#10 Midwestern State vs. #2 Texas A&M-Commerce
MSU 3-0, 2-0 LSC; TAMUC 4-0, 2-0 LSC
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 | 7 p.m.
Memorial Stadium | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM |
Audio/Video (PPV): Mustangs Digital Network
HONORING ROBERT GRAYS
- Midwestern State will honor teammate Robert Grays with helmet decals with No. 24. The coaches have embroidered patches with Grays' No. 24, as well.
- Fans are encouraged to honor Robert Grays on each kickoff by holding up two fingers on the left hand and four on the right during each kickoff.
- Each of MSU athletic teams will honor Grays in a visual way throughout the 2017-18 academic year.
- The men's and women's soccer teams each stopped play in the 24th minute of games on Sept. 21 and 22 with a minute long cheer.
- The MSU volleyball squad honors Grays by holding up two fingers on the left hand and four on the right on every Mustangs set point.
- Texas State sophomore linebacker Clifton Lewis, Jr. wore No. 24 in honor of Grays last Saturday against UTSA. Lewis and Grays were teammates at Hightower High in Missouri City.
- Grays suffered a severe neck injury with 3:24 to play in MSU's 31-13 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 16th and passed away on Sept. 19th.
HOOF MARKS
- Midwestern State is playing the last of four consecutive games at Memorial Stadium to start the season. The Mustangs own a 67-15 mark (.817) on the home field since the start of the Bill Maskill era in 2002 and are 12-2 (.857) since start of 2015 season.
- The Mustangs capped off a 3-0 September with a 35-24 win over Western New Mexico on Sept. 30th. MSU is 49-9 (.845) during the month of September during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002) and sport records of 46-21 (.687) in October and 22-15 (.595) in November.
- Midwestern will play a nine-game regular season slate in 2017 after its Sept. 9th matchup at West Florida was cancelled due to the threat of Hurricane Irma.
- MSU moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week's American Football Coaches' Association Division II Poll. The Mustangs are ranked 11th D2Football.com rankings.
- MSU is down nine spots to No. 34 in the Massey Rankings.
- The Mustangs have experienced great success against nationally ranked opponents during the regular season in recent years. MSU boasts an 11-2 regular season mark versus opponents ranked in the AFCA Top 25 since the start of the 2011 season. The top wins came against No. 9 Abilene Christian (70-28) in 2011, No. 8 West Alabama (45-21) in 2013, No. 6 Angelo State (29-20) in 2015 and No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce (26-25) in 2016. The two losses came at the hands of No. 25 West Texas A&M (19-12) in 2013 and No. 11 Texas A&M-Commerce (27-14) in 2015.
- Texas A&M-Commerce's No. 2 ranking matches the highest ranked team MSU has faced since joining NCAA Division II in 1997. The Mustangs fell to No. 2 Northwest Missouri State (27-0) in the 2006 playoffs and to No. 2 Abilene Christian (47-17) in 2008. The Mustangs are 7-14 against opponents ranked in the Top 10 during the Maskill era and are 11-10 versus nationally ranked foes at Memorial Stadium.
- Midwestern State was picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference heading into the 2017 season behind Texas A&M-Commerce. The Mustangs have finished second or better six of the last eight season including league titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
- Midwestern State is looking for its third consecutive 4-0 start. The perennial quick starting Mustangs have won as least their first four games in eight of the last 11 years including the only perfect regular season in program history going 10-0 in 2011.
- The Mustangs are looking to start Lone Star Conference play with three consecutive wins for the third straight year. MSU was 4-0 before falling at Texas A&M-Commerce (27-14) in 2015, but avenged the loss with a 37-33 victory over the Lions in the LSC Playoff championship. Midwestern started the 2016 league slate with five consecutive victories before falling at West Texas A&M (35-27).
- Midwestern State displayed great discipline over the first three games of the season ranking seventh nationally and are second in the LSC in fewest penalty yards assessed (183).
- Bill Maskill is in his 18th season as a head coach and 16th 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, 2015 and 2016 seasons while amassing a 122-46 record (.726). 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 23 All-Americans, 51 all-region selections and 61 All-Lone Star Conference first teamers in his 15 seasons in Wichita Falls.
- Maskill's 122 wins account for 53.3 percent of MSU's all-time victories on the gridiron.
- Midwestern State completed its 17th consecutive winning ledger with an 8-3 mark in 2016. In the State of Texas, the streak is matched only by defending NCAA Division III national champion Mary Hardin Baylor, which also clinched its 17th straight winning season in 2016.
- Midwestern State was won 14 more games than any other LSC member since the start of the 2000 season. That's an average of 7.8 wins per season for an overall mark of 136-54 (.716). The Mustangs are trailed by West Texas A&M (122-84, .592), Tarleton State (119-72, .623), Texas A&M-Kingsville (99-89, .527), Texas A&M-Commerce (87-100, .465), Angelo State (86-102, .457) and Eastern New Mexico (76-98, .437).
