NO. 24 MIDWESTERN STATE vs WESTERN NEW MEXICO

Saturday, Oct. 30 -- 7 p.m.
Memorial Stadium (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 5-2

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- No. 24 Midwestern State plays host to Western New Mexico for Homecoming Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The game is available via streaming video on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. A free audio stream featuring the Voice of the Mustangs -- Pete Stein -- is also available at MSUMustangs.com/streaming.

GOING TO THE GAME? All fans must purchase tickets online, then present the QR code to scan at the gate for admittance. No walk-up tickets are available. Purchase your tickets at www.msumustangs.com/tickets.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1 |  Midwestern State looks to improve to 5-0 in Lone Star Conference play for the fourth time in program history and for the first time since sweeping all eight games in league play in 2017. MSU also swept through LSC play (8-0) in 2011 and posted a perfect 6-0 mark to win the TIAA in 1991. The Mustangs also rolled to victories in the first five games in 2016 before finishing 7-2 in conference play.

2 |  Midwestern State has won 10 of its last 11 Homecoming matchups including nine consecutive victories from 2009 to 2017. The Mustangs are 15-3 on Homecoming during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002), 21-11 since bringing back football in 1988 and 24-18-1 all time. MSU has scored at least 30 points on Homecoming every season since 2009 and has scored 70-or-more four times.
  

Date	Score
10/19/2019	Midwestern State 70, Texas A&M-Kingsville 35
10/27/2018	Tarleton State 35, Midwestern State 34 (OT)
10/21/2017	Midwestern State 45, West Texas A&M 3
10/29/2016	Midwestern State 76, UT Permian Basin 21
10/31/2015	Midwestern State 49, Texas A&M-Kingsville 41
10/25/2014	Midwestern State 40, Texas A&M-Commerce 37 (OT)
10/19/2013	Midwestern State 45, West Alabama 21
10/13/2012	Midwestern State 35, Angelo State 28
10/22/2011	Midwestern State 70, Abilene Christian 28
10/30/2010	Midwestern State 31, Tarleton State 26
11/24/2009	Midwestern State 43, Central Oklahoma 16
10/11/2008	Tarleton State 37, Midwestern State 16
10/20/2007	Midwestern State 73, Texas A&M-Kingsville 6
10/28/2006	Midwestern State 33, Southeastern Oklahoma 23
10/22/2005	Midwestern State 42, East Central 31
10/9/2004	Midwestern State 26, Texas A&M-Commerce 23
10/18/2003	Midwestern State 24, Eastern New Mexico 14
10/26/2002	Abilene Christian 21, Midwestern State 20

3 |  Midwestern State plays its 100th game with Bill Maskill as head coach at Memorial Stadium Saturday against Western New Mexico. The Mustangs own an 81-18 record (.818) on their home field since the start of the 2002 which includes unbeaten regular season runs in 2009 (6-0), 2020 (5-0), 2011 (4-0) and 2017 (6-0).

4 |  Midwestern State is 26-3 at Memorial Stadium during the regular season since the start of the 2015 campaign.

5 |  Midwestern State has won 18 more games than any other active Lone Star Conference program since the start of the 2000 season. The Mustangs are 162-67 (.707) over the timeframe and are averaging nearly eight wins a season. MSU managed at least eight victories in 11 seasons since the start of the 2000 campaign. The Mustangs are trailed by West Texas A&M (144-104/.581), Texas A&M-Commerce (122-110/.525), Texas A&M-Kingsville (112-113/.498), Angelo State (111-118/.485) and Eastern New Mexico (96-114/.457). Western New Mexico is 7-34 (.171) since entering the LSC in 2017.

FIVE OFFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State boasts the No. 2 total offense in the Lone Star Conference ranking 55th in NCAA Division II at 397.3 yards per game. The Mustangs have accounted for at least 398 yards of total offense in four of their six games this season with a high output of 502 yards in a 48-27 season opening win at Quincy. MSU owns the second-best passing offense in the Lone Star Conference ranking 49th nationally with 242.9 yards per game. Fifteen of the Mustangs' 23 touchdowns this season have come through the air.

2 |  Midwestern State remains one of the top Red Zone scoring offense in all of NCAA Division II. The Mustangs rank second nationally converting 22 of their 23 Red Zone advancements (95.7 percent) into points. MSU has scored touchdowns on 78.3 percent of its penetrations inside the opponents' 20-yard line. The Mustangs have scored 18 TDs including nine rushing and nine passing. Only, Indiana (Pa.) boasts a better conversion rate as IUP is perfect on 29 Red Zone attempts scoring 24 touchdowns.

