The Wild West | A West Texas Outlaws Dynasty

[St. Francisco]

Man that sucks for a rivalry game! You'd think a "rivalry" team would be a little more closely rated to your team.

Well it'll be a little closer as the years go on (hopefully). They're such a natural choice as a rival, as they are only about 100 miles away, the closest school to us, and in state.

I also consider New Mexico and New Mexico State to be a rival, and they're a lot closer in talent. But my plan is to rotate these two schools. So I'll play a home and away against New Mexico, then a home and away against New Mexico St. in a four-year period. Texas State, my in-conference rival, is probably my best rival. And with a seven-game conference schedule now allowing me to schedule five non-conference games, I may just add Baylor as a yearly rival as well.

[dj_morton]

Ahh nice.

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK THREE
-RIVALRY GAME-





WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (0-1, 0-0)
VS.
NEW MEXICO LOBOS (1-0, 0-0)

Had the game gone the other way, it would've been marked an instant class in WTU's history...instead, it will serve as a painful reminder for years to come of just how close the team game to earning their second straight win over rival New Mexico. Trailing 28-7 headed into the fourth quarter, West Texas put the game in the hands of their young quarterback, and he did not disappoint. With less than a minute to play, Dickson capped a furious rally with his fourth touchdown of the game, tying the game at 28 and all but guaranteeing a chance to win the game in overtime. Their final drive seemed to be a thing of destiny, with the Outlaws converting on fourth down on three separate occasions. But miscommunication from the defense on New Mexico's ensuing possession allowed a player to go unnoticed, as Emmanuel McPhearson slipped past the safeties and darted into the endzone for a stunning 81-yard touchdown pass. Even then, the Outlaws weren't done, as Dickson rallied the team on their final drive. But his last-second hail mary pass was intercepted in the endzone, sealing the most heartbreaking loss in WTU history.

Charles Dickson was single-handedly responsible for the team's offensive success on Saturday, completing 24 of 41 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and also pushing one in on the ground at the goal line. However, his two interceptions were ultimately what lost the game as well. His first pick on a designed wide receiver screen was returned for a touchdown, and his final interception with no time left on the clock sealed the loss. The receiving corps saw a good amount of production from their top three receivers, as Michael Maynard finish with three catches for a team-leading 95 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Bellamy had six receptions for 72 yards and a score, and slot receiver Kevin Irvin caught four balls for 67 yards and a touchdown. But perhaps the most crushing blow of the day came on the ground, where Max Drew left the game early with an injury. He was later diagnosed with hip bursitis, and the team's offensive workhorse is projected to be sidelined for at least a month. Jonathan Kaplan failed miserably in his relief role, rushing for just 48 yards off 22 carries for a pitiful average of 2.1 yards per touch. Defensively, the team recorded four sacks, but also allowed 384 total offensive yards, and destroyed the offense's comeback bid with a coverage mistake late in the game. Adding insult to injury, the team also lost starting cornerback and kick returner Jared Ingram for the next three weeks with back spasms, and backup Travis Logan (OLB), who suffered a torn pectoral and will miss at least two games.

"It's probably my most humiliating moment as a coach," said head coach Major Applewhite when asked about the confusion at the end of the game. "The incorrect play was called, we tried to audible, and some players didn't pick up on it. McPhearson took advantage of that, and he got behind the safeties. This loss falls on my shoulders."

As for New Mexico, the team is in full celebration mode after starting the season 2-0, and avenging their 7-6 loss from a year ago. Senior quarterback B.R. Holbrook only completed 40% of his 35 passes, but threw for 280 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the win. His go-to man was Quintell Solomon, who had four catches for 116 yards. The Lobos weren't exactly spectacular on the ground either, but they did fare better than their counterparts as senior runningback Kasey Carrier finished with 79 yards and a touchdown off 27 carries. New Mexico's defense must also get a good amount of the credit for their performance in the first three quarters of play, as they held the Outlaws to just seven points and one successful 3rd down conversion. Ugo Uzodinma (DT) led the charge with six tackles and three sacks, while senior free safety Freddy Young (pictured above) sealed the win with an interception in the endzone as time expired.

