LSC Week Seven Preview

October 15th, 2026 2:00pm

Week 6 Recap

Last week’s afternoon session was something else.  Texas A&M-Kingsville and Western Oregon went back and forth the whole way, but TAMUK made the one stop they needed to pull the game out.  Western New Mexico held Eastern New Mexico at arms’ length most of the game to win a high-scoring shootout in the Green Chile Bowl and keep the Greyhounds winless.  Angelo State blasted Sul Ross State, West Texas A&M had multiple chances to tie UTPB late, but UTPB held them off each time.  And finally, Central Washington held back the Midwestern State passing game and Isaac Torres stole the show as the Wildcats stayed atop the LSC. 

Now, about last week:

Western New Mexico wins at home over Eastern New Mexico 61-55

This game actually got off to a slow-ish start, with both teams trading touchdowns and punts over their first two drives of the game, the teams pretty much decided that punting was a mostly optional activity.   WNMU only punted two more times on the day and ENMU only once, but it was a punt late in the second quarter that WNMU converted to a touchdown at the halftime buzzer to put the Mustangs up 34-21 at the half, a lead that ENMU could never erase.  The Greyhounds would get within one touchdown five times in the second half, but never could even the score or take the lead. 

WNMU outgained ENMU 661 to 616 yards.  ENMU’s Clifton Cooper took all the snaps at quarterback for the first time by an ENMU quarterback this season, and threw for 295 yards, a touchdown, and an interception and also ran for 154 yards and 4 touchdowns.  WNMU’s Jace Ashley threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns and also ran for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Devon Nofoa-Masoe ran for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns for WNMU to lead all rushers and WNMU’s Zakarii Black had 105 receiving yards to lead all receivers.  This game was all offense, all the time, and it turns out that all WNMU needed to do to win the Green Chile Bowl was to not match their season average for points given up per game at 61.  

Western New Mexico improves to 2-4 and Eastern New Mexico falls to 0-6.

Texas A&M-Kingsville wins at Western Oregon 58-51

Despite moving the ball well early, TAMUK’s special teams got them in a bit trouble.  First, a blocked punt set WOU up on the short field, where they scored the game’s first points on a 5-yard Tyler Konold touchdown run.  After Kingsville answered with a field goal, Tony McAdoo took the kickoff 87 yards to put WOU up 14-3.  Two special teams screw-ups, two WOU touchdowns.  Kingsville continued to move the ball well but was settling for field goals until they got their first lead at 16-14 and their first touchdown on a 6-yard Edward Chumley touchdown run.  But defense would soon take a back seat in this one.  The teams would essentially trade scores over the rest of the game, with a total of 11 lead changes (5 in the second half) and 4 ties in the second half.  Kingsville finally made the one stop they needed with the game tied at 51, forcing a WOU punt with 4:40 left in the game. The Javelinas would then score the game-winning touchdown on 7-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Levi Fontenot.  WOU would fail to make a final answer, turning the ball over on downs at their 43-yard line with 26 seconds left in the game.      

Both teams moved the ball well, although Kingsville had their best game of the season, gaining 621 yards to WOU’s 439.  Mills Dawson threw for 408 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran for 2 touchdowns, and Christian Kretz had the game of his life with 291 receiving yards on 16 catches and 2 touchdowns.  Edward Chumley also ran for 99 yards and touchdown.  For WOU, Jordan McCarty ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for one touchdown.  Jayshon Limar ran for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Bottom line here was that in a game where defense was mostly optional, it was Kingsville who made just enough stops to make the difference in the game.  A real shame that anyone had to lose since this one could very well be the game of the year in the LSC. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 4-2 and Western Oregon falls to 2-4.

Angelo State wins at home over Sul Ross State 64-0

Angelo State did start off fairly slowly, punting on two straight drives after scoring a touchdown on their first drive, but once the Rams got going, they couldn’t be stopped.  A 14-point first quarter was followed by a 31-point second quarter, and ASU put this game into cruise control.  ASU forced six Sul Ross turnovers and scored points off all of them, including two fumble returns and one interception return for touchdowns.  ASU outgained Sul Ross 416 to 184 yards and held the Lobos to negative-33 rushing yards.  No single player really stood out for ASU due to backups getting extended time, but Maddox Maher got the start at quarterback and threw for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Will Howell threw for 204 yards for Sul Ross but was picked off four times. 

Angelo State improves to 2-4 and Sul Ross State falls to 2-4.

