The Wild West | A West Texas Outlaws Dynasty

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SIX





UAB BLAZERS (0-4, 0-0)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (0-3, 0-0)

It's been nearly ten months since the Outlaws last won a game...but the wait is finally over. Jonathan Kaplan was a force to be reckoned with on the ground, the offense expertly controlled the clock, and the Blazers committed fourteen costly penalties as West Texas won their first game of the season in a 27-20 decision over the UAB Blazers.

In his first career victory as a starter, Charles Dickson completed 19 of 39 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His go-to man was Michael Maynard, who had eight catches for 73 yards and a score. But the offense truly relied on the skills of Jonathan Kaplan, who finally broke loose for a big game. Kaplan finished the day with 180 yards and two touchdowns off 33 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per touch, and also had three receptions for 65 yards. Kaplan's 180 rushing yards were better than his last two games combined. Defensively, the Outlaws recorded three sacks, limited UAB to just six points in three redzone trips, allowed only five successful conversion on fifteen 3rd down attempts, and held the Blazers without a touchdown in the second half.

"It really is a tremendous weight off this team's shoulders to go out there and finally win a game this year," said head coach Major Applewhite following the game. "We went back to the basics, controlled the clock with the ground game, and just really played our game...that's how we're going to win going forward. Still a lot of work to do to get where we want to be, but we're happy with the victory today, and proud of the effort from our players."

As for the Blazers, Joe Bento had a lackluster day under center, completing just 11 of his 31 attempted passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. Bento also led the rushing attack with 91 yards and a score, while junior runningback Greg Franklin had 76 yards off 15 carries. UAB struggled to sustain drives all day long, finishing with a 33% conversion rate on 3rd downs, and failing to score a touchdown in three redzone trips. But their biggest downfall came from penalties, as the team lost 120 yards on fourteen separate calls.

Nearly halfway through the season, the Blazers still find themselves winless in 2012. They will take next week off before returning to action in mid-October to host Tulane (2-1, 0-0) in their C-USA conference opener. As for the Outlaws, they'll hit the road next week for what is sure to be a tough contest against the UNLV Rebels (3-1, 1-0), their third WAC opponent in the last four games.

UAB Blazers at West Texas Outlaws
Sep 29, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
UAB Blazers (0-5, 0-0)	0	14	3	3	20
West Texas Outlaws (1-3, 0-0)	3	7	7	10	27

Team Stats Comparison
	UAB	WTU
Total Offense	363	378
Rushing Yards	175	191
Passing Yards	188	187
First Downs	12	29
Punt Return Yards	20	47
Kick Return Yards	87	99
Total Yards	470	524
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	5-15 (33%)	10-18 (55%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-0-2 (66%)	5-2-2 (80%)
Penalties	14-120	6-35
Posession Time	24:21	35:39

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		UAB	WTU
5:30	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 30 yard kick	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		UAB	WTU
14:27	(WTU) TD: Jonathan Kaplan, 8 yard run	0	10
5:25	(UAB) TD: Jackie Williams, 16 yard pass from Joe Bento	7	10
0:05	(UAB) TD: Joe Bento, 73 yard run	14	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		UAB	WTU
8:11	(UAB) FG: Ty Long, 24 yard kick	17	10
6:08	(WTU) TD: Jonathan Kaplan, 4 yard run	17	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		UAB	WTU
13:10	(WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 23 yard pass from Charles Dickson	17	24
6:10	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 25 yard kick	17	27
1:30	(UAB) FG: Ty Long, 19 yard kick	20	27

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK SIX-

[trojan49er]

Nice to get a W under your belt, hopefully they keep comin

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SEVEN





WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-3, 0-0)
VS.
UNLV REBELS (3-1, 1-0)

West Texas took the field on Saturday against their final non-conference opponent of the season, hoping to build off their momentum from a week ago, and head into Sun Belt play with a full head of steam. Luckily, the defense delivered just that. In one of their most impressive games in school history, the Outlaws allowed just 190 total offensive yards, five first downs, and didn't allow a single 3rd down conversion in a 23-13 victory to give the team back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Charles Dickson continued to struggle under center in his first year as starter, completing just 40% of his 32 passes for 178 yards and an interception. His go-to man was tight end Nathan Hills, who had five catches for 74 yards. Fortunately for Dickson, Max Drew returned to the starting lineup in top form this week, rushing for 145 yards and a touchdown off 27 carries for an average of 5.3 yards per touch. Even sophomore fullback Joe Lilly got in on the action, scoring from one yard out in the 2nd quarter. Drew's return couldn't have come at a better time, as Kaplan was forced out of the game with a bruised shoulder, and will miss at least next week's game. Junior Chris Pino (C) will also be absent next week with a sprained wrist. Overall, the offense racked up 357 yards, and scored all of their points in the redzone, but the true story of the day was the defense. With the exception of Scott Nolan's interception, who now has a team-leading three picks on the year, no one player truly stood out for the Outlaws on defense. However, as a unit they were terrific, holding the Rebels to less than 200 total offensive yards, allowing just 13 points in three redzone trips, and forcing two turnovers. But their biggest contribution came on 3rd down, where the Rebels went 0 for 14.

