LSC Week 3 Preview

September 17th, 2026 8:00pm

Week 2 Recap

In a very light (but significant) Week 2, we had Central Washington giving all they could against the defending national champions.  We also had UTPB opening up conference play with a cold dose of reality to WNMU and getting coach Chris Softley his first win as a college head coach. 

Now, about last week:

Texas-Permian Basin wins at home over Western New Mexico 69-14

From minute one, this was straight ugly if you’re a WNMU fan.  UTPB gets points the first six times they had the ball, building a 34-0 lead barely into the second quarter before WNMU got on the board.  Seemingly angered by giving up anything to the Mustangs, UTPB then scored 24 more points before WNMU would score again.  UTPB didn’t like that either, so they scored the game’s last 13 points. 

The WNMU rushing attack, which was a near-revelation the first two weeks, came crashing down with just 55 yards on 33 carries.  The passing game wasn’t much better, with Jase Ashley throwing for 99 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions.  Jaylen Rushing was WNMU’s top receiver with 32 yards on 2 catches.  UTPB gained 554 yards, 330 of them on the ground (WNMU gained 176 yards).  Nate TenBarge led three passers with 143 yards and 3 touchdowns on 7 of 16 completions.  Seven Falcons ran for between 30 and 68 yards, with Cheno Navarrette leading the way.  Three Falcons had between 45 and 72 receiving yards, led by JT Seagraves, who had 3 catches for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Congratulation to UTPB coach Chris Softley on his first win a college head coach. 

Texas-Permian Basin improves to 1-1 and Western New Mexico falls to 1-2.

#1 Ferris State wins at #9 Central Washington 28-14

When you’re playing a team with the level of skill and depth as Ferris State (hopefully I’m not offending the Ferris State fans by calling them a D1 team), the pressure is on you to play a near-perfect game and hopefully make the Bulldogs get a bit tight.  Coming out of the gate, Ferris State was nothing but tight, using their passing game to score on their first three possessions to stake themselves to a 21-7 lead.  Ferris went for the knockout, but CWU finally got a stop at their own 20-yard line when a Wyatt Bower pass intended for Dakari Neely fell incomplete.  The Wildcats then showed the same mettle that kept in the game last week and drove 80 yards in 13 plays to cut the lead to 21-14 8 second before halftime. 

However, in what was otherwise as good a half as you could hope if you’re CWU, was the one what got away.  Down 7-0, CWU drove 68 yards to the FSU 7-yard line, where they faced fourth down and 4.  CWU chose to go for the first down, but Justin Brennan’s pass to Stephen Woodward wasn’t caught and FSU would score their second touchdown.  What CWU didn’t know at the time was that “the one that got away” would get away many more times as the game wore on.  In the second half, when the CWU defense would force two lost fumbles and a punt, CWU would have drives stall at the Ferris State 38, 38, and 13-yard line with no points.  Ferris would score the backbreaking touchdown with 12:32 left in the game on a 43-yard touchdown run by Bower and CWU would give it one last try before having their final drive stall at the FSU 13-yard line, the last one that got away. 

CWU did play nearly as good a game as you could expect against Ferris State without winning, gaining 347 yards and holding the ball for nearly 35 minutes, but it was the Bulldogs’ quick-strike offense early in the game that put CWU in a hole they couldn’t dig out of.  Justin Brennan further solidified his standing as QB1 with 203 passing yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 of 29 passes.  13 of those completions were to Mason Juergens, who led all receivers with 134 yards.  Antoine Lee led CWU with 82 rushing yards.  For FSU, Bower led with 124 rushing yards on 20 carries with 3 touchdowns and threw for 172 yards on 8 of 15 passes. 

Ferris State improves to 3-0 and Central Washington falls to 0-2.

LSC Week 2 Standings

Now that the out-of-conference schedule is nearly over, here's how the LSC did against out-of-conference opponents: 

RMAC – 3-5 
MIAA – 1-2
NAIA – 1-1
GLIAC – 0-4
Division 1 FCS – 0-2 

Total – 5-13

The best win out of the non-conference (so far) is Western Oregon’s win at Colorado Mines, although the Orediggers are winless after 3 games with a close loss to WOU and a heat-caused tie at Washburn.  There is one last chance for non-conference success, as UTPB visits resurgent Northeastern State on October 3. 

Week 3 Preview

It’s the first full week of conference play and everyone is back in action, including the late-night battle in the Pacific Northwest between two top-15 teams picked atop the LSC preseason poll.  Also, the teams picked third and fourth face off to see who gets an early jump to the top of the standings.  UTPB visits Sul Ross to see who gets to start a winning streak.  WNMU visits Wichita Falls with both teams looking for their second win.  And finally, ENMU and Texas A&M-Kingsville go against each other with the winner getting their first win of the season. 

