November 6th, 2025 4:00am
Week 9 Recap
Central Washington got out to a big early lead, nearly lost it, and then took over late to outlast Angelo State in a battle of top 25 teams. Western Oregon missed out on a bunch of chances in the first half but righted the ship in the second half to set up two of the most important weeks in recent program history. Eastern New Mexico came within two yards of losing a 20-point lead to Sul Ross State, West Texas A&M won a pass-happy shootout over TAMUK, and UTPB put the hammer down on WNMU.
Now, about last week:
#17 Texas-Permian Basin wins at Western New Mexico 66-7
I was out doing things when this game was going on and I didn’t realize it was going on until well into the second half, and by then UTPB was up 45-7. WNMU never really got going at all outside of a 12-play, 72-yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter to cut UTPB’s lead to 14-7. After that, the longest Mustang drive was 43 yards and UTPB scored points on all their drives except for two missed field goals and running out the clock to end the game. Mix in a 35-yard pick-six by Jalani Jefferson and you have your garden-variety 52-0 game-ending run. UTPB outgained WNMU by 658 to 182 yards, with the Falcons throwing for 380 yards to WNMU’s 104. WNMU turned the ball over three times, and UTPB scored touchdowns off two of the turnovers. All in all, it was total domination by UTPB.
Texas-Permian Basin improves to 7-2 and Western New Mexico falls to 2-7.
Western Oregon wins at Midwestern State 31-3
A messy field contributed to a frustrating first half for the Wolves, with four drives ending in MSU territory, including an interception and a missed 34-yard field goal try. MSU must have been thinking they were lucky to be in a scoreless tie at halftime and maybe they could shock the favored Wolves.
Then the second half started and there was no such luck for the Mustangs. After a 3-and-out on their first drive of the third quarter, WOU would not be denied for the rest of the game. On five drives, WOU scored 4 touchdowns and a field goal, finally finishing drives they were coming so close to finishing in the first half. The Wolves defense held MSU to just one field goal on their third drive of the second half, which did make the score 7-3, but MSU didn’t threaten for the rest of the game. WOU outgained MSU 476 yards to 201 yards. Jordan McCarty had another solid game with 201 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception and Jermaine Land had 94 rushing yards and a touchdown. Four Mustangs threw passes with no one passing for more than 44 yards.
Western Oregon improves to 7-2 and Midwestern State falls to 2-7.
West Texas A&M wins at home over Texas A&M-Kingsville 53-48
OK, shootout time! WT was up 15-0 a minute and a half into this one after driving the short field for a Sean Johnson touchdown catch followed by an Ashton Reynolds 25-yard fumble return. CJ Thompson then took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a Kingsville touchdown, and away we go. The first quarter ended with WT ahead by a 25-14 score. TAMUK rallied in the second quarter to take their first lead at 28-20, which was the first of six straight lead changes. The last lead change was with 10:55 left in the game when RJ Martinez scored on a 3-yard run to give WT a 46-42 lead. TAMUK couldn’t answer again when Jack Tuner threw his first interception to Jamel Acosta-Lewis, which WT took full advantage of to extend their lead to 53-42. The Javelinas didn’t lay down, scoring with 3:56 left on an 8-yard touchdown catch by King Phillips (who led all receivers with 12 catches for 105 yards). They didn’t get the two-point conversion, but they did get the ball back with 1:30 left after forcing WT to punt. Turner drove the Javelinas from their 16-yard line to the WT 44-yard line, and then found Acosta-Lewis again for the game-ending interception.
The two teams combined for 988 total yards (TAMUK 495 and WT 493). WT’s Martinez threw for 400 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception. TAMUK’s Turner threw for 357 yards, 2 touchdowns, and those two huge interceptions. Johnson and Cristian Dixon both had over 100 receiving yards and combined for 3 touchdown catches. This game simply came down to which team could get a stop, and it was WT who got those stops.
West Texas A&M improves to 5-4 and Texas A&M-Kingsville falls to 3-6.
Eastern New Mexico wins at home over Sul Ross State 40-34
On paper, this was Sul Ross State’s last best chance to win a game this season with games against CWU and UTPB coming up, and when they drew within 27-20 they seemed to run out of gas, with two ENMU touchdowns extending the Greyhounds’ lead to 40-20. Game over, right?
Not so fast.
The Lobos found a second gear they only had the other time they were in New Mexico this season. Jose Trevino scored on a 3-yard run to draw Sul Ross State to within 40-27, and scored again to get the score to 40-34 after forcing an ENMU 3-and-out on a 26-yard touchdown catch by Landen Drake from Kye Callicoatte. Sul Ross State got the ball back at their 6-yard line with 1:29 left in the game after another ENMU 3-and-out with a chance to take the lead. Callicoatte worked the middle of the field and quickly got the Lobos near midfield. A pass interference penalty put Sul Ross in position to have a chance at the ENMU 32-yard line. 5 plays later, the Lobos were at the ENMU 2-yard line with 2 seconds left. One play for everything. Callicoatte called his own number but was stopped by DJ Moore and Matthew Quartieri, and his best game leading the Sul Ross offense still wasn’t enough for a Lobos win.
