3 days ago
Cardinals aiming high: Seek third straight winning season
For the first time since 1971-72, Lamar posted back-to-back winning football seasons and now is thinking even bigger.
The Cardinals, under Pete Rossomando, look to become one of the Southland's true contenders this year after posting 13 victories in the coach's first two seasons in Beaumont, Texas.
A third consecutive winning season hasn't happened since Lyndon Johnson was president in 1967, so doing that would be historic for Lamar. All this after the Cardinals returned to the Southland Conference in 2022 after a one-year stay in the Western Athletic Conference.
'It helps to be in the Southland Conference,' Rossomando said. 'It is the conference we should be in. There is a feeling of home. I think that Lamar lost its way for a year or two.
'Our next thing is to make the playoffs and compete at the national level.'
In an ever-changing landscape yearly, the Cardinals thought they had not one but two quarterbacks who played last year. Senior Robert Coleman's return is a surprise as he will be the starter.
Coleman has 22 career starts, connecting on 288 of his 511 pass attempts for 3,703 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has also run for 433 yards and seven scores.
Another senior, Jakolby Longino, shared time with Coleman last year. The two were 163 of 310 for 2,119 yards and 20 TDs.
Longino entered the NCAA transfer portal just before fall camp. Coleman was kicked out of the season finale against McNeese State and Longino led the late comeback.
'We didn't know we were going to get Robert back,' Rossomando said. 'He didn't go through spring with us. Robert has had a great summer; he does everything we need a quarterback to do in our offense.'
Replacing eight starters on the defense will be the big thing for the Cardinals, who were 7-4, 4-3 in the SLC last season, as they continue to try to move up the ladder and get to the next level. They were predicted in the conference's preseason poll to finish fourth, receiving one first-place vote.
'We just go day by day, we don't worry about what has happened in the past or will in the future,' Rossomando said. 'It has all been about our process.
'We have a plan, and we just keep moving forward.'
The Cardinals will have to replace Khalan Griffin, last season's top rusher in the Southland, with 105.3 yards a game. Though with four offensive line starters back the hard part is done.
The schedule is set up perfectly for Lamar with one Football Bowl Subdivision game at North Texas and then two at home against South Dakota and Central Arkansas, a onetime SLC member. Winning those games could set the stage for a playoff run.
