Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 4:00 PM (ET)
TV: ESPN+
The Quick Hits
The Southland’s most anticipated game this season is finally here. Stephen F. Austin (9-0, 6-0 Southland) puts its undefeated record on the line as it heads to Lamar (7-2, 5-1 Southland). The #2 Lumberjacks have looked convincing in almost every win of theirs this year and, like they always seem to do as of late, have quietly yet forcefully risen to the top once again. A win on Saturday afternoon would give SFA at least a share of the conference title for the second straight season and nab an auto
bid into the playoffs. The Cardinals, though, have had this game circled on their calendars for a while.
#13 Lamar is also hoping to return to the postseason after getting a taste last year and if they can find a way to hand the Lumberjacks their first loss of 2026 this weekend, they get a heck of a lot closer to that being a reality. No one has been able to roll into Beaumont and leave with a win yet this fall. SFA, however, will surely be the highest-profile opponent to give it a go.
The Coaches
It wasn’t that long ago that Lamar was an afterthought in the FCS but thanks to Pete Rossomando the Cardinals have completely turned it around. Rossomando was hired out of Charlotte prior to the 2023 season and since he came aboard the team has improved by one win in each of his first three seasons. Two more and they’ll continue the trend this year. Rossomando made his second ever playoff appearance last season and first with the Cardinals. His other came in 2017 when he guided Central Connecticut to an NEC championship. He’s in line to be the Southland Coach of the Year for what he’s accomplished with Lamar in 2026. The only guy that might beat him out for that honor will be the one standing on the other sideline on Saturday.
Colby Carthel is in his eighth season heading up Stephen F. Austin and it also might be his best one yet. That’s saying something for a guy who has led SFA to a pair of other conference titles and took them as far as the quarterfinals last year. Carthel is 112-56 all time as a collegiate head coach counting his decorated time at Texas A&M-Commerce (now East Texas A&M) where he went to the postseason six times and won the 2017 Division II national championship. The Lumberjacks have been terrific under Carthel over the last two seasons, winning 20 games since the start of 2025. He has them on pace for an all-time season this time around.
Stephen F. Austin Offense vs. Lamar Defense
Gavin Rutherford took over as SFA’s signal caller this year, following in the footsteps of Sam Vidlak who exhausted his eligibility after last season. Rutherford has done exceptionally well, throwing for 2,059 yards and a league-leading 23 touchdowns. He is completing passes at a 67.1% rate and hasn’t tossed an interception in over a month but the Lamar secondary will put that streak to the test come Saturday.
Junior defensive back Bryce McDonald is a ball hawk for the Cardinals and he leads a unit that has picked off eight passes this year. McDonald is one of the the best pass defenders on the team with three of his own. Mar Mar Evans has seven PBUs to compliment him. McDonald has a knack for gravitating toward the ball and if Rutherford isn’t careful, it won’t take much for it to end up in #11’s hands.
McDonald, Evans and the secondary, though, are going to have their hands full with one of the fastest and shiftiest playmakers that college football has to offer. Receiver Bugs Mortimer is a nightmare matchup for most any defender he faces and it doesn’t matter if he’s on offense or special teams. Mortimer’s breakaway ability is terrific and if he has an ounce of daylight, he is a home run threat. He has been quiet in recent weeks but just ask Nicholls how it goes when he isn’t wrapped up. Against the Colonels back on October 17, Mortimer went for 103 yards and three touchdowns. He has seven scores on the season along with 478 receiving yards.
Sound tackling will be important for Lamar. Linebackers Andrew Huff and T.J. Nelson will need to be at their best. The duo has accounted for 90 stops between them. Mortimer won’t be the only one who will look to give them fits either. Stephen F. Austin boasts a strong one-two punch at running back, too.
The aptly named Speedy Jones and Jaylen Jenkins will be the workhorses on the ground. They have a combined 1,051 yards and seven touchdowns this year. Jenkins is the primary focus of the ground game with 102 carries and a six-yard average per rush. Jones is also dangerous, however, and can go the distance if he isn’t properly covered.
Lamar Offense vs. Stephen F. Austin Defense
Lamar’s offensive line is going to have a tall order in this one but protecting QB Aiden McCown is going to be critical. SFA has one of the elite pass rushes in the entire FCS with guys like Jaydon Eason, A’Amear Walton and Emmanuel Harris up front. That trio alone is responsible for 14.5 sacks and 68 tackles this year. Opposing quarterbacks have been taken down 37 times by the Lumberjacks defense this year, the best number by any unit in the country. Keeping McCown upright is the biggest key to the game for the Cardinals offense if they want to have any sort of sustainable success.
When he has time to operate, McCown is a talented passer and has made great strides from where he was a year ago. This year he’s thrown for 1,699 yards and 16 touchdowns; already better than the 1,436 yards and ten scores from last fall. McCown delivers the ball well and will need to continue to against a SFA defense that allows 227.3 passing yards per game. If he is able to get throws off then Lamar has a chance of staying in this one.
When he throws, expect McCown to look to his trusty tight end Davin Driskell. Driskell has eight touchdowns this year and is good for 13 yards per catch right now. He has great hands and is tough to bring down, especially if he gets a head of steam going. Receiver Blake Thomas is also one that McCown will go to often. He leads the Cardinals with 36 catches for 482 yards.
Just as they do in the trenches, the Lumberjacks have game changers on the back end and middle of their defense as well. Corner Makai Frisby specifically is lethal. He has five interceptions along with five pass breakups. Linebacker Malachi Williams is also a stud with 55 stops, a sack and a forced fumble under his belt. There are so many defenders on this SFA squad that can smother their opposition and Lamar is going to be in for a fight.
Prediction
If the Cardinals do not have a way to keep McCown from getting swarmed this game will be over before it begins. It will surely be the toughest test the O line has seen all year and whether or not they are up to the challenge will really decide if they have a chance or not. The Lumberjacks have so many weapons on both sides of the ball that it’s going to be hard enough for the Lamar to keep up as it is. Rutherford may slip up a time or two but it will likely be few and far between. Mortimer and Jenkins will once again pace the SFA offense and get them above 30 points. That’s a threshold that is going to be difficult for McCown and company to reach and, despite a gallant effort, the Cardinals will end up being Stephen F. Austin’s tenth triumph of the season. The Lumberjacks win the Southland again and stamp themselves into the playoffs.
Score Prediction: Stephen F. Austin: 34 – Lamar: 24
