GAMEDAY: MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE at LAMAR

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Head coach Ray Woodard’s football team enters the final non-conference game of the 2014 season looking to move to 3-1 for the second time since the program’s resurrection in 2010, but to do that Lamar is going to have to get passed a Mississippi College (0-2) football team that runs an offense that LU doesn’t see very often.

The Cardinals enter Saturday 2-1 (.667) after posting a 73-0 victory over Texas College. Lamar’s 73-point outburst came just a week after surrendering 73 points to No. 9 Texas A&M. Lamar utilized its depth at running back to dominate the Steers. The Cardinals carried the ball 54 times for 393 yards and six touchdowns in the win. It is the second-highest rushing total in school history. It’s that same kind of rushing effort that the Cards will see from Mississippi College on Saturday.

“This is a very scary team from the standpoint (Mississippi College) runs an offense that not a lot of people see anymore, and they run it well,” said Woodard. “They are a triple option team. The problem is most guys don’t see much of this offense from the high school level on up. It will be tough for our scout team to simulate it with the same speed, and effectiveness at which they play. We have to be disciplined and can’t try and do too much.”

“It’s different from when I was in college because defensively we prepared for teams like this every week, even if we didn’t play a team that ran a wishbone style offense. You rarely see any teams who run this style of offense anymore.”

The Choctaws average nearly 140 yards per game on the ground led by Chris Ingram. The junior running back is averaging 62 yards per game, and is second on the team averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Defensively, Mississippi College is surrendering 484 yards of total offense per game, including 217 rushing yards. That could be a good sign for the Cardinals who are coming off one of the best rushing performances in school history last week despite not having the services ofKade Harrington.

The Cardinals offense has received extra opportunities this season due to Lamar’s opportunistic defense. Through three games this season, the Cardinals lead the nation in recovered fumbles and turnovers gained. Lamar has recovered six fumbles and forced opponents into eight turnovers this season.

“We have seen steady improvement from our defense dating back to the spring,” said Woodard. “I’m happy with their growth on the field. I would like to see some of our injured guys back out there but every team in the country is fighting that problem. They have done a great job giving our offense more opportunities to put points on the board, and the offense is taking advantage of those opportunities.

Saturday’s game is slated to kick off at 7 p.m. at Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Cardinals are 2-0 at home this season, and have outscored opponents 115-27 in two games. Lamar was 4-2 (.667) and is 16-11 (.593) at Provost Umphrey since bringing back the program.

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