Game Notes in PDF FormatCANYON, Texas – The Buffs close out the 2014 regular season with a critical game Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at rival Eastern New Mexico in the annual Wagon Wheel Game. The game has serious conference playoff implications for both teams. The Buffs enter with a 5-3 record overall and a 4-2 mark in the Lone Star Conference and currently are in a four-way tie for second in the league standings, while ENMU is 4-4 on the year and 2-4 in league play sitting sixth.
JACK FM - In 2014, the Buffs also will have a new radio partner in Townsquare Media and 98.7 KPRF "Jack FM." With the new partnership, the Buffs have the opportunity to put more sports on the air along with football and basketball. Calling the action for the Buffs this season is Neil Horn and Brice Edwards. Saturday's game will feature
Kent Johnson and Brice Edwards.
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME - Links to live stats, streaming and information for the game can be found on www.gobuffsgo.com on the football schedule page.
CALLING THE GAME - This season the Buffs will have a new play-by-play team for road games on KAMR NBC-4 as Clint Brakebill and former Buffalo wide receiver Charly Martin will call the action. Martin played for WT from 2004-2008 and leads the school record book in pass receptions (244) and receiving yards (4,108). Martin then had stints in the NFL with Seattle, San Diego, Carolina and San Francisco.
THE WAGON WHEEL SERIES - WT leads the all-time series 15-12 and Wagon Wheel Games 14-12. The Greyhounds snapped a seven-game winning streak by WT last season with a 39-38 win in Canyon. In 2010, the teams didn't play due to the divisions of the Lone Star Conference. The series is tied all-time in Canyon at 7-7 and the Buffs lead 7-5 all-time at ENMU dating back to 1986. WT won the first game in the series, 57-6 in 1945, and the Buffs haven't scored under 20 points in the last eight meetings. WT outscored ENMU 315-188 during the seven-game winning streak prior to last season. WT has outscored ENMU 839-711 all-time in the 27 meetings.
Date Result Location 1945 West Texas A&M 57, Eastern New Mexico 6 Home
Nov. 15, 1986 West Texas A&M 50, Eastern New Mexico 3 Home
Nov. 14, 1987 West Texas A&M 29, Eastern New Mexico 7 Away
Nov. 5, 1988 West Texas A&M 34, Eastern New Mexico 15 Home
Nov. 4, 1989 Eastern New Mexico 21, West Texas A&M 17 Away
Nov. 3, 1990 Eastern New Mexico 32, West Texas A&M 0 Home
Nov. 7, 1992 Eastern New Mexico 56, West Texas A&M 0 Home
Nov. 6, 1993 West Texas A&M 35, Eastern New Mexico 34 Away
Nov. 5, 1994 Eastern New Mexico 48, West Texas A&M 38 Home
Nov. 4, 1995 Eastern New Mexico 10, West Texas A&M 7 Away
Nov. 9, 1996 Eastern New Mexico 31, West Texas A&M 21 Home
Nov. 8, 1997 West Texas A&M 35, Eastern New Mexico 34 (OT) Away
Nov. 7, 1998 West Texas A&M 13, Eastern New Mexico 10 Home
Nov. 6, 1999 Eastern New Mexico 24, West Texas A&M 16 Away
Nov. 4, 2000 Eastern New Mexico 49, West Texas A&M 21 Home
Nov. 3, 2001 Eastern New Mexico 41, West Texas A&M 27 Away
Nov. 9, 2002 Eastern New Mexico 27, West Texas A&M 16 Home
Nov. 8, 2003 West Texas A&M 49, Eastern New Mexico 23 Away
Oct. 9, 2004 Eastern New Mexico 21, West Texas A&M 20 Away
Oct. 8, 2005 West Texas A&M 51, Eastern New Mexico 50 (OT) Home
Oct. 14, 2006 West Texas A&M 21, Eastern New Mexico 14 Away
Oct. 13, 2007 West Texas A&M 62, Eastern New Mexico 31 Home
Oct. 11, 2008 West Texas A&M 51, Eastern New Mexico 27 Away
Oct. 10, 2009 West Texas A&M 34, Eastern New Mexico 24 Home
Oct. 22, 2011 West Texas A&M 52, Eastern New Mexico 21 Home
Oct. 20, 2012 West Texas A&M 44, Eastern New Mexico 21 Away
Nov. 2, 2013 Eastern New Mexico 39, West Texas A&M 38 Home
NESBITT AND WILD WINGS - This season every Thursday WT head coach
Mike Nesbitt will be on Jack FM 98.7 at 7:30 p.m. in a live radio show at Buffalo Wild Wings on S. Coulter in Amarillo for 30 minutes. Hear Coach Nesbitt speak about the previous week and the upcoming opponent or come into Buffalo Wild Wings for 60 Cent wings and hear the show in person.
A WIN OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO WOULD. . .- Give WT a 6-3 record overall and a 5-2 mark in LSC play as the team would finish tied for second and could be anywhere between a No. 2 to No. 4 seed in the LSC playoff
- Be the 16th win over ENMU (15-12) and give the Wagon Wheel back to the Buffs
- Be Coach Mike Nesbitt's 17th win at the helm of the Buffs (16-6)
- Be the 495th win in school history for WT (494-489-22)
- Give WT an 8-5 win in the series at Blackwater Draw
- Give Nesbitt at 1-1 record against the Greyhounds
THE COACHES - West Texas A&M head coach Mike Nesbitt begins his second season at the helm of the program as he took over Aug. 21, 2013. Nesbitt was the interim head coach all of last season and was elevated to head coach in December following the season. He is 16-6 in his career as a head coach.
