Midwestern State vs. Colorado Mesa
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 | 8 p.m.
Stocker Stadium | Grand Junction, Colo.
Records: Midwestern State (1-0); Colorado Mesa (1-0)
Video: CMUMavericks.com 
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free Audio) 
Live Stats: CMUMavericks.com 

ON THE FIELD
For the second straight week, Midwestern State takes on a team it has never played. The Mustangs rolled to a 31-3 win over Truman State last week at Memorial Stadium and will hit the road for the first time this season. Midwestern takes on Colorado Mesa at 8 p.m. (Central Time) at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
- Colorado Mesa rolled up 582 yards of total offense including 363 rushing in a 43-3 win at Dixie State (Utah) in last week's season opener.
- Sophomore running back Jonathon Beverly ranks third in NCAA Division II with 224 rushing yards against Dixie State. Only Notre Dame (Ohio)'s Malik Grove (251) and Western State Colorado's Austin Ekeler (226) rushed for more last week.
- Ten different Maverick receivers caught passes against Dixie State.
- Colorado Mesa was picked fourth in the RMAC Preseason Poll after going 6-4 in 2014.
- The Mavericks return 24 players who recorded at least one start last season including 10 of 11 spots on offense and eight of 11 positions on defense.
- Sophomore punter Austin Pitchford earned preseason All-America hnors after averaging 45.4 yards per punt last season with 25 punts over 50 yards and 20 inside the 20.
- Sophomore cornerback Dustin Rivas was the national leader in passes defended at 2.2 per game in 2014 with six interceptions.
- The Mavericks combined to block 11 kicks in 2014.

INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Colorado Mesa square off for the first time on the gridiron Saturday night at Stocker Field.
- The Mustangs are 4-4 all-time against current members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference going 2-1 against N.M. Highlands, 1-2 versus Western N.M., 1-0 against Adams State (Colo.) and 0-1 against Colorado Mines.
- This will be the third overall meeting already this fall between the MSU and CMU athletic programs as MSU took wins in women's soccer (3-0) and men's soccer (4-1) last weekend in Wichita Falls.
- Colorado Mesa ended two women's basketball runs by beating the Mustangs in the NCAA II South Central Regionals in 2013 and 2014.

A LAST LOOK BACK
- Midwestern State's 31-3 win over Truman State improved the Mustangs record in season openers to 18-10 since bring back footblal in 1988.
- It was the eighth time MSU opened the season against a team hailing from Missouri.
- Midwestern improved to 12-2 in season openers since the start of the Bill Maskill era in 2002.
- The victory extended MSU's run of winning season openers played at Memorial Stadium to eight straight games dating back to a 52-14 loss to Northwest Missouri State on Sept. 4, 1997.
- The Mustangs are perfect 9-0 in season openers against non-conference opponents since the start of the 2002 season.
- The Mustangs won their 11th straight home opener and are now 20-8 since 1988.

TURNING THE TABLES ON THE RMAC
- Midwestern State efforts for its fifth win in its last six tries against opponents from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference - a league based in Colorado and New Mexico.
- This marks the first meeting with an RMAC opponent since MSU defeated New Mexico Highlands 52-6 on Sept. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, N.M.
- The Mustangs are 4-4 all time versus the RMAC, but have won four of the last five with the lone loss coming to Colorado Mines in the 2004 NCAA Division II playoffs.
- The meeting marks the seventh time in nine games that Midwestern makes the trip to face an RMAC foe in its own territory. The Mustangs are 2-4 in those games.
- The meeting with Colorado Mesa marks MSU's third game against an opponent hailing from the Rocky Mountain State.
- The Mustangs fell 52-33 at Colorado Mines in the 2004 NCAA II playoffs then routed Adams State 41-15 on Aug. 25 in Alamosa to open the 2010 season.

MSU RECEIVING VOTES IN AFCA POLL
- Midwestern State is receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 preseason poll.
- The Mustangs have received mention in at least one poll in each season dating back to 2006.
- The Mustangs received a vote on at least one ballot in 105 of 107 reporting periods dating from the 2006 season to the end of the 2014 campaign including 47 straight periods from 2011-14.
- MSU is one of 12 teams from Super Region Four to receive mention in the poll joining No. 2 Colorado State-Pueblo, No. 6 Ferris State (Mich.), No. 7 Ohio Dominican, No. 12 Angelo State, No. 16 Colorado Mines, No. 18 Texas A&M-Commerce, No. 20 Grand Valley State (Mich.), No. 23 Indianapolis (Ind.) and No. 24 Ashland (Ohio) while Michigan Tech, MSU and Tarleton State are receiving votes.
- The Mustangs spent four weeks in the Top 25 in 2014 topping out at No. 16 on Sept. 29.

MAROON SEPTEMBER
- MSU stands at 45-9 (.833) in games played before Oct. 1 in the Bill Maskill era.
- Since 2006, Midwestern stands an outstanding 34-3 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.

AMONG GRIDIRON ELITE
- Midwestern State is one of just two Texas four-year football playing institutions actively sporting 15 straight winning seasons.
- The Mustangs are the only scholarship-granting program in the State of Texas with a current string of 15 consecutive winning seasons.
- NCAA D3 power Mary Hardin Baylor also sports 15 consecutive seasons.
- Hardin-Simmons (NCAA D3) had 22-straight winning seasons before suffering a 4-6 year in 2013.
- Mary Hardin Baylor (1-0) takes on Millsaps College at home on Sept. 12.

