The Lone Star Conference may be named after the nickname of Texas, but it’s truly anyone’s guess where this year’s LSC football champion will come from this season.

One of the newest additions to FloFootball’s library of NCAA Division II conferences that are streamed live and exclusively on the platform, the LSC was home to the nation’s best defensive player and plenty of explosive offensive talent in 2023.

But what’s been the main story in the LSC heading into Week 5? Parity, and lots of it.

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Early indications are pointing to the fact that the league title race could go down to the wire with numerous squads having a realistic fighting chance, meaning that plenty of playoff implications are going to be on the line as the opportunities to step forward dwindle down over the next few months.

Football is a religion deep in the heart of Texas, and for those who follow the D-II game across the Lone Star State, the conference that it shares a name with doesn’t look like it’s going to disappoint this year.

Here’s a look at three of the top takeaways from the first few weeks of the Lone Star Conference football season:

League Title Race Is A Jostle At The Top

Of the 10 teams playing football in the LSC this season — all of whom have played either three or four games — no team is unbeaten and no team is winless as of Monday evening.

Translation: It means any team can beat anyone else at any given time, making the LSC one of D-II’s most competitive leagues and a conference where there is no clear-cut title favorite after the opening weeks of LSC play.

Angelo State, which was picked to finish second in the conference in the preseason by the league’s coaches, SIDs, and media members, is the only team in the league currently 2-0 in LSC play, defeating Eastern New Mexico 26-20 on Sept. 14 and shutting out Western New Mexico this past weekend. Still, the Rams are looking for that signature win to set themselves up as true contenders, and after a bye this weekend, they will get a chance to do exactly that at UT Permian Basin on Oct. 5.

Speaking of the Falcons, they and the Rams were the two LSC teams that were ranked in the preseason in the AFCA Coaches Poll but are no longer ranked anymore, having each dropped a pair of games to slip down the pecking order. UTPB’s defeats have come at the hands of No. 22 Colorado State Pueblo and a Texas A&M-Kingsville team that is no slouch, so whoever escapes Midland, Texas with a victory in a couple of weeks should be in a good position to challenge for the top of the LSC table.

However, another LSC team — Central Washington — joined UTPB and ASU as being ranked in the preseason, and the Wildcats are still standing among the elites across D-II at No. 13 to be the Lone Star’s lone ranked squad. CWU’s only loss on the year so far was on the road at FCS San Diego in its season opener, and combined with a road win against a Colorado Mesa team receiving poll votes plus a thrashing at West Texas A&M (45-3) this past weekend, the Wildcats should get a warm welcome in Ellensburg for its home opener Saturday against Western New Mexico. 

Elsewhere, Midwestern State and Western Oregon each won their first LSC games, seeing off Eastern New Mexico and Sul Ross State, respectively. The Wolves are battle-tested, having had to go on the road to face FCS opponents in back-to-back weeks in Idaho State and Cal Poly to open its season, whereas the Mustangs’ lone defeat came by just five points on the road at No. 14 Western Colorado. Both should be utilizing facing that strong competition to their advantage as the meat of the LSC slate looms.

UTPB’s Stars Are Putting Up Numbers

While the Falcons’ hopes for to repeat in the LSC took a ding with their defeat to Texas A&M-Kingsville, UTPB’s heavy hitters are still producing and should make it a tough out the rest of the season.

Through the Falcons’ four games, no team in the LSC is averaging more points than their 36.3 per game, all while they are also one of just four LSC teams allowing less than 20 points (19.3) per outing. Having the league’s best passing attack by a significant margin — and one of the best in D-II, for that matter — is a big reason why UTPB has an offense tearing through opponents.

UTPB gunslinger Dylan Graham is sixth in D-II as of this writing in passing yardage with 1,123 on the year to date, all of that of which goes along with 11 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. It’s a big bounce-back year for Graham, who was the Falcons’ starter in 2022 before losing his job in 2023 to eventual LSC Offensive Player of the Year Kenny Hrncir, as Graham has stuck with it and kept patient to earn his place as a top-tier arm.

In terms of the support surrounding Graham, Jeremiah Cooley has once again emerged as the Falcons’ top option in the receiving corps as the reigning and defending LSC Receiver of the Year has 19 catches for 277 yards and four touchdowns, while junior tailback Kory Harris has been a workhorse with 91 carries for 373 yards (second in the LSC) and four touchdowns on the ground. But UTPB’s defense has been putting in some work in the meantime, too.

Sophomore linebacker Tristan Exline looks to be amid a breakout year as he is already up to nine tackles for loss, a number which ranks second in all of D-II as of Monday night and is more than double the number of tackles for loss than anyone else in the LSC. 

He’s been a key part of a unit that is currently allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game (98.5, third in the LSC), and while the Falcons’ start to conference play didn’t go the way they wanted it to, there’s plenty of time for him and the rest of UTPB’s weapons to wreak havoc on the rest of the LSC.

CWU’s Tanner Volk Is Still Really Good

How can you live up to a season in which you won the Cliff Harris Award?
Central Washington defensive back Tanner Volk is trying to answer that near-impossible question as the leader of the LSC favorite Wildcats, just one year after he had one of the greatest seasons from a defensive player in the history of college football.

The Oregon native in 2023 became the first junior ever to win the Cliff Harris Award — given out to the defensive players of the year in D-II, D-III and the NAIA — after an epic season in which he picked off 13 passes and made 124 tackles (8.5 for loss), leading D-II in both categories. The Harlon Hill Trophy finalist was the catalyst behind CWU’s run to the national quarterfinals, where it was defeated by eventual runner-up Colorado School of Mines.

