SILVER CITY, N.M. – Having opened the first two games of the season on the road, the Western New Mexico University football team looks forward to their home opener this Saturday when they face Oklahoma Panhandle State University at noon inside Altamirano Field.
The Mustangs have traveled to San Diego and Portales so far and will play their second Lone Star Conference game of the season this weekend. The Mustangs (0-2) fell at Eastern New Mexico 37-16 last Saturday, but made strides offensively piling up a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
WNMU has gained 511 yards on offense this season, while the opposition has accumulated 975. The passing game has the edge at 391 yards to 120 on the ground. Senior
Javia Hall (Dallas, TX/Skyline) has led the passing attack completing 22-42 for 299 yards and two scores. Junior
Matt Hommel (Suffolk, VA/Kings Fork) has added a 10-26 completion ratio for 92 yards. Senior
Xavier Ayers (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque) has brought down 10 balls for 134 yards to lead the team in both categories. Sophomore
Henry Norman (Fontana, CA/Henry J. Kaiser) is second on the team with five catches for 84 yards. Redshirt junior
Treydonte Hill (Nashville, TN/Cane Ridge) and senior
Rodney Lawson (Hayward, CA/Patterson) have the two receiving scores. On the ground, freshman
Job McGinty (Gardena, CA/Junipero Serra) leads the team going for 38 yards on seven carries. Senior
Preston Blincoe (El Centro, CA/Imperial) adds 31 yards on 10 attempts.
On defense, senior
Steven Stewart (Fremont, CA/Irvington) leads the team with 16 tackles, with eight coming solo. He also has three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior
Leo Marin (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad) is right behind with 14 tackles, with a team-high nine coming solo. He has 1.5 tackles for loss, along with a half sack, quarterback hurry and forced fumble. Junior
Ian Davis (Grass Valley, CA/Nevada Union) has the team's two interceptions, both coming against Eastern New Mexico.
Oklahoma Panhandle State enters with a 1-1 mark and this will be their LSC opener for the season. After facing D1-AA perennial power Sam Houston State in the opener of the season in which they lost 59-21, they came back against another D1-AA team in Arkansas-Pine Bluff and claimed the 20-16 road victory. So far all of their games have been on the road.
The Aggies have compiled 709 yards of offense, with most of it (539) coming through the air. Opponents have chewed up 1,011 yards, with the numbers pretty split at 592 in the air and 419 on the ground. Cedric Agyeman leads the rushing attack going for 74 yards on 16 attempts. Shane Truelove has completed 39-61 for 447 yards and four touchdowns, without an interception. Andrew Hernandez has brought down 14 passes for 213 yards and two scores.
On defense, Shecari Johnson has 15 tackles, 14 solo. John Pitts has a pair of sacks and Jermaine Wright has an interception.
In the LSC, the Mustangs have several players that rank high in many categories. Freshman
Nolan Grigsby (Los Angeles, CA/Crenshaw) is fourth in combined kick return yards (94), Hall is seventh in both completion percentage (.524) and completions per game (11), redshirt freshman
Tyler Vargas (Ramona, CA/Ramona) is fifth in field goal percentage (50) and sixth in field goals per game (0.50), Marin is third in forced fumbles (1), sophomore
Collin Grady (Glendora, CA/Glendora) is second in fumbles recovered (1), Davis is tied for first in interceptions per game (1.0), Grigsby is third in kickoff return yards (23.5), Hall is sixth in passing efficiency (113.6) and sixth in passing yards (299), seventh in passing yards per game (149.5), fourth in passing yards per completion (13.59) and eighth in total offense (146.5), Vargas is fourth in punting (38.5), Ayers is sixth in both receiving yards (134) and receptions per game (5.0) and ninth in receiving yards per game (67), Stewart is 10
th in sacks (0.75), seventh in tackles for loss (1.5) and ninth in total tackles (8.0) and Marin is 15
th in solo tackles (4.5).
As a team, WNMU is in the top-five in the conference in fourth down conversion percentage defense (.333), tied for first in blocked punts allowed (0), fourth in fewest penalties (15), third in fewest penalties per game (7.50), fifth in fewest penalty yards (148), third in fewest penalty yards per game (74), second in fumbles lost (1), fifth in fumbles recovered (1), first in kickoff return defense (17.67), fourth in kickoff returns (21.56), third in net punting (37.31), fourth in passes intercepted (2), third in passing yards allowed (158.5), third in punt return defense (3.00), second in tackles for loss allowed (5.50), third in team tackles for loss (7.5), fifth in turnovers gained (3) and fifth in turnovers lost (4).
The series between the two teams has witnessed 37 matchups with WNMU holding the 19-16-2 advantage. The last meeting between the teams came in 2006 with the Mustangs cruising to the 61-17 victory. WNMU has won the last three games in the series with the last OPSU win taking place in 1999, 20-17.
Live video, stats and audio will be available for the game with Mike Rowse on the call for KSCQ 92.9 and streamed live.
