Javs seek bowl bid with win over Hounds

On the surface, not much is on the line in today's 6 p.m. Lone Star Conference regular-season football finale at Kingsville, Texas, between Eastern New Mexico University and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

On second glance, though, with a win the Javelinas (5-5, 4-3 LSC) are in line for a trip to the Kanza Bowl against a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association opponent on Nov. 25 at Topeka, Kan.

Kingsville is locked in a three-way tie for third with Tarleton State and Angelo State — but has wins over both of those opponents. They trail nationally-ranked Midwestern State and West Texas A&M, both in line to go to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Javs coach Bo Atterberry said a team shouldn't need extra motivation.

"There's always something to play for," he said. "The game itself is enough to get up for."

Meantime, ENMU (3-6, 2-5) is trying to win back-to-back games for the first time in almost three years — its 2009 finale against Incarnate Word and the 2010 opener against Southern Nazarene — and win for the first time ever (0-13) at Kingsville.

The Javelinas were 2-0 and ranked 14th in NCAA Division II early this season, then lost four in a row, won their next three and lost last week at No. 24 Valdosta State (Ga.) 38-31.

"They're a good football team," first-year ENMU coach Josh Lynn said. "It's been a roller-coaster ride for them, but it seems like they're playing good football right now. They played Valdosta pretty tough."

Atterberry was quick to point out the Hounds are coming off a 7-3 win over Texas A&M-Commerce, a team which stunned the Javs at Commerce in overtime on Sept. 29, and said his defense will be challenged by the Hounds' triple-option attack.

"They're playing hard and they're coached well," he said of the Hounds. "We're going to have to be disciplined on defense with the type of offense they run."

Lynn knows the Hounds have their work cut out.

"They're a typical Kingsville team; they're pretty good defensively," he said. "They've done a pretty good job of controlling the ball and keeping it out of the other teams' hands.

"It'll be a tall task. Once again, we'll have a hard time matching up."

A win, though, would be quite a feather in the Hounds' caps, considering the issues the program has faced with eligibility this year. The school is still trying to clean up the mess.

"If we win this game, you (will be able to) see the progress," Lynn said. "With the adversity we've faced this year, it would be quite an achievement."

ENMU (3-6, 2-5 Lone Star Conference) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-5, 4-3)

6 p.m. today at Kingsville, Texas

• Radio: KSEL-FM 105.9.

• Coaches: ENMU, Josh Lynn, 1st year, 3-6; Bo Atterberry, 6th year, 40-27.

• Last meeting: 2011, Kingsville beat the Greyhounds 23-10 at Blackwater Draw.

• Last week: ENMU outlasted Texas A&M-Commerce 7-3 at Blackwater Draw. The Javelinas were edged by 24th-ranked Valdosta State 38-31 at Valdosta, Ga.

• Kingsville players to watch: Robert Armstrong, 6-2, 202, WR, Jr.; Nate Poppell, 6-2, 190, Sr., QB; Anthony Johnson, 5-8, 191, Sr., RB; Joseph Vela, 5-10, 180, WR, Sr.; Steve Harris, 5-11, 190, Sr., FS; Zane Brown, 6-0, 285, Jr., DT.

•Notes: Kingsville leads the all-time series 22-4, with all of ENMU's wins at Blackwater Draw. The Hounds have gone 3-3 at home against the Javs since 2000, while their last two losses in Kingsville were by scores of 35-32 and 38-31. … A win over the Hounds would ensure Kingsville its fifth consecutive winning season, pending a possible trip to the Kanza Bowl later this month at Topeka, Kan. … ENMU senior QB Wes Wood is fifth (74.4) and junior RB Derek Campbell ninth (49.9) in the LSC in rushing yards per game. Defensively, senior LB Perron Sellers stands third (9.7) and sophomore LB Seth Bailey fourth (9.5) in the league in tackles. … The Javs have eight wins over NCAA Division II Top 25 teams in Atterberry's tenure. … Kingsville junior PK Matt Stoll leads the team in scoring with 71 points and is averaging more than 1 1/2 field goals per game (16-for-22).

• Quotable: "It was good to see our defense come up and play as good as they did. We hadn't played real well this year; part of the reason is all the players we've lost (through injuries and eligibility issues)." — Lynn, on the team's win last week after the defense came in allowing an average of 42 points a game.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner