CANYON, Texas – The #14 Buffaloes return to Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on Saturday night as they open Lone Star Conference action against the unbeaten Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville with kickoff set for 7 p.m. in Canyon.
EDUCATOR'S NIGHT
Join us at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium for Educators Night. All area education professionals and their families are admitted free, courtesy of Education Credit Union (please present school ID at the gate for admission).
A LOOK AT THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville enters Saturday night's showdown in Canyon with a 2-0 overall mark with home wins over North American (60-0) and Sul Ross State (35-14).
Jacob Cavazos guides the TAMUK offense as the Weslaco native has completed 36-of-52 passes for 443 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Defensively, Demarcus Hendricks leads the Javelinas with 13 total tackles to go along with three hurries.
TAMUK HEAD COACH MIKE SALINAS
Mike Salinas is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater, being introduced as 12th head coach in program history on December 20, 2019. He holds an overall record of 7-7 during his time in Kingsville.
He was a three-year letterwinner for the Javelinas from 1995-99 where TAMUK won three LSC Championships and two West Region Titles. Salinas is no stranger to the Maroon & White as he served as the Defensive Coordinator at WT during the 2005 season.
THE SERIES
The Javelinas lead the all-time series against the Buffs, 18-17-1 dating back to the 1939 season. WT has won nine of the last 11 meetings including the last three. Saturday marks Texas A&M-Kingsville's first ever trip to Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium.
HEAD COACH HUNTER HUGHES
Hunter Hughes is now in his sixth season at the helm of the Buffaloes as the Nashville, Tennessee native holds an overall record of 29-23 during his time in Canyon. A 1991 graduate of Middle Tennessee State, Hughes has coached 37 All-Lone Star Conference selections during his time in Maroon & White.
Hughes came to Canyon in December of 2016 following a decade as the Defensive Coordinator at Colorado State-Pueblo where the ThunderWolves made five NCAA Playoff appearances including a run to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Title.
THIS IS LSC FOOTBALL
The season kicks off Thursday, September 1st and the Lone Star Conference has 10 teams set to compete in 2022 with the addition of Central Washington, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon as affiliate members. Each team will play nine conference games to determine the LSC Champion.
2021 RECAP
The 2021 campaign saw the Buffs finish 7-4 overall including 5-2 in Lone Star Conference action. WT went 5-2 inside of Buffalo Stadium as well as finishing the season on a three-game win streak with victories over Texas A&M-Kingsville, Midwestern State and Bethel College.
The Buffs claimed 16 All-Lone Star Conference honors highlighted by freshman linebacker
JT Cavender being named the LSC Linebacker of the Year as well as the LSC Defensive Freshman of the Year.
WHERE THE BUFFALOES ROAM
West Texas A&M is home to one of the premiere college football facilities in the country as Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium opened on September 7, 2019 to a capacity crowd of 10,145 fans as the Buffs toppled Asuza Pacific, 35-16. The state of the art facility included Hellas Matrix FusionH XP2 artificial turf along with seven ground-level suites and the Fairly Group Club.
AFCA DIVISION II TOP-25 POLL
The Buffaloes have jumped nine spots to 14th in this week's edition of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Top-25 Poll announced on Tuesday afternoon by the association's offices in Waco, Texas.
Ferris State picked up 29 first place votes to sit atop of the poll following a 27-5 victory over #14 Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. Northwest Missouri State ranks second with 712 points followed by Grand Valley State (one first place, 692), Shepherd (645), Angelo State (625), West Florida (609), Harding (567), West Georgia (543), Newberry (471) and Ouachita Baptist (468) to round out the top ten.
LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will be broadcasted on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. For more information, visit the Football Schedule page at GoBuffsGo.com.
HOME OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of NCAA Division II.
The 2021-22 campaign saw WT claimed six Lone Star Conference Championships, three LSC Tournament crowns, two Regional Championships and four Top-5 track and field finishes including the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Women's National Championship.
ON THIS DAY
The Buffs are 6-4 all-time on September 17th as WT has won their last two games played on this date including a 2011 meeting with Texas A&M-Kingsville at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
1949 - Texas A&M-Commerce (W, 41-7)
1955 - Texas A&M Corpus Christi (W, 46-0)
1960 - at Texas Tech (L, 38-14)
1966 - UT Arlington (W, 38-6)
1977 - at McNeese State (L, 20-8)
1983 - at McNeese State (L, 17-0)
1994 - Howard Payne (W, 48-16)
1999 - at SW Oklahoma State (L, 25-20)
2005 - SW Oklahoma State (W, 41-14)
2011 - vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (W, 42-14)
