West Texas A&M (1-3, 1-1) vs. Western Oregon (2-1, 1-0)
Date	Saturday, September 27th | 7:00 p.m.
Location	Canyon, Texas | Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium
Live Statistics	Link
Live Video	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)
Radio	KGNCNewsNow.com | Listen Locally: 710 AM | 97.5 FM
Television	KFDA's NewsChannel 10 Too
Other Links	Game Notes

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M returns to Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on Saturday night as they welcome the Wolves of Western Oregon for Lone Star Conference action with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. in Canyon.
 
BLACK OUT
The Buffs will show off their new black uniforms on Saturday night as members of BuffNation are encouraged to Black Out the stands at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium. The game is presented by Carpet Tech.
 
WOU HEAD COACH ARNE FERGUSON
Arne Ferguson is now in his 21st season at the helm of the Western Oregon football program. The former defensive standout for the Wolves holds an overall record of 111-97 during his time in Monmouth. His 111 career wins is the second most in Western Oregon history behind Bill McArthur (180 wins in 36 seasons).
 
Ferguson has produced nine All-Americans and a pair of NFL draftees during his time on the sidelines for the Wolves. WOU claimed a share of the program's first GNAC Championship in 2019 as Ferguson was named the GNAC Coach of the Year. Ferguson started his journey at WOU as a player from 1985-88. He was a three-time All-CFA choice, leading Western Oregon with 65 tackles, seven pass deflections and three interceptions in 1987.
 
A LOOK AT THE WOLVES
Western Oregon enters the weekend with an overall record of 2-1 with a 1-0 mark in Lone Star Conference action following a big 66-3 victory over Sul Ross State last weekend in Monmouth, Oregon. The Wolves put together 464 yards of total offense against the Lobos with 233 of them coming on the ground as WOU scored 21 points in both the 1st and 3rd quarters. 
 
The Wolves finished the 2024 campaign with an overall mark of 6-5 as they went 6-3 during LSC action to finish tied for third in the league standings. WOU has registered a winning record in 13 of 20 seasons under head coach Arne Ferguson.
 
Junior quarterback Jordan McCarty guides the Western Oregon passing attack as the Silverton, Oregon product has completed 43-of-75 passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns to go along with three interceptions. McCarty threw for 220 yards and four scores last weekend against Sul Ross State.
 
WOU's powerful running attack features 12 different players that have carried the ball so far this season, Jermaine Land leads the way as the redshirt junior from Oakland, California has registered 193 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown against SRSU. Cody Hall has caught a team-best 10 passes for 157 yards and a pair of scores.
 
The Western Oregon defense is anchored by Tyler Copeland and Kam Forest in the secondary who have both registered 13 total tackles this season, Copeland is one of six Wolves this season with an interception as Dylan Camp has registered two INTs.
 
Sophomore Cyris Taylor was named the LSC Special Teams Player of the Week as the Dallas product blocked a punt that was recovered and returned for a touchdown, made a tackle on a kickoff return and also handled kick and punt return duties. Taylor also added to the victory by making a 49-yard reception – the longest of the game.
 
WEEK 4 MATCHUPS
Week 4 features four Lone Star Conference matchups all taking place on Saturday, Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico are idle this week. UT Permian Basin hosts Midwestern State in Midland while Sul Ross State has their first home game of the season against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Western Oregon makes the long road trip to Canyon, Texas while Western New Mexico welcomes Central Washington to Silver City, New Mexico.
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON REWIND
The #17 Wildcats of Central Washington scored 35 points in the first half on their way to a 52-6 Lone Star Conference win over the Buffaloes on Saturday night at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg, Washington.
 
RJ Martinez completed 19 of 42 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown, despite two interceptions. Phipps collected 99 receiving yards on three catches, showcasing his ability to gain significant yardage. Cam Manahan led the defense with eight total tackles, providing a solid presence in the secondary. Blanton contributed with a touchdown reception, adding to the team's scoring efforts.
 
STARTING FAST
The Buffaloes have scored on their first possession of the game in three of the first four games this season, averaging 6.3 plays and 58.3 yards per opening possession. West Texas A&M has received the opening kickoff in each of their first four contests, averaging 1:53 of clock time per opening possession.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Buffaloes begin a three-game homestand that will span four weeks on Saturday night against Western Oregon. WT hosts Sul Ross State for Homecoming on October 4th followed by a bye week before welcoming Eastern New Mexico to Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium for the annual Wagon Wheel Game on October 18th.
 
THE LONE STAR STATE
The 2025 Buffalo football roster features 137 student-athletes with 102 playing their high school football in the state of Texas.
 
LSC NEWS & NOTES
In the first week featuring all Lone Star Conference football games, Western Oregon, No. 6 Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico, No. 11 UT Permian Basin and No. 17 Central Washington all earned wins. ASU extended its conference winning streak to 14 games dating back to the 2023 season. 
 
