Gameday: Lamar vs Baylor

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BEAUMONT, Texas – After a successful start to the 2015 season the Lamar University Cardinals football team will step up in competition to take on the fourth-ranked Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas Saturday. The Cardinals are coming off a 66-3 decision over Bacone College in the season opener, while the Bears defeated SMU, 56-21.

Squaring off against NCAA FBS opponents in their backyard has been something LU head coach Ray Woodard and his Cardinals have never shied away from. Playing nationally ranked FBS foes has also become a common trend for LU football under the direction of Woodard. In 2013 the Cardinals played at Oklahoma State, and last year traveled to College Station to take on the Aggies.

“We are all very impressed with what Coach (Art) Briles has done at Baylor,” said Woodard. “I’m really impressed with his whole career, but every year they just get better and better under his direction. With all their returning talent, about the only question they had was how well Seth Russell would run the offense? I think he answered all those questions in the opener. He looked as good as any quarterback they’ve had in recent memory.

“Baylor has tremendous talent up and down the roster, and incredible team speed,” added Woodard.

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1981 season when the Cardinals pulled off one of the biggest upsets in program history. Baylor was coming off a Southwestern Conference title the season before and entered 1981 ranked among the nation’s top 25. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw LU kicker Mike Marlow drill a 42-yard field goal with three seconds on the clock for the 18-17 victory. It was one of two 42-yard makes for Marlow on the day.

“When I was hired here, I had the privilege to meet several of the members from that 1981 team,” said Woodard. “Everyone associated with Lamar football remembers that game, and it still serves as a source of pride for us.”

There has been one large question surrounding the Cardinals offense which started during the spring all the way through preseason drills, and into the week two matchup – who will be the starting quarterback? The question at quarterback prompted the Cards eighth-place vote in the Southland Conference preseason poll. Although playing time was split against Bacone College between the two transfers, Joe Minden got the start. Coach Woodard has already announced he will go with junior Carson Earp Saturday, but LU fans should expect a similar rotation.

The rotating quarterbacks didn’t seem to hurt the LU offense in the season-opener as the Cards rattled off 525 yards of total offense, including 264 on the ground. The quarterbacking duo combined to complete 21-of-26 (.808) passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns. Minden finished the night 16-of-20 (.800) for 170 yards and three scores.

In addition to looking for the same consistency on offense and defense that LU found in week one, Woodard will also be looking to cut down on a few of the miscues. The Cardinals were flagged 10 times for 80 yards in the opening week, including a couple of flags that wiped points off the scoreboard. The Cardinals also had a couple fumbled return opportunities.

“We were happy to get the win in the opener, but like I told the team after the game, there are some things we have to address, correct and fix on the field,” said Woodard. “We’ve made improvements every year that I’ve been here, and I’m proud of that. But one of the areas I have not been pleased with has been our mental focus when play FBS opponents. That has to get better. I’ve met with the coaches about this every day.”

The Bears’ offense was nearly unstoppable in their season-opening victory hanging 56 points on their hosts, while racking up nearly 730 yards of total offense. Baylor was effective both running and passing the football, gaining 300 of their 723 yards on the ground.

Despite a close game in the opening 30 minutes of action, the Bears rendered the SMU offense ineffective in the second half. The Mustangs could only account for seven points and 109 yards of offense in the final 30 minutes.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. from McLane Stadium, and will air on Fox Sports Net. The game is one of three consecutive road games for the Cards who won’t return to Provost Umphrey Stadium until Saturday, Oct. 10 against Abilene Christian.

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