UAC Week 2: Can Anyone Slow Down Tarleton?

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Abilene Christian

Saturday, September 12 — 7 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

It’s now or never for Abilene Christian to wake up. With a brutal UAC slate looming, the Wildcats have to start kicking things into gear.

QB John David Black was essentially thrown into the starting role by default. He held down the fort against Lamar but was completely shut down against Texas Tech. To ease the pressure on him, the coaching staff needs to lean much heavier on the ground game.

RB Alex Broome has averaged 5.2 yards per carry, remaining a steady contributor despite facing an FBS powerhouse. Rovaughn Banks Jr. was bottled up by the Red Raiders, but he was ripping off 6.3 yards a pop in Week 1.

That ground attack might just be the ticket, because this young signal-caller needs breathing room to settle in and find his rhythm.

That’s especially true against an SFA secondary that has shown a terrifying knack for tearing opposing aerial attacks apart: already five interceptions, including three from CB Makai Frisby, eight sacks and a meager 169 passing yards surrendered per game.

But they also gave up nearly 200 rushing yards to McNeese. Connect the dots?

ACU will still have its hands full trying to slow down this Lumberjack offense, which is averaging 437 total yards per contest, with the run complementing the pass and vice versa depending on the look.

The Wildcats’ defense did hold its ground earlier, making life miserable for Lamar’s passing game and keeping Texas Tech under five yards a carry on the ground.

Will that be enough?

North Alabama Lions (1-1) at Southeastern Louisiana Lions (0-2)

Saturday, September 12 — 6 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

North Alabama is probably better than expected, and Southeastern Louisiana is definitely tough to figure out.

North Alabama hasn’t really had a chance to show what it’s made of, but the Lions held their own against Arkansas, an SEC squad. Good or bad, go ahead and try playing them, pal.

Then again, so did Southeastern against South Alabama, a Sun Belt FBS program.

On the other hand, Southeastern got upset by Houston Christian in a Week 0 game it initially controlled, only to watch the win slip away as the self-inflicted mistakes piled up.

For the northern Lions, the connection between QB Dustin Wade and WR Xavier Johnson can definitely do damage, already racking up 210 yards together and a touchdown.

The defense held up well against the run and can generate pressure, pressure the southern Lions seem particularly vulnerable against after bleeding turnovers far too often in the early going.

Southeastern’s pass defense has looked solid, keeping opposing production in check, and the front seven looks sharp, especially the linebackers, even if they occasionally get gashed on the ground.

The offense still hasn’t found its rhythm. QB Kyle Lowe is just 29-of-47 through the air for 336 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions over two games.

This should be an interesting matchup to see which jungle, north or south, claims the true king of the pride.

Morehead State Eagles (1-1) at Austin Peay Governors (1-1)

Saturday, September 12 — 4 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

This Morehead State team is tough to picture.

After a dramatic triple-overtime, 42-40 loss in Week 0 to Ohio Dominican, a historically average team in a competitive G-MAC conference, the Eagles laid down the law against Kentucky Christian, a... well, bad NAIA team, 75-24.

Nothing to write home about either, really.

The front seven was leaky, especially against the run in that Division II matchup, before cleaning things up against the Knights.

And while the secondary was the strongest unit of this defense, the pass defense has still allowed an average of 260 yards per game and far too many touchdowns.

Against who, exactly?

The offensive tandem of QB David Parsons and WR Anthony Ice can clearly produce. Parsons has 463 passing yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions through two games, while Ice has 319 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

So the Govs’ secondary better stay alert.

I don’t see why Austin Peay should be overly worried, but this could turn into a trap game. The Eagles built up plenty of confidence in that tune-up blowout.

The defense needs to buckle down, and the entire roster has to step up. The Govs must hit the reset button after taking a beating from Vanderbilt, stick to their fundamentals like they failed to do at times in the past, and let this explosive offense go to work.

Tarleton State Texans (2-0) at McNeese Cowboys (1-1)

Saturday, September 12 — 6 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

Don’t be fooled by McNeese’s record.

Its only real test of strength was smoke and mirrors. The Cowboys spent most of the day weathering the storm against SFA’s Lumberjacks, only clawing their way back into the game late. Turnovers proved to be their downfall.

Their second outing, a blowout win over Texas Wesleyan, which may be competitive at the NAIA level, still needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Louisiana Tech transfer RB Omiri Wiggins is a legitimate threat in his own right and an all-purpose weapon to watch.

The defense has held up well against the run, giving up around 100 yards per game, and is capable of generating splash plays against the pass.

But honestly, there’s nothing here that should trouble a Tarleton squad playing the brand of football we’ve seen over the last two weeks.