- Midwestern State boasts two alumni in the NFL as Amini Silatolu (taken by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft) and Marqui Christian (taken in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft) both made opening day rosters. Silatolu is a reserve lineman making his return with the Panthers this season. He was a consensus All-America pick for the Mustangs in 2011. Christian serves as a reserve safety for the Los Angeles Rams. He was a first-team All American claiming the Cliff Harris Award as the nation's top small college defender in 2015.
- The Mustangs' tradition of O-Line Pride has produced six of the last seven Lone Star Conference Offensive Linemen of the Year including Amini Silatolu (2010, 2011), Ken Van Heule (2012), Shadow Stokes (2014), Alfredo Moreno (2015) and D2 Rimington Award winner Akoakoa Paleka-Kennedy in 2016.
AGAINST THE LIONS
- Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce meet for the 23rd time on the gridiron Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
- The Lions hold a slim 12-10 edge in the overall series which dates back to the 1947 season, but 10 of those victories came in the first team meeting of the season.
- The Mustangs have won the last two meetings, six of the last seven dating back to 2011 and 10 of the last 12 going back to 2001.
- MSU's last three victories were definitely memorable. The Mustangs overcame a 31-14 deficit with 12:21 to play to win 40-37 on a 4-yard TD run by Chauncey Harris in overtime in 2014. MSU took advantage of a fumble recovery with a 30-yard strike from Hagen Hutchinson to Arsenio Phillips before Harold Wills returned an interception 4 yards for a score to win 37-33 after trailing 33-24 with 9:52 to go in the 2015 LSC Playoff title game. Midwestern used two TD hookups from Quade Coward to Breion Evans (8, 12) in the final 3:22 to score a 26-25 win last season in Commerce.
- The Mustangs have won each of the last four games against Texas A&M-Commerce at Memorial Stadium, but the Lions are making just their second trip to Wichita Falls since 2004.
- Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce meet for the eighth time since the start of the 2011 season. Oddly, just one of those games were played in Wichita Falls. The teams have faced off four times in Commerce and were twice featured in the Lone Star Football Festival at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
- Midwestern State boasts the top scoring offense in the Lone Star Conference averaging 41 points per game which rates 12th nationally. The Mustangs slipped to No. 2 in total offense in the LSC and are 15th in NCAA Division II at 474.7 yards per game.
- MSU possesses the No. 2 rushing attack in the Lone Star Conference churning out 243.7 yards per game highlighted by a 468-yard explosion in the season opener against Quincy (Ill.).
- The passing game has progressed over the first three outings as the Mustangs threw for 137 yards in the opener against Quincy and improved to 230 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville before erupting for 326 yards versus Western New Mexico.
- Junior running back Adrian Seales leads the LSC in both rushing yards per game (137.3/10th in NCAA D2) and rushing yards per carry (8.41/3rd in NCAA D2). He is also second in the league and 33rd nationally with 150.33 all-purpose yards per game.
- Seales notched the fourth best individual rushing game in school history finishing the night with 243 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown in the season opener against Quincy. Seales' performance stands as the fifth-best rushing day this season in NCAA II. The performance was his fourth 100-yard effort of his career. He followed with 83 yards on 13 carries against Texas A&M-Kingsville and 86 yards on 19 carries versus Western New Mexico. Seales has one rushing touchdown in each game this season.
- Former All-America quarterback Daniel Polk is the only player in program history to run for more yards in a game going for 290 against Abilene Christian in 2007, 259 versus Southeastern Oklahoma in 2006 and 244 at Eastern New Mexico in 2005. That means a runner wearing MSU's No. 5 jersey has accounted for the top four rushing efforts in program history as Polk also wore the number.
- Seales moved to 19th on MSU's all-time rushing list last weekend against Western New Mexico and now has 1,111 rushing yards. He needs 180 yards to pass Stephon Brockington (1,290 yards/1994-95) to move into 18th.
- Johnson ranks fourth in the LSC and 92nd in NCAA D2 rushing for 72.7 rushing yards a game, but continues to find the end zone at a record setting clip. He scored three touchdowns in the season opener against Quincy, had two more in a win over Texas A&M-Kingsville then scored another against Western New Mexico. Johnson has accounted for multiple rushing touchdowns in 15 games.
- Johnson moved past former All-America Brandon Kelsey on MSU's all-time rushing touchdowns list with his touchdown against Western New Mexico and now has 31. He trails Keidrick Jackson (61 TD/2010-13) and Daniel Polk (44 TD/2004-07). With 186 points, Johnson stands fifth on MSU's all-time scoring list behind Keidrick Jackson (372/2010-13), Jose Martinez (291/2007-10), Daniel Polk (266/2004-07) and Greg Saladino (245/2010-13).
