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WT Postgame Press Conference

ARLINGTON, Texas  – Coming to AT&T Stadium has been a good to the West Texas A&M football team as it improved to 5-0 all-time there with a thrilling, back-and-forth, 52-38 victory over Tarleton State Saturday afternoon.  With the win, the Buffs improved to 2-1 on the year and 1-0 in Lone Star Conference play, while Tarleton State fell to 0-2 and 0-1 in league play. 
 
Behind a career-high 236 yards on the ground by reigning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week, senior Geremy Alridge-Mitchell, the Buffs ended a two-game skid against Tarleton State and gave WT head coach Mike Nesbitt his first win against the Texans at the helm of the Buffs.
 
"First of all, I am really proud of this group of guys all the way around," Nesbitt said.  "They are enjoying working hard and playing and they have been a fantastic group.  I liked the way we played, not real happy with the penalties, we are going to have to go back and look at the penalties and clean them up.  I am really proud of Ethan (Brinkley) as he came in to the big stage and did some really good things.  Our defensive front seven played really well and were very physical tonight.
 
Brinkley, a sophomore in his first career start, went 15 of 22 for 256 yards and threw three touchdown passes.  Another Buff had his first career start behind center at AT&T Stadium as Dustin Vaughan started in the Buffs' 42-21 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville, on Sept. 17, 2011.  Vaughan also was a sophomore that year in the inaugural LSC Football Festival. 
 
Alridge-Mitchell becomes this first Buff to rush for over 200 yards since Khiry Robinson rushed for 235 yards in a thrilling 38-30 victory at No. 20 Chadron State in the first round of the NCAA playoffs in 2012.  Alridge-Mitchell moved into fifth all-time in career rushing yards with 2,543 as he surpassed Bill Cross (2,474), Keithon Flemming (2,433) and Duane Thomas (2,376).  Also, he has 260 career points ranking him fifth all-time in scoring.  Alridge-Mitchell entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 18.0 points per game. 
 
"We had a great offensive scheme," Alridge-Mitchell said.  "They were going to have to defend both the run and the pass as our offensive line did a good job of getting us holes and we made plays."
 
The Buffs tallied a season-high 501 yards of total offense and scored 52 points which was the most of the season and gave Nesbitt a 9-0 record when scoring 50 points or more.  WT had 245 yards rushing for the game on 41 carries and passed for 256 yards.  The Buffs committed one turnover in the contest, while forcing three.  WT senior wide receiver Word Hudson had five catches for 129 yards and a score to lead the team.
 
Defensively the Buffs were led by a career-high 17 tackles with 10 solo stops by sophomore Trevor Myklebust as WT made 106 tackles in the game, including 74 solo stops.  Reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Week, sophomore Hunter Streuling, had another outstanding game with 13 total tackles, 10 solo stops and a fumble return for 29 yards.  Junior Davontae Merriweather had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown.  It was his third interception of the season.
 
Tarleton State had 499 yards of offense in the game with 172 on the ground and 327 through the air.  Quarterback Zed Woerner went 36 of 57 with two interceptions and one touchdown.  Daniel McCants led the team with 91 yards on the ground on eight carries.  Jabari Anderson had two rushing scores on 12 carries for 54 yards, while Zach Henshaw led the team with nine catches for 68 yards.

Defensively, Kevin Baker led the way with a game-high 18 total tackles, including 12 solo stops.  Chase Varnado had a 48-yard fumble recovery for a score as well. 
 
For the third consecutive year, the Buffs started slow in the LSC Football Festival as TSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter capped on an Anderson 8-yard run. 
 
From there, Alridge-Mitchell broke free for a 55-yard run and score as WT went just three plays for 73 yards in 0:56 seconds to answer back.  After Tarleton State tried a fake punt and came up short, the Buffs went just three plays once again as Alridge-Mitchell scored from 29 yards out for a 14-14 score. 
 
Tarleton State regained the lead with a field goal with a long drive, but the Buffs came back with the Merriweather interception as Woerner was under duress and Merriweather took it to the house for a 21-17 WT lead.  It was the first INT returned for a touchdown by the Buffs since Curtis Slater ran one back for 85 yards at Angelo State on Oct. 6, 2012. 
 
The Buffs benefitted once again from a TSU miscue as Henshaw fumbled at his own 35 with a hit from senior Ethan Morriss.  Streuling picked up the ball and raced 29 yards to the TSU six.  A personal foul penalty brought the ball back to the 21.  From there, Brinkley found Hudson for 15 yards and Alridge-Mitchell scored his third touchdown of the half for a 28-17 lead. 
 
The Buffs went for it on 4^th and seven from the TSU 37 on the opening possession of the second half.  Dakota Hesskew sacked Brinkley forcing a fumble as Varnado scooped and had an open field for 48 yards and the score for a 28-24 WT lead. 
 
On the ensuing possession, the Buffs marched to the TSU 35 as junior kicker Conner Hollabaugh, who missed a field goal earlier in the game, drilled a career-long of 52 yards for a 31-24 WT lead with 8:32 left in the third. 
 
The Texans used a steady diet of Anderson on the next possession as he accounted for 35 yards on the ground, including the tying touchdown for a 31-31 score with 5:34 left in the third. 
 
WT once again had the answer as Brinkley found a wide-open Hudson streaking down the far side for a 73-yard catch and run for a 38-21 lead with 4:39 left in the third.  WT scored in the opening moments of the fourth quarter as Brinkley found senior Xavier Amey for 53 yards and a 45-38 lead. 
 
"That's a play we have run 100 times in camp," Brinkley said.  "I was surprised Word (Hudson) was that wide open and I was happy I didn't sail one over his head or put one in the dirt.  That goes back to practice in continued reppin' the plays."
 
Following a Tarleton State punt, WT regained possession at the TSU 47.  Alridge-Mitchell ran for 22 yards on four carries and then Brinkley found senior Dimitri Donald for a 24-yard strike and score and a 52-38 lead. 
 
"Once we got to that point and up the two scores, you could see the fever-pitch on defense as the front four and the rotation was very good.  They had 96 plays for 499 yards as our defensive guys did a great job of running the players in and out and we were working hard."
 
Woerner was intercepted on a 4^th and three from the WT six by junior RaShawn DuPree as Woerner was chased out of the pocket by a host of Buffs and threw up a desperation pass right to DuPree. 
 
The Buffs return home next week for Homecoming 2015 versus conference rival Angelo State who will most likely enter the game ranked nationally.  It'll be the third nationally ranked team the Buffs will have faced in the first four weeks of the season.  Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.