Under the current agreement between the two schools, they will not face off again until 2015, leaving plenty of time for the Outlaws to chew on the bitter loss. Next week, the Lobos will likely taste defeat for the first time this season when they travel to Austin to face off against #4 Texas (2-0, 1-0), while West Texas will return home to host San Jose St. (0-1, 0-0), their second straight WAC opponent.

West Texas Outlaws at New Mexico Lobos
Sep 8, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
West Texas Outlaws (0-2, 0-0)	0	7	0	21	28
New Mexico Lobos (2-0, 0-0)	0	21	7	7	35

Team Stats Comparison
	WTU	UNM
Total Offense	372	384
Rushing Yards	52	103
Passing Yards	320	281
First Downs	13	15
Punt Return Yards	26	40
Kick Return Yards	140	100
Total Yards	538	524
Turnovers	2	0
3rd Down Converstion	4-19 (21%)	6-17 (35%)
4th Down Conversion	5-6 (83%)	0-3 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-0 (50%)	3-3-0 (100%)
Penalties	4-40	6-40
Posession Time	-----	-----

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNM
5:44	(UNM) TD: Lamaar Thomas, 12 yard pass from B.R. Holbrook	0	7
3:46	(UNM) TD: Harvellio Blue, returned interception 22 yards	0	14
1:25	(WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 49 yard pass from Charles Dickson	7	14
0:40	(UNM) TD: Ty Kirk, 21 yard pass from B.R. Holbrook	7	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNM
3:52	(UNM) TD: Kasey Carrier, 3 yard run	7	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNM
8:59	(WTU) TD: Charles Dickson, 1 yard run	14	28
4:16	(WTU) TD: C.J. Bellamy, 28 yard pass from Charles Dickson	21	28
0:43	(WTU) TD: Kevin Irvin, 31 yard pass from Charles Dickson	28	28
0:27	(UNM) TD: Emmanuel McPhearson, 81 yard pass from B.R. Holbrook	28	35

[St. Francisco]

The explanation: So, I score the game-tying touchdown. I'm literally on my feet jumping up and down celebrating. I kick the ball off, and then I'm trying to hurry up the cut scenes by just pressing A. Only it goes straight to the play call screen, and I accidentally call a play. I have one timeout, but I didn't want to use it just in case (in retrospect I should've just fucking called it), so I audible to a four-man zone. They get behind the safeties, and the rest is history.

I've never been more pissed off at myself in all my life. I could've won that game.

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK THREE-

[St. Francisco]

Some things I've noticed in my first two games:

1. The option in coach mode does not work...not even a little bit. Also, the quarterback refuses to take advantage of his scrambling abilities, and even when he does, the animations are too slow. This offensive scheme is not working.

2. The defense is getting consistently beat by teams running the spread and air raid offenses, which is exactly what this defense was designed to prevent. Once again, not working.

With that in mind, I'm calling an end to this little experiment, and going back to my old offensive/defensive philosophies because the game has forced me to. So I'll use Texas' pro style system, and the 4-3 defense. I plan to comb over the playbook, and reduce the number of plays to give me a simpler, and successful playbook. I'll also be dramatically altering my recruiting style to fit these schemes.

[BrntO4Life]

If I recall, your QB needs 70+ BCV to run the option/scramble effectively in the game. That's the key.

[St. Francisco]

If I recall, your QB needs 70+ BCV to run the option/scramble effectively in the game. That's the key.

Played the San Jose State game on the old offensive/defensive scheme, and it was a much better experience.

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK FOUR





SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS (0-1, 0-0)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (0-2, 0-0)

Add another one to the list of "close but no cigar" games for the Outlaws this season. Trailing 21-10 headed into the fourth quarter, WTU finally managed to put some offense on the board to close the gap, and contain San Jose State's ground game. But a fifth and final turnover on a punt return allowed the Spartans to increase their lead to ten with less than a minute to play, and a last-second surge fell just short as West Texas lost their third straight game of the season, 27-24.