Eastern New Mexico head coach Josh Lynn is in his third year at the helm of the Greyhounds. Lynn guided ENMU to a share of the LSC title last season with a 7-3 record and a 5-1 mark in LSC play earning him Coach of the Year accolades.
LSC PLAYOFF SCENARIOS - The Buffs can finish anywhere between the No. 2-seed and the No. 5-seed depending on how things play out this weekend for the upcoming conference playoff. To earn the No. 2-seed, the Buffs would need to win at ENMU and have Angelo State win at Tarleton State. Then the Buffs would host the No. 3-seed Nov. 8 at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. A Midwestern State loss at Texas A&M-Kingsville and wins by Texas A&M-Commerce (McMurry), WT and Tarleton State would give WT a No. 3-seed and play at the No. 2-seed. WT could win at ENMU and be the No. 4-seed if TAMUC, WT, MSU and TSU all win or if TAMUC loses and wins by MSU and TSU. The only way WT would not be in the top four would be with a loss to ENMU and wins by TAMUC, MSU and ASU. The Buffs could still be the No. 4-seed if they lose at ENMU, but TAMUC, MSU and TSU all win.
THINGS TO KNOW FOR SATURDAY- This is the 18th game in series history (WT, 15-12) and 17th in the Wagon Wheel Game (WT, 14-12)
- ENMU has the top rushing offense and top rushing defense in the league while WT has the second ranked passing offense
- The game features two of the top kick return specialists in the nation in WT's Geremy Alridge-Mitchell (32.8) and D'Maujeric Tucker of ENMU (35.4). Both have returned kicks for touchdowns this season
- Two of the top three running backs are featured in E'lon Spight of ENMU who leads the league at 137.6 yards per game and Geremy Alridge-Mitchell of WT at 110.8 yards per game
- Coach Mike Nesbitt, a Belen, N.M., native, returns to his home state for the first time as head coach of the Buffs. WT has three players from New Mexico on its team in sophomore offensive lineman Justin Griego (Albuquerque), senior quarterback David Lehocky (Albuquerque) and senior offensive lineman Emory Atterberry (Santa Fe).
ABOUT THE GREYHOUNDS - ENMU enters the game in sixth place in the league standings with a 2-4 mark. The Greyhounds cannot finish better than the No. 6-seed for the playoff. ENMU features one of the top rushing attacks in the country as it averages 311.1 yards per game which leads the LSC. The Greyhounds, who run the triple option, have E'lon Spight who leads the conference in rushing at 137.6 yards per game. Spight has 210 attempts for 1,101 yards and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry with 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Jeremy Buurma averages 144.5 yards passing and 183.5 yards of total offense to lead the team. He is 55 of 123 for 1,156 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year. Jacob Johnson leads the team in receptions with 21 for 559 yards and six touchdowns. The Greyhounds have a great return specialist in D'Maujeric Tucker who has 283 kick returns to go along with 249 rushing yards and 64 receiving yards. ENMU is fifth in the LSC In total offnese at 455.6 yards per game and fifth in scoring offense averaging 36.3 points per contest. Defensively, the Greyhounds lead the conference in rush defense allowing teams just 86 yards per game on the ground. ENMU leads the league in total defense allowing just 373.9 yards per game.
HOLLABAUGH TABBED WEEKLY BEST - WT sophomore kicker Conner Hollabaugh was named LSC Special Teams Player of the Week after he kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He went 2 for 2 in field goals and 6 for 6 in extra points in the 48-21 win. Hollabaugh ranks 12th nationally in field goal percentage at 86.7 and is eighth nationally in field goals per game at 1.63. He is 13 of 15 in field goals for the season and 32 of 34 in extra points. Hollabaugh also handles the kickoff duties and has 54 kicks for a 62.7 average with 19 touchbacks on the year as the opposition's average starting field position is the 25 yard line.
ALRIDGE-MITCHELL ON FIRE - Junior running back
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell tallied his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game of the season Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He had 121 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. He also had a career-high 73 yards receiving on four catches and a touchdown. A-Mitchell has scored two touchdowns on the ground in four consecutive games and the game Saturday was his first of his career with three touchdowns overall.
STREULING WITH THE PICK - Redshirt freshman defensive back
Hunter Streuling tallied two interceptions against the Javelinas on Saturday for the first time in his career. He became the first Buff to have two INT's in a game since
John McSheffery had two at Midwestern State last season. Streuling lead the team with three interceptions this season. Streuling had his second double-digit tackle game of the season with 10 along with the two INTs.
ON THE MARK - Senior running back
Venric Mark returned to the field Saturday as he had 10 carries for 88 yards in his first action since Sept. 13. Mark has been hampered this season by an injury.
IN THE RED ZONE - The Buffs rank eighth nationally in red zone offense at an 89.5 clip which leads the LSC. They are 34 of 38 in the red zone and have scored touchdowns 61 percent of the time (23 of 38).
WITH THE RETURN - WT is 11th nationally in kick returns at 24.80 per game which is good for second in the conference. Alridge-Mitchell is seventh nationally in kick returns at 32.8 per return. He has one kick return for a touchdown this season.
