We’re quickly beginning to get a sense of who the haves and have-nots are this Lone Star Conference football season.

Following the conclusion of Week 6’s games, four teams — Central Washington, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Angelo State and Western Oregon — are currently even atop the LSC standings with identical 3-0 conference records. Every other team in the league is currently at .500 or worse in conference play. 

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It’s safe to say that tiers of contenders are being developed before our eyes.

Week 6 was yet another big-time week in Division II football, and once again, one of the division’s top leagues (especially west of the Mississippi River) showed out as the defending conference champion got walloped, and two teams combined for nearly 550 rushing yards, just to name a few crazy happenings across the league.

Four teams are chasing perfection in the LSC… Who will be the last one standing?#LSCFB | @LoneStarConf pic.twitter.com/c4ZguY0TGP

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 7, 2024

There were a few major talking points that came out of the weekend of play, too, and that’s where we come into play to tell you all about them. 

Here’s a look back at some of the top takeaways following Week 6 in Lone Star Conference football:

Angelo State The New Favorite?

Whatever Angelo State got out of its system after its 0-2 start to the season, it’s clearly pushed any bad vibes aside and rocketed to the forefront of the LSC conference title picture.

The Rams made that very, very clear this past Saturday by stomping the defending LSC champion, Texas Permian Basin, in a 36-7 drubbing on the Falcons’ home turf in Midland.

Braeden Fuller had four total touchdowns and 258 yards of total offense (112 passing, 146 rushing) as he spearheaded ASU’s statement victory over UTPB, which dropped to 2-2 in league play as the Falcons’ hopes of repeating were all but up and smoke after the Rams’ impressive display.

Rams remain undefeated in conference play 🔥

Braeden Fuller led the team with four touchdowns in Angelo State’s dominant 36-7 win over UT Permian Basin. #LSCFC | @LoneStarConf | @AngeloStateFB | @BraedenFuller2 pic.twitter.com/9VFLOsstdY

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 7, 2024

Injury troubles struck UTPB as Falcons quarterback Dylan Graham — who leads the LSC in passing yardage and touchdowns — was sat out for the remainder of the game after picking up an injury during his team’s second drive, and the UTPB offense as a whole stalled as it only went 3 for 18 on third down.

Meanwhile, it took a little bit for the Rams to pounce on the shorthanded Falcons, but once they did, the floodgates opened.

UTPB backup signal-caller Christian Kaopua tried scrambling deep in Falcon territory in the second quarter, but Xavier Walton forced a fumble on the play and Kenton Allen recovered it for a scoop and score with 6:04 left in the first half — the Rams’ first touchdown. Fuller connected with Brayden Wilcox on a 6-yard pass with under a minute left before the break to make it 15-0, and three second-half touchdown runs by Fuller later (the longest of which was an 86-yard house call at the 12:07 mark of the third), the Rams were rolling to a big win.

We’ll have a showdown of 3-0 LSC teams this weekend on FloFootball as ASU hosts Texas A&M-Kingsville (which beat Midwestern State 40-13 this past weekend), and San Angelo should be popping for what could be an early turning point in the league title race.

Who’s Stopping CWU’s Run Game?

The two best-rushing offenses in the LSC squared off last Saturday, and while Eastern New Mexico (a user of an option offense under coach Kelley Lee) has the most yards on the ground from a sheer numbers standpoint (361.2 rushing yards per game), Central Washington may very well have the league’s most dynamic rushing attack.

That’s a big difference, and it showed when CWU fended off a feisty challenge from the Greyhounds in a 44-28 Wildcats win in Portales.

ENMU was hanging tough early on with the preseason conference favorite and the now No. 9-ranked team in the AFCA D2 Coaches Poll, with Mario Sanchez scoring a short-range keeper less than five minutes into the game to give the hosts a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.

Given 15 minutes of game time to wake up as it faced a deficit, CWU’s offense began to cook in the second quarter, and the Wildcats showed off exactly why they’re so highly regarded with so many stars back in the fold following their playoff quarterfinal run a season ago.

