A TREE HUGGER PARADISE....   (9/28/2006) Off My Office Floor.... From Cowboy country... What a great day to be in Texas... 75 and sunny in Forth Worth! I've been here for the past few days attending a conference and the weather has just been fantastic. My wife is flying in tonight and then on Friday, the Mrs. and I are rentin' a car and driving down to Nacogdoches for the game on Saturday. It should be a great time... especially since my company is picking up the tab. I apologize for the limited updates to Bison Insider this week, but between meetings, sight-seeing and drinking a few cold beverages... I've had very little time to massage the site. My column will be a little shorter than usually, but that's okay with me. I'm watching Bison football live on Saturday!! Bad starts... The first possessions for the Bison have been a nightmare this season as each possession has ended in a fumble. It hasn't cost the Bison yet, but believe me it's only a matter of time. Given the possibility of a DI-A hangover this week, the Bison better consider hangin' on to the ball come Saturday. Turnovers could make the Lumberjacks' day... this Stephen F. Austin team is just waiting for something good to happen... One time... The Stephen F. Austin/NDSU game Saturday has got to be a thrill for the parents of the Texas-grown kids on the Bison roster. It's not cheap for these parents to travel up to North Dakota to catch a football game. I definitely know that... my wife's ticket from Watertown, South Dakota to Dallas was a nice boat load of cash. For some parents, the Bison All-Access video is probably the only chance to see their baby play wearing the NDSU colors. So my plan come Saturday is to find as many of these parents as possible and spend some time making a friend... One more time... Deep down inside, I've got a special feeling about this football team. Despite all the injuries to key players and mistakes made on the field (i.e. fumbles & penalties) the first three games, this team seems to have 'it'. I'm not sure what 'it' is, but 'it' will take you a long way... One last time... Not a lot of substance in the column this week, but I'm gonna play some golf anyway. See ya at the game... The Stephen F. Austin Offense.... Base Offense: Pro-set... Even though we must remember, the SFA opponent last week was Central Arkansas... The Lumberjack offense gained 507 yards of total offense against Bears. The 507 yards is not only the best output of the season, but it marks the first time SFA went over 500 yards of total offense since racking up 663 yards against Western Illinois last season. So I see a pilot light, but will the burner kick in this week against the Bison. On offense the 'Jacks are led by QB Danny Southall, a 6'3 214-pound junior from Hitchcock, Texas. Last week versus Central Arkansas, Southall recorded his best game as a Lumberjack. He completed 21 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns, all of which are new career highs for him. He also connected with Dominique Edison for a career-long 80-yard touchdown pass. For the season, Southall has completed 58 of 99 passes for 687 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing 36 times for another 113 yards. Although not the leading ground gainer this season, Big Louie Rennels, a 6' 250-pound junior from Bellville, Texas, heads the Stephen F. Austin rushing attack with 135 yards on 40 carries, while snaring 4 passes for 38 yards. A trio of Lumberjack receivers recorded career outings against Central Arkansas. Junior Tyrell Williams caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 108 yards. Classmate Nick Rhodes recorded career highs with six catches for 86 yards. Sophomore Dominique Edison had the biggest night of any Lumberjack recording four catches for a career-high 171 yards. Edison also tied a career-high with two touchdowns. So far this season, the 'Jacks offensive attack has racked up an average of 296.5 yards of total offense per game, including 124 yards by land and 172.5 yards through the air... *Note: To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure what to make of this offense. Nothing about them really stands out... other than speed. The Bison presumingly will play a lot of base defense this week and force the Lumberjacks to pass. I don't think Southall can beat the Bison throwing the ball, but since I've now wrote that... the guy will look like Peyton Manning on Saturday... The Stephen F. Austin Defense.... Base Defense: More or less a 2-4-5 Hybrid... The Stephen F. Austin defense is all about speed. The 'Jacks are led by Preseason All-America selection Keldrick Holman. The 6' 205-pound senior safety from Hemphill, Texas, is putting together another solid season. Holman finished second on the team with nine tackles against Central Arkansas last week. He recorded one tackle for a loss, and also picked off his first pass of the season which he returned 33 yards. For the season, Holman has 32 tackles with 4 for loss including a sack. Against Central Arkansas, LB Damian Perkins, a 6' 212-pound sophomore from Hallsville, Texas, recorded his second consecutive big week for the Lumberjack defense. Perkins led SFA with 12 stops against the Bears, including 3.5 tackles for a loss, and one sack. For the season, he has recorded 31 tackles with 4.5 for loss, including 2 sacks. The 'Jacks defense also features safety Freddie Parish, a 6' 200-pound senior from Redondo, California, courtesy of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He leads the team in tackles with 35, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. For 2006, the SFA defense has