WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Midwestern State defeated Western Oregom 44-32 on Saturday. The Mustangs passed for 436 yards and four touchdowns and added 176 rushing yards, while their defense forced three turnovers.
Midwestern State (4-1, 3-0) answered a 7-7 tie with a 58-second scoring drive, as
Kaden Brown hit
Fabian Baez for 44 yards and later ran 12 yards to the 1 before
Dexter Stigall IV scored from a yard out to put the Mustangs ahead 14-7. Earlier, the Maroon & Gold forced a punt on WOU's opening possession, then struck on their first offensive snap when Brown found Stigall for a 64-yard touchdown at 12:46. Western Oregon (2-3, 0-3) responded with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that included two fourth-down conversions and ended with a touchdown to tie the score. MSU produced 127 yards on just six offensive plays in the first quarter, and the quarter ended with WOU at the MSU 4 and the Mustangs leading 14-7.
The Mustangs' offense produced two 75-yard touchdown drives behind an 11-of-13, 130-yard passing second quarter from
Kaden Brown. WOU opened the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown and extra point to tie it at 14-14, but Brown's 41-yard completion to
Joseph Dodds helped set up Dodds' 4-yard touchdown run at 12:05 for a 21-14 lead. After the Wolves tied it again on a 57-yard touchdown pass, Brown directed another 75-yard march, ending it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to
Davian Watson that made it 28-21 at 7:50. MSU forced a punt on the next series and got a 42-yard return from
Conner Dunphy, though a penalty pushed the possession back before it ended in a punt. The defense later mixed in a
Nathanael Hall sack and multiple tackles for loss before WOU settled for a 45-yard field goal, and the Mustangs reached midfield on their final drive before the quarter ended with a 28-24 lead.
MSU opened the third quarter by driving 82 yards in 10 plays, with
Kaden Brown completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Dalton Bailey at 10:48 and
Jackson Bohannon's extra point moving the score to 35-24. The defense followed with a three-and-out, as
Tyler Cooks made a tackle for loss on first down and another stop on third down before WOU punted. The Mustangs pushed back into scoring range on their next series behind a 38-yard completion from Brown to
Tyler Brown and an 11-yard Brown run, but the drive ended on downs at the WOU 26.
Oliver Jack later sacked Jordan McCarty and
Brayden Durocher recovered the fumble and returned it 13 yards to the WOU 20, though a nullified touchdown and blocked 25-yard field goal kept MSU from adding points. After another defensive stop, the Mustangs closed the quarter with
Kenji Johnson runs of 20, 4, 2 and 5 yards around an 11-yard completion to Baez, ending the third ahead 35-24 at the WOU 6.
The Mustangs closed the fourth quarter by turning two defensive stops and two interceptions into the separation they needed, finishing off a 44-32 win. Earlier, WOU answered an MSU interception with a 46-yard touchdown pass and successful two-point try to make it 35-32, and the Mustangs later drove to the WOU 1 before losing a fumble. The response came from the defense, as
Kameron Griffin intercepted a pass at the WOU 32 and returned it 10 yards, setting up Bohannon's 33-yard field goal for a 38-32 lead with 6:29 left. MSU then stopped the Wolves on fourth down at the WOU 30, with Durocher breaking up the pass, and
Kaden Brown followed with a 25-yard touchdown pass to
Dominic Cox to make it 44-32. WOU reached MSU territory twice in the final minutes, but the Mustangs forced another fourth-down incompletion at their 49 and
Jake Potucek intercepted the final pass at the MSU 12 as time expired.
Kaden Brown completed 30 of 42 passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns and added 55 rushing yards.
Dexter Stigall IV caught four passes for 87 yards and a touchdown and added a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Dodds rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries while adding five catches for 69 yards. Cooks recorded eight tackles, while Hall added five tackles and a sack.
Jordan McCarty completed 18 of 38 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns and added 38 rushing yards and a score. Erick Gonzalez-Bejar finished with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Fite added four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. David Moore Jr. recorded 10 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Up next, MSU travels to Ellensburg, Wash., to face No. 12 Central Washington on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m. CT.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
