2024 Southland Football Preview | Opta Analyst

The FCS football season is fast approaching, so we’re going inside each conference race. With Nicholls and UIW leading the way, here’s our 2024 Southland football preview.

It’s important to have an experienced quarterback in the 2024 Southland Conference season.

The top-returning teams from last year’s title race have just that, including defending champion Nicholls with Pat McQuaide.

There’s a wild card this year with the return of Stephen F. Austin, which had a rich history in the Southland before it left the conference for three seasons. The Lumberjacks have raised the conference to nine football programs, but this season, the teams will play only a seven-game Southland schedule, missing one conference opponent each.

2024 Southland Football Preview

Predicted Order of Finish

*-FCS Playoff Qualifier

1. *UIW (2023 Record: 8-2 6-1; No. 14 national preseason ranking) – No FCS team that fell short of the postseason last year had a higher final ranking than the No. 22 Cardinals. While their program is known for quarterbacks – they return Southland passing leader Zach Calzada and talented No. 2 Richard Torres – the defense that was top-ranked in the conference is particularly experienced, led by linebacker Tylan Foster (team-high 82 tackles) and defensive backs Mason Chambers and Ronald Wilson.

2. Nicholls (6-5, 7-0; No. 23 national preseason ranking) – The Colonels are stacked for a title defense despite playing five of their first six games on the road. Collin Guggenheim and Jaylon Spears ranked first and third, respectively, in the conference in rushing and combined on 20 touchdowns. They boast six of the 12 defensive players on the Southland preseason first team: linemen Rasheed Lovelace, Kershawn Fisher and Joe Mason; linebacker Hayden Shaheen; and defensive backs Tyler Morton and Kendarius Smith.

3. Lamar (6-5, 5-2) – In his first season, coach Pete Rossomando lifted the Cardinals from a 1-10 mark in 2022 to 6-5 – a .454 gain in winning percentage that was fourth-best in the FCS. The offense returns 10 starters, with QB Robert Coleman working behind a veteran offensive line and set to get the ball to leading rusher Khalan Griffin (823 yards, five TDs) and leading receiver Andre Dennis. The Cards open November against the three teams picked ahead of them in the Southland poll.

4. Southeastern Louisiana (3-8, 3-4) – The Lions were picked atop the conference’s 2023 preseason poll, but lost their first six games. Quarterback Eli Sawyer seeks a bounce-back season, and that bid is helped by the return of wide receiver Darius Lewis, who’s three catches shy of 100 in a career that began at Abilene Christian. Like Sawyer, linebacker Donte’ Daniels hopes for his 2022 level of play (87 tackles).

5. Stephen F. Austin (3-8, 0-6 UAC) – After three seasons as a Western Athletic Conference member, SFA is back in the Southland, where it spent the previous 34 years, collecting four conference titles. Wide receiver Kylon Harris (61 receptions, 694 yards, eight TDs) and cornerback Jeremiah Walker (58 tackles) were named to the conference’s preseason second team. That means defensive tackle Edward Bobino III was overlooked, which is hard to do considering his 6-foot-2, 340-pound size.

6. McNeese (0-10, 1-6) – McNeese’s tradition-rich program is not accustomed to a 4-7 season in 2022, let alone going winless (a forfeit over Northwestern State counted in the Southland standings) in coach Gary Goff’s second season. He’s brought in the well-traveled Clifton McDowell, the starting quarterback on Montana’s 2023 FCS runner-up squad, who will get the ball to leading rushers D’Angelo Durham and Joshon Barbie. All-America linebacker Micah Davey has 10 or more tackles in his last 12 games.

7. HCU (5-5, 4-3) – Jason Bachtel was elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach after Braxton Harris departed after one season for Campbell. A full season of health for running back/kick returner Champ Dozier (450 all-purpose yards in four games) will go a long way. The defense lost mainstays Jalyx Hunt and Rodney Dansby, but defensive tackle Zae Smith is productive.

8. Texas A&M-Commerce (1-9, 2-5) – The Lions took a step backward after debuting on the FCS level with a 5-6 record (3-3 Southland) in 2022, but QB Eric Rodriguez played in only one game due to injury. They are strong in the secondary with safety Max Epps, who opened last season with four interceptions in the first three games, and cornerback Jaden Rios.

9. Northwestern State (0-6, 0-7) – The Demons need a fresh start following their 2023 campaign, which was canceled after six games following the shooting death of safety Ronnie Caldwell. New coach Blaine McCorkle went 31-25 in six seasons guiding Division III Belhaven. The lineup will look quite different from a year ago, although linebacker Cadillac Rhone provides a veteran presence.

How the Conference Predicted the Race

Five Players to Know

Zach Calzada, QB, UIW (Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – The FBS drop-down transfer made a splash as the Southland leader in passing yards per game (288.7), TD passes (19) and total offensive yards per game (295.0).

Micah Davey, LB, McNeese (Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – While playing only 10 games last season. Davey led the FCS with 153 tackles. He racked up 20 and 21 tackles in his final two games.

Tyler Morton, S, Nicholls (Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – The Southland champ collected 24 turnovers, and Morton was responsible for five of them (four interceptions, one forced fumble).

Jaylon Spears, RB Nicholls (Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – While being named Southland player of the year, Spears led the conference with 119.5 all-purpose yards per game on carries, receptions and kickoff returns.

Caleb Williams, DL, Lamar – The Cardinals shaved over 14 points per game defensively as Williams racked up 58 tackles in the defensive front.

Five Must-See Matchups

1. Nicholls at UIW (Oct. 12) – The defending champs are facing UIW on the road for the second consecutive season. In last year’s showdown, the Colonels fell behind 10-0 after one quarter, then scored 45 of the next 54 points in a 45-32 win.       

2. UIW at South Dakota State (Sept. 7)

3. Southeastern Louisiana at Nicholls (Nov. 21)

4. Stephen F. Austin at McNeese (Sept. 14)

5. Nicholls at Lamar (Nov. 16)

Fast Fact

Frisco, Texas, is the most-frequent host city of the FCS championship game, with the Southland serving as the host conference. The season will wrap up for the 15th time at Toyota Stadium on Jan. 6 with a first-ever Monday night title game.

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