MSU Football

SATURDAY... Midwestern State closes the regular season with a top 25 showdown as the 24th ranked Mustangs play host to 25th ranked West Texas A&M. The contest is part of the First United Bank Highway 287 Challenge Cup between MSU and WT. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium/Joe Golding Field in Wichita Falls.


WHERE TO FIND THE GAME…

95.5 ESPN: 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 TV-6 anchorman Chris Horgen, who serves as color analyst.

ON THE WEB: The ESPN-Midwestern State Sports Network audio broadcast is simulcast on MSUMustangs.com. LINK

VIDEO WEBCAST: The game will be video streamed FREE via MSUMustangs.com and Stretch Internet. LINK

LIVE STATS: Live stats are available courtesy of the Midwestern State Athletic Communications Office. LINK


SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES…

West Texas A&M enters the game with a record of 8-2 overall, 3-2 in the Lone Star Conference after trouncing West Georgia 63-23 in non-conference play last Saturday.

The Mustangs and Buffaloes are tied for third in the Lone Star Conference title chase. However, both have postseason hopes riding on the outcome of the game.

The Buffaloes are under the command of interim head coach Mike Nesbitt, who sports an 8-2 record after taking over the team in August after the dismissal of former head coach Don Carthel. Nesbitt was the offensive coordinator for the Buffs. It is his first head coaching assignment.

The Buffs have the top passing offense in NCAA Division II football, averaging 416.1 yards a game through the air, while ranking fifth in the nation in total offense with 529.8 yards an outing. WT is led by senior All-American and Harlon Hill quarterback Dustin Vaughn of Corpus Christi, Texas/Calallen who is the top passer in Division II by averaging 401.8 yards a game and is 12th nationally in pass efficiency at 164.58. His favorite target is senior wide receiver Torrence Allen of Meridian, Texas who is 12th in the country in receptions and 13th in receiving yards per game by averaging 7.9 grabs for 114.2 yards a contest. Junior Anthony Johnson of San Antonio, Texas/Warren, a transfer from Northern Illinois, averages 88.2 yards a game (third in the LSC and 38th nationally).

On the ground senior Arron Harris of El Cajon, Calif./Granite Hill averages 66.9 yards a game (fifth in the LSC, 108th in NCAA Division II.

Defensively, linebacker Taylor McCuller of Red Oak, Texas heads the tackle chart. The senior has 114 stops on the year, an 11.3 average (second in the LSC, 15th nationally), along with a team leading three fumble recoveries. Free safety Curtis Slater of Houston, Texas/Cy-Ridge adds 88 tackles (8.8 per game -- sixth in the LSC and 68th in D2), while redshirt freshman linebacker Patric Youngman of Forney, Texas chips in 51 stops (5.1 per contest). All-America senior defensive end Ethan Westbrooks of San Leandro, Calif., nearly a concensus national defensive player of the year a season ago, comes up with just 37 tackles, but leads the team, is third in the LSC and 12th nationally with 17.5 tackles for losses (-52 yards) and a team-leading 5.0 quarterback sacks for losses of 15 yards (sixth in the LSC and 106th nationally).

West Texas is scoring 53.7 points an outing (tops in the Lone Star Conference and second nationally). The Buffs allow 419.7 yards defensively (sixth in the LSC and 113th in Division II) and 26.7 points per contest (third in the LSC to MSU, 71st in DII).

All-Time Series: Midwestern State trails the series 12-14. However since MSU resumed football in 1988, MSU leads the series 10-9 and has won three of the last four meetings including last season's 52-48 win on Nov. 3, 2012 in Canyon. West Texas A&M has a 9-5 advantage in Wichita Falls, but MSU leads the series 5-4 at Memorial Stadium.

NOTEWORTHY

• Midwestern State is 7-2 for the season, 3-2 in Lone Star Conference play after falling to Eastern New Mexico 40-21 last Saturday. MSU is 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
• MSU is ranked 25th in this week's AFCA Division II poll, the sixth straight week in the poll after seeing its school record string of 26 straight rating periods in the Top 25 was snapped after a win earlier this year.
• MSU has been ranked in 54 of the last 60 polls and has received votes in 94 of the last 95 polls.
• The loss snapped the Mustangs seven-game winning streak, the fifth-longest in MSU history, and gave Midwestern two regular season losses for the first time since 2010.
• The loss also snapped an 11-game winning streak over Eastern New Mexico, the first for MSU since a 36-33 loss in Wichita Falls on Sept. 15, 2001.
• The loss also marked the first time Eastern beat MSU in Blackwater Draw since a 21-18 loss on Nov. 14, 1998.
• The Mustangs threw for more yards than they rushed for against Eastern (223 to 133). The only other time that happened this season was in the loss to Tarleton State in the first game (259 to 79).
• MSU senior Keidrick Jackson recorded 17 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown, bringing him to 1,045 yards on the season. He becomes the first MSU player to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons and did so consecutively.
• Jackson continues to lead the LSC in rushing with 116.1 yards a game.
• Jackson brought his MSU record career rushing yardage to 3,872 yards to rank eighth on the LSC All-Time Rushing List. He is 13 yards from passing ENMU's Michael Benson (2004-07) 3,884 yards in seventh. Jackson needs 128 yards to become the seventh back in LSC history to record 4,000 rushing yards and 167 to pass Texas A&M-Kingsville's Larry Williams (2001-04) 4,038 in seventh position.
• Jackson also extended his MSU career scoring record to 366 points with his 60th rushing touchdown that was his 61st touchdown scored.
• Senior Greg Saladino scored three PATs and extended his MSU record to 167 career PAT kicks and tied Jose Martinez (2007-10) with 174 attempts.
• Sophomore linebacker Daniel Laudermilk posted a career-high 12 tackles at ENMU, his third double-digit tackle game this season.
• Redshirt freshman Statron Jones became the second MSU receiver to collect a 100-yard game this year with his 100 yards on six receptions. MSU had two receivers with 100-yard games last in 2011 (David Little-twice, and Vernon Johnson).