Weevils Hope to Snap Season-Opening Skid

Courtesy of Media Services

Huddle Up! — UAM Head Football Coach Gwaine Mathews (with hat) instructs the team during preseason practices. The Weevils return to action at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10, hosting North Alabama in the team’s home and Gulf South Conference opener.

   After a pair of tremendously difficult games to open the 2005 football campaign on the road, coach Gwaine Mathews and the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils (0-2) are simply glad to get back to the friendly confines of Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium.

   But once again, the team waiting for the Weevils will not be an easy one to beat. The University of North Alabama Lions enter Saturday’s Gulf South Conference opener with a 1-0 record after knocking off Tusculum in their season opener 33-7, and are looking to break in the Top 25.

   Still, Mathews knows only one way to prepare his Weevils for Saturday, and that’s full-speed ahead no matter who the opponent may be.

   “I wanted to give our guys off on Saturday,” Mathews said. “We had a lot of kids from down in New Orleans and other areas along the coast and I wanted them to be able to see their families. We did that, and we came back and had a good practice Sunday and then again on Monday and again (Tuesday). Our guys have not thrown in the towel. There’s still a lot of fight left.”

   One of the highlights thus far for the Weevils has been the play of sophomore running back John L. Williams.

    “We ran better (at North Dakota State) than we did against Henderson,” Mathews said.

   The running game will have to serve as a catalyst for a quick start on Saturday if the Weevils are to win.

   “We have to start faster as a football team,” Mathews said. “If we can limit our turnovers, throw the ball downfield, get the running game going, we’ll have a better result.”

   Saturday’s opponent represents a familiar foe for coach Mathews in more ways than one.

    “(UNA Head Coach Mark Hudspeth) has 22 seniors on this football team,” Mathews said. “Twelve of them he has from the class we helped recruit. Of his 12, I signed six of them. His quarterback, Vincent Saylor played for me in high school. He’s a tremendous quarterback.”

   Adding to the familiarity, several coaches in Saturday’s game served on coach Steve Campbell’s 2000 Delta State staff that guided the Statesmen to the national championship, including Mathews, Hudspeth, UAM assistant head coach Donald Dykes, and UNA assistants Keith Boone and Chris Willis.

   Mathews will look to his defense to step up against a UNA offense that was potent last week at Tusculum.

   “If we come out and take away their long ball, make them throw the short passes, we can do some good things,” Mathews said. “They have a great running back in (DeMarcus) Blount. They just don’t run him that much. They like to throw the ball down the field, and that’s just (Hudspeth’s) style.”

   While the Lion offense has been potent, their defense has been stifling.

   “We have got to start fast, and we have to keep them out of the endzone in the first quarter. Tusculum’s offense only managed 87 total yards against North Alabama,” Mathews said.

   Still, Mathews is optimistic about his team’s chances.

   “If we get to the fourth quarter, and we’re playing a competitive ballgame, hold on to your seat cushion,” Mathews said. “That’s where you’ll see our work ethic and our physical condition and our attitude pay off.”

Courtesy of Media Services

Accolades — Lindy’s, Street & Smith’s, and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette named receiver Von Mixon (Sr., Vicksburg, Miss.) as a preseason All-American. In his first season at UAM, Mixon put together the most prolific season by any wide receiver in Boll Weevil football history, breaking current Houston Texan Derick Armstrong’s single-season receiving record, catching 66 passes for 1,245 yards. The 66 receptions also set a new UAM record for a junior. After posting seven 100+ yard receiving games and leading the Gulf South Conference with 12 touchdowns, Mixon earned d2football.com second team All-America honors, and Daktronics, Football Gazette first team All-Region honors, and first team All-Gulf South Conference honors. Additionally. Mixon earned Football Gazette second team All-Region honors for his work as a kick returner.

Bison Outgun Weevils

FARGO, N.D. -- Despite a career-high 28-carry, 116-yard effort from Williams, the Boll Weevils were outmatched from the start, falling to No. 22 (Division I-AA) North Dakota State 59-7 Sept. 1 at the Fargodome.

   The Bison set the tone early, capping a five-play, 67-yard opening drive with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Steve Walker to Marques Johnson to take a 7-0 lead. On the Weevils’ opening drive, Adam Fisher had a first-down pass intercepted by Bobby Babich, leading to a three-play, 19-yard drive capped off by a 7-yard Kyle Steffes touchdown run to give the Bison a 14-0 lead.

