West Texas A&M University’s quarterback (QB) Kanon Gibson threw for over two hundred yards and three passing touchdowns against the Western New Mexico Mustangs on Oct. 13th. That would be a fairly impressive stat line for a whole game. Gibson did that in the first quarter.

Gibson, who made his first start of the season during that game, would end the night with five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and nearly four hundred passing yards, leading the Buffs to a dominant 42-17 victory.

“We needed to jumpstart offensively,” Head Coach Josh Lynn said at a press conference after the game. “We weren’t moving the ball offensively. We’ve faced some really good offenses; however, we felt we needed to do something different, and part of that was bringing him on and giving him a chance.”

Gibson, a Sophomore majoring in Agricultural Business at WT, joined the Buffs in 2023 as one of the team’s QBs. He saw time in nine games and ended the season with twelve passing and four rushing touchdowns. Before this game, Sean Johnson, a junior Sports and Exercise major at WT had been the starting QB for the WT Buffs.

“Kanon Gibson was in the running for the starting spot at the first of the year, and it was a very, very close race in regards to who we were going to start at the first of the year, between him and Sean Johnson,” Lynn said. “We felt Sean beat him out, but the margin between those two wasn’t much, and Kanon continued to work. He continued to improve.”

The game was preceded by a tailgate block party featuring representatives for local businesses, student organizations, and Buff football fans. Students and other attendees were given food and drinks while waiting for the game to begin.

Even for Seniors about to graduate, Homecoming football can be an exciting occasion.
“This is my last chance to see a Homecoming game as a student,” Raul Garcia said, a WT senior. “I don’t want to miss out.”

With this victory, the Buffs improved to 2-2 in the Lone Star Conference.