Kennedy McGill was awesome under center, finishing with 165 yards through the air and 114 yards on the ground (with four total touchdowns to boot) as he and defending LSC Offensive Back of the Year Tyler Flanagan (126 rushing yards, two touchdowns) plus the impressive Cam Daniels (92 rushing yards) fought fire with fire and brought it to the run-heavy Greyhounds.

CWU outgained ENMU in rushing yards 329-220, and while Sanchez was dangerous in the few times he did air it out as two of his three completions went for scores, the Wildcats turned a one-score lead at half into two scores after three quarters, methodically breaking the Greyhounds down like the top-10 team CWU is.

Damon Hickok Is The LSC’s Top WR

At one time, Hickok was a cornerback at Oregon, but his story proves that the grass isn’t always greener at the D-I level.

The Portland, Oregon, native walked on with the Ducks for the 2018 season as he gave one of the biggest stages in all of college football a try, but Hickok didn’t play a snap for Oregon and instead opted to transfer to Western Oregon the next season, where he switched to the offensive side of the ball as a wide receiver.

It ended up being a good choice for Hickok — now playing his sixth season of college football — as he has emerged into the Wolves’ top target and one of the most dangerous wideouts in the LSC.

Through five games played in 2024, Hickok has caught 23 passes for 363 yards (second in the LSC) and two touchdowns, putting him well on pace to smash past his career highs of 44 catches, 677 yards and three touchdowns following a 2023 season in which he only played in three games. He’s been one of the biggest catalysts behind WOU’s surprising 3-0 start to conference play, showing out once again this past weekend as the Wolves made it three wins in a row with a dominant 34-10 victory on the road at Western New Mexico.

Against the Mustangs, Hickok had seven receptions for 82 yards and a score — a 36-yard catch from quarterback Kainoa Jones in the fourth quarter to extend WOU’s lead to 27-10 — as he made it two straight games with at least five catches and a score. And while Sul Ross State’s Yamil Oaxaca (379 yards) leads the LSC in receiving yardage as of this writing, Hickok has made more plays to lead the Wolves to wins as they try and ride out their good form to a high place in the standings down the line.

HALF: WOU 17, WNMU 7

First half highlights ... pic.twitter.com/CJSkfjsMVF

— Western Oregon Wolves Athletics (@WOU_Wolves) October 5, 2024

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 7

1. Harding (Ark.) (30) - Prev. 1
2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) - Prev. 2
3. Valdosta St. (Ga.) - Prev. 3
4. Ferris St. (Mich) - Prev. 5
5. Kutztown (Pa.) - Prev. 8
6. Slippery Rock (Pa.) - Prev. 9
7. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) - Prev. 10
8. Western Colorado - Prev. 13
9. Central Washington - Prev. 11
10. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) - Prev. 14
11. West Alabama - Prev. 15
12. Colorado School of Mines - Prev. 4
13. Central Oklahoma - Prev. 17
14. Charleston (W.Va.) - Prev. 16
15. Minnesota St. - Prev. 7
16. Colorado St.- Pueblo - Prev. 18t
17. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) - Prev. 6
18. Emporia St. (Kan.) - Prev. 18t
19. Delta St. (Miss.) - Prev. 20
20. Findlay (Ohio) - Prev. 23
21. Indianapolis (Ind.) - Prev. 22
22. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) - Prev. 24
23. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) - Prev. 25
24. Frostburg St. (Md.) - NR
25. Indiana (Pa.) - Prev. 21

Dropped Out: Central Missouri (12)

Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, 45; Augustana (S.D.), 28; West Florida, 19; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 17; Virginia Union, 13; Southern Arkansas, 11; Henderson St. (Ark.), 9; Northwest Missouri St., 5; New Haven (Conn.), 4; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 4; Wayne St. (Neb.), 4; Assumption (Mass.), 3; Colorado Mesa, 2; Davenport (Mich.), 2; Michigan Tech, 2; Angelo St. (Tex.), 1; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 1; Limestone (S.C.), 1.

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