Cards-Coogs among Athlon’s top FBS vs. FCS games in ’16
Published 11:26 pm Tuesday, May 17, 2016
- Kade Harrington (8) and Lamar will get another chance to knock down an FBS power in September when they visit Houston. (File photo)
Lamar’s Sept. 10 visit to the University of Houston could be worth the price of admission.
If the visiting Cardinals can make a game of it as they did for one half at Baylor last September, it could be priceless.
Football Championship Subdivision writer Craig Haley last week listed the 15 best Football Bowl Subdivision vs. FCS games in the upcoming season for a story on AthlonSports.com and ranked Lamar at Houston No. 14. The Cougars, fresh off American Athletic Conference and Peach Bowl championships, will be the first AAC team in the league’s three-year history to face the Cardinals.
“Houston ranked eighth in the FBS in rushing defense last year, but here’s a challenge for the Cougars when they may not have their sea legs under them — Lamar All-America running back Kade Harrington rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season,” Haley wrote.
On the flip side, Lamar’s defense, in its first season under coordinator Trey Haverty, will be on their toes all game trying to slow down the dual-threat attack of quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who was named MVP of the AAC championship game and Offensive Player of the Game of the Peach Bowl against then-No. 9 Florida State.
The Cardinals, who finished 5-6 in 2015, likely will be well-prepped for the game when they host their season opener against FCS powerhouse Coastal Carolina on Sept. 3. ESPN3.com will webcast that game.
No game time or network have been determined for Lamar-Houston, which will be contested at TDECU Stadium on Houston’s campus.
Lamar played at Baylor last September and was tied with the then-No. 4 Bears at 21-21 late in the second quarter before the Bears pulled away for a 66-31 win. Baylor was ahead 35-21 at halftime.
South Carolina State at Clemson on Sept. 17 was ranked No. 15 on Haley’s list. S.C. State will have played Central Florida and Louisiana Tech before taking on the national runner-up Tigers in an in-state clash.
The rest of the top 15 is: (13) South Dakota State at TCU on Sept. 3; (12) Bo Pelini-coached Youngstown State at West Virginia on Sept. 10; (11) Villanova at Pittsburgh on Sept. 3 in the start of VU coach Andy Talley’s 32nd and final season; (10) The Citadel at North Carolina on Nov. 19; (9) James Madison at North Carolina on Sept. 17; (8) Charleston Southern at Florida State on Sept. 10; (7) Portland State at Washington on Sept. 17; (6) Richmond at Virginia on Sept. 3; (5) Northern Iowa at Iowa State on Sept. 3; (4) Chattanooga at Alabama on Nov. 19; (3) Jacksonville (Alabama) State at LSU on Sept. 10; (2) Eastern Washington at Washington State on Sept. 3; and (1) five-time FCS champion North Dakota State at Iowa on Sept. 17.
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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews
About I.C. Murrell
I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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