#23 Texas-Permian Basin wins at West Texas A&M 24-17

This game got off to a quick start, with UTPB and WT trading touchdowns to end the first quarter tied at 7.  A Nate TenBarge 4-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the second quarter put UTPB back up 14-7.  UTPB led 21-10 after the third quarter and WT drew to within 21-17 with 14:45 left I the game on a 34-yard touchdown catch by Joseph White.  UTPB would answer with a field goal with 9:10 left to go up 24-17 and WT would then have three possessions with a chance to tie.  The first drive the Buffaloes went 3-and-out and had to punt on fourth-and-22.  The second time, WT drove from their 35-yard line to the UTPB 36-yard line but couldn’t convert a fourth-and-2 as Porter’s pass was broken up by McKyle So’Oto.  The final WT drive came with 1:47 left.  Porter was sacked on the second WT play of the drive and had to be removed from the game due to an injury.  Jayden Macedo ended up with his first truly significant action of the season and drove the Buffaloes to the UTPB 35-yard line but was picked off at the 27 by Nicholas Butler and that was it.  A strong effort by WT, but not quite enough to get the win. 

For UTPB, TenBarge did enough to win, completing 17 of 33 passes for 202 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and he also ran for a touchdown.  Tre Brown led UTPB receivers with 72 yards and a touchdown catch.  For WT, Porter completed 26 of 52 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.  He also led WT with 25 rushing yards on a night where the Buffaloes ground game was nearly nonexistent.  WT kept the game close and had their chances, but they never could make the play that could have made for some high drama at the end. 

Texas-Permian Basin improves to 5-1 and West Texas A&M falls to 1-5.  

#8 Central Washington wins at home over Midwestern State 44-29

This game would serve as the major test for the resurgent Mustangs and their high-flying passing attack, and they held their own for most of the first half.  But late in the second quarter, the Midwestern State offense started to crumble under the CWU defensive pressure, turning the ball over on downs down 27-21 with 52 seconds left in the half.  CWU would get a 47-yard field goal from David Weber to put the Wildcats up 30-21 going into the locker room and would extend that lead to 37-21 after a 1-yard touchdown run by Ryder Bumgarner on the first drive of the second half.  CWU would lead 44-21 before an 11-yard touchdown catch by Ace Traylor followed by a 2-point conversion pass accounted for the final margin of victory. 

The CWU defense made MSU work for everything, particularly in the passing game, where Kaden Brown threw for 237 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.  Joseph Dodds did have a solid game with 114 rushing yards and a touchdown, but the Mustangs weren’t winning this one on the ground.  For CWU, Justin Brennan was the better quarterback, completing 20 of 29 passes for 299 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.  Isaac Torres was the star of the game, catching 8 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns.  CWU held the ball for 35:10 of the game, outgained MSU 506 to 370 yards. and scored the first six times they had the ball (5 touchdowns and 1 field goal).  It ended up being the MSU defense that ultimately cost the Mustangs the game – you can’t let CWU go through 2 and a half quarters before stopping them.    

Central Washington improves to 4-2 and Midwestern State falls to 4-2.  

LSC Standings

Week 7 Preview

There will be some movement atop the LSC this week as Central Washington and Texas A&M-Kingsville battle to see who wins their fifth straight game and move to 5-0 in LSC play.  Texas-Permian Basin also looks to move to 5-0 in LSC play and win their sixth straight game while visiting Western Oregon tries to break their four-game losing streak.  The Wagon Wheel is on the line again in Portales, where WT looks to win it back for the third straight year and Eastern New Mexico is still looking for their first win of 2026.  Midwestern State tries to get back their momentum at home against Angelo State.  Expect lots of points at Sul Ross State, where the Golden Tumbleweed is up for grabs against Western New Mexico. 

All games are on Saturday, October 17.  All game times are in the Central time zone.

West Texas A&M at Eastern New Mexico, 4:00 PM

Series History: West Texas A&M leads 20-19

Last meeting: 2025 (West Texas A&M won 43-14)

The 40th edition of the Wagon Wheel Game. 

Previously I mentioned that given ENMU’s struggles this season, that their games the last two weeks were likely their best chances of winning.  Now that those weeks are now past, ENMU is still winless, having given up 56 and 61 points in those games.  The Greyhounds have now given up more than 56 points in their last four games and haven’t given up less than 35 points in a game this season.  Their defensive struggles have managed to run under the radar in this column, which has spoken at length about WNMU and WOU’s issues.  Now I turn my attention to ENMU, who has given up 51 points per game and 533 yards of offense per game, and seem to be getting worse every week.  Typically, we want to see progress as the season goes on, especially for a team playing under a new coach, but that isn’t happening. 

