Who:
At
McNeese State Cowboys
Where: Navarre Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
When: Saturday, September 26, 6 PM
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 83 at Kickoff, Humidity at 65%, Winds West @ 4 MPH
Watch/Listen/Stats-
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network – KETR 88.9 FM Charlie Chitwood (Play By Play), Brock Callaway, (Color/Analysis) (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401869137
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=672781&vislive=tame
Lion Game Notes: ETAMU
The No Huddle Preview: The gauntlet that East Texas had to run that included two ranked FCS teams and an FBS team that was just outside the FBS top 25 is over, and the bitter taste that was left in the mouth of East Texas players and fans is still there, but no rest for the weary. The Lions head to Lake Charles to face McNeese State, and this is essentially a must win game, and from this point forward, they pretty much all are. The Lions are 1-3, and can really only afford to lose one more conference game and two overall if they want to say this season was a success. The offense will probably look quite a bit different as nobody really know who will take the snaps at Quarterback. Is Eric Rodriguez healthy enough to play and to start, or is Jack Jacobs going to be the guy from here on out? The Lion rushing game has to show up on Saturday and if they do, that is a good sign that they are able to move the ball, but last week, the Lions moved the ball 4 times inside the Tulsa 30 yard line and came away with nothing. The offense has to include more targets in the passing game and keep whoever is Quarterback upright, or things could get rough early.
Defense simply got exhausted last week and lost a war of attrition, but also was poor in tackling and got coverage assignments blown at bad times. Those have to be fixed in order to have a chance against a McNeese squad that racks up 400 yards per game and has done so against ranked FCS teams. Pressure on McNeese Quarterback Devin Lippold will be an absolute must, and also keeping Wideouts Curtis Deville and Elisha Edwards in check is just as important. Running back Omri Wiggins averages 64 yards per game, but he can hurt you if you aren’t serious about getting into the backfield.
Special teams has to do two things. They MUST do a better job of coverage on kickoffs, and when Ozlo Rigby lines up for a field goal, YOU HAVE TO PROTECT HIM so he can put it through. Rushed kicks are never good kicks. That said, punt coverage has gotten much better as has punt coverage.
Overall, this is a game that will do one of two things. A win puts you right in the thick of the Southland Race with a 2-1 record, a loss drops you into the bottom and you are basically halfway through the year with a 1-4 record. East Texas needs this win Saturday night. Desperately.
