Overall Opining: My apologies for the late write up. The power in my condo went out until about 30 minutes, so here we are. The game was sloppy. It really was. Sloppy offense, sloppy defense, and sloppy officiating. (Yes it was bad and it benefitted WNMU for the most part.) You have to say that the Lions fought their way through some pretty tough things to get the win. A long road trip, emotional hangover, and to Western fans, you guys have a good little team. They are physical and fast and hold fast and I guarantee you that WNMU will be in the LSC title hunt sooner rather than later.

Grades-

Offense: B minus. Luis Perez did not have that great of a game, which put a lot of stress on the running game and it was a game of big plays. At one point when Darby Smith scored to make it 31-14 you felt like the Lions were going to pull away and make it a route, but then EMNU came back and outscored TAMUC 10-7. Not terrible, but I really feel like the killer instinct that you should have in the offensive system the Lions run needs to come back. We have playmakers and I just say fire what you have at your opponent. The screen plays were kind of hit and miss, but Richard Cooper played very well and Ovi Urevbo did a great job playing in tandem. 3 touchdowns left off the board due to sloppy turnovers that would have been 3 touchdowns.

Defense: C. It was not a good performance overall, but when you force 4 big time turnovers, that does count for something. The low grade is mainly for the pass defense strategy, which shows me the staff did not learn much from the MSCU debacle, giving up 486 yards. This defense has to improve on pass rush because the pure speed is not going to work all the time, when you are not playing speed guys but fast guys, all they do is run you over, and the strategy of letting teams throw all over you (or under you) is not effective either. I am still of the opinion that this strategy needs to change.

Special Teams: A plus. Shawn Hooks gets his first punt return for  TD and wow it was something to behold. The coverage was solid the entire time on both return and kickoff, and I have to say that it was the brightest spot on the roster. Kris Martinez played very well again, hitting all PAT attempt and hit a 45 yard FG and this leg strength continues to impress me.

MVP’s-

Offense-

Richard Cooper. The Senior All-American RB from Angelton had 182 yards and averaged 7 yards per carry in addition to 4 receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown. Great performance.

Defense-Uriah Harris. 8 Tackles overall with 2 TFL and a handful of pass break ups. He was all over the field and a great defensive presence. Welcome to the MVP circle.

Special Teams-Shawn Hooks. His 79 yard punt return for a Touchdown was the spark that started it and he also played well on the rest of the returns by knowing what to take and knowing what not to take.