Playoff Bound

The Texas A&M-Kingsville football team was picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference South Division Preseason Poll this year, but have proved the naysayers wrong by putting together a 10-1 season and have earned a first round bye in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

The Javelinas posted their first 10-win season since 2003 by using a stifling defense and an ever-improving offense. They will play host to the winner of the Northwest Missouri State-Missouri Western game that takes place on November 20.

The Javelinas have battled through adversity this year losing a number of top players for the season for a variety of reasons. Despite the losses, the team was able to keep moving forward. After upsetting then #1 Northwest Missouri on the road in the season opener, the Hoggies have been ranked in the top 10 for the remainder of the season.

The Javelina defense has been the top unit in the LSC for the entire season. They are allowing just 14.3 points, 232.3 yards and 54.0 rushing yards per game. They have been the top rushing defense in the nation all year long and are among the national leaders in a number of other defensive categories. The defense does not have just one single standout, but a number of individuals who take care of their responsibilities.

The offense struggled early in the season, but has started to click over the last few weeks of the season. The team averaged over 40 points per game for the final three games of the season. Junior quarterback Nate Poppell (Spring/Spring HS) completed over 60 percent of his passes this year while averaging 218.5 yards per game with 14 touchdowns. Sophomore Jonathon Woodson (Missouri City/Marshall HS) stepped into the hole at running back and has excelled over the final five weeks of the season averaging 100 yards rushing and scoring seven times. Senior wide receiver Ryan Lincoln (Bastrop/Bastrop HS) has taken his game to a new level averaging 90.8 yards receiving and 30.4 rushing per game over the final five weeks of the season.

This is the 15th time in the past 23 years that the Javelinas have qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs.