LSC Week Eleven Preview

November 13th, 2025 4:00am

Week 10 Recap

Not exactly a week for high drama, with just one game being competitive most of the way, two games sort of competitive, and two games that were absolute blowouts.  RJ Martinez keeps climbing up the NCAA passing leaders with 437 more yards to put him in second place in the country with 2854 passing yards.  UTPB had ENMU left for dead but let off the gas a bit much late in that game.  Central Washington and Texas A&M-Kingsville ran away and hid.  And Western Oregon, well, they just keep on winning. 

Now, about last week:

West Texas A&M wins at Midwestern State 56-42

I was thinking this might be a shootout, and for a while, this looked like it could be one of those back-and-forth shootouts, with the late second-quarter score seeing WT up 28-21.  But the RJ Martinez Show turned things up a notch, joined by a surprisingly strong WT running game led by Jayden Hibber.  Hibbler had the first 100-yard rushing game by a WT running back this season, gaining 135 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns.  Martinez was the only other WT player to gain 100 yards rushing in a game with 130 yards against Colorado Mines.  Martinez threw for 437 yards on 32 of 41 passes with 5 touchdowns and an interception.  WT scored touchdowns on six straight drives in the second to the fourth quarters to push the Buffaloes’ lead to 56-28.  MSU scored two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to make the score more respectable and allowed Sean Jastrab to finish with 411 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception.  I’m sure Jastrab got a lot of ice for his shoulder after throwing 56 passes to gain those statistics. 

There were some impressive statistics from this game, including 1137 yards of offense between the teams, 848 passing yards, and the two quarterbacks combining for 62 completions out of 99 passes, 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.  7 receivers had more than 50 receiving yards between the two teams, but WT’s Zach Phipps was the only receiver with more than one touchdown, with 3. 

West Texas A&M improves to 6-4 and Midwestern State falls to 2-8.

Western Oregon wins at Angelo State 31-7

Prove me wrong, Wolves.  Well, they might not have gotten that memo from me, but they definitely went into this game looking to prove the doubters wrong.  The Wolves’ power running game, led by Jordan McCarty, that got them off on the right foot in a big way, scoring the game’s first 21 points and put the already-shorthanded Angelo State offense in a hole they never dug themselves out of.  Trevor Winn caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Braeden Fuller in the ending moments of the first half and ASU even got an interception in WOU territory right before halftime on a head-scratcher of a pass from McCarty, but Fuller was forced to try a Hail Mary at halftime that was intercepted. 

The ASU defense held WOU to a field goal for most of the second half, but the Rams’ offense never really got going, punting the ball three times and turning the ball on downs two other times.  ASU could take advantage of two McCarty interceptions, one in WOU territory and the other just short of midfield.  Tyler Konold put the exclamation point on the game with a 38-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left in the game.  The Wolves won the game with their running game and a solid defense.  WOU gained 272 rushing yards and didn’t need a big passing game from McCarty, who threw for just 75 yards while leading all rushers with 99 yards and two touchdowns.  The WOU defense held ASU to 197 total yards and picked off Fuller 3 times, with one of those interceptions converted to a WOU touchdown. 

WOU’s reward for this win?  They get to play for the LSC championship next week against CWU and (might just be) headed to their first-ever Division 2 playoff. 

Western Oregon improves to 8-2 and Angelo State falls to 6-4.

Texas-Permian Basin wins at home over Eastern New Mexico 47-34

UTPB must have really thought they had this one nicely tucked away and started looking forward to next week when they threw the hammer down on ENMU, scoring the game’s first 27 points and taking a 40-7 halftime lead.  On top of that, record-breaking rusher Jarius Stewart didn’t play the rest of the game after leaving in the first quarter, gaining just 8 yards on 3 carries.  Honestly, it was too bad ENMU was behind too much, because they showed a lot of fight, scoring 27 points in the second half with Chad Ragle running the offense in relief of Stewart.  Little-used running back Robert Nora gained 165 yards on 11 carries for ENMU and gave the offense a much-needed boost in the second half.  But, UTPB was up by far too many points, powered by Kanon Gibson’s 321 passing yards and 155 combined rushing yards and 3 touchdowns from Kory Harris and Camden Tyler.  On defense, UTPB’s Tristan Exline was everywhere, making 20 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and caught a 23-pass on a fake punt that set the Falcons up for their second touchdown of the game.  UTPB just got up big and just kept the Greyhounds at arms’ length, but they might have taken the foot off the gas just a bit too much for their own liking. 

Texas-Permian Basin improves to 8-2 and Eastern New Mexico falls to 6-4.

Central Washington wins at Sul Ross State 73-7

Total Elimination, Part 1.

