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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK TWO-
-WEEK TWO-
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WEEK THREE
NEW MEXICO LOBOS (0-1, 0-0)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (0-1, 0-0)
Over the past two decades, New Mexico has put up a pitiful 2-22 record. And with two games in the books, 2011 may prove to be more of the same. Meanwhile, West Texas University is in full celebration mode after logging their historic first win in the program's history, edging the Lobos 7-6 in a defensive contest that took place in front of a sold out crowd at New Ratliff Stadium.
Defense was the name of the game on Saturday night, with neither team able to get on the board until James Aho hit a 48-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Ten minutes later, he hit a 53-yarder to give the Lobos a tenuous 6-0 lead headed into halftime. After putting up little offense in the first half, the Outlaws finally managed to put it all together on their first drive of the third quarter. Matt McDaniel returned the kickoff to midfield, and six plays later senior runningback Chaz Foreman found the endzone from three yards out to mark the first touchdown in the school's history. The endzone would remain empty for the rest of the game, giving WTU a 7-6 victory.
Senior quarterback James Hartman completed just 13 of his 30 passes for 123 yards, and rushed for 29 yards off fourteen carries, but his most important contribution came from not throwing a single pick, and shifting momentum in favor of New Mexico. His go-to man was sophomore Michael Maynard, who had seven catches for 56 yards. Player of the game honors went to Foreman, who carried the ball eighteen times for 54 yards and the game's only touchdown. Defensively, the team recorded two sacks, two interceptions, and didn't allow the Lobos to reach the endzone once in a game that could've been decided with just one mistake.
"It's a great day for this program, one we're going to remember for a long time," said a smiling Applewhite at midfield following a Gatorade bath by the players in celebration of the school's first victory. "We don't have a lot of talent like the big schools do, but we've got a lot of heart and determination, and that's what won us this game today. We got knocked down a few times, but we just kept getting back up until we reached the endzone, and won this game. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, and we've still got a lot of stuff to work on over the next two weeks, but tonight...WE CELEBRATE!"
As for New Mexico, freshman wide receiver turned quarterback Detzhauz Wray completed half of his 30 attempted passes for 133 yards, and threw two interceptions in the loss. His biggest target was junior Ty Kirk, who finished with a game-leading nine catches for 86 yards. Meanwhile, James Wright rushed for 69 yards off 16 carries on the ground before straining his back, an injury that will sideline him for the next two months. The Lobos' defense limited WTU to just 229 yards of total offense and one redzone trip, but it was enough to give the team their second loss in the end. Demoralized, New Mexico will stay on the road next week to face off against one of the newest members of the Pac-10, the Nevada Wolfpack (0-2, 0-2).
As for the Outlaws, they will have two weeks to prepare for their game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves (1-1, 1-0), who defeated Memphis 24-13 in their C-USA opener this week. The Red Wolves will rely heavily on the skills of junior quarterback Ryan Alpin (86 OVR) to lead them to victory against next week. Arkansas St. is the better team on paper, but West Texas has tasted sweet victory, and will be hungry for more in week five. In injury news, the Outlaws have lost two of their starters for the foreseeable future. Senior Matt Dunbar (SS) suffered a torn hamstring in the win, and will miss the next 2-3 months. Coaches hope to see him back sometime at the tail end of the schedule, but in the meantime true sophomore Alfred Billings will take over. Also gone is Stephen Campbell (RG), who will miss the next five weeks with a broken collarbone. Taking his spot will be backup defensive tackle Jason Fine, a senior who the coaches have been looking to get involved somehow. Fine brings a solid skill set to the o-line, and should adapt quickly in his new role.
New Mexico Lobos at West Texas Outlaws Sep 10, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE New Mexico Lobos (0-1, 0-0) 0 6 0 0 6 West Texas Outlaws (0-1, 0-0) 0 0 7 0 7 Team Stats Comparison UNM WTU Total Offense 274 229 Rushing Yards 141 106 Passing Yards 133 123 First Downs 17 17 Punt Return Yards 24 21 Kick Return Yards 59 104 Total Yards 357 354 Turnovers 2 0 3rd Down Converstion 4-14 (28%) 6-17 (35%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-1 (0%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 1-0-0 1-1-0 Penalties 10-97 9-65 Posession Time 29:41 30:19 Scoring Summary SECOND QUARTER SCORING UNM WTU 13:01 (UNM) FG: James Aho, 48 yard kick 3 0 3:33 (UNM) FG: James Aho, 53 yard kick 6 0 THIRD QUARTER SCORING UNM WTU 13:20 (WTU) TD: Chaz Foreman, 3 yard run 6 7 Comment
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK THREE-
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FOUR-
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WEEK FIVE
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ARKANSAS ST. RED WOLVES (1-1, 0-0)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-1, 0-0)
West Texas had more first downs, a better conversion percentage on third down, and controlled the clock against Arkansas State...but stats like those don't win games, a fact that the Outlaws are all too aware of now. In Saturday's contest, the Red Wolves relied on a solid pass rush to disrupt WTU's offensive rhythm, and withstood a late rally to walk away with a 21-18 victory.
