October 9th, 2024 9:30pm
Week 5 Recap
OK, we won a game yesterday. If we win today, it's called "two in a row". And if we win again tomorrow, it's called a "winning streak"... It has happened before!
- Lou Brown, Major League II
Everyone who won in Week 5 is now on at least a 3-game winning streak AND are all atop the LSC with 3-0 records. Angelo State and Western Oregon have won 3 games in a row, and Central Washington and Texas A&M-Kingsville have won 4 games in a row.
But wait…Western Oregon? Yep, those very Wolves find themselves tied for first place in the LSC. It should, however, be noted that after this week their schedule gets quite a bit tougher, with all the top teams in the LSC still ahead of them.
Also, with those winning streaks, you also have some losing streaks. Both Eastern and Western New Mexico have lost 3 straight games while West Texas A&M is on a 4-game losing streak.
Now, about last week:
Western Oregon wins at home over Western New Mexico 34-10
For three quarters, Western Oregon was on top but Western New Mexico was doing enough to stay within striking distance. The Mustangs were trailing 20-10 after a 23-uyard Zach Gordon field goal with 42 seconds left in the third quarter, so maybe a stop and WNMU scores again and who knows, maybe WNMU pulls it out.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, that isn’t how it turned out.
After the Gordon field goal, WOU took the kickoff and went 75 yards in 10 plays, ending with a 36-yard touchdown catch by Damon Hickok (7 catches for 82 yards) from Kainoa Jones (84 of the team’s 132 passing yards), and that pretty much took care of the game. WNMU couldn’t answer the next two times they had the ball, and a 4-yard touchdown run by Michael Gibson III capped the day’s scoring.
For WOU, Dominique Loggins led the way with 130 of the team’s 268 rushing yards on 24 carries with 1 touchdown. WNMU was led by Josh Magana, who had 258 passing yards on 24 of 46 attempts and an interception. WNMU had two total turnovers (1 interception and 1 lost fumble), which WOU converted to 10 points, and 3 turnovers on downs, which WOU converted to 17 points.
Western Oregon improves to 3-2 and Western New Mexico falls to 2-4.
Angelo State wins at Texas-Permian Basin 36-7
A slow-paced first half (UTPB outgained ASU 79 to 77 yards) saw Angelo State up 15-0 after a Kenton Allen fumble-6 from 5 yards out and a Brayden Wilcox 6-yard touchdown catch, but the real shock of this first half wasn’t that ASU was up 15-0, or even that the UTPB offense was struggling. OK, maybe it does have to do with the offense, but not just because of the ASU defense, which still turned out to be more than enough for ASU to win. No, it was a possibly season-damaging injury to UTPB quarterback Dylan Graham. In the first quarter, Graham took a hit by ASU defensive back Stephen Woods after a 4-yard run and left the field with a broken ankle. Of course, further evaluation and treatment will be done over the next few days, but it is very possible that Graham will be out for a significant amount of time, if not the rest of the season. More on that as the news unfolds.
If the Graham injury wasn’t already a sledgehammer to the Falcons, Angelo State brought their own sledgehammer in the second half in the form of Braeden Fuller, who scored rushing touchdowns of 86, 2, and 4 yards in the second half, led all rushers with 146 yards in addition to his 112 passing yards and 1 passing touchdown on 9 of 15 passes. For UTPB, backup quarterbacks Christian Kaopua and Issac Mooring did what they could, but the ASU defense was too much for the Falcons, who didn’t score until Ben Patterson caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Mooring with 5:45 left in the game, but by then it was far too late for a comeback.
Angelo State improves to 3-2 and Texas-Permian Basin falls to 3-3.
#9 Central Washington wins at Eastern New Mexico 44-28
Two key statistics from this one – Central Washington outrushed ENMU 329 to 220 yards and held the ball for 38:53 of the game. Those two statistics are supreme insults to a team that runs the triple option like ENMU does. Unless something really off-the-wall happens, the Greyhounds will not win a game when those two statistics are that much in the opponent’s favor. CWU also scored 30 points on their 5 trips into the red zone, scoring on each of those 5 trips. For CWU’s ground game, Tyler Flanagan led the way with 126 yards on 17 carries and 2 touchdowns and Kennedy McGill added 114 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Even Cam Daniels added 92 yards as the Wildcats averaged 7 yards every time they ran the ball. The best ENMU could muster was 81 yards by Mario Sanchez. McGill also threw for 165 yards and three more touchdowns, two to Darius Morrison. ENMU only held the lead at 7-0 after they scored on their first drive of the game when Sanchez scored on a 1-yard run 5 minutes into the game. Sanchez’ second touchdown run with 1:35 left in the first half tied it at 14, but the Greyhounds would trail the rest of the way.
