St. Francisco
45-35 Never Forget
WEEK SIX
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-2, 0-0)
VS.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (1-1, 0-0)
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WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-2, 0-0)
VS.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (1-1, 0-0)
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For FBS newcomer West Texas, holding the talented Golden Eagles to just 21 points, one score in three redzone trips, and forcing a turnover is an accomplishment worth applauding...and had it been any other team, it would also translate into a win. But the Achilles heel of the young Outlaws has been their lackluster offense, which was held to just three points in a 21-5 loss to Southern Miss on Saturday.
Hopes were high following WTU's first offensive drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal to give them their only lead of the game, but it wouldn't last long. Nine minutes later, Austin Davis found Ryan Hanks on a 31-yard strike. The Outlaws would close the gap to just two points at the top of the second quarter when true sophomore Chris Kiniry sacked Davis in the endzone for a safety, but with less than thirty seconds to play in the half, Southern Miss made it a two-score game with a 10-yard TD pass to backup tight end Max Mason. Davis and Mason would connect again near the end of the fourth quarter after a defensive second half, sealing the team's 21-5 victory.
The offensive woes continued for the Outlaws, who were held to just over 200 total offensive yards, one redzone trip, and committed two turnovers. James Hartman had a rough time under center, completing less than half of his 32 passes for 99 yards and an interception. The runningback duo of Chaz Foreman and Max Drew fared slightly better, rushing for 94 yards off 28 carries, but did not score a touchdown, marking the second time in four games that WTU was held without a trip to the endzone. But the defensive effort was worth noting, as they held a potentially potent unit to just 21 points. They were led by outside linebacker Chris Kiniry, who had nine tackles and a sack for a safety, while senior cornerback Mike McDaniel had five tackles and an interception.
On the other side of the ball, Southern Miss relied on a balanced offensive attack to put up just enough points to win on Saturday. In his return from an early-season injury, Austin Davis completed just 11 of 27 passes for 143 yards, but also threw for all three of the team's touchdowns. Davis also had 52 rushing yards off nine carries. He was aided by sophomore runningback Kendrick Hardy, who carried the ball 22 times for 110 yards. The defense was also a major contributor, holding the Outlaws to just three points in sixty minutes, and forcing two turnovers. Ocatavius Thomas (DE) led the attack with nine tackles and two sacks, senior Kendrick Pressley (SS) had five tackles and a fumble recovery, and sophomore cornerback Deron Wilson recorded his first interception of the season. With a winning record in tow, the Golden Eagles will play host to SMU (2-2, 0-2) next week before diving into their conference schedule with a road game against Troy in week eight.
With their non-conference schedule mercifully behind them, the Outlaws will now turn to preparing for their inaugural Sun Belt opener next week when they travel a few hundred miles west to face in-state rival UTEP (2-3, 1-1), who snapped a three-game losing streak this week with a dominating 34-9 victory over UL Monroe. Offensively, the Miners rely on senior runningback Joe Banyard, who had rushed for over 100 yards in three of the team's five games this year, but has only reached the endzone once. Their true strength is a defense led by standout seniors Travaun Nixon (FS, 87 OVR), Jamie Irving (MLB, 82 OVR), Royzell Smith (OLB, 79 OVR), and Antwon Blake (CB, 78 OVR) to name a few. Limiting the Outlaws scoring opportunities shouldn't be a problem, but they'll still have to score some points of their own against a surprisingly stingy defense in what could turn out to be a low-scoring affair.
<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">West Texas Outlaws at Southern Miss Golden Eagles</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Oct 1, 2011</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>West Texas Outlaws (1-3, 0-0)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">5</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">21</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">WTU</td><td align="center" width="20%">USM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">206</td><td align="center">355</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">107</td><td align="center">212</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">99</td><td align="center">143</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">15</td><td align="center">22</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">23</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">114</td><td align="center">47</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">325</td><td align="center">425</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">11-20 (55%)</td><td align="center">4-10 (40%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">1-0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">3-1-0 (33%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">7-35</td><td align="center">9-85</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">29:32</td><td align="center">30:28</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">USM</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">12:34</td><td width="70%">(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 48 yard kick</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">3:09</td><td width="70%">(USM) TD: Ryan Hanks, 31 yard pass from Austin Davis</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">7</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">USM</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">11:21</td><td width="70%">(WTU) Safety: Austin Davis sacked by Chris Kiniry</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">7</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">0:30</td><td width="70%">(USM) TD: Max Mason, 10 yard pass from Austin Davis</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FOURTH QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">USM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">2:20</td><td width="70%">(USM) TD: Max Mason, 11 yard pass from Austin Davis</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">21</td></tr></table></body></html>