   The Weevils forced NDSU to punt on their next two drives and went into the second quarter down 14-0. UAM was forced to punt, leading to a six-play, 52-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown strike from Walker to Andy DelaBarre, pushing NDSU’s lead to 21-0.

   After UAM was unable to convert a fourth down, Shamen Washington broke off a 31-yard touchdown run to put the Bison ahead 28-0.

   UAM was forced to punt on the next drive, and North Dakota State put together a 10-play, 71-yard drive ending with another three-yard toss from Walker to DelaBarre to boost the Bison lead to 35-0.

   The Bison took advantage of a 27-yard return by Washington, as Cory Vartanian booted a 37-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half to give the Bison a 38-0 lead.

   The Weevils opened the second half with the ball, and on third-and-three, Kole Zimmerman intercepted an Fisher pass, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown to boost the Bison lead to 45-0. On the very first play of the next UAM drive, NDSU’s Justin Frick forced a fumble that was recovered by Zimmerman at the UAM 18, setting up a four-play drive capped by a Washington touchdown run, setting NDSU’s lead at 52-0.

   UAM finally got on the board with the opening drive of the fourth quarter, marching 64 yards in 13 plays, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown strike from Fisher to Walter Warfield, narrowing the gap to 52-7.

   The Bison added an insurance touchdown on the next drive setting the final score at 59-7.

   Williams led all rushers with 116 yards, while Fisher was 6-of-14 for 42 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. NDSU’s Steve Walker was 10-of-16 for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Tim Harris was UAM’s leading receiver, hauling in three passes for 24 yards.

   UAM’s Wes Ables led all players with 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss totaling four yards. Sam Wisener and Raphael Rawls both picked up sacks, while Marcus Wallace and Corrie Ross combined on a sack.

   The Bison dominated most statistical categories, picking up 18 first downs to UAM’s 12, 226 net rushing yards to UAM’s 130, and 177 net passing yards to UAM’s 42.

   UAM was only able to convert two of 13 third downs, while NDSU converted four of eight. The Bison also took advantage of their red zone opportunities, converting on all six chances.

Courtesy of Media Services

Accolades —  Don Hansen’s Football Gazette named free safety DeMathus Ledet (Sr., Lafayette, La.) a pre-season All-American. Ledet posted 69 tackles in 2004, leading all returning lettermen. The defensive back has been a steady presence throughout his time at UAM, earning second team All-Gulf South Conference honors and Football Gazette second team All-Region honors as a junior. After transferring from Northwestern (La.) State, Ledet tallied 73 tackles as a sophomore. He has four career games with over 10 tackles, coming against Delta State, Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana (twice).

New-look Reddies Blister Weevils

  ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State University's new high-octane offense racked up 37 points before the Boll Weevils could recover as the Reddies downed UAM 37-7 on a cool but muggy night Aug. 27 at HSU's Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

   Henderson State opened the game with a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown reception by Garret Manning to take an early 7-0 lead with just over three minutes gone in the opening period. The Weevils were able to stop the Reddies on their next three drives to end the opening quarter down 7-0.

   The Reddies opened the second quarter with a one-play drive, as Dane King tossed a slant pass to Manning for a 59-yard touchdown strike to increase the HSU lead to 14-0. Bryan Woodard added a 26-yard field goal and Bernard Palmer added a nine-yard touchdown run as the Reddies went into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.

   The Reddies continued their high-powered onslaught in the third quarter, as Palmer added another touchdown run and King hooked up with Jace Garrison for a 17-yard touchdown reception with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter to push their lead to 37-0.

   The Weevils avoided the shutout in the fourth quarter, when Williams broke away with a 17-yard run, cutting the HSU lead to the final 37-7 margin.

   Baylor transfer King led the Reddies with a 22-for-37 day, passing for 296 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

   While the Reddies were lethal by air, their running attack racked up 265 net yards on the day as the Reddies amassed 568 yards of total offense.

   Fisher completed 10 of 23 passes for 109 yards and three interceptions for the Weevils. Williams led UAM's rushing attack, carrying the ball 22 times for 102 yards and one touchdown.

      Wisener and DeMathus Ledet both picked up interceptions in the loss. Calvin Sojourney led the Weevils with 12 tackles, while Ables added 10.

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© The Voice 2005
Revised 09/17/2007 01:46:38 PM— http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/3_1/fb.htm