By I.C. Murrell

ic.murrell@panews.com

BEAUMONT — Coach Ray Woodard pointed out two achievements of Lamar’s bye week.

“We worked on ourselves and we worked on the things we thought we needed to get better at and improve as we go forward,” he said.

Then, he mentioned a third.

“And we also introduced our next opponent and worked on them,” he said.

Southeastern Louisiana (1-2, 1-0 Southland) really needs no introduction to Lamar (0-3, 0-1). SELA scored on a short touchdown run with 1:19 left to take a 30-27 lead, and a no-call on an apparent targeting hit against Lamar running back Kade Harrington on the final drive helped cost the Cardinals a 2-0 start in conference play.

“We kind of left there with a bad taste in our mouths,” Woodard said. “I’m not taking anything away from Southeastern because they outplayed us when we needed to, to win the game, but I felt like we let an opportunity for a good win on the road get away. Road wins are tough to come by in this league.”

Lamar went 3-2 in Southland road games in 2015 and has only visited FBS sixth-ranked University of Houston this season, losing 42-0. The Cardinals are trying to hit the reset button after dropping their first two games at home, albeit to ranked powerhouses Coastal Carolina (now No. 14 in the STATS FCS Top 25) and Sam Houston State (now No. 2).

Some of the Cards’ struggle is attributed to the defensive containment of Harrington after an All-American campaign that nearly earned him the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year award, the highest offensive honor in the football subdivision. Coastal, UH and SHSU each have won battles against Lamar’s shorthanded offense.

Still, the senior from Kingwood is averaging 102 yards on nearly 23 carries per game. Both of his touchdown runs this season came in the first half against Coastal.

“He had three opportunities to take it to the house against Sam,” Woodard said. “He tripped over our guy twice and tripped over himself once. That would have been three touchdowns last week, and that would have been the difference in the game. He’s frustrated.”

O-LINE GETTING HEALTHIER

The Cardinals’ offensive front may be at full strength Saturday night when SELA visits.

Woodard expects senior right guard Bret Treadway and junior center Matthew Oubre to be practicing today. Treadway actually made his return from a bout with mononucleosis against SHSU, while Oubre has missed the past two games with a knee injury.

Quarterback Andrew Allen has been nursing a sprained ankle through the bye week. Woodard thinks the New Mexico State junior transfer will be at full speed for today’s practice. Allen is expected to make his second straight start Saturday.

Sophomore cornerback Rodney Randle Jr. did not practice last week due to concussion-like symptoms, but Woodard said he’ll be surprised if he is not cleared to practice today.

LAMAR DEPARTURES

Toward the end of Monday’s press conference, Woodard announced the departures of senior defensive back Lloyd Julian, sophomore running back Keegan Mitchell and sophomore linebacker Kevin O’Neill.

Julian and Mitchell departed late in the week leading to the SHSU game, but Woodard waited until Monday to make the announcement. O’Neill informed Woodard before the conference of his decision to leave, according to the coach.

Julian played in 35 games and started 11 times at Lamar. He had two tackles and a broken-up pass this year.

Mitchell carried 27 times for 105 yards in six games last year. He carried twice for 3 yards this season.

O’Neill did not record any stats this season.

MEMORIAL WR RECEIVES OFFER FROM SELA

Port Arthur Memorial senior wide receiver De’Andre Angelle tweeted Monday he was offered a scholarship to SELA.

Angelle had three catches for 97 yards, including touchdowns of 25 and 56 yards, in Saturday’s 62-0 romp over Ozen in Beaumont. Angelle has six touchdowns and 283 yards on 14 receptions this season, according to statistics compiled by Maury Salinger.

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews