After two straight home games, the SLU Lions will travel to San Antonio for a conference matchup with the Incarnate Word Cardinals. SLU is coming off a disappointing home inter-conference loss to Tarleton State, which saw the Lions with an opportunity to tie the game with an extra point late in the 4th quarter but fail to convert. At 0-5, it seems as though the playoffs are out of the question for SLU and the team is trying to build for next season. Or at least trying to win a game.
Incarnate Word comes into this showdown 3-1, with having not played a conference game yet. The Cardinals are coming off a 63-3 win over NAIA program North American University, which, if you follow college football closely, is the same squad that recently lost 91-0 against Portland State. UIW’s lone loss comes to FBS UTEP, and by not a huge margin, losing 28-14. The Cardinals dominated FCS Northern Colorado, and squeaked out a close win against Abilene Christian at home in week 3 to remain 2-0 against other FCS teams thus far in 2023.
There are no major developments for SLU and their roster, injury report, or anything of the like. For UIW, they are led by first-year head coach Clint Killough and double-transfer quarterback Zach Calzada, who spent time at Texas A&M and Auburn before transferring to IUW this offseason. The Cardinals don’t feature much of a rushing attack, with three players splitting time equally. Timothy Carter has 26 carries, Tre Siggers has 31, and Jarrell Wiley has 35. All three players have between 146 and 157 yards. Brandon Porter leads the team in every receiving category, with 23 catches, 376 yards, and tied with two others at 2 touchdowns on the year so far.
Tylan Foster leads the Cardinals in tackles, with a surprisingly low 24 in four games. Steven Parker is the most dangerous pass rusher, with 3.5 sacks already on the year. Parker is the highest graded pass rusher in the FCS, per PFF. The Cardinals defense has four takeaways, and DB Tre Richardson has recorded two of those, both interceptions.
For SLU, we will most likely see Eli Sawyer under center for the majority of the snaps. Don’t expect anything much different in the game plan and regarding who sees the most time on the field. There are no major injuries to report on for the Lions.
The game will begin at 4 PM CT at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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