BEAUMONT — Weather has been a common obstacle for the Lamar football team.

Constant weather delays during preseason camp have caused coach Mike Schultz to shift practices in his schedule and reduced opportunities for player availability to local media.

Still, the constant thundering pales in comparison — to say the least — to this week last year.

Lamar had to abandon plans to practice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in an original attempt to avoid the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey, so the Cardinals picked up Interstate 45 on the road to a game at North Texas. As many in Southeast Texas reeled from Harvey, the Cards ended up staying in Denton longer than expected, after North Texas smacked Lamar 59-14.

The events surrounding Lamar’s 2018 season opener are much calmer, and despite thunder rearing its ugly head at times, the Cardinals are better prepared — even if it’s for a not-as-notable opponent in NAIA program Kentucky Christian.

“I feel very strongly and I think the team does and the coaching staff does, too, that we’re further along than we were last year,” Schultz said. “Last year, we were dodging hurricanes. With the amount of practices we had, we didn’t have as many workouts as we’ve had this year.”

Schultz made sure of more practice time this preseason camp, organizing a schedule each for the morning, afternoon and night, in case a practice had to be moved.

“One of those parts of the day is going to be lightning-free,” Schultz said. “If you keep getting lightning in the morning and afternoon, the night will be free.”

As soon as selected players were scheduled for a media opportunity Tuesday afternoon, lightning was visible from Provost Umphrey Stadium and practice was postponed.

This time, Lamar (0-0) has no detours to worry about. A steady pouring of rain is expected through the weekend, but kickoff will take place at 6 p.m. — barring lightning bolts.

Schultz is anticipating to see the results of the offseason growth he’s touted in his team, namely in the size of the offensive line. That group will look to protect second-year starter and senior Darrel Colbert Jr. and make ways for sophomore Myles Wanza, who’s expected fill the role of a featured running back among a deep backfield.

A visit to Texas Tech awaits Lamar the following Saturday, so Schultz has been cautious to not allow himself or his team look past Kentucky Christian (0-1). He said he’s not even sure how many backups he’ll get to play this Saturday.

“Kentucky Christian is still a good football team, and we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get through them,” Schultz said.

 

ABOUT KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN

The Knights, who hail from a university of about 500 students in the northeast Kentucky town of Grayson, began their season at home losing 48-14 to Florida’s Webber International University. KCU trailed 41-0 at halftime and was held to 227 total yards while turning the ball over three times. KCU held the ball for just 19 minutes, 15 seconds.

Senior Javin Harrison rushed for 59 yards but averaged 5.9 yards per carry to lead the Knights. The Cardinals’ defense is poised to further disrupt a KCU passing game that produced only 126 yards, more than half of that on Jakwon Roberts’ 8-for-23 passing.

Corey Fipps, a former assistant to Air Raid offense forefather Hal Mumme at Mississippi’s Belhaven University, is in his second season as the Knights’ head coach and has a 1-11 career record.

 

TOUCHDOWN BELL

Lamar has announced the return of a touchdown bell to Provost Umphrey Stadium.

The bell, which was used from 1967 to the football program’s cancelation in 1989, will be rung after each Lamar touchdown or field goal. The bell was found in storage over this offseason and restored.

“Traditions are important in building pride,” Lamar athletic director Marco Born said in a Lamar news release. “Resurrecting this age-old tradition of ringing the bell after every LU score encourages and celebrates successes on the field.”

Members of the 1967 Lamar cheer squad will be in attendance to ring the bell before kickoff in a sign of “passing the torch” to the current student body.

 

PROMOTIONS/THEMES

Former Port Arthur News sports editor and Lamar golfer Bob West will participate in the coin toss as the first “Legend of the Golden Triangle” in a season-long pregame series honoring Southeast Texas sports figures. West’s wife, Genie, will be among the 1967 cheerleaders ringing the bell before the game.

Other pregame activities include fireworks throughout and after the game, a ReMax Skydiving Team entering the stadium carrying the official game ball, and a new Cardinal Fan Zone in lot A-5 during tailgating.

Local youth football players will receive a free general admission ticket if they wear their jerseys. A youth game will be played at halftime.

Saturday’s game is designated as Community Heroes Day. All police, firefighters, EMTs and military with valid identification will each receive a free general admission ticket and can receive up to four $5 GA tickets for family and friends.

Chartwells is offering new additions to its concession menu, including Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, jalapeno bacon slider poppers, crawfish stack and carne asada taco trio. A Taco Shack food truck will be located in the tailgate.

 

TICKETS

Call 880-8329 or visit lamarcardinals.com

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