surrendered 401.2 total yards per game, including a 172.8 rushing yards and 228.5 yards through the air... *Note: The Bison will definitely be able to move the ball on this defense. I expect the Bison to use multiple power formations against the 'Jacks and try to ram the ball down their throats. If then SFA moves 8-9 defenders in the box and if Walker can keep any momentum sustained from last week... this could get messy folks. Remember to put your bib on before the game. I'll probably still have mine on from the pre-game bar-b-cue... History.... Saturday's game will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between Stephen F. Austin and North Dakota State University. Show Me the Keys.... * The inexperienced Bison offensive line has done a good job this season of establishing themselves early. Against Ball State, the Bison offensive line was clearly superior over the opposition defensive line. The Bison hogs keep establishing/maintaining their blocks (w/o holding). Staying low out of the blocks is the key... * I'll keep saying this until I'm blue in the face... "As Bison QB Steve Walker plays, so does the Bison offense." He is THE KEY to starting the engine. Well. Well. Well. It's nice to be right for a change. Edgy Tim from Illinois Preps kept telling me that Walker would one day light up the Bison offense. Edgy thinks that Saturday was just a taste of more things to come... * The Bison return game needs to show improvement. A potential return catalyst, RB Symeon Cabell has been lost for the season with a broken collar bone, so John Majeski and Jordan Schultenover must find a way to get the job done. At least this year, the Bison actually get to return a kick... with Shamen Washington the ball mysteriously was kicked out of bounds more than not... * Control... The Bison offense must finish what it starts... The offense did a nice job the last game getting to the red zone against Ball State, but field goals almost cost the Bison the victory. Once in the red zone, the Bison offense needs to maintain the momentum and push the ball into the sacred land. Even though Perles called a real nice game last week, I wonder if he still doesn't pass a little too much near the end zone. * Kicking... Shawn Bibeau and Mike Dragosavich are nice weapons for the Bison. Taken in moderation... It's a comforting feeling knowing that these two young men will be around for at least the next couple years. * Score early! Under head coach Craig Bohl slow starts have plagued the Bison, especially on the road. Get prepared. Get some sleep. Get ready to fire out of the gate. The Bison can no longer afford to continue laying the ball on the rug right away... * This is a very big season for the Bison coaching staff. Inexperience, plus a tough schedule... More than not leads to disaster. And as the playoff years approach, it's not a good time to apply the brakes on this run-away train. Blue-chip high school recruits only want to know what the Bison have done lately... * One word -- 'Consistency'.... from play to play; from game to game. The maturation of young players such as CB Derrius Colvin, CB Courtney Mitchell, CB Richard Bowman, DT Michael Fairbairn, LB Ramon Humber, OT Sam Laudner and others is so crucial to the success of the Bison program during the 2006 season. And help the Bison continue climbing to the top of the Division I-AA mountain.... * As for the Stephen F. Austin game specifically... The Bison must not have a let down. Even though the Lumberjacks are 0-4; good looks alone will not win this football game... * Sacks, interceptions, fumbles... Goal for takeaways this week for the Bison defense? Two... Two turnovers forced by the Bison defense gets the Bison a win... Five sacks mean the route factor comes into play. It's time for another Bison defensive touchdown... Jottings.... * The weight in the trenches: Offensive line: NDSU 300, Stephen F. Austin 299 Defensive line: NDSU 270, Stephen F. Austin 255 * Injuries this week: WR Shamen Washington - out; DE Nick Compton - out; OG Justin Buckwalter - out; RB Symeon Cabell - out; FB Tyler Jangula - out; C Zach Harrington - out (1-3 weeks)... * The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were picked to finish dead last by both the media and coaches of the Southland Conference... * Bad stat... The Lumberjacks are 1-5 (.167) when junior Danny Southall is the starting quarterback... * The ’Jacks have added three DI-A transfers to their roster this season... DB Corey Campbell (Tennessee), Daimyeon Hoskin (Central Michigan) and OL Brock Pasteur (Nebraska). * Stephen F. Austin is currently 5-for-8 (.625) inside the red zone this season, scoring on 3 touchdowns and a pair of field goals... * The ’Jacks are just 11-9 (.550) in their last 20 games at Homer Bryce Stadium, but 54-22-1 (.708) in games at Homer Bryce Stadium since 1993.... * The ’Jacks will appear on Fox SportsNet Southwest twice during the 2006 season. The Lumberjacks' games at Southeastern Louisiana and against Northwestern State will be televised by the network... * Audio of Stephen F. Austin football games is available on the internet free of charge. Click Here to listen... * With the win over Northeastern University, NDSU head coach Craig Bohl improved to 25-10 in three-plus seasons with the school and moved to No. 6 on the career victory list, passing former coaches Darrell Mudra, Jim Wacker and Earle Solomonson * Poll Watch: The Bison are currently ranked #11 by the Sports Network, #11 Football Gazette, #9 Any Given Saturday and #5 in the Bison Insider Top 20. Stephen F. Austin University did not appear in any DI-AA polls this week....