No need to rehash the entire stat sheet, but QB Kaden Anderson is balling out at an FBS level, racking up 430 yards through the air. The offensive line is bulletproof, and that wide receiver trio of Willis, Schmidt and Flemming has been an absolute handful.

The defense, from the trenches with Cloud and Potts to the secondary with Woods Jr., Rice, Robinson and Adams, has been suffocating.

The true star of this early season, though, is RB Tylan Hines, who is tearing defenses apart with 434 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 51 carries.

He has also added another 68 receiving yards on four catches, just for good measure.

Central Oklahoma Bronchos (0-1, DII) at Central Arkansas Bears (1-1)

Saturday, September 12 — 6 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

Central Oklahoma put on an outstanding performance against Texas Wesleyan, winning 59-7 against a competitive NAIA squad.

But we already covered them earlier, remember?

The Bronchos were efficient in the passing game, compiling 364 yards and three touchdowns, while leaning on a stout defense that brought relentless pressure at the line of scrimmage.

Central Oklahoma finished with six tackles-for-loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, seven pass breakups and 10 quarterback hurries, led by stud LB Roller Reese. Will that be enough to rattle QB Donovyn Omolo?

Don’t be so sure.

This young man is a true baller, whether with his arm or on the ground.

Unfortunately, the offensive line collapsed against West Florida, and the rest of the backfield was completely held in check.

Defensively, Central Arkansas showed some good flashes against the run, but its secondary play has been hit-or-miss: lockdown against UT Martin, yet completely overwhelmed against the Argos.

That will be an area to monitor closely, because while it’s tempting to assume a Division II air attack is a step down from what FCS teams face, Central Oklahoma’s aerial attack remains one of its greatest strengths.

We can all agree this matchup was scheduled to be a "cupcake" game.

But this season, nothing is ever that simple.

Chattanooga Mocs (1-1) at Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-2)

Saturday, September 12 — 5 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

Two weeks after roughing up the West Georgia Wolves, and one week removed from a 24-9 reality check against Tennessee Tech in a rock-fight of a game, Chattanooga returns to UAC play.

Looking to hand out some beatdowns again?

Against the Golden Eagles, the Mocs mustered just 227 yards of total offense, punted all afternoon and coughed up some costly turnovers.

The ground game remains their bread and butter.

RB Kevin Lalin keeps churning out yards, though Journey Wyche also flashed against Tennessee Tech.

But the running game happens to be an area the Colonels have already defended well, which is an encouraging sign.

That said, we’ll have to see how wide the talent gap really is between these two squads.

QB Battle Alberson threw for just 37 yards on 6-of-16 passing with two interceptions that day, quickly taking the shine off his strong Week 1 showing.

He looked rattled under pressure, a vulnerability the Colonels could look to exploit with their own share of splash plays.

On the other side of the ball, Chattanooga’s defense remains a nightmare against the pass, already racking up 11 pass breakups and an interception.

The Mocs also haven’t hesitated to wreak havoc behind the line of scrimmage, tallying 10 tackles-for-loss and four sacks.

All in all, EKU has to raise its level of play just to have any breathing room in this one.

But if the passing attack can steady the ship, QB Tyler Travers showed flashes early on, even if he was manhandled against Jacksonville State, and the defense can keep stacking the box while generating enough chaos to make Alberson uncomfortable, there is a clear path to an upset.

West Georgia Wolves at Arkansas State Red Wolves (FBS)

Saturday, September 12 — 6 p.m. CT

Where to Watch: ESPN+

This Arkansas State team was hardly convincing last week in a rough 42-24 beatdown against Memphis.

QB Trey Owens did put up 325 yards and a touchdown, but he also served up four interceptions.

The ground game was completely dead in the water, getting virtually no help from an offensive line that was under siege all game.

Still, the Red Wolves can take comfort in a receiving corps that came to play, with four different pass-catchers eclipsing the 40-yard mark.

Defensively, they were quickly in over their heads and utterly helpless to stop the bleeding on the ground, surrendering a staggering 335 rushing yards.

The pass rush, on the other hand, was far more disruptive.

Tough break for a West Georgia squad whose only real weapon is QB Collin Hurst, who continues to feel the heat behind a leaky offensive line while struggling to get anything going.

To make matters worse, the running game has been an absolute disaster, a measly 87 yards across two contests.

The defense might be its only saving grace. Disruptive in the trenches, the Wolves have generated consistent heat and solid coverage, totaling 14 tackles-for-loss, five sacks, six pass breakups and an interception in two games. They even held the reigning C-USA champions to barely 200 passing yards, a single touchdown and an interception.

Make no mistake: lined up against Arkansas State’s Red Wolves, these Georgia Wolves are far more likely to turn green.