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Anyone got any scoop on the Lions?
Old Gulf South Conference foe…lot of memorable
games including a great D2 playoff game in Conway.
Bears made dramatic second half comeback only to
lose on late FG.

Just a quick question.

I know we only have 2 ASUN football games left and there is supposed to be a conference champion....so...I'm afraid to ask...since we are undefeated in conference can we win the conference this Saturday with a win over UNA?

I mean we would be 3-0 in the ASUN with only one game left and EKU still has two games left to play. Worst we could do is tie EKU I guess if they won out and they may hold the tie breaker if they beat us...even though we'd have the same conference record. Guess winning that EKU game will be very important.

As I understand it, Jacksonville State counts as a conference game and they are eligible to win the conference. If so, the second place team will be the conference representative from the ASUN depending on how that one automatic qualifier shakes out with the WAC.
UCA still has conference games with North Alabama, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State.
Eastern Kentucky has conference games with UCA, Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State.
UCA at 2-0 has a one game lead with 3 conference games to go.
Additionally, The Asun/Wac power ratings that determine the one automatic qualifier from the combined two conferences was released this week and UCA was ranked 7th. SFA is first.
Finally, UCA is getting zero love from the polls so possibly the only chance for a playoff bid is to win the conference (all three games) and also beat SFA. Bears would then be 7-4 with a conference championship and a much higher Asun/WAC power rating than they presently have.
I serious doubt 6 wins will get an at large playoff birth.
So as mentioned earlier on this board, the Bears better be in playoff mode because there is no longer room for a loss.

Actually JSU isn't eligible for the regular season title or the playoffs:

https://www.annistonstar.com/free/mark-edwards-if-youre-confused-by-the-asuns-ruling-dont-worry-we-all-are/article_f657b1de-2bd9-11ed-8a1d-5f82e89fe171.html

So basically the Bears are not in a
(REAL CONFERENCE) just a thrown together
Bunch of schools trying to find their way.
Come play for the Bears…. What conference
are you a member of? We really don’t know, but we are
trying to figure it out.

Pretty much.

I don't know how they will pick the AQ.
JSU and SHSU are not eligible because they are transitioning up.
They have 20+ more scholarship players so awarding them the conference title would be unfair to the teams who are still playing with FCS scholly counts.

Either way that leaves around 8 teams who can go to the playoffs but honestly if UCA beats the two ASUN opponents they have left then they should get the ASUN crown. Though their resume isn't the greatest if they beat SFA later this season and win against EKU and UNA, then honestly it would be hard NOT to send them to the playoffs. I mean you ran your conference THEN beat one of the three in the WAC because you only played one...

So many questions....

My understanding is, and has been, that JSU counts as an ASUN game but they are not eligible to be the AQ team from ASUN....

Conferences always designate their AQ team among their teams that are FCS playoff eligible....recall when we were in transition to D1 and "won" the Southland, the Southland then designated the 2nd place team as the AQ team....

The ASUN and WAC have a one of kind probably ever arrangement allowed by FCS due to the circumstances on a temporary basis....each conference will designate their AQ eligible team and the highest rated of those two using the rating service actually gets the FCS AQ slot....

Unlikely a 6-game D1 winner (from any conference) gets into FCS playoffs unless the team is from a conference with a AQ slot and that team is the AQ ....Bears need to win out which is possible....Bears could win ASUN and have only 6 D1 ins and not get into playoffs....maybe SFA will lose out!!!

Then again there is a bit of lack of "transparency" is all of this so I could well be reading things differently than the FCS and the two conferences are going to handle this....not much different than how FCS picks at large teams today.

For now, I just want a win over UNA tis Saturday....

No doubt the ASUN/WAC deal is a mess as everyone jockeys for "what's next" for them....be prepared for more mess as the D1 changes shake out....

As for the future FBS playoffs, this is how it is supposed to work....

"The 12-team playoff structure is reported to be composed of the six highest ranking conference champions plus the next six highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference affiliation"

I suspect the playoff teams will be very familiar names and the SEC and B10 could get 4 slots each leaving a dog fight for the other 4....

In the grand scheme of things all that
matters is…win out and your in.

Snapshot of some UNA season data:

So far 1-6 on the season 0-3 in ASUN....
L - @Indiana State, 14-17, OT.....led 7-6 at half
W - UVA/Wise, 49-17....led 21-17 at half
L - @Chattanooga, 14-41 ... trailed 14-27 at half
L - Tarleton, 28-43 ... led 21-20 at half...scored on runs of 75 and 55 and a 78yd pass
L - @Kennesaw State, 34-40, 2 OTs ... trailed 6-10 at half....scored on TD passes of 31, 60 and 62
L - Jacksonville State, 31-47 ... trailed 0-21 after Q1...rallied for 3 TDs in 5:15 spurt late Q2/early Q3...got back to 28-31
L - @Eastern Kentucky, 53-56 ... trailed 21-35 at half...rallied for a 53-49 lead with 1:13 to go.....EKU scored on an 8-play 64 yd drive in last minute...

Looks like they can pop big plays and long drives and make big comebacks....Needless to say, expect them to be looking for a road win....

Stats summary for season:

Opp/UNA
TO per game: 443/397
Rush per game: 203/173
Pass per game: 239/224
Penalty yds per game: 53/66
3rd down%: 43%/40%
4th down%: 33%/75% (6of8)
Redzone: 21-24/ 35-38 (23 were TDs)
INTs: 9/7
Sacks: 20-162/7-42

Individuals:

QB Noah Walters 95-189-1481-14TDs-8INTs pass plus 58-210(gross)-1TD rush....117 yds rush loss

RB ShunnDerrick Powell 126-989-13TD rush (7.5avg per attempt) plus 12-143 receiving

RB Demarcus Lacey 23-160 rush plus 15-278-4 receiving

WR Takairee Kenebrew 19-485-6 receiving (25+ avg per catch)

3 others with 10 or more receptions

2 punters who look to share duties....avg about 40...6 of 33 inside 20...2 have been blocked

PK Sam Contorno 4-4 FGs, long 43 and 27-27 PATs

Kickoffs....41 with only 18 touchbacks...

