Vaughan Tosses Career-High Six Touchdowns in Season-Opening Win

West Texas A&M senior quarterback Dustin Vaughan likes playing Western State Colorado University.  Saturday, he went 37 of 57 for a career-high 470 yards and a career-high six touchdowns as the No. 3-ranked Buffaloes won 48-21 in Gunnison, Colo.
 
Vaughan, a senior from Corpus Christi, Texas, threw a then-career-high five touchdowns last season vs. the Mountaineers in Canyon and had 409 yards.  In the two games vs. Western State, Vaughan has thrown 11 touchdowns and 879 yards and gone 58-89 in passing.
 
Not only did Vaughan impress on Saturday, but senior wide receiver Torrence Allen had a career-high 206 yards receiving on 12 catches and two scores.  Junior transfer Anthony Johnson had an impressive debut for the Buffs with three catches for 53 yards and two scores.  Sophomore Word Hudson had 62 yards on four receptions.
 
On the ground, the Buffs were led by sophomore Geremy Alridge with 50 yards on 11 carries, while senior Aaron Harris had 44 yards on seven touches.
 
With the win, the Buffs snapped a four-game skid in season-openers and improved to 31-9 all-time versus teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
As a team, the Buffs tallied 562 yards of total offense and allowed just 267 as they ran 89 plays to just 61 for WSCU.  The defense held WSCU to just 18 yards on the ground and 249 through the air, while coming up with four sacks, 10 tackles for loss and recovered three fumbles.
 
Senior LeBrandon Mosley le the team with seven tackles and five solo stops, while redshirt freshman Patric Youngman had six stops with five solo tackles and one sack along with two tackles for loss and a breakup.
 
WT took the opening kick and marched right down the field to the WSCU three.  The Buffs settled for a 20-yard field goal from senior kicker Sergio Castillo, Jr.
 
After a three-and-out by WSCU, highlighted by a pass breakup by senior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks on a third and two, the Buffs took over at their 15.  Vaughan connected with junior receiver Jeremy Watson for 11 yards on 3rd and 13 but the Mountaineers were called for a personal foul on a late hit out of bounds, extending the drive.
 
From there, Vaughan hooked up with Allen for 20 yards and then on 2nd and four from the 13, Vaughan connected with Johnson for the first touchdown and a 10-0 lead.
 
After a punt by WSCU, Vaughan and the Buffs marched right down the field once again for a 10 play, 80-yard drive as he connected from 17 yards out to Harris for a 17-0 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
The Buffs scored 17 points in the final six minutes of the second quarter to blow the game open for a 34-0 lead at intermission.  The first score came on Allen's second touchdown for a 24-0 lead.  Western took over after the score at its 25 yard line, but Austin Ekeler had the ball punched out by senior linebacker Nick Whitt who recovered it for the Buffs and a short field.
 
From there, Johnson scored his second touchdown for a 31-0 lead from 24-yards out on a long second and goal for the Buffs due to a number of penalties.  After a punt by the Mountaineers, Vaughan used the 2-minute drill and drove WT from its 35 to Western State's 12 before Castillo belted his second field goal of the day for a 34-0 lead.
 
Midway through the third, the Buffs took over on their 40 after a Western punt and Vaughan hooked up with senior Trevor Hammargren for a 41-0 lead with 7:15 remaining in the quarter on a four play, 60-yard drive taking just 56 seconds.
 
Pitching the shutout, the game moved to the fourth quarter where Western showed some signs of life and a few lucky bounces of the ball.  First, WSCU backup quarterback Ron Dickerson threw a 72-yard strike for a score to Travis Haney as the ball went ricocheted off the hands of a WT defender and right to Haney for a 41-7 score.
 
WT came right back with another under a minute score as Vaughan connected with Allen for his career-high sixth touchdown from 28 yards out for a 48-7 lead.
 
A good kick return by Arius Norris of 40 yards set the Mountaineers up well at their own 45.  WSCU went for it on 4th and 3 from the WT 25 and Haney came up with a miraculous catch for a first down to keep the drive alive and starting quarterback Brett Arrivey connected with Vince Delmonico in the back of the end zone for a 48-14 score with 4:35 left.
 
