NO. 20 MIDWESTERN STATE vs TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE

Saturday, Oct. 9 -- 7 p.m.
Memorial Stadium (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 16-6

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- No. 20 Midwestern State returns to Lone Star Conference play Saturday night against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Memorial Stadium.

The game is available on streaming video via pay per view on the Lone Star Conference 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 suffered its first loss of the season last weekend falling to Central Washington -- 30-20 -- in Ellensburg. The Mustangs remain atop the Lone Star Conference standings with a 3-0 mark. Texas A&M-Kingsville is tied for third at 1-1.

2 |  Midwestern State claimed its 80th win at Memorial Stadium during the Bill Maskill era beating Eastern New Mexico 31-24 in overtime on Sept. 25. The Mustangs own an 80-18 record (.816) since the start of the 2002 season which includes unbeaten regular season runs in 2009 (6-0), 2010 (5-0), 2011 (4-0), 2015 (6-0) and 2017 (6-0).

3 |  Midwestern State has won its last 10 meetings with Texas A&M-Kingsville and are 10-1 against Javelinas in games played at Memorial Stadium.

4 |  Midwestern State is 25-3 at Memorial Stadium during the regular season since the start of the 2015 campaign. 

5 |  Midwestern State has won 19 more games than any other active Lone Star Conference program since the start of the 2000 season. The Mustangs are 161-66 over the timeframe and are averaging nearly eight wins a season. MSU managed at least eight wins in 11 seasons since the start of the 2000 campaign. The Mustangs are trailed by West Texas A&M (142-103/.580), Texas A&M-Commerce (120-109/.524), Texas A&M-Kingsville (110-112/.495), Angelo State (109-117/.482) and Eastern New Mexico (95-112/.459).

FIVE OFFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State boasts No. 3 total offense in the Lone Star Conference ranking 47th in NCAA Division II at 406.6 yards per game. The Mustangs have accounted for at least 398 yards of total offense in four of their five 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 45th nationally at 259.2 yards per game. Fourteen of the Mustangs' 21 touchdowns this season have come through the air.

2 |  Midwestern State is one of five remaining teams in NCAA Division II to score on each of its Red Zone possessions. The Mustangs converted touchdowns on 12 of 15 penetrations beyond the opponents' 20-yard line (80 percent). MSU's 15 Red Zone opportunities are the most for the remaining teams with perfect conversion rates.

3 |  Midwestern State senior Kylan 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 TD / 1996-99). Harrison needs two more touchdowns move past David Little (19 TD / 2008-11) and three to move to the top of the list and past former All-American Andy Tanner (20 / 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 eighth in the LSC.

4 |  Midwestern State redshirt-freshman Ja'Juan Mason leads the MSU receiving corps with 343 yards on 14 catches with two touchdowns. The big-play threat ranks fourth in the LSC and 96th in NCAA Division II at 68.6 yards per game. Mason tops the LSC and ranks 11th in NCAA Division II with 24.5 yards per catch. The Allen High School product is coming off of a career-high performance with 121 yards on four receptions including a 47-yard TD last week at Central Washington. Mason also accounted for 116 yards on three receptions including a 76-yard TD reception in a 35-17 at No. 17 Angelo State.

5 |  Midwestern State senior Dillon Sterling-Cole is the Lone Star Conference total offense leader averaging 275.4 yards per game. The transfer from Arizona State also leads the league with 14 passing touchdowns, points responsible for (102) and points responsible for per game (20.4). He ranks second in the league in total passing yards (1,277), passing yards per game (255.4) and passing yards per completion (14.35). Sterling-Cole earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-17 win at No. 17 Angelo State.

FIVE DEFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State leads NCAA Division II with 10.8 tackles for loss per game and is just one of seven teams all of NCAA scholarship football to average more than 10. Only FCS Montana averages as many tackles for loss as the Mustangs. MSU has trapped ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage and steady rate including two performances with 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 had eight tackles for loss against Texas A&M-Commerce. Midwestern boasts four players ranking in the top 10 in tackles for loss in the Lone Star Conference including Melik Owens (1.6 per game / fourth), Jaylon Abdul-Karim (1.5 per game / fifth), Rigoberto Carrillo (1.2 per game / ninth) and Justin Guillory (1.2 per game / ninth).

