West Texas A&M hits the road for showdown with Western New Mexico
West Texas A&M has three games remaining on the season. While the playoffs are a long-shot at this point, don't tell them that there's nothing left to play for.
The Buffs are 5-3 overall with a 3-3 mark in the Lone Start Conference as they hit the road to take on Western New Mexico in a 1 p.m. Saturday matchup in Silver City, New Mexico.
WNMU is 4-4 overall with a 3-3 record in the LSC, but WT head coach Hunter Hughes acknowledged that this is one of the best Mustang teams he's seen in his six years at the helm.
"My understanding is that they've had 40 plus transfers that have come in," he said. "They're a lot more athletic than they've been in the past."
Hughes specifically singled out the play of WNMU's quarterback Devin Larsen. The standout is 157-of-272 passes for 1,687 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on the year. Hughes noted that WNMU throws the ball "probably 65-75% of the time" so slowing down that attack will be critical.
WT has some key pieces in the secondary who are capable of doing just that.
Ty Dillon is second on the team in tackles with 46, while Sign Shuva is third at 40. Dillon has picked off three passes while Shuva hauled in his first interception of the year last week against Central Washington. They've combined for 14 pass breakups and Hughes noted how solid they've both been all year.
"We had two freshman playing corner last week including Sign Shuva," he said. "Ty Dillon's a sophomore who didn't really start last year. ... Sign has been solid the whole way through as a true freshman. We knew what he was capable of doing, we just didn't know it would happen this fast. His attitude and Ty's as well are just 'bring it on, I'm ready for any challenge.'"
On offense, the Buffs will look to match Larsen's ability with their veteran quarterback Nick Gerber. The sixth-year signal caller is coming off a three-touchdown effort and has thrown for 1,762 yards on the season, while rushing for 397. He's accounted for 11 total touchdowns and will hope to build on his performance last week.
The Buffs are 8-3 all-time against the Mustangs and have won the past three meetings. A win this week would set WT up nicely for its home finale against Eastern New Mexico next week. The season will conclude on the road the following week at Simon Fraser.
WEST TEXAS A&M AT WESTERN NEW MEXICO
Lone Star Conference Football
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Altamirano Field, Silver City, New Mexico
Records: WT 5-3, 3-3; WNMU 4-4, 3-3
Coverage: Post game story to appear on amarillo.com.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: West Texas A&M football hits the road against Western New Mexico