All games are on Saturday, September 19.  All game times are in the Central time zone.

Western New Mexico at Midwestern State, 6:00 PM

Series History: Midwestern State leads 9-3

Last meeting: 2025 (Midwestern State won 70-23)  

After the first 3 weeks of the season Midwestern State could be on the way up, and Western New Mexico could be wishing they were still playing low-ranked RMAC teams?  The WNMU offensive success all but disappeared in Midland last week, and MSU couldn’t stop turning the ball over against Michigan Tech. 

WNMU needs to get back to doing the things that gave them success the first two weeks, in particular the offensive balance they had.  I think that this week will provide a larger sample size as to whether that success was a sign of things to come or a product of their opponents, since their opponent in La Batalla Bowl (NM Highlands) lost last week to perennial cellar-dweller Fort Lewis State.  I’m not just going to take one tough loss to UTPB and assume a trend. 

I think that if MSU can keep the ball in their own hands, that they can continue having success in the passing game.  Two of Kaden Brown’s three interceptions against Michigan Tech occurred after MSU entered MTU territory.   I am going to go off the fact that MSU, even with the ugly loss to MTU, has done better against better opponents than WNMU has (maybe don’t get blown out by UTPB next time?), and they look like they have some talent to at least be the better team in this one.  So, I’ll have to go with the Mustangs here (Ha ha!).  Midwestern State by 14 points. 

West Texas A&M at Angelo State, 6:00 PM

Series History: Angelo State leads 22-17  

Last meeting: 2025 (West Texas A&M won 45-44)

WT enters conference play having given up 52 and 56 points in games to highly-ranked Western Colorado and Grand Valley State, while Angelo State lost a rough one to Fort Hays State but improved greatly and nearly pulled off the upset at Western Colorado.  If the matchup in Ellensburg is between the LSC’s best, this one could very well be the battle for “best of the rest” if the preseason poll is to be believed. 

What really concerns me about the Buffaloes is not as much that they went 0-2 against one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, but how they went 0-2.  They got down big and they stayed down big, giving up a 38-point run to Western Colorado and a 56-point run to Grand Valley State.  The Buffaloes defense was knocked out early and never could get back up, giving up 516 yards per game.  Their offense couldn’t finish drives until the games were both well out of reach.  The only saving grace in their start has been that Knox Porter has put up some big passing yards, but WT needs to hope that the four interceptions against GVSU were an anomaly and not a sign of things to come. 

Despite also having an 0-2 record, Angelo State has to think that their season is looking up with the significant improvement against Western Colorado.  Ayden Arp was the biggest reason the Rams got off to a quick start, but their difficulty in getting the running game going contributed to an offensive lull from early in the second quarter to nearly the end of the game and allowed WCU to get back in the game and take a lead they never gave up.  More of a balance on offense is necessary for the Rams to put together any sort of winning streak. 

With the two teams performing so differently against a common opponent, it is hard to see what WT can put together this week to stay competitive, but for the Buffaloes to have any hope of salvaging this season, they need to do just that.  Angelo State looks like they’re already on that track, and if the Rams get up early this week, I think WT will be in big trouble.  The Buffaloes should play better this week, but Angelo State simply looks like the better team right now.  Angelo State by 10 points. 

Texas-Permian Basin at Sul Ross State, 7:00 PM

Series History: Texas-Permian Basin leads 3-1

Last meeting: 2025 (Texas-Permian Basin won 74-10)

Both teams go into this one looking to start a winning streak.  Texas-Permian Basin got their D1 loss out of their system in a big way by blowing out WNMU, and Sul Ross State ended their 14-game losing streak with a win over Adams State.  Sul Ross may have found something with the Will-to-Will connection that nearly set records when the Lobos were last on the field.  The problem with that is that sounds quite a bit like what I said last week about WNMU maybe finding a running game going into their matchup with UTPB, and what did UTPB do to WNMU?  Well, UTPB pushed WNMU around the whole game and didn’t let the Mustangs do much of anything on either side of the ball.  I think UTPB is in just about the same situation they were in last week, with a chance to push around a team that isn’t as deep and as physical as they are.  Unless Sul Ross can create some chaos and get their passing game going in a big way, I think this game will be almost a carbon-copy as the WNMU game.  Texas-Permian Basin by 21 points. 

