Football | 10/28/2015 11:39:00 AM
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
PORTALES, N.M. — On Saturday, the Eastern New Mexico University football team (6-2: LSC 3-2) will take the field at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium for the 28
th Wagon Wheel Game, with the ability to achieve many goals. First and foremost is the Wagon Wheel. A win also clinches third place in the Lone Star Conference. West Texas A&M (3-4; LSC 2-3) is also looking for the opportunity to finish third and is coming off a victory on the road.
The contest will kick off at 11 a.m. MT, in Canyon. The game marks the fifth straight year the teams have met for the Wagon Wheel, as the contest was not played during the 2010 season.
ENMU AthleticsGreyhound FootballGreyhound RosterGreyhound ScheduleGreyhound StatisticsLone Star Conference ScoreboardLone Star Conference Football ScheduleLone Star Conference Football StandingsLone Star Conference Football StatisticsLast WeekThe Hounds capitalized on two early turnovers and rushed for a team-record
583 yards to hand #24 Angelo State a 46-28 setback. The game marked the first time in recent memory the Hounds had three 100-yard runners:
Kamal Cass (188 yards),
Tayshaun Gary (139 yards), and
Jeremy Buurma (123 yards).
West Texas A&M battled the elements and a tough
Texas A&M-Kingsville team to earn a 24-14 win on the road. Geremy Alridge-Mitchell carried the ball a WT record 45 times, rushed for 149 yards and scored a touchdown.
Taking NoticeEastern's four-game win streak has garnered national attention and the Hounds come in at seventh in the latest Massey Rankings and 14
th in this week's HERO SPORTS poll.
Kamal Cass garnered his
second Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor, for his performance against Angelo State.
http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?s=cf&sub=NCAA-D2http://herosports.com/sport/collegefootball/d2-football/#On the Road AgainThe Greyhounds are 3-1 on the road this season and are outscoring the opposition by a 50.2-32.5 points per game margin. Eastern has posted wins at
Adams State,
Bacone College, and
Tarleton State. The lone blemish came at eventual Lone Star Conference champion, Texas A&M-Commerce.
Kamal Cass averages 103.2 yards per road game and have five touchdowns.
Jeremy Doucette and
D'Maujeric Tucker are right behind with 63 and 60.2 rushing yards per game. The defense has intercepted five passes and recovered four fumbles in away games.
In the SeriesWest Texas A&M holds a 14-13 advantage in the Wagon Wheel series and a 15-14 advantage in the overall series. In 2013, the Greyhounds rallied from a 21-point deficit to snap a seven-game skid in the series against West Texas A&M. Christian Long scored with 51 seconds left and
D'Maujeric Tucker ran in the two-point conversion for a 39-38 lead. WT's Sergio Castillo narrowly missed a 67-yard field goal as time expired.
Last season, the Hounds
retained the Wagon Wheel at home and picked up a
win in the Lone Star Conference playoffs against the Buffaloes. The current three-game win streak is ENMU's longest against West Texas A&M since a four-year stretch from 1999-2002. That four-game win streak was the Hounds' longest in the series.
West Texas A&M's
last win over Eastern was a 44-21 decision at Greyhound Stadium in 2012. The Buffaloes charged to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed.
Eastern and WT have met in two non-Wagon Wheel Game meetings. The Buffaloes posted a 57-6 victory in the initial game between the programs, in Canyon, Texas. The final score was 57-6. Last season, Eastern won the playoff game at home.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| 11/15/2014 | @Blackwater Draw (Non-Wagon Wheel) | W, 55-45 |
| 11/1/2014 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 31-21 |
| 11/2/2013 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 39-38 |
| 10/20/2012 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 21-44 |
| 10/22/2011 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 21-52 |
| 10/10/2009 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 24-34 |
| 10/11/2008 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 27-51 |
| 10/13/2007 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 31-62 |
| 10/14/2006 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 14-21 |
| 10/8/2005 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 51-52 OT |
| 10/9/2004 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 21-20 |
| 11/8/2003 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 23-49 |
| 11/9/2002 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 27-16 |
| 11/3/2001 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 41-27 |
| 11/4/2000 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 49-21 |
| 11/6/1999 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 24-16 |
| 11/7/1998 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 10-13 |
| 11/8/1997 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 34-35 OT |
| 11/9/1996 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 31-21 |
| 11/4/1995 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 10-7 |
| 11/5/1994 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 48-38 |
| 11/6/1993 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 34-35 OT |
| 11/7/1992 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 56-0 |
| 11/3/1990 | @Canyon, Texas | W, 32-0 |
| 11/4/1989 | @Blackwater Draw | W, 21-17 |
| 11/5/1988 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 15-34 |
| 11/14/1987 | @Blackwater Draw | L, 7-29 |
| 11/15/1986 | @Canyon, Texas | L, 3-50 |
| 9/15/1945 | @Canyon, Texas (Non-Wagon Wheel) | L, 7-56 |
On the Run Through eight weeks, the Eastern New Mexico University football team features the most prolific offense in the NCAA Division II, with a 45.9 points per game average (0.1 ppg ahead of Colorado Mines). Eastern also leads the nation in passing efficiency, is third in total offense (behind Angelo State and Colorado-Mines), third in rushing (behind Lenoir Rhyne and Harding). The Hounds are fifth in the country in fourth-down conversion percentage and tied for 11th in turnover margin.