The Outlaws got off to a great start when backup runningback Max Drew found the endzone from one yard out on the team's first offensive possession, giving them an early 7-0 lead. Over the next fifteen minutes, the Red Wolves would add points to the scoreboard twice, but both times were forced to settle for chip shot field goals after being denied in the redzone. It wasn't until the tail end of the first half that Arkansas State took their first lead of the game, when Ryan Alpin found Dwayne Frampton for a 16-yard TD pass. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt was good, giving the Red Wolves a 14-7 lead headed into halftime. Caleb Reynold's 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter reduced the lead to just four points, but Jermaine Robertson's 2-yard TD run to start the fourth quarter effectively sealed the game. The Outlaws would score again when Chaz Foreman found the endzone on the ground from three yards out with just under seven minutes to play, but the team would not have another scoring opportunity in the game.
Considering the amount of pressure he faced all day, senior quarterback James Hartman had a decent outing, completing 17 of 36 passes for 178 yards and one interception. His go-to man was third-year sophomore Michael Maynard, who had a team-leading nine catches for 89 yards. On the ground, Chaz Foreman rushed for a respectable 87 yards and a score off 25 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per touch, while backup Max Drew had six carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. As for the defense, the team managed two sacks, one interception, and contained Arkansas State's offense as well as they could. Unfortunately, the Outlaws could not generate enough offense themselves to take advantage.
Ryan Alpin had a rough day under center despite the victory, completing just 39% of his passes for 217 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but also rushed for 60 yards off thirteen attempts. Offensive player of the game honors went to senior wide receiver Dwayne Frampton, who led the team with five catches for 121 yards and a score. Groundwise, senior runningback Derek Lawson saw just ten carries, but made the most of them, rushing for a total of 45 yards. But defensively is where the team truly shined, as the Red Wolves recorded five sacks and one interception. They were led by senior middle linebacker DeMario Davis, who recorded 11 solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, and two sacks. Arkansas State will head back home next week to host the North Texas Mean Green (1-1, 0-0) in their annual rivalry game against their former conference foe.
Next week, the Outlaws will hit the road to face off against another C-USA opponent, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (1-1, 0-0). Led by senior quarterback Austin Davis (QB), the Golden Eagles are one of the most talented non-BCS teams in the country, and will be looking to flex their muscle against FBS newcomer West Texas. In injury news, WTU has lost another starter in the secondary as A.J. Smart (FS) will miss the next six weeks with a dislocated elbow. Junior Caleb Conley will take his place in the starting lineup, giving the Outlaws two inexperienced safeties anchoring their defense in the secondary.
Arkansas State Red Wolves at West Texas Outlaws Sep 24, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-1, 0-0) 3 11 0 7 21 West Texas Outlaws (1-2, 0-0) 7 0 3 8 18 Team Stats Comparison ARST WTU Total Offense 362 269 Rushing Yards 145 91 Passing Yards 217 178 First Downs 16 22 Punt Return Yards 34 26 Kick Return Yards 74 105 Total Yards 470 400 Turnovers 1 1 3rd Down Converstion 5-14 (35%) 9-19 (47%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 1-1 (100%) 2-Point Conversion 1-1 (100%) 1-1 (100%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 5-2-2 (80%) 4-2-1 (75%) Penalties 10-107 3-25 Posession Time 28:31 31:29 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING ARST WTU 9:11 (WTU) TD: Max Drew, 1 yard run 0 7 3:43 (ARST) FG: Bobby Zalud, 21 yard kick 3 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING ARST WTU 8:05 (ARST) FG: Bobby Zalud, 27 yard kick 6 7 2:22 (ARST) TD: Dwayne Frampton, 16 yard pass from Ryan Alpin (2-pt. conv. is good) 14 7 THIRD QUARTER SCORING ARST WTU 5:51 (WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 30 yard kick 14 10 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING ARST WTU 14:10 (ARST) TD: Jermaine Robertson, 2 yard run 21 10 6:50 (WTU) TD: Chaz Foreman, 3 yard run (2-pt. conv. is good) 21 18 Comment
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FIVE-
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WEEK SIX
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-2, 0-0)
VS.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (1-1, 0-0)
For FBS newcomer West Texas, holding the talented Golden Eagles to just 21 points, one score in three redzone trips, and forcing a turnover is an accomplishment worth applauding...and had it been any other team, it would also translate into a win. But the Achilles heel of the young Outlaws has been their lackluster offense, which was held to just three points in a 21-5 loss to Southern Miss on Saturday.