Callicoatte led Sul Ross with 302 passing yards and a touchdown on 18 of 41 passes, and also led with 96 rushing yards. Yamil Oaxaca also had 6 catches for 80 yards to lead all receivers. Jarius Stewart had another strong game for ENMU, leading all rushers with 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries.
Eastern New Mexico improves to 3-6 and Sul Ross State falls to 0-9.
#7 Central Washington wins at home over #18 Angelo State 38-21
CWU drove into ASU territory on their first 6 drives of the game, and into the red zone on five of those drives. Angelo State was lucky to be down 28-7 at halftime. The Rams offense was struggling, and Braeden Fuller was still looking like a shell of himself. Once the third quarter started, it was the ASU defense who took over, forcing two 3-and-outs while Fuller gathered up the guile to put together two touchdown drives to draw the Rams within 28-21. However, ASU couldn’t keep the momentum going, and after Stefaan Forbes’ punt from the ASU 13-yard line traveled just 12 yards, CWU went in for the kill. Ryder Bumgarner and Kennedy McGill combined for a 2-play touchdown drive to draw CWU back from the brink of losing their huge lead, and The Wildcat defense and special teams took care of the rest.
Fuller had his best game since coming back from his injury, completing 13 of 25 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. McGill did what he does, throwing for 114 yards and a touchdown while running for 114 yards and 4 touchdowns. But when it mattered the most, it was ASU special teams mistakes (like the last time they played at CWU) that doomed the Rams.
Central Washington improves to 8-1 and Angelo State falls to 6-3.
Playoff Watch
This week, we get actual rankings and no more alphabetical lists, so let’s have at it:
School | Conference | Overall | In-Region | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Harding | GAC | 9-0 | 9-0 | At Southern Nazarene |
Central Washington | LSC | 8-0 | 8-0 | At Sul Ross State |
Northwest Missouri State | MIAA | 8-1 | 8-1 | Hosts Missouri Western |
CSU-Pueblo | RMAC | 8-1 | 8-1 | At Colorado Mines |
Pittsburg State | MIAA | 7-2 | 6-1 | At Central Missouri |
Western Colorado | RMAC | 8-1 | 8-1 | At Chadron State |
Chadron State | RMAC | 7-1 | 7-1 | Hosts Western Colorado |
Western Oregon | LSC | 6-1 | 6-1 | At Angelo State |
Texas-Permian Basin | LSC | 7-2 | 7-2 | Hosts Eastern New Mexico |
Southern Arkansas | GAC | 6-3 | 6-3 | Hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State |
In-region, eyes have to be on Chadron State and Western Oregon, who have the toughest schedules the next two weeks. Two wins by either team will get them in for sure, but could a split be enough for either team?
Could CSU-Pueblo get picked off on the road at Colorado Mines? Could Pittsburg State at Central Missouri?
UTPB might have the easiest path to wins the next two weeks among the members of this list, hosting ENMU and Sul Ross State, but will those games hurt their strength of schedule too much to get them into the top 8 even if they win both games?
LSC Standings
School | LSC | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
Central Washington | 7-0 | 8-1 | |
Western Oregon | 6-1 | 7-2 | |
Texas-Permian Basin | 5-2 | 7-2 | |
West Texas A&M | 5-2 | 5-4 | |
Angelo State | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
Eastern New Mexico | 3-4 | 3-6 | |
Texas A&M-Kingsville | 2-5 | 3-6 | |
Midwestern State | 2-5 | 2-7 | |
Western New Mexico | 1-6 | 2-7 | |
Sul Ross State | 0-7 | 0-9 | |
Week 10 Preview
When this week is over, could we be looking at an all-Pacific Northwest matchup for the LSC championship? The 1991, 1998 to 2000, and 2013 seasons were the only seasons in the history of the LSC (going back to 1932) where the football champion did not reside in the state of Texas. For CWU and WOU to have this LSC championship game next week, both teams will need to win this week. For CWU, they will be overwhelming favorites to win at Sul Ross State, while WOU will have a far more difficult time on the road at an Angelo State team that will be in desperation mode to hold on to their tenuous playoff hopes.
While the WOU/ASU game is the most important game of the week, in other action we have the latest edition of the Highway 287 Rivalry when WT visits MSU, ENMU looks to extend their winning streak at UTPB, and plenty of footballs should be flying in Kingsville when WNMU comes to town.
All games are on Saturday, November 8. All game times are in the Central time zone.