Central Washington improves to 4-1 and Eastern New Mexico falls to 2-3.
Texas A&M-Kingsville wins at home over Midwestern State 40-13
This was a back-and-forth first half, with three lead changes in the second quarter, but unfortunately for MSU, the third lead change was the last one of the game. TAMUK took a 16-13 lead with 42 seconds left in the first half on a 2-yard touchdown run by Roger Hagan, and that began a 31-point run for the Javelinas that left no doubt on the result. TAMUK converted two second-half interceptions by new MSU quarterback Andrew Knebel into touchdowns, Hagan had 179 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, and Teague Sedtal had another solid game with 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Knebel certainly wasn’t short on effort, throwing for 257 yards, but he just completed 18 of 41 passes and threw those two interceptions that marred the two touchdowns he threw earlier in the game. Devon Cross and Jalen March combined for just 41 yards on 12 carries, and if MSU gets that from their top two offensive players, they aren’t winning.
Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 4-1 and Midwestern State falls to 2-3.
LSC Standings
School | LSC | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
Central Washington | 3-0 | 4-1 | |
Texas A&M-Kingsville | 3-0 | 4-1 | |
Angelo State | 3-0 | 3-2 | |
Western Oregon | 3-0 | 3-2 | |
Texas-Permian Basin | 2-2 | 3-3 | |
Midwestern State | 1-2 | 2-3 | |
West Texas A&M | 1-2 | 1-4 | |
Eastern New Mexico | 0-3 | 2-3 | |
Sul Ross State | 0-3 | 1-4 | |
Western New Mexico | 0-4 | 2-4 | |
Week 6 Preview
Business is seriously going to pick up this week. No off weeks this week, with a full slate of conference games. Two of the top teams in the LSC face off in San Angelo, where the Rams host the Javelinas with the winner getting a leg up in the standings. Central Washington hosts UPTB in what the Wildcats hope is a revenge game for last year’s loss that cost CWU the LSC championship. Western Oregon tries to keep surprising with a home game against ENMU. MSU tries to get back in the win column with a home game against Sul Ross State, and West Texas A&M tries to break their 4-game losing streak with a win over Western New Mexico.
All games are on Saturday, October 12. All game times are in the Central time zone.
Eastern New Mexico at Western Oregon, 3:05 PM
Series History: Eastern New Mexico leads 3-1
Last meeting: 2023 (Eastern New Mexico won 30-29)
Western Oregon has taken advantage of a weaker early LSC schedule to sit atop the LSC standing with a 3-0 conference record. Can they keep it going against an ENMU team that has lost 3 straight in LSC play? For both teams, success in this game will likely come down to who can have the most success running the ball and holding back the opponent’s rushing attack. WOU runs for 192 yards a game and gives up 92 yards a game on the ground, while ENMU’s triple-option gains 361 yards a game while they give up 229 yards a game. Both teams are nearly even on points scored and given up (WOU scores 24 per game and gives up 25 points per game; ENMU scores 32 points per game and has given up 32 points per game).
We all know ENMU is going to run the ball, it’s what they do, and they won’t stop doing it no matter what. The question then is whether ENMU can hold back WOU when the Wolves’ offense is on the field. What might make things difficult for ENMU is that WOU’s major defensive weakness is against the pass, something ENMU doesn’t do unless they need to, so I’ll be very curious whether ENMU considers opening up their offense even a little bit to try to take advantage. That being said, I think this could be a nail-biter but WOU’s success against the run might cause ENMU’s offense to stall enough for the Wolves to pull out a win. Western Oregon by a field goal.
Texas A&M-Kingsville at Angelo State, 6:00 PM
Series History: Texas A&M-Kingsville leads 33-23
Last meeting: 2023 (Angelo State won 38-16)
Here’s your LSC Game of the Week. TAMUK avoided a possible trap game by pulling away from Midwestern State in the second half, and Angelo State exorcised last year’s UTPB demons with their own dominating win. Both teams are atop the LSC standings with 3-0 records and they both also seem to be improving every week, especially on offense. Both teams now have quarterbacks who have performed well over the past 3 weeks, with TAMUK’s Teague Sedtal stabilizing the passing attack and ASU’s Braeden Fuller as a dual-threat quarterback. Both teams also have wins over UTPB in LSC play.