Returns.....no TDs....yardage on low end....have given up one TD on a punt return

Kyree Fields leads with 55 tackles and Jeffery Battie next at 47....Phillip Ossai leads with 5 sacks....have 32 sacks made and 48 sacks allowed

Jacksonville State is NOT eligible for the regular season ASUN conference championship nor are they eligible for the FCS playoffs.

That is my understanding as well...

Continuing the summary of UNA with an upperclassman and coaching overview...

Upperclassmen (includes sophs transfers from FBS/FCS programs) -

TE: 3 avg 6'3 225
OL: 8 avg 6'3 296...2 at 6'2-6'4 and 312/340...without the two biggest the rest avg 287..all of these are transfers, mostly community colleges, but one from Troy
DL: 6 avg 6'1 275 largest listed at 6'1 317 transfer from Louisville....4 others are transfers with 3 from SEMO, Houston Baptist, Ark State
LB: 3 avg 6'0 225..one a transfer from Auburn
DB: 10 avg 5'11 170.....largest is a 6'3 215 transfer from Duke....transfers include Colorado, Wake Forest, Southeastern Louisiana, Tennessee, Samford

Looks pretty similar to UCA except more depth at DBs...lots of transfers from FCS/FBS in addition to community colleges...

Coaching staff is interesting....

Chris Willis...head coach...played at Delta State....start in coaching at DSU then joined UNA in 2002 and stayed.....became HC in 2018 with pre-2022 record of 14-22....was 7-3 first year in FCS....he will remember the last time Lions played in Conway

Ryan Held....asst HC-offense....played at Nebraska including on 2 national championship teams...joined UNA in December 2021....coaching bio includes 5 yrs at Nebraska, 2 at UCF, 2 yr GA at Tennessee, 12 yrs at several community colleges and D2 programs

Steadman Campbell....asst HC-defense....Fayetteville Bulldog star...played at Arkansas as a receiver and punt return specialist...coaching bio....3 yrs GA at Alabama and at UNA since 2009....son of Louis Campbell long time Arkansas assistant but also notable stints at Alabama...

Blake Farris....asst 4yr letterman at UNA from 2002-2005....coaching primarily at UNA including 5 conference championships...he had 5 tackles in the 2005 regular season game Bears won 29-26 in OT along with a fumble recovery and two INTs....he then had 3 tackles in the playoff game won by the Lions 41-38 in OT....

Cordell Upshaw...asst for DL...played at SAU and coaching primarily at SAU, William Jewell and UNA....played in high school for the "Wampus Cats'''that is the Leesville, La Wampus Cats....

Finally, UNA has two players from Arkansas....leading rusher ShunnDerrick Powell is from Hoxie and OL 6'3 294 JR Stevie Young from Ft Smith Northside....we will probably see lots of both of these "geta ways" (how did UCA and A-State not sign these guys?)....

Forget the win-loss records as there is more than a little bit of rivalry in the UCA/UNA series from the Gulf South days....not among the players maybe but certainly among the coaches, especially the head coaches.....Brown threw a couple INTs in the 41-38 OT playoff loss and probably knows this will be a dogfight....

Personnel look pretty similar on paper....maybe we have an edge at RB (with 3 solid guys when healthy), receivers seem to be getting into form, McElvain has made lots of improvement in running the offense and defense we know can be stifling when on their game...

Still, this could well be another nail biter between Bears and Lions....rain might be a factor for sure....that means more potential for wild card plays....

As someone said earlier, for UCA very game now i a playoff game....motivation should be high..

I'll go with the Bears but only by 3-6 points....maybe 31-27....

We had some good wins in the Southland but this was the best I can recall in all phases...offense, defense and STs....defense was stifling...offense was on fire....STs solid both kicking, coverage and returns with lightnening from Richmond.....enjoy for now because it gets much tougher in Richmond, KY next week...

Bears had 15-24-277-2-0 passing and 41-456-5 rush...TO = 733....wow....

Lions very respectable at 43-278 rush but only 10-28-114 passing ,,, TO=392

Darius Hale awesome with 19-255-2, long 64 rush and 3-18 receiving...

Kylin James also 100+ at 6-113-1 long 44 rush and 3-18 receiving...

Christian Richmond 2-98 KORs with long of 82 and 1TD plus 1-12 receiving...

Backup QB Clifton McDowell ran very well in Q4 with 4-41-1 rush....he was determined to lead a scoring drive

Hayden Ray 8/8 PATs and 2/2 FGs long 25 for 14 points

Myles Butler had two receptions for 117 and including a 81 TD..

Jarrod Barrod also had a terrific game with 6-103-1 long 32 receiving...

Have not taken a look at detail defense stats chart yet.....credit d-line with lots of pressure and plugging run holes quickly...Godfrey had a what looked like a grade A game with breakups and hits...Wilson timed his break on the ball and took that INT late in the game...

Give UNA #27 RB ShunDerrick (Hoxie) lots of credit with 22-159-2 rush and 2-30 receiving...very quick and hard to bring down.....

Go Bears!!

I agree…this team is totally different the Last 3-4 games
than the first 3. Whatever it is…it sure looks good.
GO BEARS