3 |  Senior Kylan Harrison moved into 10th place on Midwestern State's all-time receiving yards list after making a five catches for 78 yards last week at Tarleton State. Harrison advanced his career totals to 72 receptions for 1,424 yards. He needs 63 receiving yards to overtake Demetrius Galban (1,486 yards from 1992, 95-96) to move into ninth and 104 yards to move past Tyrique Edwards (1,527 yards from 2015-19) to move to eighth. Harrison accounted for five receiving touchdowns in his first four games this season to move into a tie for third place on MSU's all-time receiving touchdowns list with 18. His total matches former NFL wide receiver/returner Bryan Gilmore (18 TDs from 1996-99). Harrison needs two more touchdowns to move past David Little (19 TDs from 2008-11) and three to move to the top of the list and past former All-American Andy Tanner (20 TDs from 2006-09). Harrison earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season after making five catches for 116 yards with two touchdowns in a 31-24 win over Eastern New Mexico. Harrison ranks fourth in the LSC with 61.6 receiving yards per game.

4 |  Midwestern State senior Dillon Sterling-Cole is the Lone Star Conference leader in total offense and passing yards per game. The transfer from Arizona State ranks 35th nationally with 240.1 passing yards per game and is 35th in total offense at 258.9 yards per game. He is also second in the league with 16 passing touchdowns. Sterling-Cole needs 277 passing yards to move into 10th on MSU's all-time single season list. He earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season after throwing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-17 win at Angelo State.

5 |  Freshman Jalen March rushed for a season-high 88 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown and caught three passes for 26 yards and another TD in last week's 17-14 loss at Tarleton State. The Fort Worth Seguin High product leads the Mustangs and ranks 10th in the Lone Star Conference in rushing with 354 yards.

FIVE DEFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II with 8.6 tackles for loss per game. MSU has trapped ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage at a steady rate this season including two performances of 14 stops for loss against Quincy and Eastern New Mexico and twice posted nine tackles for loss against Angelo State and Central Washington. The Mustangs also made eight tackles for loss against Texas A&M-Commerce. Both of Midwestern State's starting defensive ends rank in the top 10 in tackles for loss in the Lone Star Conference. Melik Owens is third (41st in D2) with 1.4 tackles for loss per game, while Jaylon Abdul-Karim is fifth (92nd in D2) at 1.1.

2 |  Senior defensive end Melik Owens ranks second on Midwestern State's all-time tackles for loss list at 33.5. He needs 3.5 stops for loss to match Matt Garvin, who made 37.0 tackles for loss from 1995-98. With a half-sack last week at Tarleton State, Owens also moved into a tie for second place with Stephen Turner (2006-09) on the program's all-time sacks list with 15.0. Owens remains 17 sacks behind MSU all-time leader Russ Grissom, who recorded 32.0 sacks from 1989-91. Owens is the all-time leader in yards from tackles for loss with 161 and is second in yards loss from sacks 112 -- just 6 yards behind Grissom's total of 118. Owens leads the LSC with 1.71 tackles for loss per game and ranks seventh in the league with 0.57 sacks per game. 

3 |  Midwestern State ranks seventh in the Lone Star Conference and 85th in NCAA Division II in total defense. The Mustangs yield 371.3 yards per game, while ranking fifth in the league against the pass (220.4 yards per game) and seventh against the rush (150.9 yards per game). The Mustangs, however, have permitted an average of 304.5 yards in their last four games giving up 308 to Eastern New Mexico, 377 at Central Washington, 223 against Texas A&M-Kingsville and 310 at Tarleton State.

4 |  Midwestern State ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference and 70th in NCAA Division II Red Zone defense. For the season, the Mustangs have allowed scores on 16 of 21 opponent possessions inside the 20-yard line including 12 touchdowns. That is a 76.2-percent success rate. MSU has been much better over the last five weeks limiting the opposition to scores in just eight of 13 Red Zone chances (61.5 percent) with five touchdowns.

