West Texas A&M at Colorado School of Mines
>> Time, Date, Place: 7 p.m. Thursday, Mary Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
>> Records: West Texas A&M 1-0 overall, 1-0 Lone Star Conference; Colorado School of Mines 0-0
>> Last Week: West Texas A&M 42, Sul Ross State 21; Colorado School of Mines did not play.
>> Last Season: Did not play.
>> Notes: West Texas A&M began the season with a victory against LSC newcomers Sul Ross State last Thursday in Alpine. The Buffs will get a slightly tougher challenge this week when they face another road opponent, this time against the defending national runner-up Colorado School of Mines. Quarterback Sean Johnson was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 167 yards on 14 carries which included four touchdowns in the Buffs’ season opener. … No. 5-ranked Colorado School of Mines will be playing its season opener. Coached by second-year head coach Pete Sterbick, the Orediggers will look to make another run at a national championship appearance after losing to Harding last year in the final.
Angelo State at Emporia State
>> Time, Date, Place: 1 p.m. Saturday, Francis G. Welch Stadium, Emporia, Kan.
>> Records: Angelo State 0-1; Emporia State 1-0 overall, 1-0 MIAA
>> Last Week: Fort Hays State 21, Angelo State 7; Emporia State 30, Washburn 14
>> Last Season: Did not play.
>> Notes: The Angelo State Rams will return to Kansas in hopes of a better result after losing last week’s season opener to Fort Hays State. The Rams’ offense couldn’t get much going against the Tigers, putting up only 203 yards total (80 rushing and 123 passing). It’ll be the second consecutive week that Angelo State plays a team from the MIAA conference. … Emporia State used a strong second half to pull away from Washburn after only leading 6-0 at the half. Quarterback Gunnar Gundy looks to be a dual threat after posting 292 yards passing with three touchdowns while also rushing for 101 yards against the Ichabods.
Central Washington at San Diego
>> Time, Date, Place: 3 p.m. Saturday, Torero Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
>> Records: Central Washington 0-0; San Diego 1-0
>> Last Week: Central Washington did not play; San Diego 27, Cal Poly 21
>> Last Season: Did not play
>> Notes: Central Washington will begin its season with a tough challenge against a Division I FCS school. The Wildcats are coming off a 9-4 record that included the team’s first regional final berth since 2009. It’s the second consecutive year that Central Washington is starting off the season against a Division I school. … San Diego is coming off a 27-21 win over Cal Poly in last week’s season opener. Quarterback Grant Sergent went 15-of-24 for 153 yards in last week’s victory.
Western Oregon at Idaho State
>> Time, Date, Place: 5 p.m. Saturday, ICCU Dome, Pocatello, Idaho
>> Records: Western Oregon 0-0; Idaho State 0-1
>> Last Week: Western Oregon did not play; Oregon State 38, Idaho State 15
>> Last Season: Did not play.
>> Notes: Western Oregon will look to improve on last year’s 3-8 showing. Arne Ferguson returns for his 19th season as head coach of the Wolves. The first win of the season might have to wait a while as Western Oregon will face consecutive Division I FCS schools beginning with this week’s game. The Wolves will also face Cal Poly next Saturday in San Luis Obispo, Calif. … Idaho State gave Oregon State some problems in the first half of last week’s game, taking a 9-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and only trailing by eight at the half.
Western New Mexico at Adams State
>> Time, Date, Place: 7 p.m. Saturday, Rex Stadium, Alamosa, Colo.
>> Records: Western New Mexico 0-1 overall, 0-1 Lone Star Conference; Adams State 0-0
>> Last Week: UTPB 41, Western New Mexico 3; Adams State did not play
>> Last Season: Did not play.
>> Notes: Western New Mexico managed to hold defending LSC champion UTPB to only 14 points in the first half, but there was only so much the Mustangs could do before the Falcons’ offense took off in the second half. Western New Mexico’s offense couldn’t get much going, only putting up 118 total yards (67 passing, 51 rushing). … Adams State will be hoping for a better 2024 after going 3-8 last year. Jarrell Harrison returns for his fourth year as head coach of the Grizzlies and significant improvement might be needed if he is to return for a fifth season as the team has gone 1-10, 2-9 and 3-8 over the last three years.
Midwestern State at Western Colorado
>> Time, Date, Place: 7 p.m. Saturday, Mountaineer Bowl, Gunnison, Colo.
>> Records: Midwestern State 1-0; Western Colorado 0-0
>> Last Week: Midwestern State 18, Missouri Southern State 11; Western Colorado did not play.
>> Last Season: Did not play.
>> Notes: Midwestern State began the Rich Renner era with a close win last Thursday against Missouri Southern State. It wasn’t all that pretty as the Mustangs’ lead was only 5-3 at the half. Three different quarterbacks saw action for Midwestern State as the team managed only 49 total yards of passing. Running back Devin Cross did get in the triple digits with 101 yards rushing from 11 carries and a touchdown. … No. 15 Western Colorado will be expected to make another run for the NCAA Division II playoffs after going 10-2 last year. The Mountaineers will face another LSC team next week at West Texas A&M.
Sul Ross State at Eastern New Mexico
>> Time, Date, Place: 7 p.m. Saturday, Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium, Portales, N.M.
>> Records: Sul Ross State 0-1 overall, 0-1 Lone Star Conference; Eastern New Mexico 1-0
>> Last Week: West Texas A&M 42, Sul Ross State 21; Eastern New Mexico 63, New Mexico Highlands 37
>> Last Season: Eastern New Mexico 51, Sul Ross State 12
>> Notes: Sul Ross State managed to keep things close at times in its Lone Star Conference debut against West Texas A&M last week. Twice, the Lobos were able to cut their deficit to seven before the Buffs pulled away in the fourth quarter. Things won’t get much easier this week. … The Greyhounds’ offense had nothing to worry about after scoring 63 points. The bad news is that their defense didn’t help much. Still, Eastern New Mexico gained more than 630 yards of total offense with just 23 minutes of total possession. Its run game eclipsed more than 10 yards per carry.
