Box ScoreSeason StatsCANYON, Texas – Three fourth down stands, including two goal line stands, helped spark the West Texas A&M Buffaloes to a 34-13 upset of No. 25 Midwestern State Saturday evening at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Buffs improve to 4-2 on the year and 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference, while MSU falls to 3-2 and 2-2 in league play.
"We had a missed field goal, two goal line stands and a missed extra-point tonight," head coach
Mike Nesbitt said of his defense. "The yardage doesn't matter, they can go up and down the field but if they aren't scoring touchdowns or field goals as our defense stood up when points were out there and we made the plays."
For the game, WT junior running back
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell had a career-high 163 yards rushing on 33 carries with two touchdowns. Junior quarterback
Preston Rabb went 18 of 26 for 308 yards and two touchdowns to senior
Jeremy Watson who had 113 yards on five catches. Senior
Anthony Johnson had six catches for 123 yards.
"Geremy is growing up," Nesbitt said. "It's tough to become that everyday back and it is a tough deal to become that starter. We are seeing a lot of guys grow up on both sides of the ball and learn how to be starters."
The Buff "D" was all over the field as redshirt freshman
Carter James had 21 tackles with nine solo stops, one sack and a team-high three tackles for loss. WT held MSU to just 72 yards passing as the Mustangs had just one yard passing at halftime. The Buffs tallied 505 yards of total offense with 308 yards passing and 197 rushing. MSU had 344 yards rushing and 416 total yards.
"It's important, if you are going to be a good football team you have to win in October," Nesbitt added. "You have to set yourself up for the end of the season as we are a long ways from being done. We have to work hard every day and continue to improve."
Midwestern State benefitted from a fumble in WT territory, but the Buff "D" stood tough and a holding penalty pushed the Mustangs back and MSU missed a 47-yard field goal keeping the score tied at zero. On the ensuing play for the Buffs from their own 30, Buffalo quarterback
Preston Rabb hooked up with senior
Jeremy Watson for a 70-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 6:33 left in the first quarter.
On a third and 11 from the WT 18 following a MSU punt, Rabb tossed a big 28-yard pass to redshirt freshman
Jordan Jones and 47-yard pass to senior
Anthony Johnson setting the team up at the MSU seven. Sophomore Conner Hollabaugh kicked a 20-yard field goal for a 10-0 WT lead with 34 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the first scoreless first quarter for the WT defense this season.
WT junior punter pinned the Mustangs back to their own two, but running back Dante Taylor ran for an 80-yard touchdown for a 10-6 score as the extra-point was missed with 11:23 left in the half.
On the ensuing kick, junior returner
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell, who leads the nation in kick returns, returned it 47 yards setting the Buffs up on the plus side of the field. Alridge-Mitchell entered the game averaging 40.2 yards per return. WT had a 4
th and 1 from the MSU 24 as Alridge-Mitchell rushed up the middle for four yards and a first down. Rabb hooked up once again with Watson for 22 yards and a touchdown for a 17-6 lead with 8:16 left in the half. Rabb was 13 of 16 to that point for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
MSU had its best drive to that point going 12 plays and 73 yards getting to the WT 2. On 4
th and goal from the two, sophomore
LaPear Willrich came up with a big tackles for loss stopping quarterback Jake Glover on the option at the three turning the ball over on downs to the Buffs and preserving the 17-6 lead late in the second quarter.
For the half, the Buffs were led by Rabb who was 14 of 17 for 220 yards and two scores. Watson had 113 yards receiving on five catches and two scores, while Alridge-Mitchell had 44 yards on 12 carries. Taylor had 137 yards on the ground for the Mustangs on 12 carries and a score. The Buff "D" held MSU to just one passing yard in the first half.
WT marched right down the field on its opening drive of the second half as it got the ground game working and converted a fourth and one along with a Rabb 19-yard scramble. Hollabaugh belted his second field goal of the game, this time from 34-yards for a 20-6 lead with 7:46 left in the third quarter. WT's drive of 16 plays covering 68 yards using 7:11 off the clock for the longest drive of the season in terms of time.
The Buff "D" forced MSU into a 4
th and 8 from the WT 28 late in the third. To that point, MSU had marched 55 yards on 11 plays and had 27 passing yards on the drive as Glover improved to 8 of 12 passing. Glovers pass, under duress, went incomplete as WT stopped MSU for the second time on fourth down in the game.
Once again, the Mustangs had a fourth and goal from the WT one with 10:43 left in the fourth. The Mustangs again went for it. MSU called timeout prior to the play and out of the timeout Taylor fumbled the ball with senior
Markus Pierce-Brewster got a paw on the ball forcing the miscue and recovering as the Buffs stopped MSU for the third time in the game and second goal line stand.
On third and five from the WT 10, Rabb hooked up with senior
Anthony Johnson for 37 yards to get out of trouble. From there, Alridge-Mitchell kept his legs moving and would not go down as he rattled off a 41-yard gain to the MSU 10. Alridge-Mitchell scampered six yards for a score and a 27-6 lead with 7:48 left. It became Alridge-Mitchell's fourth consecutive game of over 100 yards rushing.
Alridge-Mitchell scored his second rushing touchdown of the game from one yard out late in the fourth for a 34-6 lead.
Backup quarterback Quade Coward engineered a late drive as he ran for 52 yards and a final minute touchdown for the Mustangs and a 34-13 score.