5 |  Junior linebacker Justin Guillory leads Midwestern State in tackles with 43 stops including six stops for loss and 2.5 sacks. Senior linebacker Rigoberto Carrillo is second with 41 tackles including 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior defensive end Melik Owens is next with 33 tackles (10 tackles for loss, four sacks) followed by senior defensive back Malik Sonnier with 32 tackles.

THREE SPECIAL TEAMS STORY LINES

1 |  Sophomore Fernando Piedra ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and 31st in NCAA Division II averaging 39.9 yards per punt. He has placed 19 of his 39 punts inside the 20-yard line, forced seven fair catches with seven punts of 50-or-more yards including a long of 70. The kickoff specialist boasts 11 touchbacks on 28 kickoffs. Piedra earned LSC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 43.5 yards on eight punts against Angelo State placing four inside the 20-yard line including a long of 70 yards which was downed at the 1. He also produced touchbacks on five of his six kickoffs against the Rams.

2 |  Freshman Ritse Vaes' collegiate career is off to a stellar start. The Wichita Falls Hirschi High School product is nearly perfect since taking over place kicking duties in the second week of the season. Vaes has made each of his five field goal attempts including a pair of makes from beyond 40 yards. His is also 20-of-21 on his point-after attempts making his first 16 before having a PAT blocked against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Vaes earned LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connected on a season-long 42-yard attempt and going 4-for-4 on his PAT efforts in a 31-30 win over No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce on Sept. 18 at the former Ballpark in Arlington.

3 |  Midwestern State senior Kylan Harrison leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 21st in NCAA Division II averaging 26.8 yards per kick return. Harrison turned in a season-long return of 37 yards at Central Washington and posted a 92-yard return for a touchdown last spring at Tarleton State. Redshirt-freshman Tre Owens is MSU's top punt returner averaging 13 yards on three returns, while Ja'Juan Mason is averaging 9.7 yards on three returns.

HEAD COACH BILL MASKILL is the dean of the Lone Star Conference football coaching fraternity and stands as the all-time winningest coach in program history boasting a 148-59 mark (.714) since taking over the reins of the Midwestern State program in 2002. During that time, Maskill coached the Mustangs to three Lone Star Conference titles (2011, 2012, 2017), eight playoff showings and one bowl appearance. Overall, Maskill sports a 161-67 career coaching record (.706) including a 13-8 run during two seasons at Southeast Missouri State in 1988 and 1989.

THE SERIES WITH THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State and Western New Mexico meet for the eighth time on the gridiron Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. MSU leads the series which dates back to the 1995 season winning five of the seven matchups. Midwestern State has won the last five meetings between the Mustangs including a 38-13 win in on Nov. 9, 2019 in Wichita Falls. MSU won two of the previous three meetings between the programs played at Memorial Stadium. Western New Mexico claimed wins over MSU in consecutive seasons in 1995 and 1996.
 

Date	Score	Location
11/9/2019	Midwestern State 28, Western New Mexico 13	Wichita Falls
11/3/2018	Midwestern State 48, Western New Mexico 35	Silver City
9/30/2017	Midwestern State 35, Western New Mexico 24	Wichita Falls
10/1/2016	Midwestern State 43, Western New Mexico 22	Silver City
10/13/2001	Midwestern State 82, Western New Mexico 6	Silver City
10/12/1996	Western New Mexico 36, Midwestern State 22	Wichita Falls
10/7/1995	Western New Mexico 54, Midwestern State 24	Silver City

A Mustangs win would...

- make Midwestern State 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the Lone Star Conference.
- make Midwestern State 6-2 all-time against Western New Mexico.
- be Midwestern State's sixth consecutive win over Western New Mexico.
- make Midwestern State 55-28 in the month of October during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002).
- make Midwestern State 82-18 at Memorial Stadium during the Bill Maskill era.
- make Midwestern State 27-3 in regular season games at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2015 season.
- make Bill Maskill 149-59 at Midwestern State and 162-67 overall.

A Mustangs loss would...

- make Midwestern State 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the Lone Star Conference.
- make Midwestern State 5-3 all-time against Western New Mexico.
- snap MSU's five-game winning streak over Western New Mexico.
- MSU's first loss to Western New Mexico since 1995.
- make Midwestern State 54-29 in the month of October during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002).
- make Midwestern State 81-19 at Memorial Stadium during the Bill Maskill era.
- make Midwestern State 26-4 in regular season games at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2015 season.
- make Bill Maskill 148-60 at Midwestern State and 161-66 overall.