Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Overall Rank: #24
#3 Southland
Stephen F. Austin Team Page
2010 Record: (9-3, 6-1)
2010 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: J.C. Harper (23-25 at Stephen F. Austin, 23-25 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Jeremy Barnes, RB, 337 yards
Passing: Brady Attaway, QB, 313 yards
Receiving: Cordell Roberson, WR, 1,011 yards
Tackles: Devin Ducote, LB, 114
Sacks: Corey Hill, DT, 2.5
Interceptions: Josh Aubrey, CB, 2; Devin Ducote, LB, 2; Josh Hughey, CB, 2
Without quarterback Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin will have a tough time of repeating their success of 2010. Moses led the nation’s best passing offense and threw for an amazing 3,998 yards and 34 touchdowns. Even with all those passing attempts, he was only intercepted seven times. Replacing that production will be nearly impossible and after winning back-to-back Southland titles, the Lumberjacks have some retooling to do.
Strengths:
Moses might be gone, but many of his favorite targets return. Cordell Roberson was the big play receiver, catching 61 passes for 1,011 yards and 16 touchdowns. Gralyn Crawford led the team with 74 receptions. Kriss Lott and Anthony Foster also caught at least 40 passes last season. The new quarterback will have plenty of options. The offensive line returns four starters, so the new quarterback should have plenty of time to get rid of the ball too. This is a line that is built for pass protection. George Bias, John Steele and Corey Dickerson will all compete for all-conference accolades. The back seven of the defense is in pretty good shape. They only lose one starter, although Jabara Williams is a big loss. Devin Ducote led the linebackers with 114 tackles, but Williams was right behind him at 108. Derrick Choice was third on the team in tackles in 2010 and will be back at his outside linebacker spot. Ryan Epperson should be a decent replacement for Williams. The secondary lost Andre Banks, but bring in more talent than they lost. Josh Aubrey earned all-conference accolades last year and will be joined on the corner by Texas transfer Ben Wells. Caleb Nelson and David Cato are back to man the safety spots.
Weaknesses:
The defense may suffer overall due to the defections in the front four. It is very likely that SFA will start two sophomores on the end and a transfer and an inexperienced senior in the middle of the line. This group does have potential, most notably Darren Robinson, a little end who can run around opposing linemen. However, this team ranked third in the nation last year in sacks and that will not happen again without Kenneth Charles and Sean Warren. The big question is how much pressure can this group get on the opposing quarterback and how much will it affect the rest of the defense. The issue on offense is the running game. That did not matter much last year as Moses just passed all over the place. The offense may need to be a little more balanced this year while they break in a new signal caller. Romonte Hampton led the team in rushing last season, but is now gone. The good news is that the Lumberjacks have Jeremy Barnes and Keith Lawson. Barnes can be the workhorse with Lawson being the change of pace back. They should get more opportunities this time around, but it remains to be seen if they can take advantage of it.
The Bottom Line:
After waiting behind Moses last year, it may now be Brady Attaway’s turn to part the opposing defenses. The 6-1 sophomore will have competition from junior Dalton Williams, who sat out last season after being Moses’ backup two years ago. Those two will battle it out for the starting job through the fall, but either way nobody is going to replace Walter Payton Award winner Jeremy Moses.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 80.75 (110th in nation, 8th in conference)
Passing Offense: 362.17 (1, 1)
Total Offense: 442.92 (6, 1)
Scoring Offense: 36.25 (4, 1)
Rushing Defense: 132.50 (36, 4)
Pass Defense: 215.42 (75, 3)
Total Defense: 347.92 (53, 3)
Scoring Defense: 22.33 (41, 2)
Turnover Margin: .58 (25, 2)
Sacks: 3.42 (3, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.08 (16, 1)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#11 LeFrederick Ford
#31 Stevie Douglas
#54 Rodney Young
#60 Lance Skyler
#80 Tyler Boyd
#84 Marquise Mosley
#117 Brian Ensminger
#123 Gus Johnson