Hopes were high following WTU's first offensive drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal to give them their only lead of the game, but it wouldn't last long. Nine minutes later, Austin Davis found Ryan Hanks on a 31-yard strike. The Outlaws would close the gap to just two points at the top of the second quarter when true sophomore Chris Kiniry sacked Davis in the endzone for a safety, but with less than thirty seconds to play in the half, Southern Miss made it a two-score game with a 10-yard TD pass to backup tight end Max Mason. Davis and Mason would connect again near the end of the fourth quarter after a defensive second half, sealing the team's 21-5 victory.
The offensive woes continued for the Outlaws, who were held to just over 200 total offensive yards, one redzone trip, and committed two turnovers. James Hartman had a rough time under center, completing less than half of his 32 passes for 99 yards and an interception. The runningback duo of Chaz Foreman and Max Drew fared slightly better, rushing for 94 yards off 28 carries, but did not score a touchdown, marking the second time in four games that WTU was held without a trip to the endzone. But the defensive effort was worth noting, as they held a potentially potent unit to just 21 points. They were led by outside linebacker Chris Kiniry, who had nine tackles and a sack for a safety, while senior cornerback Mike McDaniel had five tackles and an interception.
On the other side of the ball, Southern Miss relied on a balanced offensive attack to put up just enough points to win on Saturday. In his return from an early-season injury, Austin Davis completed just 11 of 27 passes for 143 yards, but also threw for all three of the team's touchdowns. Davis also had 52 rushing yards off nine carries. He was aided by sophomore runningback Kendrick Hardy, who carried the ball 22 times for 110 yards. The defense was also a major contributor, holding the Outlaws to just three points in sixty minutes, and forcing two turnovers. Ocatavius Thomas (DE) led the attack with nine tackles and two sacks, senior Kendrick Pressley (SS) had five tackles and a fumble recovery, and sophomore cornerback Deron Wilson recorded his first interception of the season. With a winning record in tow, the Golden Eagles will play host to SMU (2-2, 0-2) next week before diving into their conference schedule with a road game against Troy in week eight.
With their non-conference schedule mercifully behind them, the Outlaws will now turn to preparing for their inaugural Sun Belt opener next week when they travel a few hundred miles west to face in-state rival UTEP (2-3, 1-1), who snapped a three-game losing streak this week with a dominating 34-9 victory over UL Monroe. Offensively, the Miners rely on senior runningback Joe Banyard, who had rushed for over 100 yards in three of the team's five games this year, but has only reached the endzone once. Their true strength is a defense led by standout seniors Travaun Nixon (FS, 87 OVR), Jamie Irving (MLB, 82 OVR), Royzell Smith (OLB, 79 OVR), and Antwon Blake (CB, 78 OVR) to name a few. Limiting the Outlaws scoring opportunities shouldn't be a problem, but they'll still have to score some points of their own against a surprisingly stingy defense in what could turn out to be a low-scoring affair.
West Texas Outlaws at Southern Miss Golden Eagles Oct 1, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE West Texas Outlaws (1-3, 0-0) 3 2 0 0 5 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0) 7 7 0 7 21 Team Stats Comparison WTU USM Total Offense 206 355 Rushing Yards 107 212 Passing Yards 99 143 First Downs 15 22 Punt Return Yards 5 23 Kick Return Yards 114 47 Total Yards 325 425 Turnovers 2 1 3rd Down Converstion 11-20 (55%) 4-10 (40%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 1-0-0 (0%) 3-1-0 (33%) Penalties 7-35 9-85 Posession Time 29:32 30:28 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING WTU USM 12:34 (WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 48 yard kick 3 0 3:09 (USM) TD: Ryan Hanks, 31 yard pass from Austin Davis 3 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING WTU USM 11:21 (WTU) Safety: Austin Davis sacked by Chris Kiniry 5 7 0:30 (USM) TD: Max Mason, 10 yard pass from Austin Davis 5 14 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING WTU USM 2:20 (USM) TD: Max Mason, 11 yard pass from Austin Davis 5 21 Comment
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK SIX-
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WEEK SEVEN
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-3, 0-0)
VS.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (2-3, 1-1)
For just the second time this season, the Outlaws managed to score a touchdown in the first half. Unfortunately, so did their opponents. Then UTEP did it again. And again. And again. By the time each team retired to their locker rooms for halftime, the Miners had built a 21 point lead, and had little issues stifling the dismal offense of West Texas in the final two quarters to give the team a harsh welcome to the Sun Belt conference with a one-sided 34-7 victory.
