MIDLAND, Texas -- Midwestern State squares off with UT Permian Basin in a Lone Star Conference game Saturday night at Astound Broadband Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

MIDWESTERN STATE (3-4, 2-3 LSC)
at UT PERMIAN BASIN (3-4, 2-3 LSC)

Saturday, Oct. 22 | 6 p.m.
Astound Broadband Stadium | Midland, Texas

SERIES HISTORY | Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin meet for the seventh time on the gridiron Saturday night in Midland. The Mustangs own a 5-1 edge in the series that dates back to 2016. The teams square off for the third time at Astound Broadband Stadium having split the previous two encounters. Layton Rabb threw for 280 yards and five touchdowns in a 66-8 win on Oct. 28, 2017 to help the No. 5-ranked Mustangs improve to 7-0 in Midland. UT Permian Basin polished off a self-proclaimed LSC title in the spring of 2021 outlasting MSU 22-21 in overtime on March 27, 2021 for its lone win of the series. The Mustangs returned the favor by clinching its fourth LSC title with a 36-30 win over the Falcons in the 2021 season finale.

THE DEAN OF THE LSC | Bill Maskill became the first six-time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year while leading the Mustangs to their fifth league title. Maskill's 166 career coaching victories are the fourth most by active NCAA Division II head coach and ninth most amongst all active NCAA football coaches. His 153 wins as a head coach at a Lone Star Conference institution are the second most in league history. Ron Harms won 172 games at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 21 seasons from 1979-99.

HOLDING THE LINE | Midwestern State's offensive line has permitted six sacks this season with one coming on a bobbled flea flicker against Simon Fraser. The Mustangs also lead the LSC and rank eighth in NCAA Division II allowing a mere 3.57 tackles for loss per game.

SEE YOU AT THE CROSSROADS | Freshman running back Devin Cross boasts 100-yard rushing performances in three games this season including a high of 139 at Eastern New Mexico (9/10), 111 against Simon Fraser (9/24), and 110 at Western New Mexico (10/1). Cross ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and 35th in NCAA Division II with 628 rushing yards, while leading the league and ranking 25th nationally at 6.28 yards per carry. Cross needs 8 yards to amass the most rushing yards during a freshman season in MSU program history. Teammate Jalen March, who is sitting out this season with an injury, ran for 635 yards and six touchdowns last season.

OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE | Midwestern State ranks sixth in NCAA Division II scoring three defensive touchdowns this season. The Mustangs produced pick sixes in each of the first three games with Justin Guillory going 63 yards against Colorado State-Pueblo, Dylon Davis going 43 yards at Eastern New Mexico, and Melik Owens went 52 yards versus Michigan Tech.

RITSE RAISING BAR | Sophomore kicker Ritse Vaes leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks ninth in NCAA Division II by converting seven of his eight field goals this season (87.5 percent). Vaes has converted all 26 of his point-after attempts this season and is 7-of-8 in field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards at Western New Mexico. Vaes converted a school single-game record of 11 point-after attempts last week against Simon Fraser. Vaes has connected on his last 40 PAT efforts and has been successful on 56-of-57 PAT attempts in his career with his lone miss being blocked last season against Texas A&M-Kingsville. 

CALLING KYLAN | Midwestern State senior wide receiver/return man Kylan Harrison leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 10th in NCAA Division II averaging 30.1 yards per kick return. Harrison ranks fifth on MSU's all-time list with 885 kick return yards and needs 42 yards to move past Henry Johnson (926 kick return yards from 1992-95/4th) and 55 to pass BeeJay Mathis (939 kick return yards from 2007-09)... Harrison is the only player in MSU history to return two kicks for touchdowns during his career. Harrison became the 10th player in program history to amass 100 career receptions against Simon Fraser and is eighth with 110 career receptions... Harrison is closing in on Andre Kelsick (113 receptions from 2001-05/7th), Tyrique Edwards (114 receptions from 2015-19/6th), Statron Jones (115 receptions from 2013-16/5th), and Andy Tanner (120 receptions from 2006-09/4th). Harrison, who is MSU's all-time leader with 22 career TD receptions, ranks third in all-time receiving yards at 1,883. Harrison needs 340 receiving yards to move past David Little (2,222 yards from 2008-11) to move into second place. 

MUSTANGS TRACKS | Senior quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole moved into 10th place on MSU's all-time passing yards list on Sept. 17 against Michigan Tech and now has 2,681... Sterling-Cole is eighth with 24 touchdown passes and is in range of Rahsaan Bell (26 TDs/6th), Jake Glover (25 TDs/7th), and Brandon Kelsey (24 TDs/8th)... Senior defensive end Melik Owens is MSU's all-time leader with 41.0 tackles for loss and yards from tackles for loss (185)... Owens is second all-time with 17.5 quarterback sacks and trails Russ Grissom, who had 32.0 sacks from 1989-91... 

ENDING THE SLIDE | Midwestern State has not lost four consecutive games since 1999. Ironically, the Mustangs ended its three previous three-game slides during the Bill Maskill era against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Mustangs dropped three straight in 2005 before routing No. 6-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville 41-14, then dropped three consecutive games in 2019 before routing the Javelinas against, 70-35. Also, MSU snapped its four-game losing streak with a 10-7 win over TAMUK in 1999.

UP NEXT | Midwestern State hosts Western Oregon for Homecoming on Saturday, October 29 at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.