CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M Buffaloes open their 2022 campaign on Saturday as they welcome the #17 Western Colorado Mountaineers to Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Saturday is Youth Football Night presented by Northwest Texas Healthcare System as youth players are encouraged to wear their jerseys and run on the field with the Buffs following halftime.
GOBUFFSGO APP
West Texas A&M is proud to announce the GoBuffsGo App available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The app, powered by Sidearm Sports, is the home for everything WT Athletics with game previews, recaps and videos along with links to tickets, live stats and the LSC Digital Network.
A LOOK AT THE MOUNTAINEERS
Western Colorado finished off the 2021 campaign with an overall record of 10-2 as they claimed a share of the RMAC Regular Season Title and made a trip to the NCAA Postseason for the first time since 1997.
The Mountaineers averaged 34.7 points per game last season while allowing 16.2 per contest. Connor Desch leads a high-powered offense as the senior from Centennial, Colorado threw for 2,323 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. Wyatt Burh anchors WCU's defense as the senior registered a team-high 63 tackles last season.
WCU HEAD COACH JAS BAINS
Jas Bains enters his 12th season at the helm of the Western Colorado football team in 2022, the second-longest consecutive tenure in the program's history. He is 37-75 during his time in Gunnison, leading the 2021 Mountaineers to their first RMAC Championship since 1998 and claiming AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year accolades.
THE SERIES
The Buffaloes and Mountaineers meet for the seventh time in school history on the gridiron on Saturday night in Canyon. WT is a perfect 6-0 all-time in the series that dates back to 1938. Western Colorado is 0-4 all-time in Canyon and Saturday marks their first trip to the Panhandle since 2012.
HEAD COACH HUNTER HUGHES
Hunter Hughes enters his sixth season at the helm of the Buffaloes as the Nashville, Tennessee native holds an overall record of 27-23 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.
OPENING THE SEASON
The Buffs open their 110th season of collegiate football on Saturday night as they are 48-61 all-time in season openers. WT has claimed three straight victories on opening night against Azusa Pacific (2019), Oklahoma Panhandle State (2020) and Texas College (2021).
WT has averaged 23.5 points per game during their opener as they have outscored their opponents 2,564-1,992 dating back to the 1910 campaign.
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 the Buffs and Lady Buffs 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.