2 |  Senior defensive end Melik Owens ranks third in the LSC and 71st in NCAA Division II with 0.70 sacks per game. He has accounted for 3.5 total sacks this season to move to third on the program's all-time sacks list with 14.5. He needs a half-sack to match Stephen Turner (15.0 sacks from 2006-09) and is 17.5 sacks behind all-time leader Russ Grissom (32.0 sacks from 1989-91).Fortunately, Owens has another year of eligibility beyond the 2021 season. As a team, the Mustangs ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference and 41st nationally at 2.80 sacks per game.

3 |  Midwestern State ranks eighth in the Lone Star Conference and 121st in NCAA Division II in total defense. The Mustangs yield 406.6 yards per game and rating eighth in the league against the pass (246.8 yards per game) and fifth in the LSC versus the rush (147.4 yards per game). The Mustangs, however, have permitted just 308 yards against Eastern New Mexico and 377 yards at Central Washington in the past two weeks.

4 |  Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference with nine takeaways this season. The Mustangs recovered five fumbles and have a pair of interceptions from freshman Dylon Davis and Malik Sonnier. Davis returned both of his picks for touchdowns going for 23 yards at Quincy and 70 against Texas A&M-Commerce. MSU produced 31 points off of the nine turnovers.

5 |  Junior linebacker Justin Guillory leads Midwestern State in tackles with 32 stops including six stops for loss and 2.5 sacks. Senior linebacker Roberto Carrillo is second with 29 tackles including six stops for loss and 1.5 sacks, while senior defensive end Jaylon Abdul-Karim is nest with 27 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss and one sack.

THREE SPECIAL TEAM STORY LINES

1 |  Sophomore Fernando Piedra ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and 52nd in NCAA Division II at 38.9 yards per punt. He has placed 12 of his 29 punt attempts inside the 20-yard line, forced six fair catches with three punts of 50-or-more yards with a long of 70. The kickoff specialist boasts eight touchbacks on 21 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 perfect since taking over place kicking duties in the second week of the season. Vaes has made each of his four field goal attempts including a pair of makes from beyond 40 yards. He is also 15-of-15 on his point-after attempts. Vaes earned LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connecting on a season-long 42-yard attempt and going 4-for-4 on his PAT attempts 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 ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and 29th in NCAA Division II averaging 26.3  yards per kick return. Harrison turned in a season long return of 37 yards last week at Central Washington and posted a 92-yard return for a touchdown this 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 his 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 147-58 mark 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 160-66 career coaching record (.708) including a 13-8 run during two seasons at Southeast Missouri State in 1988 and 1989.

THE SERIES WITH THE JAVELINAS

Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville meet for the 23rd time on the gridiron Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. The Mustangs lead the series which dates back to 1997 by a 16-6 margin. MSU has won the last 10 games of the series dating back to a 27-7 loss to the Hoggies on Nov. 6, 2010. The Mustangs are 10-1 against the Javelinas at Memorial Stadium with TAMUK's only victory in Wichita Falls coming by the score of 29-23 on Oct. 4, 2003. Midwestern State has won the last nine games played between the programs at Memorial Stadium. MSU has scored a minimum of 32 points during its 10-game winnings streak against the Hoggies while averaging 48 points per game with an average margin of victory of 23 points.
 

A Mustangs win would...

- make Midwestern State 5-1 overall and 4-0 in Lone Star Conference play.
- make Midwestern State 17-6 all-time against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- extend Midwestern State's win streak against Texas A&M-Kingsville to 11 games.
- make Midwestern State 11-1 against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Memorial Stadium.
- make Midwestern State 53-27 in the month of October during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002).
- make Midwestern State 81-18 at Memorial Stadium during the Bill Maskill era.
- make Midwestern State 26-3 during the regular season at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2015 season.
- make Bill Maskill 148-58 at Midwestern State and 161-66 overall.

A Mustangs loss would...

- make Midwestern State 4-2 overall and 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
- make Midwestern State 16-7 all-time against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- snap a 10-game winning streak against Texas A&M-Kingsville .
- give Texas A&M-Kingsville its first win against MSU since 2009 and first win in Wichita Falls since 2003.
- give Midwestern State its first regular season home loss since falling to Eastern New Mexico -- 27-24 -- on Oct. 5, 2019.
- make Midwestern State 52-28 in the month of October during the Bill Maskill era (since 2002).
- make Midwestern State 80-19 at Memorial Stadium during the Bill Maskill era.
- make Midwestern State 25-4 during the regular season at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2015 season.
- make Bill Maskill 147-59 at Midwestern State and 160-67 overall.