West Texas A&M at Midwestern State, 1:00 PM
Series History: West Texas A&M leads 22-15
Last meeting: 2024 (West Texas A&M won 17-12)
This latest edition of the Highway 287 Rivalry has WT looking to clinch a winning season for the first time since the 2021 season, when they finished with a 7-4 record. Midwestern State is trying to match their win total from the last two seasons by winning their last two games. When looking at the overall trends for both teams, two things stand out:
Overall, it is MSU who has the poorer defense while WT has the better offense. WT also has a more consistent presence at quarterback while MSU has had a revolving door at the position. I think this game comes down to whether MSU can get enough defensive stops to keep it close, since I think they will have some success scoring. Could be another shootout, but WT pulls away late. West Texas A&M by 10 points.
#21 Western Oregon at Angelo State, 6:00 PM
Series History: Angelo State leads 6-0
Last meeting: 2024 (Angelo State won 38-16)
Stop the presses – Western Oregon is in the top 25! Western Oregon is already having their best season since winning 7 games in 2019, and now they are going for an eighth win, a win total they have only achieved 7 times in program history, and they have only accomplished twice since they had 4 out of 5 seasons with 8 or 9 wins from 1975 to 1979. To say that it won’t be easy is quit the understatement – first they face Angelo State, who they have yet to beat, and then they face CWU, who will likely be looking to run the table in the LSC. If WOU wins this week, the game with CWU will be for the LSC championship regardless of the result of CWU’s game. Angelo State, who fell out of the top 25 after last week’s loss to CWU, and whose playoff hopes are hanging on by a very thin thread, need to win out to stay in the conversation.
WOU has been my “how are they doing it?” team this season given that even some of their wins have been on the “not so pretty” side. Angelo State has had to deal with a whole bunch of injuries to their offense in recent weeks, including Braeden Fuller’s ongoing leg issues, but they came into the season as one of the LSC’s most talented teams on both sides of the ball, and their defense is still strong. I know I’m doing this at my own risk, but I think WOU’s margin for error is way too thin, and they will lose this one if they have several missed opportunities like in the first half last week against MSU. Prove me wrong, Wolves. Angelo State by a touchdown.
Eastern New Mexico at #16 Texas-Permian Basin (Game at Midland, TX), 7:00 PM
Series History: Texas-Permian Basin leads 5-3
Last meeting: 2024 (Texas-Permian Basin won 64-14)
The Jarius Stewart Show makes its latest stop in Midland to go up against the UTPB defense after gaining 565 rushing yards the past two weeks. ENMU will need it to have a chance to keep it close against a much better opponent. Stewart and Demarion Finch will need to have huge games for ENMU to control the game’s tempo and score enough points to be competitive. They will also need to play a full 60 minutes of defense, which (uh oh) they couldn’t even do against Sul Ross even if they did still win.
UTPB finds themselves just outside the top 8 to make the playoffs, and their strength of schedule will take a hit the next two weeks with ENMU and Sul Ross ahead of them, so I’m guessing the Falcons will try to get up big early and see where the chips fall. Texas-Permian Basin by 17 points.
#6 Central Washington at Sul Ross State, 7:00 PM
Series History: Central Washington leads 1-0
Last meeting: 2024 (Central Washington won 66-0)
In what, at least in the broad sense, could be thought of as a “trap game” before the rivalry game with WOU next week, which could be for the LSC championship if WOU and CWU both win this week. Of course, the question will be whether Sul Ross State even has the ability to make it a trap game for CWU. The Lobos are a team averaging 12 points a game and giving up 58 points a game (and that’s down from last week!). CWU is nearly the opposite, bludgeoning their way to scoring 45 points a game while giving up 19 points a game. In a conference where you have Texas-based teams that love to play physically dominant football, it is a team from Washington state that has matched those Texas teams in physical football. And that’s the problem in this matchup – Sul Ross isn’t quite there physically, and CWU will want to push them around, and probably will push them around. CWU will likely get up big early and coast for most of the game, getting ready for the big rivalry game next week. Central Washington by 24 points.
Western New Mexico at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:00 PM
Series History: Texas A&M-Kingsville leads 8-1
Last meeting: 2024 (Texas A&M-Kingsville won 28-20)
Like Kingsville’s meeting with WT last week, balls should be flying everywhere and both team’s pass defenses will be tested to their maximum. That being said, while both teams throw for over 300 yards a game (TAMUK 303 yards and WNMU 326 yards), WNMU’s defensive points per game has actually been going up over recent weeks and is now up to 56 points per game, also giving up 514 yards per game. Kingsville is giving up 390 yards per game. Despite neither team having a dominant defense, it is the WNMU defense that has put up nearly the least resistance in the LSC (outside of Sul Ross). I think both teams will put up their share of points, and it might even be a shootout for a while, but I don’t see the WNMU defense making enough stops to win it. Texas A&M-Kingsville by 14 points.