NCAA DII Recap

No. 4 Tarleton Texans (6-0, 4-0)

Last Week: Tarleton opened a huge halftime lead and rolled through the second half in a 49-10 win on the road over Eastern New Mexico last Saturday.

Wide receiver J.F. Thomas caught six passes for 155 yards and a touchdown as quarterback Ben Holmes completed 12-of-20 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Daniel McCants led the rushing attack with 86 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Jai Edwards had an incredible game for the Texans defense with 14 tackles, eight solo.

The Verdict: The Texans made the long trek to Portales, N.M. and continued to dominate the opposition. Tarleton faces possibly its biggest challenge to date this week with the winner taking control of the LSC race along with a top spot in Super Region Four.

This Week: Tarleton returns home to play No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (4-1, 3-0)

Last Week: Texas A&M-Commerce scored early and often last Saturday night as they rolled to a dominating 54-28 win over rival Midwestern State.

Running back Antonio Lealiiee gained 169 yards rushing on 18 carries while quarterback Miklo Smalls completed 19-of-27 passes for 186 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers. Ryan Stokes led the receivers with 75 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Dominique Ramsey intercepted two passes to lead the Lions defense.

The Verdict: The Lions rolled against a rival last week and are one of only two teams remaining undefeated in the Lone Star Conference. That will change this week when the Lions travel to play for the top spot in the conference in a game that also has big playoff implications.

This Week: TAMUC travels to play No. 4 Tarleton at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

No. 25 Angelo State Rams (5-1, 3-1)

Last Week: ASU took control in the second half to defeat Western New Mexico 31-14 last Saturday. Quarterback Payne Sullins completed 15-of-25 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Daven Manning carried the ball 21 times for 134 yards and a touchdown while Lawson Ayo led the receivers with 102 yards and a touchdown on only three receptions. Hunter Kyle led the Rams defense with 11 tackles, five solo, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Verdict: The Rams bounced back nicely from a tough game two weeks ago. ASU regained some offensive momentum this week, but head coach Jeff Girsch will not be pleased with the defense allowing over 400 yards.

This Week: ASU will travel this week to meet West Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

West Texas A&M Buffaloes (5-1, 2-1)

Last Week: Jordan Johnson scored two touchdowns in the second half for WT to lead the Buffs to a 14-10 come-from-behind victory over UT Permian Basin.

Quarterback Nick Gerber completed 22-of-33 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown while Duke Carter IV led the Buffs rushing attack with 44 yards on 17 carries. Johnson finished with zero yards rushing and a touchdown on five carries and added 47 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Linebacker Frank Honang led the WT defense with 16 tackles, eight solo, and two tackles for loss.

The Verdict: WT once again struggled to have a complete game offensive effort. The Buffs were able to win again this week and have started well to open the season. The conference schedule becomes tougher for WT from this point.

This Week: The Buffs return home to meet No. 25 Angelo State at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

Midwestern State Mustangs (3-3, 1-3)

Last Week: MSU-Texas fell behind by 24 points in the first half as they were defeated 54-28 on the road to No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce last Saturday night.

Quarterback Triston Williams completed 19-of-40 passes for 306 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while Tyrique Edwards led the receivers with 89 yards on five receptions. Marcus Wilkerson led the Mustangs defense with seven tackles, all solo.

The Verdict: The Mustangs entered the season needing to stay healthy because of a lack of depth and they have been unable to avoid the injury bug. Head coach Bill Maskill will not use injuries as an excuse and his expectations for his team remains high.

This Week: MSU-Texas returns home to host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

UT Permian Basin Falcons (2-4, 0-4)

Last Week: UTPB held a 10-point lead at halftime but allowed two touchdowns in the second half to fall 14-10 at home to West Texas A&M.

Quarterback Caleb Leake completed 20-of-36 passes for 171 yards and four interceptions while adding 68 yards on 16 carries. Kyle McBride led the receivers with 82 yards on eight receptions while linebacker Chris Hoad had another incredible performance for the Falcons defense with 14 tackles.

The Verdict: The Falcons nearly pulled off their biggest win in school history last Saturday night. This is two games against good conference opponents that UTPB has been in the game late with a chance to win which shows the improvement of the program.

This Week: UTPB travels to play Chadron State at noon on Saturday.

Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas (1-5, 0-3)

Last Week: Texas A&M-Kingsville held a seven-point lead at halftime but a bad third quarter led to a 26-14 defeat at home to Western Oregon.

Quarterback Cade Dyal completed 15-of-34 passes for 120 yards and three interceptions. Luis Lopez led the rushing attack with 71 yards on 11 carries. Linebacker Tre’Michael Tutt had another outstanding performance for the Javelinas defense with 13 tackles, nine solo, one sack and forced a fumble.

The Verdict: Turnovers have been a big problem for the Javelinas at times this year and the turnover bug hit TAMUK once again last Saturday night. The Javelinas take a long road trip this weekend to meet another conference opponent currently reeling.

This Week: TAMUK travels to play Midwestern State at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.