Now, let’s turn our attention to the 1-5 Buffaloes.  While their defense is giving up 491 yards and 37 points per game, they have at least shown a pulse (albeit an inconsistent pulse) in recent weeks, giving their offense multiple chances to tie the UTPB game and making life difficult for Angelo State in WT’s only win.  They haven’t been great, but compared to ENMU, well, I don’t know what’s going on at ENMU, but it isn’t good.  Both teams should be able to move the ball and score their share of points, but WT at least can make a few stops while EMNU hasn’t proven that at all.  West Texas A&M keeps the Wagon Wheel, winning by 10 points.

Western Oregon at #19 Texas-Permian Basin, 6:00 PM (Game at Midland, TX)

Series History: Tied 2-2

Last meeting: 2025 (Western Oregon won 31-28)

Currently on a four-game losing streak, Western Oregon has gone from playoff hopefuls to potential playoff spoilers.  UTPB is on a 5-game winning streak and looks to stay undefeated in conference play after two tight wins on the road and come back home after an undefeated 4-game road trip.  On offense, WOU is a better running team and UTPB is the better passing team, which could once again be a problem for that beleaguered WOU pass defense.  Like WOU, UTPB is much better against the run than the pass, but the UTPB pass defense currently leads the nation with 15 interceptions despite giving up 272 yards per game in the air, which is also in the nation’s bottom 25% of teams (if you were curious, WNMU, ENMU, and WT are also in this group). 

I expect there will quite a few footballs in the air in this one, although I think the team more capable of having more balanced and clean drives will come out on top.  To me, UTPB is the team that is more likely to do that.  I see the UTPB defense, having forced 21 turnovers to WOU’s 6 this season, as the deciding factor in the game.  Texas-Permian Basin by 7 points.

#7 Central Washington at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:00 PM

Series History: Central Washington leads 5-3

Last meeting: 2025 (Central Washington won 24-21)

Who stays in first place in the LSC after this game?  Kingsville had their best offensive performance of the season in last week’s shootout win over Western Oregon, while CWU tamed the high-flying MSU Mustangs in their win.  The winner stays atop the LSC standings and, if UTPB loses, may be in sole possession of the conference lead. 

Both Kingsville and CWU have shown balanced offenses this season with solid quarterback play and effective rushing attacks.  The Javelinas’ main issue on offense has been turnovers, which were a big factor in their two losses.  For CWU, their main difficulty has been their rush defense, where they’ve given up 212 yards per game, so the attention could squarely be on Edward Chumley and the TAMUK ground game to keep the Javelinas afloat.

TAMUK has looked very good during their winning streak, and has shown quite a bit of resolve in pulling out two really tight wins.  However, CWU is the best and most balanced team they have played since the first week of the season, and while I don’t expect this game to go the way of that game, I do think CWU is going to have a more efficient and cleaner game and get the win in what might be a grind of a game.  Central Washington by 7 points. 

Western New Mexico at Sul Ross State, 7:00 PM

Series History: Western New Mexico leads 16-13

Last meeting: 2025 (Western New Mexico won 45-42)

The Battle for the Golden Tumbleweed, Part 3.

You ready for a shootout?  Both WNMU and Sul Ross have 2-4 records and wins over the same two teams – Adams State and ENMU.   Both teams have had their issues on defense, with WNMU giving up over 600 yards a game and 60 points per game.  Sul Ross isn’t much better, giving up 450 yards and 49 points a game, but it’s still better than WNMU.   The teams have alternated wins since the introduction of the Golden Tumbleweed in the 2024 season. 

In my opinion, these teams are just about the same, however, it’s hard for me to pick a WNMU team to win when they have given up 45 (the fewest they’ve given up in a game this season!) and 55 points in their two wins this season, both of which came against winless teams.  Sul Ross has done slightly better in winning against the very same teams WNMU has beaten, and they’re also at home, so I’m going with the Lobos to cause a turnover or two to see them through this game.  Sul Ross State by 3 points. 

Angelo State at Midwestern State, 8:00 PM

Series History: Midwestern State leads 16-12

Last meeting: 2025 (Angelo State won 48-24)

Angelo State looks to follow up their blowout win over Sul Ross with their first winning streak of 2026, and Midwestern State wants to rebound after losing to CWU in their worst passing game of the season.  By this point of the season, it’s pretty clear what each team wants to do – ASU wants to grind out games and keep opposing offenses down, and MSU wants to make it a track meet.  If Angelo State can get stops early and frustrate MSU, the Rams do have enough on offense to grab an early lead and their defense could hold up against the MSU passing attack.  That is what I think will happen here, as I am still of the opinion that Angelo State is a better team than their record indicates.  Angelo State by 3 points.