Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Javelina Stadium | Kingsville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (1-0, 0-0 LSC); Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-0, 0-0 LSC)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: TAMUK.TV  
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network  
Live Stats: JavelinaAthletics.com  

SETTING THE STAGE
No. 12 Midwestern State opens Lone Star Conference play Saturday against upstart Texas A&M-Kingsville at Javelina Stadium. The game is a part of the iBC Bank Hispanic Heritage and the Texas A&M-Kingsville Hall of Fame and Champions Weekend celebration.

FOR STARTERS
- The Mustangs have won the last five meetings with the Hoggies and 10 of the last 11 dating back to the start of the 2005 season.
- MSU is 38-3 in games before Oct. 1 since the start of the 2006 season.
- The Mustangs have started eight of the last 10 seasons with consecutive wins with the lone exceptions coming in 2012 and 2013 when MSU dropped games to Tarleton State to begin the campaign.
- The Mustangs have scored 40-or-more points in each of the last five meetings with Texas A&M-Kingsville with an average margin of victory of 25.6 points.
- The Mustangs have claimed wins in four of its last five trips to Kingsville.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville is celebrating its Hall of Fame and Champions weekend.

ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville meet for the 18th time on the gridiron Saturday night at Javelina Stadium.
- MSU leads the series which dates back to the 1997 season by an 11-6 margin.
- Midwestern State is the only team to own a winning series record against Texas A&M-Kingsville with more than 10 games played.
- MSU has won the last five games of the series and 10 of the last 11 dating back to the 2004 season.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville's last win over MSU came in 2010 by a 27-7 margin.
- MSU is 4-4 all time against the Javelinas in Kingsville. 

SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
- Texas A&M-Kingsville improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2013 rolling to a 68-7 win over Simon Fraser (B.C.) last Saturday in Kingsville.
- The Javelinas scored 40 points in the first quarter en route to the most points scored in a game since 1977.
- The Hoggies opened the season with a 31-22 win over FCS Incarnate Word.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville boasts the fifth best total defense in NCAA Division II allowing a Lone Star Conference best 184.5 yards per game.
- The Javelinas are fourth nationally churning out 429 yards of offense through the first two games of the season.
- Senior quarterback Myles Carr boasts a D2-best 83.3 pass completion percentage going 30-for-36 for 476 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
- Senior Greg Pitre leads the rushing attack with 131 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown.
- Senior wideout Anthony Autry is a proven big play threat making 10 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns average 18.5 yards per reception including a long of 80.
- The Texas A&M-Kingsville defense has combined for 23 tackles for loss with 10 quarterback sacks and four interceptions through the first two games of the season.
- Sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Jones leadsd the way with four sacks and two quarterback hurries.

MUSTANGS IN LSC LID LIFTERS
- Midwestern State kicks off Lone Star Conference for the sixth consecutive season away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium.
- The Mustangs are 3-2 in LSC openers since beating Incarnate Word 38-31 in their last league opener at home in 2010.
- The Mustangs have played four of their last five LSC openers as part of the Lone Star Football Festival at AT&T Stadium in Arlington including in each of the last three seasons.
- MSU fell to Tarleton State in its last LSC opener on the road by 20-17 margin in 2012 in Stephenville.
- This will make the third time MSU and Texas A&M-Kingsville square off to start conference play as the teams played in each of Bill Maskill's first two seasons at the helm in 2002 and 2003. The Javelinas won both games.

ABOUT BILL MASKILL
- Bill Maskill is in his 17th season as a head coach and 15th campaign at Midwestern State.
- Maskill has led the Mustangs to winning ledgers in each of his years at the helm of the program including the school's first Lone Star Conference championship in 2009 and first undefeated regular season in 2011.
- Under Maskill's guidance, MSU has advanced to the NCAA Division II postseason in the 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 seasons while amassing a 112-43 record (.723).  He was named LSC Coach of the Year in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015, and was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2011.
- In all, Maskill has coached 21 All-Americans, 47 all-region selections and 60 All-Lone Star Conference first teamers in his 15 seasons in Wichita Falls.
- Maskill is starting his 48th year as a football coach. His coaching experience includes stops as a Division I assistant at Vanderbilt (twice), Southern Methodist, Wake Forest, Oregon, Tulane, Louisville, Arizona State, Bowling Green and Iowa.
- Maskill has a 125-51 overall record (.710) and led Southeast Missouri State to a 1988 MIAA co-championship.

MAROON SEPTEMBER
- MSU stands at 49-9 (.845) in games played before Oct. 1 in the Bill Maskill era.
- Since 2006, Midwestern stands an outstanding 38-3 to start the season.  All three September losses have been by three points, a 20-17 decision at Angelo State on Sept. 26, 2009, a 20-17 loss at Tarleton State on Sept. 8, 2012, and the 27-24 loss to Tarleton on Sept. 14, 2013.

ROAD WARRIORS
- Midwestern State plays four of its first five games on the road this season.
- On those trips, the Mustangs will log 4,152 round-trip miles which includes excursions to Kirksville, Mo. (1,336 miles), Kingsville, Texas (1,066 miles), Silver City, N.M. (1,406 miles) and Commerce, Texas (344 miles).

MSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Midwestern State jumped ahead two spots to No. 12 in this week's AFCA Division II Top 25.
- The Mustangs have carried a national ranking for each of the last 12 polls dating back to last season.
- The Mustangs improved one spot to No. 10 in this week's D2Football.com rankings.
- MSU is ranked 28th in the Massey Ratings while Texas A&M-Kingsville is 44th.
- The Mustangs are 20th in the Hero Sports Bennett Rankings compared to Texas A&M-Kingsville which is 41st.
- The Hero Sports Bennett Rankings have the Lone Star Conference as the second strongest league in NCAA Division II.

COMEBACK KIDS
- Midwestern State has trailed in 10 games since the start of the 2015 seasons including in each of their last seven games dating back to last season.
- The Mustangs improved to 8-2 in those games after overcoming a 13-7 deficit in the 2016 season opener at Truman State to win 31-19.

REWIND: MSU 31, TRUMAN 19
- Midwestern State won its third consecutive season opener -- all over teams from Missouri -- while improving to 14-2 in lid lifters during the Bill Maskill era.
- MSU claimed its 19th consecutive non-conference win over a D2 opponent while improving to 20-1 against said opposition during the Maskill era.
- The Mustangs moved to 49-9 in games played prior to Oct. 1 during the Maskill era and are 38-3 in August/September games since the start of the 2006 season.
- The trip to Kirksville, Mo. was the 11th longest in program history (668 miles) and longest since going 673 miles to Grand Junction, Colorado last season to face Colorado Mesa.
- Midwestern overcame a 13-7 second quarter deficit to win 31-19. The Mustangs are 8-2 in games they have trailed since the start of the 2015 season.
- Senior quarterback Quade Coward made his first season opening start throwing for a career-high 295 yards on 24-of-38 passing.
- Senior wide receiver Statron Jones had a career-high nine receptions for 120 yards. It was his third career 100-yard receiving game.
- Sophomore Josh Wydermyer earned LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors finishing with a career-best eight tackles.

UP NEXT
Midwestern State welcomes affiliate Lone Star Conference member Oklahoma Panhandle State to Memorial Stadium in its 2016 home opener. The Family Day contest kicks off at 7 p.m.