On the other side of the ball, junior quarterback Caleb Herring completed just 10 of his 28 passes for 128 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Sadly enough, Herring also led the ground game with a measly 28 yards off 11 carries. UNLV's defense certainly did their best, recording six sacks and an interception, but received little to no help from their offensive counterparts in the loss.

With their three-game winning streak snapped, the Rebels return home to dive headfirst into WAC conference play with home games against Montana (2-2) and San Jose State (1-2) to round out October. As for the Outlaws, they'll open their Sun Belt schedule next week when they host the Troy Trojans (4-2, 1-1), one of the early favorites to win the conference title.

West Texas Outlaws at UNLV Rebels
Oct 6, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
West Texas Outlaws (2-3, 0-0)	3	14	0	6	23
UNLV Rebels (3-2, 1-0)	7	0	3	3	13

Team Stats Comparison
	WTU	UNLV
Total Offense	357	190
Rushing Yards	179	62
Passing Yards	178	128
First Downs	20	5
Punt Return Yards	53	43
Kick Return Yards	86	93
Total Yards	496	326
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Converstion	7-20 (35%)	0-14 (0%)
4th Down Conversion	2-2 (100%)	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-2-3 (100%)	3-1-2 (100%)
Penalties	6-46	10-80
Posession Time	38:38	21:22

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNLV
9:13	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 20 yard kick	3	0
7:40	(UNLV) TD: Marcus Sullivan, 18 yard pass from Caleb Herring	3	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNLV
5:46	(WTU) TD: Max Drew, 2 yard run	10	7
2:21	(WTU) TD: Joe Lilly, 1 yard run	17	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNLV
2:22	(UNLV) FG: Nolan Kohorst, 41 yard kick	17	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNLV
12:35	(UNLV) FG: Nolan Kohorst, 30 yard kick	17	13
9:32	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 29 yard kick	20	13
0:34	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 34 yard kick	23	13

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK SEVEN-

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK EIGHT





TROY TROJANS (4-2, 1-1)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (2-3, 0-0)

When junior quarterback Corey Robinson walked onto the field, it was a foregone conclusion that he would have a great outing. What the Outlaws didn't count on was the ground game being just as effective, as the Trojans used a balanced offensive attack to dominate WTU in a 45-7 victory, their fifth win of the season.

Corey Robinson put on a quarterback clinic on Saturday, completing 61% of his passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over, leaving his mark at just two interceptions through seven games. His go-to man was third-year sophomore Jaquon Robinson, who led the Trojans with six catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while Eric Thomas caught eight balls for 78 yards and a score. Troy was also quite effective on the ground, as seniors Shawn Southward and Chris Anderson combined for 197 yards and two touchdowns off 34 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per touch. Defensively, the final score speaks for itself. The Outlaws were held to 230 total offensive yards, converted just two of their twelve 3rd down attempts, and never reached the endzone. In addition to that, the Trojans recorded two sacks and recovered three fumbles.

As for the Outlaws, to say things didn't go quite as well would be an understatement. Charles Dickson had a decent game under center, completing 13 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Maynard had a team-leading six catches for 86 yards and a score. But West Texas came out big losers in time of possession, and as a result, offensive workhorse Max Drew was never really able to get going. Drew only carried the ball 15 times, but did rush for 70 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. WTU's defense recorded four sacks, but also allowed a season-high 529 total offensive yards and 31 points in five redzone trips.

Winners in four of their last five games, the Trojans will look to keep their momentum going over the next two weeks as they stay on the road to face off against cellar-dwelling Texas State (1-4, 0-0) and Tulane (2-2, 0-1) before returning home to host UL Monroe (3-3, 1-1) in November. Meanwhile, the Outlaws will get an extra week off to simmer over their most recent loss before they hit the road to battle North Texas (2-3, 1-0) in what they hope will be their first conference win of the season.

