On Nov. 17, after securing a victory against archrival Midwestern State, the West Texas A&M football team gathered in Room 101 at the Agricultural and Natural Sciences Building to await their playoff fate. The Buffaloes will pay a visit to Indianapolis, Indiana to do battle with the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds. Despite the technical difficulties, it didn’t take long for the Buffaloes to figure out where they would be traveling.
The game will start at 11 a.m. CST. KAMR NBC 4 is seeking permission to broadcast it..
The Greyhounds finished off a second straight undefeated run through the Great Lakes Valley Conference, after defeating Truman State 21-14 on Nov. 16. The Greyhounds enter the Division II postseason with a 10-1 record overall, as the only loss the Greyhounds endured was a 31-14 loss to Drake, a Division I FCS football program.
Indianapolis is led by senior running back Klay Fiechter, who earned more than 1,000 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns for the 2013 campaign. While the Greyhounds rely on a power running game, redshirt quarterback Connor Barthel appeared in seven games as he has passed for more than 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.
On defense, the Greyhounds anchored by redshirt senior defensive lineman Mike Phillips, who hauled in seven sacks. Senior linebacker Todd Hacker is also someone the Buffs need to look for while squaring off with Indianapolis, as Hacker is credited with 52 tackles, two sacks, a fumble, and two interceptions during the 2013 campaign.
In his fourth year at the helm, Indianapolis head coach Bob Bartolomeo has guided the Greyhounds to its second consecutive 10-win season and NCAA Division II playoff appearance. In their 2012 playoff campaign Indianapolis defeated Midwestern State before losing to Colorado State-Pueblo in the second round of the postseason.
West Texas A&M is the only representative from the Lone Star Conference, after defeating the Mustangs in a wind-swept defensive battle in Wichita Falls on Nov. 16. Tarleton State, on the other hand, lost to North Alabama 44-7 at Stephenville. The Tarleton loss propelled the Buffs into the playoffs.
It is the second straight playoff appearance for the Buffs, after a magical run into the NCAA Division II semifinals. The Buffs defeated Chadron State, Ashland University, and CSU-Pueblo before falling to Winston-Salem State.
This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. The winner of this battle will then travel to Columbus, Ohio to visit an undefeated Ohio Dominican (10-0 overall, 9-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) squad in the second round of the playoffs.