WSCU added another touchdown late from Arrivey for the final score of 48-21.
 
The Buffs return home to prepare for the short week as they travel to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for a Thursday night matchup with No. 21 Chadron State on CBS College Sports Network at 7 p.m.  The game will also be broadcast back to the Panhandle on KAMR.

---

Javelinas, Stoll Trick CWU In Win
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville head coach David Calloway called for a trick play late in the fourth quarter and senior kicker Matt Stoll made his coach look like a genius in his head coaching debut running 17 yards on a fake field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown with 6:48 remaining in a 21-14 victory over Central Washington on Saturday.

Kingsville made the surprise play stand by holding off a late drive as Lamont Hills recovered a fumble at the 2-yard line with less than 10 seconds to go. The Wildcats had picked up a first down at the two after a pass interference call in the end zone against Ronnie Ford on a tight play.

The game was tight throughout with neither team able to gain a lead of more than seven points as the Javelinas won for the third straight season in the opener against the Wildcats. Kingsville has won five straight opening games.

The Javelinas fell behind 7-0 when CWU linebacker Ridge Nielsen intercepted a Rios pass and returned it 31 yards for a score 1:22 left in the opening quarter.

However, Kingsville responded with pair of quick touchdowns.

On second-and-5 from the 40, Anthony Washington took the ball around the left end and carried the ball 60 yards for a score with 45 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Senior defensive end Robert Williams intercepted a Justin Lane pass and returned it 17 yards to the CWU 17. Two plays later, Rios connected with Robert Armstrong for a 15-yard touchdown completion just 46 seconds into the second period.

Jordan Todd scored CWU’s only offensive TD of the game when he tied the game at 14 with a 6-yard run midway through the second quarter.

The score remained tied at 14 until Stoll’s improbable touchdown run on the fake.

Washington finished with 93 yards on 15 carries in his first start. Rios finished 16-of-28 with a TD and an interception in three quarters of play. Dean Brantley was 6-of-8 for 55 yards in the final period. Armstrong had 10 catches for 93 yards and a score. As a unit the offense had 353 yards of total offense on 77 plays.

The Javelina defense was solid throughout the contest limiting the hosts to 202 yards of total offense. It was the Wildcats lowest offensive total in seven years.

In his first game with the Javelinas, Brandon James led the way with 12 tackles, while Lamont Hills and Ricky Marshall each seven tackles. Trevor Pesek, Steve Maeweather and Marshall each had a sack for the Hoggies.

Stan Langlow had 13 tackles, while Gabe Bruno had three sacks.

The Javelinas return to action Saturday at noon when they face Monterrey Tech at AT&T Stadium noon.

---

 
A&M-COMMERCE DOMINATES SUL ROSS STATE, 51-6, IN SEASON OPENER
 
 The Colby Carthel era got off to an emphatic start as A&M-Commerce dominated Sul Ross State from the opening whistle, rolling the Lobos in a 51-6 season-opening victory at Memorial Stadium.
 
It was a stellar debut for junior quarterback Tyrik Rollison, who completed 25 of his 38 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns in his Lion debut while leading the Lions with 42 rushing yards on the night. He spearheaded an A&M-Commerce which racked up 493 yards of total offense on the night, over 200 yards better than the Lions' 2012 average of 260.7.
 
It was a joint effort among the A&M-Commerce receiving corps as 10 different Lions hauled in passes, led by Stacy Howard's five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown and Taylor Peasha racking up 80 yards on four receptions with a score. Garrett Smith (43 yards) and Aaron Wingfield (39 yards) each had four catches on the night, including a score from Wingfield, while Hayden Marsh had the other touchdown, finishing with two catches for 28 yards.
 
On the ground, the Lions showed life that had been missing in previous seasons as the running back by committee finished with 111 yards on 36 carries in the season opener. Behind Rollison was Ki-Janaven Garrett's 33 yards on six carries with a touchdown, followed by 15 yards each from both Salim Zongo and Aaron Fields.
 
In 2012, Sul Ross State averaged 48.8 points and 590 yards per game, but the A&M-Commerce held the Lobos in check, holding them to just six points on 106 total yards. The Lions' defensive unit combined for an astonishing 22 tackles for loss on the evening, including eight sacks.
 