It was a case of Jekyll & Hyde for sophomore quarterback Charles Dickson, who threw three interceptions in the first half, then rallied the team late in the game to stage a comeback that fell just three points short. Dickson completed just 39% of his 33 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions on the day. His go-to man was the electric Cam Beach, the team's slot receiver who racked up 120 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. As for the ground game, Jonathan Kaplan improved his performance from a week ago, but was still held to just 3.1 yards per touch as he rushed for 90 yards off 29 carries. Defensively, the Outlaws recorded two sacks and four turnovers, allowed just one successful 3rd down conversion on thirteen attempts, and limited the Spartans to six points in two redzone trips, but also allowed nearly 400 yards of total offense. Senior Scott Nolan (CB) led the charge with six tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Without a doubt, turnovers were what lost the game for West Texas. An interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter put the team in a big hole, but the biggest fumble of them all came late in the fourth quarter. Trailing by just seven points, the Outlaws stifled San Jose State's offense and forced a punt with just over a minute left to play. But Michael Maynard couldn't handle the ball, turning it over at the 20-yard line. A few plays later, the Spartans tacked on a 27-yard field goal to take a ten point lead. Dickson led the team down the field for another touchdown in just 41 seconds to close the gap, but the Outlaws could not recover the ensuing onside kick, missing out on their chance to send the game into overtime.

On the other side of the ball, Tate Forcier had a rough day under center, completing just 10 of 26 passes for 160 yards, and throwing three interceptions. Fortunately for him, senior runningback David Freeman was nearly unstoppable, carrying the ball 27 times for 234 yards which included touchdown runs of 77 and 64 yards. San Jose State's defense recorded three sacks, three interceptions, forced and recovered two fumbles, and scored a touchdown. They also held WTU to a 22% conversion rate on 3rd downs, and did not allow a single redzone visit. True sophomore cornerback Tyler Ervin led the team with five tackles, one sack, and an interception, while junior Keith Smith (OLB) had six tackles and a 27-yard interception return for a score in the second quarter.

Riding the high of their first victory in 2012, the Spartans will take next week off before returning to action in the last week of September when they host Cal (2-0, 0-0). The Outlaws will also get an extra week of preparation, and hope to get their first win of the season in week six when they play host to UAB (0-3, 0-0) in a game where one team will finally get a mark in the win column.

San Jose State Spartans at West Texas Outlaws
Sep 15, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
San Jose State Spartans (1-1, 0-0)	0	14	7	6	27
West Texas Outlaws (0-3, 0-0)	0	7	3	14	24

Team Stats Comparison
	SJSU	WTU
Total Offense	394	365
Rushing Yards	234	107
Passing Yards	160	258
First Downs	10	10
Punt Return Yards	70	19
Kick Return Yards	88	113
Total Yards	552	497
Turnovers	4	5
3rd Down Converstion	1-13 (7%)	4-18 (22%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-0-2 (100%)	0-0-0 (0%)
Penalties	4-25	4-40
Posession Time	-----	-----

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SJSU	WTU
7:24	(SJSU) TD: David Freeman, 77 yard run	7	0
2:43	(SJSU) TD: Keith Smith, returned interception 27 yards	14	0
1:25	(WTU) TD: Nathan Hills, 25 yard pass from Charles Dickson	14	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SJSU	WTU
5:50	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 42 yard kick	14	10
2:41	(SJSU) TD: David Freeman, 64 yard run	21	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SJSU	WTU
8:09	(SJSU) FG: Harrison Waid, 22 yard kick	24	10
6:27	(WTU) TD: Cam Beach, 41 yard pass from Charles Dickson	24	17
0:59	(SJSU) FG: Harrison Waid, 27 yard kick	27	17
0:18	(WTU) TD: Cam Beach, 37 yard pass from Charles Dickson	27	24

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FOUR-

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FIVE-

[St. Francisco]

[dj_morton]

nice nice