With both teams improving as the season has gone on, it is the defense that I will be looking at to make the largest impact in this game. Both teams’ defenses have done well in 2024, even in their losses, but I am going to argue that since ASU has done it against tougher opposition, that the Rams’ defense will bring slightly more to the table than Kingsville. This is a tough one to pick as I think it can go either way, and it should be close throughout, with ASU making one or two more important plays late to win. Angelo State by 7 points.
Sul Ross State at Midwestern State, 7:00 PM
Series History: Series tied 6-6
Last meeting: 1996 (Sul Ross State won 14-13)
Bit of a surprise seeing Sul Ross State’s last matchup with an LSC school being a Lobos win. If you were curious, MSU went 2-8 in 1996 as they were transitioning to Division 2, and Sul Ross State 6-4 in their first season in the American Southwest Conference. The Lobos’ next (and most recent) winning season was another 6-4 season in 2016.
This matchup is yet another physical test for Sul Ross State’s defensive front, as MSU would love nothing more than to control the game on the ground (Sul Ross State gives up 290 rushing yards per game) and not have to worry about where the passing yards will come from while working in whoever they choose to be their quarterback. Sul Ross State has been looking a lot like Western New Mexico this year in that they want to get into a passing contest since their ground game only averages 79 yards a game. Combine that with MSU giving up 170 yards passing a game with 5 interceptions, and this isn’t a good recipe for the Lobos to win. Midwestern State by 14 points.
Western New Mexico at West Texas A&M, 7:00 PM
Series History: West Texas A&M leads 9-4
Last meeting: 2023 (West Texas A&M won 49-27)
Forum user Buffalo/Islander Alum managed to write up a recap about WT losing to the ever-dangerous bye week, so what will be in store for the Buffaloes when they host a real-life opponent in WNMU? WT has had a couple weeks to think about a season that could very well be on the fast track to a free-fall. To their defense, there aren’t many teams who would do better than 2-3 against the schedule WT has played against (but, they really lost to Western Oregon again, really?) so maybe head coach Josh Lynn isn’t quite on the hot seat yet. However, this is a game the Buffaloes should win, but if they don’t, coach Lynn’s seat might feel like it’s in the middle of Palo Duro Canyon.
I think WT should have success running the ball for the first time in some time since WNMU gives up 213 rushing yards per game. This will be good news for Tre’Jon Henderson and Sean Johnson, both of whom haven’t seen much running space since the Sul Ross State game. Success running should also take pressure off Johnson and allow him to complete some passes downfield, along with keeping the WNMU passing attack off the field. I also don’t know that WNMU will be able to run the ball effectively against a WT defense that hasn’t been great against the run either, allowing 180 yards pe game. Basically, if the Buffaloes can hold onto the ball, they should win. West Texas A&M by 14 points.
https://www.weather.gov/ama/NewPaloDuroCanyonForecastZone
Texas-Permian Basin at #?? Central Washington, 8:00 PM
Series History: Series tied 1-1
Last meeting: 2023 (Texas-Permian Basin won 42-14)
Last year this was the LSC Championship Game, and the Falcons did not disappoint with a dominating win that seemed to build momentum for a deep playoff run. Well, not so fast, I guess… UTPB lost a rock fight in the first round, and it was CWU who made the deep playoff run and were ultimately picked as favorites to win the LSC this season. But UTPB is still the LSC champions until they’re dethroned, and this is certainly a game that CWU has had circled on their calendar for quite some time.
As mentioned earlier, UTPB suffered a significant blow to their ever-shrinking playoff and LSC hopes with the loss of quarterback Dylan Graham. As of right now, I am expecting him to be out for a significant amount of time. Going to Ellensburg was going to be tough enough for the Falcons, now it just got all that much tougher against a CWU team who avoided a possible trap game with a dominant running attack to win on the road at ENMU. The Wildcats look primed for a showdown with either Angelo State or Texas A&M-Kingsville (or maybe Western Oregon?) for the LSC title.
Both teams have had their best success when running the ball well. CWU is stronger on the ground, averaging 262 yards per game while UTPB averages 154 yards a game. The passing numbers are reversed, with UTPB averaging 264 yards per game and CWU 171 yards per game. CWU has a slightly better defense, giving up 229 total yards per game and 14 points per game (UTPB gives up 268 total yards per game and 19 points per game). For UTPB, of course, those numbers were with Graham at quarterback, and I can’t expect that the Falcons will get the same production from their passing game with Christian Kaopua or Issac Mooring. If UTPB then becomes more reliant on rushers like Kory Harris, this will play into CWU’s hands defensively. And I do think CWU’s defense will be the difference here. I expect a low-scoring game with UTPB struggling to get points, and CWU will get their revenge. Central Washington by 10 points.