Sophomore Cole Pitts was the Lions' leading tackler with five, followed by four each from Davarus Shores and LaMonte Johnson, including 1.5 sacks in his debut. Senior Jeremy Dotson finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack while Charles Tuau posted 1.5 sacks on the night as well.
 
In front of a spirited crowd, the Lions threatened early in the first quarter, getting down to the one-yard line. But A&M-Commerce had to settle for a field goal from Saul Martinez, giving the Lions the 3-0 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first.
 
That remained the score late into the quarter when the A&M-Commerce began to find its groove. Rollison connected with Marsh on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the waning seconds of the first, giving the Lions the 10-0 lead after the first.
 
A&M-Commerce's defense then put the team in prime position as Sul Ross State was set to punt out of its own end zone early in the second half. But the snap was fumbled by punter Logan Fox and pounced on by Shores, putting the Lions up 17-0 with 7:38 remaining in the half.
 
Sul Ross State would respond on its next possession, using a 60-yard kickoff return to set up great field position, and then punched it into the end zone seven plays later to cut the deficit to 17-6 – a score that would hold through the remainder of the half.
 
After exchanging drives early in the third quarter, Rollison and the A&M-Commerce found its groove and put the pedal to the floor. The Lions would score three touchdowns in a five-minute span as Rollison tossed a 10-yard swing pass to Wingfield for his first collegiate touchdown, a 26-yard strike to Howard three minutes later before a 37-yard snag by Peasha with 1:41 remaining, breaking the game open at 38-6.
 
In case there was any doubt about the outcome, those doubts were quickly squashed as on the first play of Sul Ross' ensuing drive, C.J. Johnson recorded an interception and scampered 29 yards into the end zone to put A&M-Commerce in cruise control at 45-6.
 
A&M-Commerce put the icing on the cake early in the fourth quarter as Garrett rushed four yards for his first collegiate touchdown, extending the Lions' lead to 51-6 and putting the exclamation point on a dominating Lion victory.
 
It was the first meeting between the Lions and the Lobos since 1975 as A&M-Commerce continued to control the all-time series, improving to 19-5-3 all-time against Sul Ross State. The Lions also notched a victory in their season opener for the first time since defeating Upper Iowa 33-10 in 2010.
 
With the much-anticipated season opener now in its rear view mirror, A&M-Commerce now prepares for a return trip to AT&T Stadium in Arlington next week, facing Delta State in the 2013 Lone Star Football Festival. The Statesmen had an impressive showing Saturday as well, recording a 24-14 victory over Division I opponent Mississippi Valley State. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

---

McCloud Interception Highlights Hounds Opener Against Highlands
 
New Mexico Highlands (1-0) edged the Eastern New Mexico University football team (0-1) in a thrilling season opener for both teams, by a score of 31-28, Saturday night at Greyhound Stadium. Darrelyn McCloud's 33-yard interception in the third quarter marked the first time an ENMU player scored defensively, since Jayson Serda, against Incarnate Word, last season.
 
The Cowboys extended a 14-point halftime lead to 24-7, early in the third quarter on a 55-yard Zach Tapia field goal, but McCloud's interception return ignited a 21-0 surge from the Hounds, which included a 36-yard touchdown sprint from Cameron Mikell and a 45-yard sprint from Andrew Lopez, for a 28-24 edge with 10:44 left in the game. The Cowboys capitalized on third-down pass interference call in the endzone, when Dominque Ferrell used the extra downs to score from two-yards out for the final margin, with 7:21 remaining.
 
ENMU quarterback Jeremy Buurma passed for 235 yards, while Jacob Johnson hauled in five passes for 61 yards. Lopez rushed for 88 yards, while Julian Yearwood and Christopher Barnard paced the defense with 11 tackles each. Emmanuel Lewis led NMHU with 182 yards passing.
 
The Eastern New Mexico University football team will have a short week, with a contest against Sul Ross State on Friday, as part of the Lone Star Conference Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium. New Mexico Highlands will visit Abilene Christian, next Saturday.

---

ASU Wins Season Opener 38-26 over Black Hills State