Football 10/23/2010 1:00:00 AM MSU Sports Information

Game Day: #13 Midwestern State battles 17th-ranked Buffs in rivalry showdown

Setting the Stage

No. 13 Midwestern State faces its second Top 20 showdown of the season Saturday night against No. 17 West Texas A&M at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Where to Find the Game

100.9 BOB FM - The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of two-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. He is joined by KAUZ anchorman Chris Horgen, who serves as color Analyst.

BOB-FM's audio broadcast is simulcast on BOBradio.fm. Link
On the Web -

Streaming Video - A streaming video feed is available on a pay-per-view basis on GoBuffsGo.com. Link

Live Stats -
Live stats are available courtesy of GoBuffsGo.com. Link

For the Record

Midwestern State can take a step closer to its second consecutive NCAA Division II postseason appearance with a win over West Texas A&M Saturday night at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

The winner will also keep pace with LSC leading Abilene Christian as the Mustangs are also efforting for a second straight conference title.

The Buffaloes are fighting to avoid a third loss this season which includes setbacks to No. 1 Grand Valley State (Mich.) and No. 7 Texas A&M-Kingsville both on the road by a total of seven points.

A third loss would like land WT in the running for a second straight Kanza Bowl appearance and out of the NCAA postseason.

The Mustangs lone loss came at No. 4 Abilene Christian by a 31-28 margin, but its road dates include the 17th-ranked Buffs Saturday in Canyon and the 7th-ranked Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 6.

Who's Hot

Junior running back Lester Bush has led Midwestern State in rushing in three of his four games since returning from injury earlier this month.

The Houston Galeena Park High School product has scored five touchdowns over the past two weeks including two each against Incarnate Word and Angelo State.

Bush is averaging 68.8 yards a contest over four games amassing 275 yards on 48 carries.

The Mustangs continue to lead the Lone Star Conference and is 11th in NCAA Division II in rushing at 227.6 yards per game.

Senior Marcus Mathis leads the way with wit 501 yards on 81 carries followed by senior quarterback Zack Eskridge, who has ran for 281 yards on seven totes.

Redshirt freshman Keidrick Jackson gives the Mustangs another stellar option in the backfield with 214 yards on 29 attempts for a team-best 7.4 yards a carry.

About the Series

Midwestern State and West Texas A&M tangle for the 24th time on the gridiron Saturday night at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

The Buffs own a narrow 13-10 edge in the series, but the Mustangs claimed a 31-19 win last season in Wichita Falls to snap a four-game skid at the hands of WT.

The series takes on a strange tint as Midwestern has enjoyed success in Canyon with a 7-4 mark on the Buffs' home turf, while WT has won in nine of its 12 trips to Wichita Falls in the series which dates back to 1947.

The Mustangs are 8-8 against West Texas A&M since bringing back football in 1988 and 4-4 against the Buffs during the Bill Maskill era.

Quick Hits

Midwestern State clinched its 11th consecutive winning season by improving to 6-1 with a 35-21 victory over Angelo State. The Mustangs last losing campaign came in 1999 when the Linwood Ferguson-led MSU squad went 4-7.

MSU coach Bill Maskill has never experienced a losing season in his 11 years as a head coach including two at Southeast Missouri State and nine at Midwestern.

MSU senior safety Ryan Craven is making is 40th career start Saturday night against West Texas A&M. Craven ranks eighth on Midwestern's all-time tackle list with 232 stops. He is 34 tackles behind all-time leader Teddy Martyniuk, who had 266 from 1988-91.

The Mustangs have scored 27 points off of turnovers this season, but have none since the second week of the season at Eastern New Mexico - a period of five games.

Senior quarterback Zack Eskridge needs 170 yards of total offense to pass Phillip Boggs (7,182 yards of total offense from 1999-03) and move into second place in the MSU record book. Eskridge became the third player in program history to amass 7,000 yards of total offense last week. Former Harlon Hill finalist Daniel Polk tops the list with 8,276 total offense yards from 2004-07.

Junior defensive lineman J.D. Corcoran ranks fourth on the squad with 33 tackles including 11 solo stops. He also leads the team with nine tackles for loss and four sacks. The sacks and tackles for loss totals match two-time All-America Aston Whiteside's number this season at Abilene Christian. Corcoran has accounted for a sack in each of his last four games and has made a tackle for loss in all of MSU's games this season.

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Players Mentioned

#8 Lester Bush: RB; 5' 10"; Junior; 2L

#55 J.D. Corcoran: DE; 6' 3"; Junior; 2L

#30 Ryan Craven: FS; 5' 11"; Senior; 3L

#18 Zack Eskridge: QB; 6' 4"; Senior; 2L

#32 Keidrick Jackson: RB; 5' 9"; Freshman; RS

#1 Marcus Mathis: RB; 5' 7"; Senior; 3L

Players Mentioned

#8 Lester Bush
: 5' 10"; Junior; 2L
: RB

#55 J.D. Corcoran
: 6' 3"; Junior; 2L
: DE

#30 Ryan Craven
: 5' 11"; Senior; 3L
: FS

#18 Zack Eskridge
: 6' 4"; Senior; 2L
: QB

#32 Keidrick Jackson
: 5' 9"; Freshman; RS
: RB

#1 Marcus Mathis
: 5' 7"; Senior; 3L
: RB