Another day, another huge win for CWU and another huge loss for Sul Ross.  The Wildcats used their own running game to dominate the Lobos, gaining 394 yards and scoring 7 of their 10 touchdowns.  Justice Taylor ran for 157 yards and scored 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 receiving), Kennedy McGill accounted for 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing).  CWU scored the first 35 points of the game and then scored the last 38 after Sul Ross dared to score a touchdown of their own.  Second- and third-stringers scored against a Sul Ross team that, for what it’s worth, isn’t folding up the tent, even if results have ended up like this most weeks this season.  Kye Callicoatte, for one, looks like a good one.  He threw for 227 yards (108 of them to Yamil Oaxaca, who has the Lobos’ only touchdown), a touchdown, and 2 interceptions while seeing CWU defenders around him all game.  Coach Hays – get your quarterback a line to be safe behind, please! 

Central Washington improves to 9-1 and Sul Ross State falls to 0-10.

Texas A&M-Kingsville wins at home over Western New Mexico 64-13

Total Elimination, Part 2.

Looks like Coach Parr and TAMUK decided to work off a wee bit of frustration this week after three tough losses.  TAMUK went up 36-0 before WNMU got their first points on a 1-yard Zay Savoie run.  The Javelinas scored touchdowns the first 7 times they had the ball (and on 9 of their first 10 possessions), including getting the ball back on a successful onside kick after their first touchdown.  Jack Turner completed 33 of 40 passes for 373 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception.  Four Javelinas had more than 50 receiving yards while WNMU surprisingly had none.  Connor Ackerley is going to want to forget this game, taking 3 sacks on his way to a 14-of-24 passing day for just 135 yards and an interception.  The Mustangs’ two touchdowns were scored on runs. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 4-6 and Western New Mexico falls to 2-8.

Playoff Watch

Here is the last set of Super Region 4 rankings before the official playoff announcements:

Here are the biggest games this week:

1. Central Washington at Western Oregon – The winner earns the LSC championship and the automatic playoff bid.The loser will also likely be in, especially if you’re Central Washington.Western Oregon would still get a strength of schedule boost even if they lose and could still be safe, but they are in the number 7 spot, and a loss could mean anything can happen.
2. Pittsburg State at Northwest Missouri State – The winner of this game will win the MIAA championship and the automatic playoff bid.NWMSU is likely safe regardless of the result, but Pittsburg State could be in trouble being in the number 5 spot.With UTPB having defeated Central Oklahoma, who did beat Pittsburg State, there could be a big question whether a 3-loss Pittsburg State team with a very strong non-conference schedule is more worthy of a playoff spot than a 9-win UTPB squad (if UTPB wins their game).
3. CSU-Pueblo at Chadron State – Chadron State got a huge win last week over Western Colorado and got to the number 6 spot.Could a loss to a CSU-Pueblo team that has more lives than a cat drop Chadron State into the number 9 spot?
4. Colorado Mesa at Western Colorado – Western Colorado has had two straight gut-punch losses and needs a win to stay in the playoff conversation.A win over Mesa might push them over UTPB since UTPB plays winless Sul Ross State this week.

LSC Standings

Week 11 Preview

Here we are, the final week of the regular season, and there is still quite a bit to be sorted out.  First, the Pacific Northwest will crown its first LSC champion in Oregon with the winner of the CWU/WOU clash, with both squads having strong playoff hopes.  UTPB looks like they need to win and get some help to secure their own playoff spot.  In games that either don’t impact the playoff race or minimally impact the playoff race, WT hopes to get to 7 wins with a win at home over Angelo State, Midwestern State and Western New Mexico might throw 120 passes between them, and TAMUK tries to end the season on a high note.  

All games are on Saturday, November 15.  All game times are in the Central time zone.

Midwestern State at Western New Mexico, 1:00 PM

Series History: Midwestern State leads 8-3

Last meeting: 2024 (Midwestern State won 52-24)

Both MSU and WNMU are looking for a win to end difficult seasons on a high note. 

This game might be the most likely game for a shootout this week, with both teams relying heavily on the pass.  While WNMU’s pass defense gives up fewer passing yards per game, but they are particularly susceptible to rushing attacks, which might give MSU a slight edge even though they (and WNMU) haven’t really been committed to the run this season.  It’s just that MSU has the better chance of running the ball against the WNMU defense than WNMU has against the MSU defense.