MSU AGAINST NON-LSC FOES
- The Mustangs are 18-3 overall and 16-1 against D2 non-conference opponents during Bill Maskill's tenure as head coach in regular season contests with his lone loss coming at Nebraska-Omaha on Sept. 14, 2002.
- MSU suffered defeats at FCS Sam Houston State in 2002 and 2003, but has now won its last 14 contests against regular season NCAA Division II non-conference opponents dating back to the 2003 season.
- Since joining the Lone Star Conference in 1997, the Mustangs are 21-8 against non-league opposition during the regular season. That includes and 0-5 mark against NCAA FCS teams, a 17-3 record against D2 opposition, 2-0 against NAIA teams and a 1-0 record against NCAA III squads.

THE CHRISTIAN THING TO DO
- Midwestern State senior safety Marqui Christian earned Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors after making a team-high 11 tackles Saturday against Truman State.
- Christian recorded five solo stops on his way to his 12th career game with at least 10 tackles.
- MSU's defensive leader helped the Mustangs limit Truman State to 171 yards of total offense.

OFFENSE NOTABLES
- Midwestern State churned out 321 yards of total offense including 196 yards through the air and 125 rushing in a 31-3 win over Truman State.
- Sophomore quarterback Hagen Hutchinson completed 18-of-26 passes for 183 and accounted for three touchdowns -- 2 passing, 1 rushing -- in his first collegiate start.
- Hutchinson ranks second in the Lone Star Conference with a pass efficiency rating of 153.7.
- Hutchinson is fourth in the LSC churning out 202 yards of total offense.
- Freshman running back Vincent Johnson paced the Mustangs in rushing going for 49 yards in his collegiate debut. It's the second consecutive year a true freshman has led the Mustangs in a rushing in his collegiate debut as Adrian Seales ran for 58 yards and a touchdown last season in a 42-17 win over Eastern New Mexico (9/20/14) at AT&T Stadium.
- Junior running back Dante Taylor ran for 41 yards on 14 carries to up his career total to 1,270 yards. He ranks 17th on MSU's all-time list and needs 21 yards to pass Stephon Brockington (1290/1994-95), 84 to pass BeeJay Mathis (1353/2007-09) and 111 to pass Ulysses Odoms (1380/2005-06).
- Junior wide receiver Statron Jones had a career-high seven receptions for 86 yards including 20-yard TD catch from Hagen Hutchinson in the first quarter against Truman State.
- The touchdown reception was the ninth career scoring catch for Jones moving into ninth on MSU's TD receptions list.
- Senior wide receiver Terrence Smith set career highs with three five receptions for 74 yards against Truman State. His 48-yard catch and run on a screen pass was MSU's longest gain of the night.
- Senior wide receiver Arsenio Phillips snagged his second touchdown reception of his career on a 13-yard out pattern from Hagen Hutchinson to put the Mustangs on the board at the 10:27 mark of the first quarter against Truman State.
- Sophomore running back Don Jerry accounted for 22 all-purpose yards carrying the ball six times for 14 yards while making three catches for 8 yards. He also saw time on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary.
- The MSU offensive did not allow a sack on 29 passing attempts.

DEFENSE NOTABLES
- Midwestern State allowed the sixth fewest yards in NCAA Division II while topping the Lone Star Conference in total defense yielding 171 yards to Truman State.
- The Mustangs lead the LSC in first downs allowed (11), passing yards allowed (51), scoring defense (3 points) and defensive pass effiency (64.93).
- Nine different players were in on seven tackles for loss for the Mustangs against Truman State, while seven different players recorded a pass breakup.
- Senior safety Marqui Christian recorded his 12th career game with at least 10 tackles finishing with a team-high 11 stops.
- Christian, who currently sits outside of MSU's Top 10 career tackles leaders, needs 57 tackles to plass all-time leader Ryan Craven, who had 267 tackles from 2007-10.
- Redshirt-freshman linebacker Drew Bolin recorded eight tackles in his MSU debut Saturday against Truman State.
- Senior cornerback Dominique Williams had a career-high six tackles and forced a fumble in the second quarter on a corner blitz.
- Senior linebacker Daniel Laudermilk was on four tackles including a stop for a loss to run his career tackle total to 166.
- Junior linebacker LaFrontae Conkleton jumped a slant route for his first collegiate interception Saturday against Truman State. The converted running back was making his first appearance on the defensive side of the ball.
- Junior defensive back Cullen Craft and redshirt-freshman defensive back Sir'Vell Ford had four tackles each in their MSU debut.
- Junior defensive tackle Edgar Luna notched MSU's lone sack of the game in the first quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTABLES
- Sophomore punter Mitchell Henton averaged 44.0 yards on three punts with a long of 50 yards with two touchbacks.
- Henton led the LSC in punting average (42.0) in 2014 placing 12 of his 43 punts inside the 20 with six punts of 50-or-more yards.
- Senior kicker Andy Alkhazshvilly converted each of his four extra points and connected on a 31-yard field goal to account for seven points.
- Alkhazshvilly is MSU's all-time leader in career PAT kick percentage converting 48-of-50 for a 96-percent success rate.
- Alkhazshvilly has converted each of his last 17 PAT opportunities after having one blocked against Texas A&M-Commerce on Oct. 25, 2014.
- Alkhazshvilly averaged 64.7 yards per kickoff including a pair of touchbacks against Turman State.
- Senior punt returner Dominique Williams returned one punt for nine yards against Truman State to move into sixth on MSU's all-time punt return yardage list with 321 yards on 30 returns.
- Junior defensive lineman Kerry Holiday recorded MSU's first punt block of the season in the second half against Truman State.