So, how’s Volk’s senior season going three games in? All according to plan, especially helped by the fact that the Wildcats haven’t been defeated by a D-II opponent yet.

In three straight games on the road to start the year, Volk had strong performances in each of those games, kicked off by eight-tackle performances in back-to-back weeks at San Diego and then Colorado Mesa. A trademark Volk interception was still missing from his stat line two games in, however, but he rectified that in CWU’s blowout victory at West Texas A&M last Saturday.

The Wildcats were already cruising late in the second quarter after a pair of first-quarter scores on the ground from reigning LSC Offensive Back of the Year Tyler Flanagan when Volk got his 19th career pick and first one of the season — and he made it count. 

TANNER VOLK PIX SIX 🗣️

The 19th career interception for the Central Washington DB.#LSCFB | @LoneStarConf | @CWUFB | @TannerVolk pic.twitter.com/d9fNPjj2O9

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) September 22, 2024

Buffaloes quarterback Sean Johnson Jr. was trying to establish a late scoring drive before halftime when he threw a pass Volk’s way, which he stepped in front of and immediately began running for the endzone. Darting down the left sideline, Volk got blockers in front of him and began to cut inside near the Buffs’ 20-yard-line, shaking away from a would-be-tackler and putting a 76-yard exclamation point on his first takeaway of 2024.

With that play, Volk both upped CWU’s lead against West Texas A&M to 21-0 in an eventual 42-point rout and reminded D-II’s quarterbacks to throw to him at their own risk.

NCAA Division II Football Scores In Week 4

• St. Anselm 37, American Int'l 20
• Central Mo. 32, Davenport 31
• Duquesne 35, West Va. Wesleyan 0
• Bloomsburg 32, Edinboro 27
• Findlay 42, Lake Erie 6
• Fort Hays St. 37, Northeastern St. 0
• Kutztown 37, Gannon 14
• Shepherd 27, Clarion 9
• Limestone 52, Anderson (SC) 5
• CSU Pueblo 38, Colorado Mesa 14 (OT)
• Carson-Newman 31, Wingate 28
• Albany St. (GA) 28, Central St. (OH) 7
• Charleston (WV) 58, UNC Pembroke 36
• Emory & Henry 41, Barton 0
• Frostburg St. 54, Concord 21
• Ashland 24, Hillsdale 21
• William Jewell 48, Lincoln (MO) 20
• California (PA) 27, Lock Haven 20
• Lenoir-Rhyne 29, Mars Hill 21
• McKendree 22, MSU Moorhead 15
• Minnesota St. 40, Minot St. 6
• New Haven 45, Franklin Pierce 34
• Northern Mich. 27, Alma 44
• Ohio Dominican 0, Thomas More 6
• Pace 23, Post 21
• Shaw 48, Lincoln (PA) 14
• Slippery Rock 33, Shippensburg 7
• Newberry 50, Tusculum 20
• Winston-Salem 15, Virginia St. 14
• Walsh 54, Ky. Wesleyan 10
• Michigan Tech 44, Wis.-Oshkosh 7
• Augustana (SD) 41, Northern St. 7
• Colo. Sch. of Mines 13, Chadron St. 12
• Fayetteville St. 31, Elizabeth City St. 7 (OT)
• Emporia St. 30, Missouri Western 27
• Indiana (PA) 42, Millersville 14
• Saginaw Valley 37, Truman St. 14
• Bemidji St. 28, Sioux Falls 24
• Upper Iowa 21, Southwest Baptist 7
• Concordia-St. Paul 27, Southwest Minn. St. 17
• Western Ore. 39, Sul Ross St. 17
• Savannah St. 20, Tuskegee 16
• UVA Wise 31, Catawba 28 (2OT)
• Valparaiso 31, Roosevelt 23
• Pittsburg St. 39, Washburn 31
• Wayne St. (NE) 28, Winona St. 21
• Clark Atlanta 38, Bethune-Cookman 37
• Minn. Duluth 43, Mary 7
• Northwest Mo. St. 59, Mo. Southern St. 0
• South Dakota Mines 40, N.M. Highlands 19
• Black Hills St. 33, Fort Lewis 7
• Bowie St. 31, Livingstone 17
• Valdosta St. 73, Erskine 0
• Northwestern Okla. 14, Southern Nazarene 7
• Tiffin 31, Northwood 23
• Miles 42, Lane 32
• Johnson C. Smith 21, Virginia Union 16
• North Greenville 29, Mississippi Col. 7
• UIndy 30, Wayne St. (MI) 6
• West Virginia St. 57, West Liberty 37
• Allen 35, Point U. 10
• Delta St. 27, Fort Valley St. 18
• East Central 3, Southwestern Okla. 19
• Grand Valley St. 20, Wis.-La Crosse 13
• Henderson St. 27, Arkansas Tech 12
• Quincy 21, Missouri S&T 14
• Southeastern Okla. 29, Okla. Baptist 10
• Ouachita Baptist 25, Southern Ark. 20
• Tex. A&M-Kingsville 20, Tex. Permian Basin 14 (2OT)
• West Ala. 35, West Florida 33
• Midwestern St. 36, Eastern N.M. 15
• Central Okla. 32, Neb.-Kearney 17
• Central Wash. 45, West Tex. A&M 3
• Western Colo. 38, Adams St. 0
• Angelo St. 21, Western N.M. 0
• Harding 63, Ark.-Monticello 3
• Glenville St. 17, Fairmont St. 14
• Benedict 31, Edward Waters 28
• Shepherd 27, Clarion 9
• Bentley 34, Southern Conn. St. 24

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