WNMU is leading the league in total offense at 466.5 yards per game, followed by CWU (457.7) and WT (434.8). UTPB is scoring a league-high 39.3 points per game. WOU has the conference's top-rated defense, allowing just 325.7 yards per game. UTPB is next at 331.3 yards per game then ASU (348.3). Opponents are scoring just 17 points per game against UTPB, which leads the league.
 
SIZE UP FRONT
The West Texas A&M offensive line features 20 student-athletes that boast a total of 6,065 pounds of blocking power for an average size of 303.3 pounds per lineman.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday night marks the fifth all-time meeting on the gridiron between West Texas A&M and Western Oregon. The Wolves are a perfect 4-0 in the series that began in 2021. It will be just the second trip to the Texas Panhandle for the Wolves as they defeated the Buffs 37-36 back on September 30, 2023 in Canyon.
 
Last year's meeting saw WOU score 10 points in the fourth quarter as they outlasted the Buffs, 24-16 at McArthur Field in Monmouth. Sean Johnson finished the afternoon completing 21-of-38 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 23 times for 47 total yards. Defensively, the Buffs were led by JT Cavender who had 10 total tackles (four solo) with one of them coming for a loss, Zach Schlager had nine tackles followed by Ty Dillon with five followed by Jeffery and Preston Steszewski with four tackles each.
 
HEAD COACH JOSH LYNN
Josh Lynn is now in his third season at the helm of the West Texas A&M Football program after being named the 29th head coach in WT history. Lynn, widely regarded as one of the nation's up-and-coming head coaches, came to Canyon following six seasons at the University of Nebraska-Kearney where he led the Lopers to an overall record of 35-25 including a run to the Second Round of the 2021 NCAA Playoffs.
 
NEW FACES ON THE SIDELINE
WT Football welcomes four new faces to the full-time coaching staff as Justin Bane was named the new Offensive Coordinator for the Buffs. Mike Bethea will work with the linebackers while Adrian Duncan (running backs) and Cole McDowell (tight ends) also joined the offensive staff. Justin Richter was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in January following two seasons as the defensive backs/co-special team coordinator for the Buffs.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Buffaloes have been tabbed sixth in the 2025 LSC Preseason Poll announced during the league's annual Media Day in McKinney, Texas.
 
Defending LSC champion Angelo State claimed 23 of the possible 30 first place votes for a total of 292 points to sit atop of the poll followed by Central Washington (four first place, 257), UT Permian Basin (two first place, 229), Texas A&M-Kingsville (one first place, 211), West Texas A&M (157), Midwestern State (139), Eastern New Mexico (88), Western New Mexico (53), Sul Ross State (51).
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday night's contest will be broadcasted on FloCollege. The LSC and FloSports reached a historic agreement in August of 2024 for the largest streaming rights deal in NCAA Division II history. Fans have two different subscription options: $19.99 per month or $107.88 per year ($8.99/month). Additionally, those who use an .edu email address from an LSC member institution will be able to sign up at a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $71.88 per year ($5.99/month). 
 
BACK ON THE AIRWAVES
West Texas A&M Athletics announces the return of radio broadcasts for the 2025-26 campaign. 
 
Members of Buff Nation will now be able to listen to Kent Johnson, Lucas Kinsey and Brice Sheets in partnership with Alpha Media. Football pregame begins 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Thursday night's broadcast is available online (GoBuffsGo.com / KGNCNewsNow.com) as well as locally in the Texas Panhandle on 710 AM and 97.5 FM.
 
ON THIS DAY
The Buffs are 4-6 all-time on games played on September 27th.
 
1946 - Houston - L, 14-12
1947 - at Abilene Christian - L, 13-7
1952 - McMurry - W, 19-6
1958 - at Texas Tech - L, 32-7
1969 - Northern Illinois - W, 22-7
1980 - Texas State - W, 21-13
1986 - Mississippi College - L, 34-24
2003 - Southeastern Oklahoma State - L, 55-30
2009 - Texas A&M-Kingsville - L, 23-17 OT
2014 - at Angelo State - W, 58-41
 
LSC HALL OF HONOR
West Texas A&M graduate and professional kicker Sergio Castillo has been selected as the 2025 inductee to the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor. 
 
Castillo is the all-time leading scorer in WT football history (437) and holds the LSC career record for most extra points made and attempted (251-for-255). Over his collegiate career from 2011-2013, Castillo connected for 62 field goals – with a long of 56 yards – and had a string of 64 straight extra-point attempts made, which is also a league record. He was a part of the 2012 LSC championship team and helped the Buffs reach the NCAA Division II national semifinals in 2012 and national quarterfinals in 2013.
 
WTAMU HALL OF CHAMPIONS
West Texas A&M's all-time winningest head coach Don Carthel takes high rightful place in the WTAMU Hall of Champions as the Class of 2025 will be inducted on Friday, October 3rd inside of JBK Legacy Hall. Carthel brought the WT Football program into prominence during his time on the sidelines from 2005-12. The four-time LSC Coach of the Year led the Buffs to four league titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2012) and an overall record of 79-22 including a record of 60-11 during LSC contests.