Game Notes in PDF FormatCANYON, Texas – The No. 6-seeded West Texas A&M Buffaloes close out the 2014 season with a battle for fifth at No. 5-seeded Eastern New Mexico Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. at Blackwater Draw. Both teams enter with a 6-4 record on the season as ENMU won 31-21 two weeks ago in the annual Wagon Wheel Game.
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.
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.
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 7-4 record for the 2014 season
- Give Head Coach Mike Nesbitt his 18th win at the helm of the Buffs
- Give WT a 16-13 all-time record in the series
- Snap a two game skid against the Greyhounds
- Give WT a 497-490-22 record all-time (.502)
- End the season with a win for the first time since 2011
- Be the 10th straight season of seven or more wins for the Buffs
- Give WT an 8-6 win in the series at Blackwater Draw
- Give Nesbitt at 1-2 record against the Greyhounds
THE WAGON WHEEL SERIES - WT leads the all-time series 15-13 and Wagon Wheel Games 14-13. Saturday's game is
NOT PART of the Wagon Wheel Series. ENMU keeps the Wagon until next year's meeting in Canyon. The Greyhounds snapped a seven-game winning streak by WT last season with a 39-38 win in Canyon and won 31-21 two weeks ago at Blackwater Draw. 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 860-742 all-time in the 28 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
Nov. 1, 2014 Eastern New Mexico 31, West Texas A&M 21 Away
RECAPPING THE LSC PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND - After the disappointing loss at Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 1, the Buffs responded with a 58-13 victory over McMurry in the first round of the LSC Playoff last week. In that game, the Buffs were led by a career-high 175 yards on the ground from junior
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell. He tallied two touchdowns for the sixth consecutive game and his 175 yards marked the eighth straight game of over 100 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback
Preston Rabb went 24 of 29 for 238 yards two touchdowns and one INT. Junior
Word Hudson caught a game-high nine balls for 96 yards. It was the second straight game he led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Sophomore kicker Conner Hollabaugh kicked three field goals against the War Hawks. WT defensively held McMurry to just 220 yards of total offense and just 65 yards rushing. WT tallied 260 yards on the ground and 286 passing.
LAST TIME VERSUS EASTERN NEW MEXICO - The Buffs struggled on offense at Eastern New Mexico last week in the regular season finale. WT had just 35 yards of offense at halftime and was down 21-0 as the Greyhounds scored three, first quarter touchdowns. WT climbed back in the game with a good second half, but came up short 31-21. WT junior
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell went over 100 yards for the then-seventh straight game and tallied two rushing touchdowns for the fifth straight game.
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 17-7 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.
THINGS TO KNOW FOR SATURDAY- This is the 29th game in series history (WT, 15-13)
- ENMU has the top rushing offense and top rushing defense in the league while WT has the fourth ranked passing offense
- The game features two of the top kick return specialists in the nation in WT's Geremy Alridge-Mitchell (31.9) 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 147.9 yards per game and Geremy Alridge-Mitchell of WT at 117.5 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).
- This is the second time in three weeks the teams have played
ABOUT THE GREYHOUNDS - ENMU enters the game with a 6-4 record overall. ENMU features one of the top rushing attacks in the country as it averages 328.7 yards per game which leads the LSC and is fifth nationally. The Greyhounds, who run the triple option, have E'lon Spight who leads the conference in rushing at 147.9 yards per game. Spight has 259 carries for 1,479 yards as he averages 5.7 yards per carry and 19 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 offense at 465.5 yards per game and fifth in scoring offense averaging 38.2 points per contest. Defensively, the Greyhounds lead the conference in rush defense allowing teams just 85.2 yards per game on the ground. ENMU leads the league in total defense allowing just 361.8 yards per game.
ABOUT WEST TEXAS A&M - Junior running back
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell leads the team in rushing with 1,175 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year. He becomes the second 1,000-yard running back in the last three years (Khiry Robinson, 2012). G. A-Mitchell is second in the LSC in rushing at 117.5 yards per game and ranks 17th nationally in rushing yards and 22nd in rushing yards per game. He also handles the kickoff return duties as he ranks seventh nationally at 31.9 yards per return. He has 19 returns for 607 yards and a touchdown. Behind center, the Buffs are led by junior
Preston Rabb who is 220 of 349 with nine interceptions and 18 touchdowns. Rabb has thrown for 2,607 yards this season in his first year as quarterback. He is third in the LSC in passing at 260.7 yards per game and ranks 28th nationally in passing yards (2,607) and 31st in passing yards per game. The receiving corps has been injured some this season as senior
Jeremy Watson leads the team with 650 yards and six touchdowns on 42 catches. Alridge-Mitchell is second in receiving with 242 yards and a touchdown on 28 receptions. Some of the younger receivers have stepped up this season for the injuries. Defensively, the Buffs are led by redshirt linebacker
Carter James. He has 120 tackles on the year with 11.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. James ranks 11th nationally in total tackles at 12.0 per game which is second best in the LSC. Redshirt freshman
Hunter Streuling is second in total tackles with 70 and sophomore
Patric Youngman has 75. Streuling has three tackles for loss and a team-high three interceptions. Junior punter
Elliot Moore is 27th nationally in punting at 40.6 per punt, while sophomore kicker Conner Hollabaugh is fifth in field goal percentage (.889) and seventh in field goals made per game (1.60). Moore has 43 punts on the season for 1722 yards, along with 12 inside the 20 and seven of 50 yards or more and a long of 59. Hollabaugh is 16 of 18 in field goals and 42 of 44 in extra-points. He also handles the kickoff duties averaging 61.7 per kickoff with 25 touchbacks on 69 kicks.
ALL-PURPOSE ALRIDGE-MITCHELL - Junior
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell is third nationally in all-purpose yards at 202.4. He averages 117.5 yards on the ground, 25.0 yards per game receiving and 31.9 yards per kick return.