Not surprisingly, the offense continued to struggle in week seven, showing little to no improvement nearly midway through the season. James Hartman completed just 34% of his 26 attempted passes for 82 yards, and also rushed for 18 yards and the team's only touchdown. On the ground, Chaz Foreman and Max Drew combined for a measly 56 off 23 carries for an average of 2.4 yards per touch. All together, the Outlaws managed to put up just 156 offensive yards, their lowest total so far this season. Even more embarrassing was the fact that the team went an (im)perfect 0 for 10 on third down conversion attempts, and were penalized thirteen times in the loss. The lone bright note was the fact that the offense committed no turnovers, but they only held the ball for 22 minutes. Even the team's normally above-average defense played poorly, allowing 455 total offensive yards and forcing no turnovers. They did, however, record four sacks.
"We're looking for something to give this team jolt," said Major Applewhite in the post-game press conference when asked about his team's offensive performance this season. "Our defense is an island out there on the field, and they are getting absolutely no help. We're going into practice over these next two weeks with an open competition for every starting spot on offense. Maybe the shake up will make us better...I doubt it can make us worse."
On the other side of the ball, things went considerably better. Junior quarterback Nick Lamaison completed 22 of 42 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. His go-to man was third-year sophomore Kevin Perry (TE), who had eleven catches for 154 yards and a score, while senior wide receiver Donovan Kemp caught six balls for 102 yards. Groundwise, senior runningback Joe Banyard was named player of the game after rushing for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns off 25 carries, averaging 5.2 yards every time he touched the ball. And a stout defensive effort was led by Adam Ayala (DE), who had six tackles and a sack. After suffering through a three-game losing streak, the Miners have now beat their last two conference opponents by a combined score of 68-16, and will look to continue that success in the next two weeks when they travel to face off against Tulane (3-2, 1-0), then return home to battle the winless Texas St. Cougars (0-4, 0-0) before their bye week.
For the Outlaws, week eight will be a welcome respite to the weekly beatings they've been enduring, but rest won't be an option. Instead, the team will be hitting the practice field in an attempt to solve their offensive woes as they prepare to host Rice (1-4, 0-0) in what many see as a winnable game for lackluster WTU. The Owls began the season with four straight losses, but three of them came against ranked SWC opponents. This week, the team finally made a mark in the win column with a 35-23 victory over Louisiana Tech despite committing more turnovers and racking up fewer offensive yards than their counterparts. Rice's biggest strength is their talented and speedy duo at runningback, where junior Sam McGuffie and true sophomore Jeremy Eddington are averaging a combined 150 yards per game.
West Texas Outlaws at UTEP Miners Oct 8, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE West Texas Outlaws (1-4, 0-1) 7 0 0 0 7 UTEP Miners (3-3, 2-1) 7 21 3 3 34 Team Stats Comparison WTU UTEP Total Offense 156 455 Rushing Yards 74 156 Passing Yards 82 299 First Downs 15 29 Punt Return Yards 15 50 Kick Return Yards 112 39 Total Yards 283 544 Turnovers 0 0 3rd Down Converstion 0-10 (0%) 8-15 (53%) 4th Down Conversion 1-1 (100%) 1-3 (33%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 1-1-0 (100%) 6-3-2 (83%) Penalties 13-88 13-86 Posession Time 22:09 37:48 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING WTU UTEP 9:02 (UTEP) TD: Katrae Ford, 1 yard pass from Nick Lamaison 0 7 4:09 (WTU) TD: James Hartman, 6 yard run 7 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING WTU UTEP 13:47 (UTEP) TD: Joe Banyard, 5 yard run 7 14 8:23 (UTEP) TD: Kevin Perry, 22 yard pass from Nick Lamaison 7 21 3:14 (UTEP) TD: Joe Banyard, 6 yard run 7 28 THIRD QUARTER SCORING WTU UTEP 10:34 (UTEP) FG: Dakota Warren, 42 yard kick 7 31 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING WTU UTEP 7:00 (UTEP) FG: Dakota Warren, 36 yard kick 7 34 Comment
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK SEVEN-
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