The Hounds lead the Lone Star Conference in rushing by over 100 yards per game. ENMU is also second in the LSC in kick-return average and third in punting.
Kamal Cass ranks 21st in the NCAA Division II in rushing yards and is third in the league. He is tied for 13th in the nation in rushing touchdowns and leads the conference in that category.
Adrian Horton is eighth in the league in receiving yards, tenth in touchdown receptions, and eighth in yards per catch.
Jeremy Buurma is seventh in the league in total offense, while Cass is 11th.
D'Maujeric Tucker is ninth in total offense.
Last week against Angelo State, the Greyhounds rushed for a team record 583 yards to shatter the team mark of 512, set at Bacone College in 2007. The game marked the first time in recent memory the Hounds had a trio of 100-yard runners: Cass (188 yards),
Tayshaun Gary (139 yards), and Buurma (123 yards). Gary and Cass each had three touchdowns. The total came within three yards of Southwest Texas' LSC mark of 586 rushing yards, set against Prairie View in 1978.
Eastern has been held under 40 points on just two occasions this season. Those games were setbacks against Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce, the two top teams in the LSC. Dating back to last season, ENMU has averaged 48.3 points over its last 10 games and posted an 8-2 record.
The Defense Doesn't Rest The Greyhound defense has taken the ball away from the opposition 18 times, which has allowed ENMU to tie for 11th in the country in turnover margin.
Eastern ranks third in the league in interceptions and are second in run defense.
Lawrence Hall is 11th in the LSC in tackles per game, while
Elliot Peters is ninth in sacks.
Against Angelo State,
De'Aundre Sanders nearly extended the Hounds' streak of games with a defensive touchdown to four. He returned an interception to the Rams' one-yard line. Sanders scored on a 51-yard interception return at Tarleton State, while
Brad Hardin scored twice off fumble recoveries at Bacone. Peters scored on a 74-yard interception return against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Teams that are Special Timothy Callian is 47-for-48 on point-after-touchdown attempts and has four field goals this season. His 41-yard field goal against Angelo State was his longest of the season. He has punted 27 times this season, with 10 being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line and five requiring a fair catch. Only one punt has gone for a touchback. On kickoffs, Callian has registered 21 touchbacks on 63 attempts.
Tucker and Cass have been a dynamic pair on kick returns and average 24.2 and 23.7 yards, respectively.
Buffalo NotesWT AthleticsBuffaloes FootballBuffaloes RosterBuffaloes ScheduleBuffaloes StatisticsWest Texas A&M is coming off a hard-fought road win at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Geremy Alridge-Mitchell set a WT record with 45 carries in the 24-14 victory. Early in the Buffaloes snapped the 10-game win streak of Colorado State-Pueblo
with a 31-30 win over the defending NCAA Division II champions.
The Buffaloes lead the nation in fourth-down conversion defense and are ninth in offensive conversion percentage. WT also ranks third in net punting. The Buffs are second in the Lone Star Conference in punt return average and interceptions.
Alridge-Mitchell is eighth in the nation in all-purpose yards and leads the LSC in that category. Ethan Brinkley is fifth in the league in total offense. Trevor Myklebust and Hunter Streuling are the LSC's two leading tacklers and combine for more the 20 stops per game. Streuling is tied for the LSC lead in interceptions.
LSC Notes Entering the final week of play, Texas A&M-Commerce has clinched the Lone Star Conference championship. Eastern, West Texas A&M, and Angelo State are battling for third place. The fourth place slot is between Angelo State, West Texas A&M, and Tarleton State.
Super Region Four Rankings| | | Reg | Ovr |
| 1. | Ferris State | 7-0 | 7-0 |
| 2. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 3. | Midwestern State | 6-1 | 7-1 |
| 4. | Grand Valley | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 5. | CSU-Pueblo | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 6. | Ashland | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 7. | Indianapolis | 7-0 | 7-0 |
| 8. | Colorado Mines | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 9. | Colorado Mesa | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 10. | Eastern New Mexico | 5-2 | 5-2 |
