Game Notes in PDF Format

CANYON, Texas  –  The Buffs return home looking to get back on the winning track as they host No. 14 Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday at 5 p.m. at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.  WT enters with a 2-3 record and a 1-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play, while TAMUC is 5-1 and 4-0 in league play.  
 
INSIDE THE LSC STANDINGS - Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce are tied atop the LSC standings heading into the third week of October each with a 4-0 record.  There is a log jam for third between Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico and WT all at 1-2 in league play.  Tarleton State is 1-3 and Texas A&M-Kingsville is 0-3.  There are (at most) three conference games left before the LSC playoff.  The top four teams in the playoff will play each other with the higher seed hosting Nov. 7.  The winners will play Nov. 14 for the LSC Championship and the losers will play for third. The second half of the bracket will have the No. 5-seed playing at Oklahoma Panhandle State the first week and No. 6 hosting No. 7.  The following week, OPSU will be on the road playing the 6-7 loser and the 6-7 winner will play at No. 5.
 
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY - Saturday's game is Military Appreciation Day for the Buffs.  All military members will be admitted free with a valid ID and the first 1,500 fans to will receive a travel mug courtesy of BSA Health Systems.
 
THE SERIES - Texas A&M-Commerce leads the all-time series 15-14 and snapped a six-game skid last season with a 48-21 victory in Commerce on Oct. 18.  WT is 7-5 in Canyon (since 1948) against the Lions and has won the past three home meetings dating back to Nov. 12, 2011.  WT has outscored the Lions 773-559 in the series.  Prior to last season, WT scored 30 or more points on the Lions in the previous five games with a series-high 62 points on Sept. 21, 2013 in Canyon.
 
JACK FM - This season marks the second year with radio partner in Townsquare Media and 98.7 KPRF "Jack FM."  With the partnership, the Buffs have the opportunity to put more sports on the air along with football and basketball.  Select volleyball, baseball and softball games also will be broadcast in 2015-16.  Neil Horn and Brice Sheets are still calling the action of every home-and-away football game for the Buffs this season. 
 
COACHES' SHOW RETURNING TO BUFFALO WILD WINGS - The 2015 WT Football Coaches' Show with head coach Mike Nesbitt and Brice Sheets returns to Buffalo Wild Wings on Coulter in Amarillo this year.  The show will be Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. throughout the season with live giveaways, prizes and more!  The show will be broadcast on 98.7 KPRF Jack FM each week.
 
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME -  Links to live stats, ticket information and streaming are on the football schedule page at www.gobuffsgo.com.  
 
A WIN OVER TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE WOULD. . .

• Give WT a 3-3 record on the year and a 2-2 mark in the Lone Star Conference
• Even the all-time series with the Lions at 15-15
• Be the 498th win in program history (497-494-22)
• Be the second win over a ranked team for the Buffs this season (1-3)
• Be the second win over head coach Mike Nesbitt over TAMUC (1-1)
• Bet the fourth consecutive home win over the Lions dating back to 2007
• Be the third-straight win for the Buffs on Oct. 17

 
THINGS TO WATCH ON SATURDAY - There are a lot of interesting story lines in Saturday's game.  Here are a few things to watch.

• Two of the top running backs in the LSC and nationally as WT's Geremy Alridge-Mitchell leads the LSC in rushing at 149.2 yards per game ranking fifth nationally, while TAMUC's Richard Cooper is eighth nationally at 138.7 yards per game 
• These are the top two teams in the league in passes intercepted as TAMUC has picked 11 and the Buffs have nine this season
• These are the top two teams in punt return defense at TAMUC is at -0.75 per return for fourth nationally and the Buffs are 19th at 3.94 per return allowed.
• Cooper and Alridge-Mitchell are two of the top three in the league in all-purpose yards as Alridge-Mitchell is sixth nationally and first in the league at 203.40 per game, while Cooper is 2nd and third in the league at 148.67.  TAMUC is sixth nationally in kick return defense allowing just 13.94 yards per return.
• Kristov Martinez and Conner Hollabaugh each average one field goal per game which is 36th nationally
• Watch Chris Smith and WT junior Davontae Merriweather with interceptions as Smith is 26th nationally in interceptions per game, while Merriweather leads the league with 0.6 ranking 19th
• Cooper ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards at 832, while Geremy A-Mitchell is 10th with 746
• Both teams are timely with the turnover as TAMUC is 18th and first in the league with 17 turnovers gained and fifth in turnover margin at 1.83 to also lead the league.  WT is third in the LSC in turnovers gained with 14 (34th nationally) and 24th in turnover margin at 1.00 ranking fourth in the LSC.
• The Buffs average 179.6 rushing yards, while TAMUC is allowing just 123.2 yards rushing to lead the league

RECAPPING THE HIGHWAY 287 CHALLENGE - Despite 189 rushing yards and a career-high 40 carries by senior Geremy Alridge-Mitchell, the Buffs dropped a heartbreaking 24-17 decision to then-No. 12 Midwestern State last week in the Highway 287 Challenge.  The Buffs shot themselves in the foot with 15 penalties for 95 yards and most were offside or false start penalties.  WT held MSU to 1 of 10 on third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down, but the penalties proved costly.  Sophomore quarterback Ethan Brinkley was 19 of 27 for 176 yards and an interception, while junior Christopher Gilchrist had a career-high six catches for 46 yards.  MSU owns a 3-1 lead in the Highway 287 Challenge this season, WT won the first two challenges each of the past two years.
 
PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST - Saturday's matchup with No. 14 Texas A&M-Commerce will be the fifth meeting with a ranked team this season.  The Buffs are 1-3 in games against ranked teams so far.  Tarleton State at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 19 was the only game this season the Buffs have played against a non-ranked team. 
 
THE COACHES - West Texas A&M head coach Mike Nesbitt begins his third season at the helm of the program as he took over Aug. 21, 2013.  Nesbitt was the interim head coach all of 2013 and was elevated to head coach in December following that season.  He is 19-11 in his career as a head coach.  Texas A&M-Commerce head coach Colby Carthel is in his third season at the helm of the Lions.  He is 21-9 at TAMUC after starting there in January, 2013.  Prior that, Carthel was the defensive coordinator for the Buffs for eight years.  He turned around the Lions from a 1-10 record the season before he started to 7-5 and 9-3 in his first two seasons.  The Lions are 5-1 this season.
 
GEREMY CARRIES - Senior running back Geremy Alridge-MItchell had a career-high 40 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown Saturday at Midwestern State.  The 40 carries is the most in school history surpassing 38 set by Eugene Morris versus Western Michigan on Nov. 9, 1968.  Alridge-Mitchell's previous career-best was 32 set last season versus Midwestern State. 
 
PENALTIES, PENALTIES, PENALTIES - The Buffs had costly miscues last week as they committed 15 penalties for 95 yards, but 10 of them procedure penalties.  The Buffs held MSU to 1 of 10 on third down and 0 of 1 on fourth, but the penalties shot WT in the foot throughout the game.  For the season, the Buffs have committed 62 penalties for 586 yards, while opposition has 38 penalties for 321 yards.
 
CAREER GEREMY - Senior running back Geremy Alridge-Mitchell had another outstanding performance with a career-high 40 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown at No. 12 Midwestern State Saturday.  He had 220 all-purpose yards in the game with 31 kick return yards on two returns.  Alridge-Mitchell is fifth all-time in school history in rushing yards and fifth in career scoring.  It was Alridge-Mitchell's second-most rushing yards in a game of his career and second game of over 150 yards this season.  His previous best of carries was 32.  He leads the conference in rushing yards with 746 and a 149.2 average per game.  He also leads the league in scoring with 60 points and a 12.0 per game.
 
ON THIS DAY - WT is 3-5 all-time on Oct. 17 since 1946.  The Buffs have won their last two games on Oct. 17, including a 27-14 home win over Texas A&M-Commerce in 1998 and a 32-21 win at Abilene Christian in 2009.  WT is 2-2 on the road on Oct. 17 and 1-3 at home.
 
PLAYING THE BEST - WT is playing its fifth ranked opponent in six games this season.  WT dropped a heartbreaking 27-24 decision to then-No. 19 Azusa Pacific in the season opener, responded for a thrilling 31-30 win over then-No. 2 Colorado State-Pueblo, dropped a 35-17 decision to then-No. 6 Angelo State and lost 24-17 at No. 12 Midwestern State last Saturday and now face No. 14 Texas A&M-Commerce.  The Buffs arguably have one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedules in the country this season in NCAA Division II.
 
STRONG FOOTED PARRA - Junior punter Felipe Parra has gotten off to a great start this season as he has 34 punts for 1408 yards for a 41.4 average.  He has hit a long of 62 and has two touchbacks, seven fair catches, 12 punts inside the 20 and six over 50 yards.  As a team, the Buffs are 13th nationally in net punting at 38.15 per punt which is third in the LSC.  Parra is 18th in the nation with a 41.4 average.
 
ACCURATE BRINKLEY - Sophomore quarterback Ethan Brinkley is sixth nationally in completion percentage at 68.0.  He is 24th in completions per game at 21.75.  Brinkley is 87 of 128 for 850 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions this season. 
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING - The Buffs are sixth nationally on 4th down conversion defense at 0.143 which leads the conference.  They are 13th nationally in completion percentage at 0.646, 13th in net punting at 38.15, 26th in passes intercepted with nine, 19th in punt return defense (3.94), 27th in punt returns (14.29), 20th in team tackles for loss (8.4), 24th in turnover margin (1.00), 34th in turnovers gained (14) and 46th in turnovers lost (9).  Individually, senior Geremy Alridge-Mitchell is sixth in all-purpose yards at 203.40, 10th in rushing touchdowns (9), 10th in rushing yards (746), fifth in rushing yards per game (149.2) and eighth in scoring at 12.0 per game.  Sophomore quarterback Ethan Brinkley is sixth in completion percentage (.680) and 24th in completions per game (21.75).  Junior kicker Conner Hollabaugh is 36th in field goals made per game (1.00) and 41st in field goal percentage at a .714 clip. 
 
STRONG DEFENSIVELY - WT sophomore Trevor Myklebust is 11th nationally in total tackles at 12.4 which leads the LSC.  Sophomore Hunter Streuling is 43rd nationally and second in the LSC at 10.0, while junior Davontae Merriweather is third in the LSC at 9.4 ranking 63rd nationally.
 
BUFFS FIFTH IN PRESEASON LSC POLL - The Buffs were picked fifth in the 2015 preseason LSC poll which was released at Media Day on July 28.  Angelo State was picked first, followed by Texas A&M-Commerce, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, the Buffs, Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M-Kingsville.