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For the third straight year, "The Claw" will remain in East Texas. The rival game between the Louisiana College Wildcats and the East Texas Baptist Tigers did not go as planned for LC this year in a 65-35 defeat in Marshall last Saturday afternoon. The potent ETBU offense was clicking on all cylinders from the very beginning, taking advantage of a pair of early Wildcat turnovers to provide even more momentum to the home team. The Wildcats embark on their second straight road trip this week as the head East to Jackson, Miss. for a date with Belhaven University.

Three LC turnovers in the first quarter put the Wildcats behind the eight-ball quickly in the game with the Tigers. ETBU took advantage of those opportunities each time getting a field goal and two touchdowns thanks to the positive field position. Despite the rough start, the Wildcats were only down 16-7 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 17-yard touchdown pass from D'Ondre Joseph to Shedrick Davis. ETBU outscored the Wildcats 38-14 in the second and third quarters in a stretch of play where Tiger quarterback Brian Baca seemingly could not make a mistake, placing balls perfectly to his receivers, that would have given even the best defenses problems all game.

Thanks to a second half spark from freshman quarterback Wayne Griffin, the Wildcats were able to score 30+ points for the fifth straight game and the sixth time in seven games this year. They also finished with over 450 yards of offense for the fifth time this season. LC ranks fourth in both categories in the American Southwest Conference at 35.9 points and 437.9 yards per game. The defense added another takeaway to their total this year of 19, a 75-yard interception for a touchdown from by Julius Johnson. LC ranks second in the ASC in takeaways with 12 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions this year. 

Belhaven keeps no secret about their intentions on offense, they put the ball in the air and average of 57 times per game with a 386.9 yard average, second most in the conference. Even with the onslaught of passes, the Blazers have only thrown for 20 touchdowns this season, whereas LC has 23 passing touchdowns on over 100 less attempts this year. Belhaven has three receivers ranked in the top 10 in receptions per game but only two in receiving yards per game.

While the Blazers have several receivers they like to get the ball to, the Wildcats have a slew of talented defensive backs ready for the challenge. Senior all-conference corner, Willie Smith leads the ASC in pass break ups this year with 16, and average of 2.29 per game, and safety Orel Ledet Jr. is tied for second in the conference with three interceptions. LC also has three defensive linemen with more than 6.5 tackles for loss this year, led by Brandon Zimmer's 9.5. Cade Maxwell tops the team in sacks with 3.5, sixth most in the conference.

This will be the ninth meeting between the Wildcats and Blazers, with LC currently riding a five game winning streak. Easton Melancon led the Wildcats to a 52-30 win over the Blazers last year in Pineville, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns in the game. The last time the Wildcats played in Jackson, during the 2015 season, it was Aurren Cooksey that provided the steady offense for the Cats in the 38-28 win. A 32 carry, 181 yard performance from the running back helped the Wildcats escape with the 10-point win over the then winless Blazers. 

Saturday's game can be heard live on 104.3 FM "The Bridge" with the voice of Louisiana College football Rich Dupree, along with Al Quartemont. Pregame coverage begins at 5:30 pm. Live video and stats will be provided by Belhaven via the links provided above.


QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JUSTIN CHARLES

ON BELHAVEN'S OFFENSE...Hal Mumme their head coach does a great job with their offense and they always have something prepared for each team. They do a great job in the air but I remember in last year's game they came out and ran the ball against us early and that kind of shocked us. We tell the guys every day to expect the unexpected with these guys. They have two guys they're playing at quarterback that are both very good, they're playing well behind a really good offensive line. They don't have the type receivers they've had in the past but this group is very sound in what they do and run good routes and make good catches.

ON GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START...We've got to start leaning on our offensive line a little bit more. We're very physical up front and those guys have done a great job of executing all year. They're the ones that are really opening up the gaps for Aaron and D'Ondre to be able to pull the ball and run on the edge or up the middle.

ON FOCUSING ON THIS WEEK'S GAME...Our guys have done a great job all year of focusing on the opponent we're playing each week. That's thing that we've been trying to get to and get that mindset. It doesn't matter who's lined up against you, this is who you're playing so we have to execute against them. Mary Hardin-Baylor is coming in next week, and they're going to be the best team in the country, and that's who you want to play, you want to play the best teams in the country, and let's see what we got when they get here. We're going to finish strong for and with these seniors and play who we're going to play this week.


AROUND THE ASC

THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Texas Lutheran at Howard Payne - Brownwood, TX - 1pm
Southwestern at #5 Hardin-Simmons - Abilene, TX - 1:30pm
#1 Mary Hardin-Baylor at McMurry - Abilene, TX - 2pm
East Texas Baptist at Sul Ross State - Alpine, TX - 6pm
Louisiana College at Belhaven - Jackson, MS - 6pm

WEEK 7 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brian Baca, QB, So., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist sophomore quarterback Brian Baca (Pittsburg, Texas / Pittsburg HS) threw for two Tiger records in his first career start with 659 yards and seven touchdowns in their 68-35 win against Louisiana College. He recorded four one-play drives with TD strikes of 17, 25, 83 and 72 yards. Baca was 36-for-56 passing with a long throw of 83 yards.

CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Caleb Taylor, LB, Sr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist senior linebacker Caleb Taylor (Alba, Texas / Alba-Golden HS) had an all-around game on defense with 14 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, a forced fumble and two breakups in the Tigers' 68-35 victory over Louisiana College. Taylor also batted a ball that led to an interception for his second Defensive Player of the Week honors of the season.

CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dedrick Strambler, S, So., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons University sophomore safety Dedrick Strambler (Midland, Texas / Lee HS) intercepted a pass with 1:27 to play to preserve a 33-30 victory over Texas Lutheran. The Bulldogs were driving for a potential game-tying or game-winning score. Strambler also came up with nine tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Donavon Hailey, DL, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons defensive lineman Donavon Hailey (Corsicana, Texas / Corsicana HS) blocked a field goal on the opening possession of the game for Texas Lutheran and added a blocked extra point later in the game in the No. 5 Cowboys' 33-30 win against the Bulldogs. The four points could have been the difference in the contest. Hailey also posted a pair of tackles.