Lumberjacks ready
» Stephen F. Austin willing to schedule on fly..
If there’s an athletic director wanting to know the ins and outs of putting together a college football schedule prettymuch fromscratch in a short period of time, they may want to contact Ryan Ivey at Stephen F. Austin. Ivey is practically writing the book about scheduling on the fly.
Amonth ago, with cancellations to SFA’S 2020 fall season due to COVID-19 and the Southland Conference postponing its league competition to spring 2021, the Lumberjacks were left with one playing date. But they were determined to play a full slate of games this fall as the program rebuilds in coach Colby Carthel’s second season.
Currently, SFA has nine games on the docket, including Saturday at SMU. Just this past week Ivey added another payday game, against hisalmamatermemphis on Nov. 21.
“We’re allowed to play 11 games total and we could have played a few in the fall and a fewin the spring,” said Ivey, who has been theadat SFA since 2018. “But we just felt like the fall is the traditional football season and for theway that our studentathletes are built, and the things that we’re trying to do from a programmatic standpoint, we felt the fall gave us a chance. Having to play multiple games in the spring and then turn around and try to get ready for a fall season in 2021wasn’t something that we really wanted to do.”
Playing on the FCS level, the Lumberjacks (0-2) have lost on the road to UTEP 2414 and UTSA 24-10, two of four FBS schools on the 2020 schedule. It’s a season to develop as a program for
SFA, which last had a winning season in 2014.
Another reason for playing this fall was the school this yearwas hit byncaainfractions and APR issues and is ineligible for the FCS playoffs until next season. Playing this fall is expected tomeetthe penaltytowhere the Lumberjacks will be eligible for postseason play in 2021, a season Carthel is hopeful of a resurgence in a program coming off a 3-9 season.
There’s never been a college football season like 2020. Postponements and cancellations have been the norm. This season is not counting against any player’s eligibility.
“This is free football this year,” said Carthel, whowon the 2017Ncaadivision II national championship as the head coach at Texas A&mcommerce. “This is a redshirt year for everybody on our roster, yet we’re getting nine gamesworth of experience, and that’s going to pay
huge dividends for us in 2021, ‘22, ‘23, when we have taken this program to the top and are a national contender and a conference championship-caliber team.”
Ivey said the school may add a 10th game shortly, whichwould be innacogdoches. Thelumberjackshave three games slated at home — West Texas A&M (Oct. 3), Angelo State (Oct. 10) and Pittsburg State (Nov. 14). Attendance will be capped at 7,000 for each game, just under 50 percent of capacity athomer Bryce Stadium.
“We’re going to end up with a full slate of games which about six weeks ago sure didn’t look like itwould happen, but we’ve been able to put it together,” Carthel said. “We just got to keep getting better and try to win one or two of them. Now it’s just maintaining and keeping everybody healthy.”
Flexibility has been the key in scheduling. Saturday’sgameat Smuwasoriginally Sept. 12.
“It’s been a journey, and it’s notover yet,” Ivey said. “I tell people ifwe get10scheduled, I’ll be impressed if we play seven. At least we get a chance to play, and that’s themostimportant thing for us now.”