So who has the best Mustang this week?  Texas?  New Mexico?  Detroit?  OK, maybe not Detroit this week.  Looking at this game, the big number I just can’t avoid is 57.  That’s the number of points WNMU gives up per game.  While MSU’s defense isn’t exactly great, giving up 40 points per game, 57 is, well, it’s quite bad.  Expect lots of passes, maybe over 1000 total yards, and lots of points in this one, and it very well could be up for grabs late in the fourth quarter.  I’m honestly hoping for another La Batalla Bowl, which ended with a score of 69-55.  Make it interesting, Mustangs!  Both of them!  Now, when it comes to what could decide the final outcome, I think WNMU’s defensive difficulties will ultimately cost them here.  Midwestern State by a touchdown. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville at Eastern New Mexico, 2:00 PM

Series History: Texas A&M-Kingsville leads 28-11

Last meeting: 2024 (Texas A&M-Kingsville won 28-13)

Texas A&M-Kingsville took care of a great deal of frustration in blowing out WNMU, and now they head to ENMU to try to end the season with a winning streak.  ENMU looks to build on the momentum they had at the end of last week’s loss to UTPB, where they lost despite scoring 27 points in the second half of the game.  The big question coming into this game is which offense will have the most success against the opposing defense, and from the season’s previous matchups the trend seems to be that ENMU will be more likely to have difficulty with the opposing defense, as they have given up more than 300 passing yards 5 times this season, with a 3-2 record in those games.  The wins were against Sul Ross, MSU, and WNMU and the losses were against WT and UTPB.  I think TAMUK’s passing game and defense is closer to the teams ENMU lost to in this list, and for that reason (along with the unknown status of ENMU leading rusher Jarius Stewart) I’m going with the Javelinas.  Texas A&M-Kingsville by 13 points.

Central Washington at Western Oregon, 3:05 PM

Series History: Central Washington leads 43-21

Last meeting: 2024 (Central Washington won 13-3)

In the brief history of Great Northwest Athletic Conference football, Central Washington finished the season as outright champions 9 times and shared the championship twice more.  CWU also holds the most recent GNAC championship before the conference dropped football in 2021.  Western Oregon has no outright championships and only shared the GNAC championship with CWU in 2019.  This year, those lone remaining football-playing members of the GNAC will face each other with the LSC championship (along with the LSC’s automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs), and potential playoff spots for both teams at stake.  Central Washington was expected to be at or very close to being in this position.  Western Oregon, they’ve never been in this position.  Ever.    

When you look at these two teams, they do a lot of the same things well – Strong, hard-hitting defenses, powerful front lines that drive time-consuming running attacks, and quarterbacks that don’t need to win games with their arms and are often more comfortable just using their legs.  With these two teams that do many of the same things very well, to me it comes down to the fact that CWU has done those things better than WOU.  It will likely be much like the last couple meetings where they were low-scoring and defense-forward.  I think CWU comes out on top, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wolves continue their historic run and pull off the upset at home.  Central Washington by a touchdown. 

Angelo State at West Texas A&M, 4:00 PM

Series History: Angelo State leads 22-16

Last meeting: 2024 (Angelo State won 56-19)

In an unexpected twist, both teams come into this one with 6-4 records.  For WT, it’s the most wins in a season since they had 7 wins in the 2021 season.  For Angelo State, it has to be a disappointing season and a measure of the issues they have had with injuries. 

WT will certainly be motivated to get to 7 wins, and it’s hard to say how Angelo State will respond now that they are essentially playing for pride.  I am thinking their defense will come out to get one last hit in, and their offense will do what they can.  RJ Martinez will get his share of points since he’s been on a roll of late, but he will find those passing lanes a bit tighter this week and I think Angelo State wins a really close one. 

Angelo State by a field goal. 

Sul Ross State at Texas-Permian Basin (Game at Midland, TX), 7:00 PM

Series History: Texas-Permian Basin leads 2-1

Last meeting: 2024 (Texas-Permian Basin won 75-7)

For UTPB, they know what’s ahead of them.  Win and hope whatever has happened elsewhere (specifically, Pittsburg State and Western Colorado) will be enough to get them and their 9-2 (if they win) record into the playoffs.  Both those games will be long over (Western Colorado kicks off at home at 2:00 PM Central and Pitt State kicks off on the road at 1:30 Central) before UTPB kicks off.  If they don’t make the playoffs, could it be Kris McCullough’s third Heritage Bowl?  Guessing he doesn’t want to think about that. 

For Sul Ross State, the Lobos are staring at their first winless season since the 2003 season (they’ve had 8 seasons of 1 or 2 wins in that time period).  The Lobos have struggled on both sides of the ball throughout the season, but it looks like Kye Callicoatte is a keeper at quarterback, now they need to get to work building an improved roster around him.  Remember that this is still a team in transition from Division 3, and they’re taking their lumps right now.  That’s going to continue here.  Unless, of course, the results don’t go UTPB’s way and UTPB ends up going full 2022 WT “we don’t want to be here” mode.  I guess we’ll find out if Sul Ross wins or even keeps it close, but I’m not going there with my pick.  Texas-Permian Basin by 24 points. 

Next week - Playoffs!