NO. 15 MIDWESTERN STATE vs EASTERN NEW MEXICO

Saturday, September 25 -- 7 p.m.
Memorial Stadium (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 19-7

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- No. 15 Midwestern State takes on Eastern New Mexico in its home opener on Family Day Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The game is available on streaming video via pay per view 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.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1 |  Midwestern State looks to improve to 4-0 for the 12th time in program history if the Mustangs can beat Eastern New Mexico Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. MSU can improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2018 and for the 11th time in Bill Maskill's 20 seasons as head coach.

2 |  Midwestern State goes for its 80th win at Memorial Stadium during Bill Maskill era (since 2002) Saturday night against Eastern New Mexico. The Mustangs own a 79-18 record (.814) 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 rolled to wins over No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 17 Angelo State over the past two weeks to improve its record against ranked opponents during the regular season to 16-6 since the start of 2011. It is the second time the Mustangs have won in consecutive weeks against ranked foes and the first time since beating No. 20 Eastern New Mexico 56-43 in the 2017 regular season final then winning 24-20 against No. 18 Sioux Falls (S.D.) in the opening round of the playoffs.

4 |  Midwestern State is 60-10 (.857) during the month of September since Bill Maskill took over the program at the start of the 2002 season.

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 160-65 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 (142-101/.584), Angelo State (107-117/.478) and Eastern New Mexico (94-111/.459).

FIVE OFFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Senior quarterback  Dillon Sterling-Cole earned Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors after passing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-17 win last week at No. 17 Angelo State. The 391 yards were the sixth most in program history, while he became just the fifth MSU quarterback complete five touchdown passes in a single game. Sterling-Cole ranks second in the LSC and 37th in NCAA Division II in total offense at 262.7 yards per game. He also leads the league and ranks fifth with 10 touchdown passes and tops the LSC ranking third nationally in points responsible for per game (26.0).

2 |  Junior Ja'Juan Mason leads Midwestern State's receiving corps with 215 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. He is coming off his first collegiate 100-yard receiving game in last week's win over No. 17 Angelo State. He caught three passes for 116 yards including a 76-yard TD reception in the third quarter. The 76-yard reception matches the ninth longest in program history and is the longest since DeAndre Black went 94 yards on a pass from Layton Rabb at UT Permian Basin on Oct. 26, 2017. Mason ranks fifth in the LSC and 82nd in NCAA Division II with 71.7 reception yards per game. He is third in the league and 13th nationally averaging 23.9 yards per reception.

3 |  Senior Kylan Harrison has recorded touchdown receptions in each of Midwestern State's three games this season. He ranks second on MSU receiving corps with 161 yards on eight catches this season with three of those going for touchdowns. Harrison is coming off of his biggest game of the year in last week's win at No. 17 Angelo State. He caught four passes for 81 yards including a juggling 40-yard second-half TD reception. Harrison ranks 11th in the LSC and 155th nationally with 53.7 receiving yards per game. He averages 20.1 yards per reception.

4 |  Jalen March led Midwestern State in rushing in each of the last two weeks. The freshman from Fort Worth has accounted for 195 yards of total offense this season with three touchdowns. March amassed 146 rushing yards including a six-carry, 70-yard performance in the season opener at Quincy with a pair of touchdowns. He ranks eighth in the LSC and 140th nationally averaging 48.7 rushing yards per game. March has also accounted for 49 yards on four receptions out of the backfield including making two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown last week at Angelo State.

5 |  Midwestern State leads NCAA Division II converting each of its 11 Red Zone opportunities into points. The Mustangs have scored touchdowns on 10 of those occasions. MSU also ranked third in the LSC and 50th in NCAA Division II in total offense churning out 410 yards per game. The Mustangs rank second in the LSC and 41st in NCAA Division II posting 262 passing yards per game.

FIVE DEFENSIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State has proven to be one of the most opportunistic defenses in NCAA Division II. The Mustangs lead the Lone Star Conference and rank fifth nationally with a plus-6 turnover margin. The defensive unit accounted for two interception returns for touchdowns in the opening weeks and has produced a 31-7 edge in points from turnovers in the first three weeks of the season.