Eastern New Mexico at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:00 PM

Series History: Texas A&M-Kingsville leads 29-11

Last meeting: 2025 (Texas A&M-Kingsville won 45-28)

Art Briles takes his Greyhounds to Kingsville with both teams still looking for their first win.  The Greyhounds had trouble finishing drives in their loss to Colorado Mesa, having three drives end on downs in CMU territory despite gaining 533 yards of offense.  Mesa was much more efficient, scoring touchdowns on 6 of 8 drives after punting on their first two possessions and was able to wear down the ENMU defense by holding the ball for 40:35 of the game.    

For the Javelinas, they’ll be happy if they don’t get blown out in the first half like in their non-conference games.  They got off to a decent enough start at Saginaw Valley State, taking a 10-6 lead in the first quarter, but then gave up 35 straight points.  Mills Dawson put up 355 passing yards, but a lot of them were after the game was out of reach. 

This is a really weird game to look at, and the overall numbers are honestly giving me a headache.  ENMU has moved the ball well, but is also a team that gave up 460 yards in a loss to NM Highlands and lost despite averaging 481 yards of offense a game.  Seems a whole lot like a team with a new coach and a bunch of new players still trying to figure things out.  Kingsville hasn’t had the same offensive numbers as ENMU, but they’ve played teams that may spend the majority of the season at or near the tops of their conferences.  Both teams have given up the same amount of yards per game (436 for ENMU and 434 for TAMUK).  Both teams also have horrific times of possession (21:00 for ENMU and 24:29 for TAMUK), so whatever offense they are generating, it’s really quick and their defenses are getting worn out as a result. 

OK, I really have to pick this, don’t I?  I think that like in the Highlands game, coach Briles might come agonizingly close again to winning and might again be in a spot where he goes for two for the win.  I do think that TAMUK is probably closer to the level of a team like Colorado Mesa than Highlands, and I think the Javelinas pull it out late.  Keep an eye on this one, it might get a bit weird.  Texas A&M-Kingsville by 3 points. 

#11 Western Oregon at #10 Central Washington, 8:00 PM

Series History: Central Washington leads 47-22

Last meeting: 2025 (Central Washington won 19-17)

Winner gets the jump on the LSC race (and Bigfoot?) 

If you’re CWU, what better way to follow up two close losses to a Division 1 squad and the defending Division 2 champions than to face your arch rival?  The same arch rival you barely escaped with a last-second victory last year?  The same arch rival that might possibly have their best-ever team and would love nothing more than to send you to an 0-3 record and a near-impossible climb to playoff contention?   

For Western Oregon, they go from facing their most frequent rival to their second-most frequent rival (and probably their most frequent obstacle to GNAC and now LSC glory).  Wolves fans would rather forget last year’s last-second loss to CWU, when Kennedy McGill found Logan Brady for a walk-off 13-yard touchdown pass as the clock hit triple-zeroes to cap off a CWU rally from 17-3 down in the fourth quarter. 

In the long history of this rivalry, have these two teams been this evenly matched and this highly regarded?  Have both teams ever been in the playoffs at the same time, NCAA or NAIA?  This could very well be the most significant game in this entire rivalry. 

So, now about the game.  CWU has held their own and stayed competitive in games against one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the entire country.  Justin Brennan has established himself as a legitimate lead quarterback.  Mason Juergens, who leads the nation with 11.5 catches per game, as his favorite target.  Ryder Bumgarner and Antoine Lee has both been solid on the ground for the Wildcats, keeping the tradition of the CWU power running game. 

WOU has made the biggest splash in the LSC non-conference schedule by going to Colorado Mines and doing what no LSC team has done recently, and beat the Orediggers.  Yes, I know John Matocha and the national title contenders weren’t there, but even now you just don’t go to Mines and win unless you’re a solid team.  Jordan McCarty is the LSC’s most experienced quarterback, running an efficient offense that has done equally well on the ground or in the air.  Jermaine Land leads a multifaceted rushing attack while Jaylen Fite is a sold possession receiver. 

Whoever controls the line of scrimmage will have the advantage in this game.  CWU was able to stay with their opponents with their strength upfront, and WOU was able to get significant pressure on opposing quarterbacks in their two wins.  The one thing that I think could be the deciding issue in the game is the WOU pass defense.  The Wolves have given up over 300 passing yards per game in the first two games, including a 153-yard, 18-catch game by Pierce Richards of Colorado Mines.  Also, they gave up 385 passing yards to Southern Oregon, and three SOU receivers had over 75 receiving yards.  I’m not sure the Wolves put Brennan on his back enough times to prevent Juergens or Isaac Torres (who scored the first touchdown against the Ferris State first-team defense this season) from being a significant factor in the game.  Central Washington by less than 7 points.