NCAA FCS Recap: Houston Baptist sets program record for most wins in a season

Courtesy of Houston Baptist Athletics

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NCAA FCS Recap

Sam Houston State Bearkats (6-4, 5-2)

Last Week: SHSU was unable to hold onto a 14-point first quarter lead as turnovers proved costly in a 31-28 loss at home to Northwestern State. Running back Donovan Williams was outstanding with 152 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 23 carries while Chandler Harvin had his best game of the season with 108 yards receiving on four catches. Quarterbacks Ty Brock and Eric Schmid combined to throw four interceptions in the loss. Royce See and Will Lockett each registered nine tackles for the defense.

The Verdict: The Kats have had two very disappointing losses this season with this game being one of those losses. SHSU controlled its playoff hopes and those were extinguished with this loss. The Kats will surely spend time this offseason thinking about this loss and their loss to Lamar earlier this year.

This Week: SHSU will host Houston Baptist at noon on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

 

Incarnate Word Cardinals (5-6, 4-4)

Last Week: UIW was unable to overcome an early deficit as they lost to FBS New Mexico State 41-28 on the road last Saturday. Sophomore Jon Copeland completed 18-of-40 passes for 181 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Mark Sullivan led the receivers with 48 yards on three receptions as 11 different players caught a pass for the Cardinals. Junior defensive back Malick Phillips led the defense with 12 tackles, nine solo, one-half tackle for loss and forced a fumble.

The Verdict: The Cardinals faced an uphill battle on the road last week, but they had a decent showing and put up a solid fight. UIW will return to conference play this week and they can influence the FCS playoff race with a win this week. The Cardinals need a win as they have dropped four consecutive games.

This Week: UIW will host No. 11 Central Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

 

Prairie View A&M Panthers (5-5, 3-3)

Last Week: PVAMU scored 20 unanswered points in the second quarter last Saturday to defeat NAIA Edward Waters 41-14 at home. Quarterback Trazon Connley completed 19-of-27 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 85 yards on 10 carries. Travis O’Connor was the leading receiver with two catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Storey Jackson and Stephen Scott each recorded 10 tackles to lead the Panthers defense.

The Verdict: The Panthers have won two games in a row and three of their last four games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Connley has been solid in replacing injured starting quarterback Jalen Morton. Connley is getting valuable playing time as he will be the favorite to start for PVAMU next year.

This Week: PVAMU has a bye this week.

 

Abilene Christian Wildcats (5-6, 4-5)

Last week: A tough first half for ACU on Saturday afternoon led to a 35-14 defeat at home to Southeastern Louisiana. Quarterback Sema’J Davis led the offense with 11-of-19 completions for 195 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions while adding 33 yards rushing and a touchdown on 17 carries. Wide receiver Kobe Clark caught six passes for 104 yards as he continues to shine for the Wildcats. Senior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers once again led the defense with nine tackles, eight solo, and three tackles for loss.

The Verdict: This was a disappointing performance by the Wildcats who have shown improvement throughout this season. Turnovers were a big issue last week with six interceptions combined with the two quarterbacks. ACU travels to face its second FBS team of the year to end the season.

This Week: ACU travels to play Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

 

Houston Baptist Huskies (5-6, 2-5)

Last Week: HBU scored 14 unanswered points in the second quarter and held on to defeat Lamar 31-26 at home last Saturday. Quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 14-of-27 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns while Dreshawn Minnieweather had another outstanding game with 129 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries. Ben Ratzlaff led the receiving corps with 83 yards on five catches. Linebacker Caleb Johnson led the defense with 14 tackles, four solo, and one-half tackle for loss.

The Verdict: The Huskies earned a huge win last week as they have set a program record for most wins in a season. This has been an incredible season for HBU to this point and they can equal their most conference wins in a season if they pull out a road victory this week.

This Week: HBU travels to play Sam Houston State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

 

Lamar Cardinals (4-7, 2-6)

Last Week: Lamar was unable to hold onto a lead in the second quarter as they lost a tough 31-26 game to Houston Baptist on the road last week. Marcel Johnson led the offense by completing 10-of-21 passes for 108 yards and an interception while adding 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Chaz Ward added 91 rushing yards on 20 carries. Defensive end Daniel Crosley had an outstanding game with eight tackles, four solo, four tackles for loss, two sacks, broke up one pass and forced a fumble.

The Verdict: The Cardinals have had a horrible rash of injuries over the last few weeks at quarterback. Johnson had an outstanding game for Lamar this week considering that he switched from quarterback to receiver following spring practice. He was moved back to quarterback out of necessity and the Cardinals tailored the game plan to his strengths.

This Week: Lamar returns home to host McNeese on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

 

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2-9, 2-7)

Last Week: SFA held tough for the first half but was unable to earn the comeback victory as they lost 30-7 to No. 13 Central Arkansas on the road last week. Quarterback Cam Arnold completed 14-of-28 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Xavier Gipson was once again the leading receiver with 85 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Junior safety Trenton Gordon had another outstanding game with 11 tackles, four solo for the ‘Jacks.

The Verdict: The ‘Jacks have been hit by the quarterback injury bug that has affected many teams in Texas small colleges this year. Arnold has performed well in his two starts for SFA and will need to be big this week to win the rivalry game on the road. There is no shame in last week’s loss as UCA is a solid team that was angry.

This Week: SFA travels to play Northwestern State in the 54th Battle for Chief Caddo on Thursday night at 6 p.m.

 

Texas Southern Tigers (0-10, 0-6)

Last Week: TSU had a bye last week.

The Verdict: The Tigers have had a tough season as they have been close to winning at times, but their performance has been inconsistent throughout the season. This is expected under a first-year head coach trying to build a program and TSU has one more opportunity to win this week.

This Week: TSU travels to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

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