- Johnson is 13th on MSU's all-time rushing list with 1,551 career rushing yards. He needs 40 yards to pass Phillip Boggs (1,590 yards/1999-03) to go to 12th.
- Reigning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week Layton Rabb continued his impressive run as a starting quarterback for the Mustangs throwing for a career-high 326 yards on 20-of-31 passing with two touchdowns in last week's win over Western New Mexico. It was Rabb's second consecutive game with at least 200 passing yards and it was the biggest passing day by an MSU quarterback since Zack Eskridge threw for 356 yards at Eastern New Mexico on Oct. 31, 2009.
- Rabb ranks second in the LSC and is 13th nationally with a pass efficiency rating of 165.5. He is second in the league and 22nd nationally in passing yards per completion (14.61), third in the LSC and 61st in NCAA D2 with 214.3 passing yards per game and is first in the LSC and fifth nationally at 9.74 yards per passing attempt.
- Senior D.J. Myers enjoyed a breakout performance making four catches for 130 yards including a 54-yard TD reception against Western New Mexico. He leads the Mustangs' receiving corps with seven receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Myers is tops in the LSC and sixth in NCAA D2 with 24.3 yards per reception.
- Myers' 130 receiving yards were the most since David Little caught seven passes for 136 yards at Incarnate Word on Oct. 1, 2011.
- Myers is one of three MSU receivers with seven receptions this season and is joined by sophomore Tyrique Edwards (7-136) and senior DeAndre Black (7-49).
- The Mustangs have been great in the Red Zone scoring on 12 of their 13 excursions with 11 touchdowns.
- Behind the starting offensive line of John Rowell (LT), Islam Sbeih (LG), A.J. Roland (C), Kevin Fisher (RG) and Caleb Brown (RT), MSU have permitted a national best 2.0 tackles for loss through two games this season. The group is ninth nationally and tops in the LSC allowing 1.0 quarterback sacks per game.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
- Midwestern State boasts the LSC's No. 2 scoring defense while ranking 11th in NCAA Division II allowing 14.3 points per game.
- The Mustangs rate fifth in the LSC in total defense allowing 377.7 yards per game including 145.7 rushing yards (4th in LSC/64th in D2) and 232 passing yards (5th in LSC/109th in D2).
- MSU is the stingiest defense in the LSC and third in NCAA D2 in the Red Zone allowing just two touchdowns and five total scores in 11 opponent opportunities inside the 20.
- Sophomore DaMarcus Wilson leads the Lone Star Conference and is eighth in NCAA D2 with 2.0 pass defenses a game while sophomore Marcus Wilkerson is ninth nationally with 2.0 pass breakups a game.
- Up front, the Mustangs lead the LSC in quarterback sacks at 3.67 per game getting three each from junior Alec DiValerio and senior Deandra Stevenson, while senior Semaj Robinson has two. Freshman A.J. Gulley, sophomore Travon Ransom and junior Paul Manus have one each.
- Through three games, 12 different defenders have recorded at least 10 tackles for MSU led by junior safety Josh Wydermyer with 20. Wydermyer posted eight stops in the season opener against Quincy and led the Mustangs with eight stops last weekend versus Western New Mexico.
- Other players with at least 10 tackles include sophomore linebacker Tristan Shearman (18), junior defensive end Alec DiValerio (18), sophomore linebacker Zack McMahen (16), senior linebacker Jacob Sherrill (14), senior safety Steven Rogers (14), sophomore cornerback Kevin Hayes (14), sophomore safety Jaydon Cunigan (12), junior safety Sir'Vell Ford (12), sophomore cornerback DaMarcus Wilson (12) and sophomore linebacker J.P. Cognasi (10).
- The MSU defense ranks fourth in the LSC and 25th nationally with eight tackles for loss a game led by senior Semaj Robinson (4.5/24 yards) and junior Alec DiValerio (4.0/27 yards).
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
- Midwestern State ranks second in NCAA Division II and is first in the LSC in net punting at 43.0 yards per punt which is second only to Ouachita Baptist (43.56).
- Senior Mitchell Henton enjoyed a banner night averaging 52.3 yards on three punts with one downed inside the 10-yard line last week against Western New Mexico. His lone punt under 50 yards went for 41 yards but was downed at the 10-yard line late in the first half. He then boomed two punts of 64 (career long) and 52 yards in the second half.
- Henton is a perfect 10-for-10 on point-after tries over the last two games since taking over for the injured Jaron Imbriani.
- Freshman Drew MacKay averaged 53.3 yards on 12 kickoffs over the past two weeks with four touchbacks and two out-of-bounds in place of Imbriani, who averaged 55.4 yards with two touchbacks in the opener against Quincy.
- Top return man DeAndre Black, an All-America last season, averages 8.0 yards on four punt returns with a long of 24 yards. The senior also averages 21.4 yards on seven kick returns with a long of 39 yards.
