- Overall-I really don’t know what singular word use. Relieved? Maybe. Exhilarating? Sure. Happy? Absolutely. Last night this game turned out not the way that I was expecting, but so much better. Lions started off the game rough, but the tables turned when McNeese decided to go for it on 4th and goal and Lions stopped them. 92 yards later, they were in the end zone with the lead and route was on as they say. The attendance last night was much higher than I thought, given that it was Texas/OU weekend and unfortunately you had a lot of alums go to that game and but not bother to make ours. All 3 sides of the ball played terrific, which is what I said needed to happen, but one word I have to say that made all the difference was this…attitude. Two perfect examples come to mind. My Dad, Uncle, and younger Brother all made the game. I stayed under the awning of the press box where there the President’s box and reserved seats come together and just leaned against the wall and realized that The Hawk had not been that loud in years, probably since the 2017 national semifinal game when we were DII. It was loud and relentless and only calmed down when the game was in hand and people started leaving. Second thing was after game was over and the players had sang the alma mater, they bolted to the locker room like someone was passing out free money. Russ and I followed and for the first time in 8 games, and for Clint Dolezel, the first time in 30 years, they called the roll and it was loud, proud, and full of emotion. Coaches and players were hugging each other, everyone was smiling, and you just might have seen a microcosm of the change in the culture of the program, and its result was a win like last nights.
- Offense-Josh Magana had another terrific night. Let me give you his stats so far. Completing 64 percent of his passes for 586 yards, 7 touchdown passes to just one interception. His quarterback rating is 162. We have our guy. I was happy to see Lake Bennett, the future of our program get to play yet again and I am excited about what to see from him both now and in the future. 470 yards of total offense look so much better than what this unit had been putting in and Raiveon Hargrove and Shamenski Rucker picked up the slack very well as Reggie Branch was out of commission due to an ankle injury that we hope he recovers quickly from. The offensive line started out shaky but picked up protection and also opened up holes for both Rucker and Hargrove, who both got a chance to show their speed. McNeese did a good job of covering Keith Miller, not to mention cheap shotting him to death, but I digress, and to whoever was calling the plays, what a terrific set of plays. A Plus.
- Defense-Kyle Williams may have thought after the first two series “Here we go again” but the defense was just dominant and forced 2 turnovers in addition to sacking McNeese 5 times, but the defense delivered hit after hit and blow after blow and just did what they did last year, they broke McNeese’s will and before you know it, that fed into the offense and all other sides of the ball and boom goes the dynamite. The route was on. The Lion defense has give up a lot of points this year, but you can point to two games to show that the spirit of the Blue Gang mentality does still live on, and this game was one of them.
- Special teams-Complete opposite of last week. Great coverage, discipline, execution, and everything else that was needed. Emmanuel Adagbon needed last night for his confidence, and he delivered. Hitting a 51 yard field goal to go with another 40 yarder and finally, 5 of 5 on extra points. Mitchell McGarry once again had a superb night, while Aiden Martin had to fight of a Northeast wind but the leg was no doubt and never in question. The coverage units were also spectacular.
- Going Forward-Next week is Incarnate Word. I wish I could tell you that this game is not personal, but it is. It is very personal. The way their coaches behaved, their players behaved, their fans behaved. They really believe they are something really special, and that is something I am not going to be a fan of. However, all of that stuff I just mentioned is just bulletin board material. It means nothing. This Lion team has shown itself to be a team that can win in Southland conference play, and a win against Incarnate Word would be huge for a plethora of reasons. However, the game is played on the field, and I don’t know how next week will shake out, but I know this for sure, if you see the same effort and execution from this team that you saw last night, there is certainly a chance for a major upset in the Southland Conference order.
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