops for loss and a quarterback. The senior from Dallas also recovered a fumble which led to a Mustangs' touchdown and recorded a quarterback hurry.
      Ayrton Payne, West Texas A&M, and the WT defense dominated NAIA opponent Texas College in the season opener on Thursday night as the Buffs picked up a 73-0 victory at Buffalo Stadium in Canyon.  The Houston native tallied five total tackles (four solo) to go along with an interception and a forced fumble as the Buffs allowed just 110 yards of total offense including just one all-purpose yard in the first half against the Steers.