Troy Trojans at West Texas Outlaws
Oct 13, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Troy Trojans (5-2, 2-1)	14	10	14	7	45
West Texas Outlaws (2-4, 0-1)	0	7	0	0	7

Team Stats Comparison
	TROY	WTU
Total Offense	529	230
Rushing Yards	216	80
Passing Yards	313	150
First Downs	24	12
Punt Return Yards	39	11
Kick Return Yards	53	175
Total Yards	621	416
Turnovers	0	3
3rd Down Converstion	8-14 (57%)	2-12 (16%)
4th Down Conversion	1-2 (50%)	2-3 (66%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-4-1 (100%)	0-0-0 (0%)
Penalties	8-60	5-30
Posession Time	36:02	23:55

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TROY	WTU
4:00	(TROY) TD: Jaquon Robinson, 56 yard pass from Corey Robinson	7	0
0:25	(TROY) TD: Eric Thomas, 6 yard pass from Corey Robinson	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TROY	WTU
7:49	(WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 21 yard pass from Charles Dickson	14	7
5:48	(TROY) TD: Jim Teknipp, 14 yard pass from Corey Robinson	21	7
3:29	(TROY) FG: Mike Lynch, 32 yard kick	24	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TROY	WTU
11:07	(TROY) TD: Jaquon Robinson, 27 yard pass from Corey Robinson	31	7
6:44	(TROY) TD: Shawn Southward, 7 yard run	38	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TROY	WTU
7:39	(TROY) TD: Chris Anderson, 4 yard run	45	7

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK EIGHT-

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK NINE-

[G-men]

Go Army!

And glad to see you're starting to put up some more W's.

[St. Francisco]

Go Army!

And glad to see you're starting to put up some more W's.

Me too...bout to get into the meat of my conference schedule, and based on how teams are doing, I'm hopeful for another 6-6 season. Fingers crossed that it's enough to get me into a bowl this time around.

P.S.: Army lost in week ten to Ball State.

[G-men]

Me too...bout to get into the meat of my conference schedule, and based on how teams are doing, I'm hopeful for another 6-6 season. Fingers crossed that it's enough to get me into a bowl this time around.

P.S.: Army lost in week ten to Ball State.

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK TEN





WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (2-4, 0-1)
VS.
NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN (2-4, 1-1)

Two struggling offenses matched up on Saturday, and it showed in the first half, as neither team was able to score a single point in the opening thirty minutes. But the Outlaws would finally find their groove late in the game, finishing the day off with 17 unaswered points in the final 23 minutes to earn their third win of the season, and their first conference win over the Mean Green.

Charles Dickson had an average game under center, completing 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. C.J. Bellamy led the receiving corps with three receptions for 68 yards, while team receiving leader Michael Maynard caught his fourth TD reception of the year. West Texas' offense was truly fueled by the ground game, where Max Drew and Jonathan Kaplan combined for 167 yards and a touchdown off 33 carries for an average of five yards per touch. As for the defense, WTU recorded three sacks, and forced and recovered two fumbles. They also limited North Texas to fewer than 300 total offensive yards, and did not allow a touchdown in the game. It was the first time this season that the Mean Green did not reach the endzone at least once.

On the other side of the ball, junior quarterback Derek Thompson continued to struggle, completing just 9 of 24 passes for 122 yards in the loss. Junior runningback Brandin Byrd had a good game on the ground, rushing for 133 yards off 25 carries, but could not lead the team to victory by himself. North Texas' defense recorded three sacks and forced three turnovers, but received little to no help from their offensive counterparts in the low-scoring battle. Junior Lachris Anyiam (DE) led the charge with seven tackles and 2.5 sacks.

The Mean Green will stay at home for the fourth straight week next Saturday as they play host to Texas State (2-5, 1-1), where they hope to snap their two-game winning streak. As for the Outlaws, they are now winners in three of their last four games, and will look to keep the momentum going next week when they stay on the road to face Arkansas State (5-3, 2-1), who are currently on top of the Sun Belt standings.

West Texas Outlaws at North Texas Mean Green
Oct 27, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
West Texas Outlaws (3-4, 1-1)	0	0	3	14	17
North Texas Mean Green (2-5, 1-2)	0	0	3	0	3

Team Stats Comparison
	WTU	UNT
Total Offense	308	292
Rushing Yards	177	170
Passing Yards	131	122
First Downs	18	15
Punt Return Yards	40	15
Kick Return Yards	15	118
Total Yards	363	425
Turnovers	3	2
3rd Down Converstion	5-13 (38%)	4-15 (26%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	1-2 (50%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-2-0 (100%)	2-0-1 (50%)
Penalties	10-67	15-110
Posession Time	31:01	28:59

Scoring Summary
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNT
11:08	(UNT) FG: Zach Olen, 24 yard kick	0	3
7:49	(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 45 yard kick	3	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		WTU	UNT
13:22	(WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 1 yard pass from Charles Dickson	10	3
1:19	(WTU) TD: Jonathan Kaplan, 5 yard run	17	3