If the West Texas A&M football team wasn’t clicking a few weeks ago, the Buffs are now. But don’t tell Head Coach Mike Nesbitt that.
“I don’t know if we’re rolling, but I thought we played pretty consistent,” Nesbitt said. “I thought all three phases [offense, defense and special teams] were good. Our guys are just coming together as a collective group.”
After dropping their first two contests of the season, the Buffs now sit on a four-game winning streak – capped by a 34-13 victory over rival Midwestern State on Oct. 11. Looming ahead is a proverbial battle for the top spot in the Lone Star Conference against the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions, who escaped San Angelo with a 41-40 victory over Angelo State.
The offense has been a three-headed monster as of late, headlined by junior quarterback Preston Rabb, junior running back Geremy Alridge-Mitchell and senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson. Rabb threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns against Midwestern State.
“We’re starting to get into our groove,” Anthony Johnson, senior wide receiver, said.
On defense, the Buffs have found a force to be reckoned with in redshirt freshman linebacker Carter James, along with senior linebacker Markus Pierce-Brewster and sophomore defensive tackle LePear Willrich. James was credited with 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. Pierce-Brewster and Willrich were vital forces in the trenches, helping the Buffs turn away MSU with two goal-line stands – including a forced fumble and recovery by Pierce-Brewster.
“[The big defensive stops] shows how tough we’ve become,” sophomore linebacker Patric Youngman said. “The guys have really grown up this season and it’s great to see. What we’re doing in practice is carrying over to the game.”
Texas A&M-Commerce, coached by former WT defensive coordinator Colby Carthel, appears to have finally turned the corner with a 5-1 record and 4-0 in the LSC. The Lions possess a pass heavy attack fueled by quarterback Deric Davis and a duo of seniors at the wide receiver position such as Ricky Collins and Vernon Johnson.
“They have two really good wide receivers out there and their quarterback’s playing really consistent right now,” Nesbitt said.
This pivotal battle between the Buffs and the Lions will be in Commerce, Texas on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. It will be broadcasted on KAMR NBC-4.