2 |  Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference in both sacks at 4.33 per game (eighth in NCAA Division II) and tackles for loss at 10.3 per game (fourth in NCAA Division II). Junior linebacker Justin Guillory leads the way with 1.5 tackles for loss per game to rank fifth in the LSC and 50th in NCAA Division II, while senior defensive end Melik Owens averages 1.3 per game (sixth in LSC, 82nd in NCAA D2 and senior defensive end Jaylon Abdul-Karim averages 1.2 stops for loss per game (10th in LSC, 124 in NCAA D2).

3 |  Midwestern State leads the LSC and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II amassing 13 sacks in its first three games of the season. Senior defensive end Melik Owens leads the way ranking third in the LSC and 30th in NCAA Division II with 1.0 sacks per game, but 10 different Mustangs have been in on a sack this season. That also includes Justin Guillory (2.0), Alex Alvarado (1.5), Jaylon Abdul-Karim (1.0), Zed Asowata (1.0), Zack West (1.0), Zach Trevino (1.0), James Williams (1.0), Khristian Lee (1.0) and Konner Jones-Searcy (0.5).

4 |  The Midwestern State defense ranks eighth in the Lone Star Conference and 138th in NCAA Division II in total defensive allowing 460.3 yards per game, but that is very deceiving. The Mustangs are much better in the second half permitting just 105.3 yards per game combined in the third and fourth quarters. That has allowed MSU to outscore the opposition 69-14 in the second half including a 34-0 advantage in the fourth quarter.

5 |  Midwestern State sophomore cornerback Dylon Davis earned Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors after returning an interception 70 yards for a touchdown and forcing a fumble which led to more points which help the Mustangs spin a 23-0 second-quarter deficit into a 31-30 win over No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce. Davis also returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown in MSU's season opening win at Quincy. 

THREE SPECIAL TEAMS STORY LINES

1 |  Sophomore Fernando Piedra leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 33rd in NCAA Division II in punting averaging 39.8 yards per attempt. He earned Lone Star Conference 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. Piedra also produced touchbacks on five of his six kickoffs against the Rams. Behind Piedra, MSU leads the LSC and ranks 15th in kickoff return defense at 13.09 per return while rating third in the LSC and 27th in NCAA Division II in punt return defense at 0.80 yards per return.

2 |  Freshman Ritse Vaes garnered Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors in his debut kicking a 40-yard field goal in MSU's 31-30 win over No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce on Sept. 11 at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington. Vaes is a perfect 9-of-9 on his PAT attempts.

3 |  Senior Kylan Harrison leads MSU kickoff return group averaging 21.3 yards a try with a long of 29, while K'Vonte Jackson has returned two kicks for 52 yards with a long of 28. Sophomore Tre Owens is MSU's top punt return threat returning three for 39 yards with a long return of 21.

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 146-57 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 159-65 career coaching record (.709) including a 13-8 run during two seasons at Southeast Missouri State in 1988 and 1989.

THE SERIES WITH THE GREYHOUNDS

Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 27th time on the gridiron Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. The Mustangs lead the series which dates back to the 1949 season by a 19-7 margin. MSU is 8-4 all-time against the Greyhounds in Wichita Falls, but ENMU has claimed wins in its last two trips to Memorial Stadium including a 30-28 victory in 2016 and a 27-24 win in 2019. Midwestern State is 16-3 in games versus the Greyhounds since Bill Maskill took over the program in 2002 including 11 straight victories from 2002-2012.

A Mustangs win would...

- make Midwestern State 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Lone Star Conference.
- make Midwestern State 20-7 all-time against Eastern New Mexico.
- make MSU 4-0 for the first time since 2018 and for the 12th time in program history.
- make Midwestern State 61-10 in the month of September during the Bill Maskill era.
- make Midwestern State 80-18 at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2002 season.
- make Bill Maskill 147-57 at Midwestern State and 160-65 overall.

A Mustangs loss would...

- make Midwestern State 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference.
- make Midwestern State 19-8 all-time against Eastern New Mexico.
- be the third straight home loss to Eastern New Mexico.
- make Midwestern State 60-11 in the month of September during the Bill Maskill era.
- snap a three-game winning streak at Memorial Stadium dating back to a 27-24 loss to ENMU in 2019.
- make Midwestern state 79-19 at Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2002 season.
- make Bill Maskill 146-58 at Midwestern State and 159-66 overall.