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CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M returns home to Buffalo Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, to host Western New Mexico. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. 
 
FIVE KEY STORYLINES
Redshirt sophomore Nick Gerber became the first quarterback under Hunter Hughes to throw a touchdown in three consecutive games with his 12-yard pitch and catch to Juwan McCall in the third quarter in Saturday's game against Tarleton. Through three games, the Levelland, Texas product has completed 42-of-75 passes for 463 yards and three touchdowns while adding another two touchdowns on the ground. 
 
Through the opening three games of 2019, West Texas A&M has dominated in the second half. The Buffs have outscored their opponents 91-17 in the final 30 minutes. Before Tarleton's Khalil Banks scored with 5:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, WT had scored 91 unanswered points in the second half dating back to the season opening victory over Azusa Pacific. 
 
Tobias Harris is the star of one of the best special team units in the nation. The sophomore leads Division II in combined kick return yards (447) and punt return average (38.2) while ranking 22nd nationally and second in LSC in all-purpose yards (149.0). The Buffs also blocked their first punt and extra point of the season on Saturday as well. JewMonte Lewis was credited with the blocked punt with Joseph Radke blocking a point after attempt from the Texans. 
 
Jordan Johnson has now rushed for a career-high four touchdowns following his 1-yard run in the third quarter against TSU. The senior has now rushed for a touchdown in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. The former quarterback also threw for his first career touchdown against the Texans with a 3-yard toss to Brock Gerlich. 
 
WT is one of 21 schools in the nation to have scored on every red zone trip this season. Of those 21 schools, the Buffs are the only team to have scored a touchdown on every trip as they are a perfect 14-of-14 (11 rushing, 3 passing). 
 
SCOUTING WESTERN NEW MEXICO
Head coach Frank Tristan and the Mustangs enter week 4 of the season looking for their first win after opening the season with losses to Ottawa (Ariz.), Northern Arizona and Central Washington. The Mustangs have fared well in all three contests putting up an average of 26.3 points and 422.0 yards of total offense.
 
CJ Fowler has taken all but two snaps behind center for the Mustangs completing 65-of-199 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. The Mesa, Ariz. native threw for a season-high 383 yards and a touchdown against CWU last week in Silver City, N.M. Fowler's favorite target Reggie Colson III as the junior wideout has 19 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Joshua Powell has also been impressive with 13 receptions for 190 yards including a nine-catch performance in the season opener. 
 
DeAndre Williams is the featured back for the Mustangs as the senior has 279 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries. He has rushed for over 100 yards twice this season including a 15 carry, 116-yard performance against CWU.
 
The Mustangs defense is led by Roosevelt Calhoun Jr., who has recorded a team-high 31 tackles and four tackles for loss. James Lee has been equally impressive with 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and team-high three sacks. 
 
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series 6-3 including a 3-2 record at home. The Buffs have won five of the six games including a 27-17 victory last year in Silver City, N.M. where Duke Carter IV ran for 150 yards.
 
LOOKING TO RUN THE GAME
West Texas A&M has had seven different players rush for a total of 11 touchdowns this season. J. Johnson has a team and career-high four scores while N. Gerber has two of his own. All 11 rushing touchdowns have come in the red zone with the longest rush of the season coming from Carter IV against William Jewell in Week 2. 
 
Under Hunter Hughes, WT has had three different players run for over 100 yards. Carter IV has done it four times, including a 259-yard performance against CWU. Warren Witherspoon did it twice during Hughes' first season while Brandon Blair ran for 182 yards in the final game at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium last year. 
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
Gerber has completed a pass to 12 different receivers through the first three games of the season. Four different receivers have caught a touchdown pass, three of those coming in the red zone. Senior Semaj Mitchell has a team-high 13 receptions for 132 yards while J. Johnson is three yards short of reaching the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive year. Newcomers Markel Stephens-Peppers and Chase Sojka have combined for eight receptions for 141 yards. 
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The Buffs defense holding opposing teams to 129.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them 57th in the nation. Hayden Dennis has been the anchor of that defense as the junior has recorded a team-high 32 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The San Antonio, Texas native is 17 tackles shy of tying his career set back in 2016 as a redshirt freshman. Eric Collins has also been playing well as the junior has a team-high five tackles for loss and two sacks. 
 
THIS DAY IN BUFF HISTORY
The Buffs are 6-2 all-time on games played on Sept. 28 dating back to 29146. WT has defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville three times on the date including a 69-7 victory in 2013. 
 
AFCA DIVISION II POLL
Tarleton remained at fourth in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top-25 released on Monday afternoon. Texas A&M-Commerce moved up to 11th after their victory over Eastern New Mexico while Midwestern State is now 15th after defeating UT Permian Basin. Angelo State and WT both received votes. 
 
AROUND THE LSC
Lone Star Conference play opened up last week with ASU, MSU, TSU and TAMUC all picking up victories. The Buffs dropped a 58-28 decision to the Texans in Stephenville, Texas while the Lions were equally impressive in their victory over ENMU at home.
 
ASU opened conference play with a commanding victory over TAMUK with MSU squeaking out a victory over UT Permian Basin. WNMU was the only team not to open LSC play as they fell 36-27 to CWU. 
 
WT HEAD COACH HUNTER HUGHES
WT head coach Hunter Hughes is in his third season at the helm of West Texas A&M football. The 2011 FootballScoop.com Division II Coordinator of the Year enters the 2019 season 11-14 overall including a 6-5 record in 2018 where they defeated a nationally-ranked Central Washington team on a road. 
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The WT Athletic Communications Department will provide live stats and pay-per-view webstream for the game. A new partnership with BlueFrame Technology and the Lone Star Conference has been established with the LSC Digital Network debuting this fall. Fans can purchase a $5 single-day pass or a $50 season pass that includes every home WT event during the 2019-20 season. A free audio stream will be provided by WT with Lucas Kinsey and Brice Sheets on the call. For more information, visit the Football Schedule Page at GoBuffsGo.com. 
 
UP NEXT
WT welcome Central Washington to Buffalo Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, for the Homecoming game. The Buffs are 3-1 all-time against the Wildcats including a 28-26 win last year in Ellensburg, Wash.