West Texas A&M football takes the field for season opener against Western Colorado
There was a great deal of optimism surrounding the West Texas A&M football team at the end of the 2021 season. The Buffs won five of their final six games and were set to bring back many of their biggest contributors.
Now, the 2022 season has arrived.
The Buffs are scheduled to kickoff the year against Western Colorado at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bain-Schaefer Stadium. The Mountaineers also have high expectations after finishing last season with a 10-2 mark and a share of the regular season conference title.
The Buffs are feeling confident, however, that they're ready to go.
Analysis:What's in store for West Texas A&M quarterbacks?
"I thought we had a good fall camp overall," WT coach Hunter Hughes said. "We're excited to be starting preparations for Western Colorado this week and looking forward to hitting an opponent instead of each other for the first time in 21 days."
This will be the seventh time WT and WC have faced off with the Buffs having won all six meetings entering Saturday night. This will be the first time Western Colorado has visited Canyon in 10 years as the Buffs look to win their fourth consecutive season opener.
There's a solid stable of players back for WT this year.
Running backs:West Texas A&M football positional breakdown
Linebacker JT Cavender returns after making the All-Conference team last season. The sophomore was named preseason Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year entering this season after totaling 108 tackles in 2021. Hughes called Cavender and outside linebacker Christopher Thomas, "the leaders of the team."
"If guys aren't following JT Cavender then I need to get new guys," Hughes said. "He does everything. The way he practices, the way he plays, the way he handles himself, he's just a good solid football player."
Thomas and Cole Oster are also back at linebacker, though WT will have to replace Eric Collins. Hughes mentioned Terrance Clark, Koby King, Leo Covington and Darius Carlson as young players that have stood out in camp, but he wouldn't name any of them as the starter entering Saturday's contest.
"I don't want to put any pressure on anyone to perform like Eric Collins because he was a four-year starter," Hughes said. "That's a big moniker to put on somebody right now. I just want to continue to see Cole Oster's growth. I want to see what Koby King can come in and do and I want to see what Darius can do. If Leo Covington, the true freshman, gets a shot I want to see how much he can grow."
Another year, another season of Nick Gerber starting at quarterback for the Buffs. The sixth-year senior threw 14 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions last season, while rushing for another six scores on the ground. Fifth-year player Caleb Arreola is also back for stability.
Make no mistake, though, it's still very much Gerber's team.
"I look forward to seeing what Nick does," Hughes said. "I know it's going to be a challenge with what Western does on defense with their different looks and blitzes. I've known Todd Howard, their defensive coordinator, for 15 years now and he's always got something. He knows (Buffs offensive coordinator Russ) Martin and it should be a pretty interesting chess match."
The Buffs are 27-23 under Hughes entering his sixth year at the helm. After going 7-4 overall last season, the belief is that this is a huge year for him. A playoff appearance would certainly go a long way, though; he knows WT will have to be nearly flawless in order to get there.
With that said, Hughes' has his mind set on one thing: this week.
"I think if you have two losses during the year you're definitely on the bubble of getting in," he said. "You can get in with two losses, but if you have three losses I don't think you're in. I'm not looking at that, I'm looking at Western Colorado right now. I'm going to focus on that because you can't win 10 unless you win one, so let's work on one."
WESTERN COLORADO AT WEST TEXAS A&M
NON-CONFERENCE FOOTBALL
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bain-Schaefer Buffalo Stadium
Records: WT: 0-0, WC: 0-0
Game coverage: Follow @hpisani91 on Twitter for live updates, with postgame quotes, analysis and images to come at amarillo.com.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: West Texas A&M football takes on Western Colorado in season opener
