West Texas A&M quarterback Nick Gerber finds running room against Midwestern State during the Buffs, 34-24, win last Saturday on J Ferg Field at Buffalo Stadium. [Bailee Barber/ For Press Pass Sports]
1. Tarleton (11-0, 8-0): Tarleton won its second straight outright Lone Star Conference championship thanks to a 41-24 at Western New Mexico. The Texans will leave the LSC and Division II with 21 straight regular season wins and 16 straight conference victories. Despite the impressive numbers, Tarleton was placed as a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Division II Super 4 Region playoffs.
2. A&M-Commerce (9-2, 7-1):The Lions played stellar defense to knock off Angelo State in the season finale earning a 17-3 victory. That crucial win put TAMC back in the postseason for a fifth straight year. The Lions, a No. 5-seed in Super Region 4, will play at rival Tarleton in a first round matchup Saturday.
3. Angelo State (8-3, 5-3): A fantastic start fo the season came to a bitter end for a much improved Rams team. After an 8-1 start, ASU dropped back-to-back games to Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M-Commere, which cost them a Division II playoff spot.
4. W. Texas A&M (8-3, 5-3): Coach Hunter Hughes put himself in the conversation for LSC Coach of the Year after his Buffs beat MSU-Texas, 34-24, in the regular season finale. WT continues to show growth under Hughes, winning eight games and five conference games for the first time since 2013.
5. E. New Mexico (7-4, 4-4): The Greyhounds salvaged their season with back-to-back wins to close out the season. ENMU stunned Angelo State, then beat Western Oregon last Saturday to finish strong. With 103 yards rushing against WOU, Randall grad and senior fullback Paul Terry not only set the school’s single-season rushing record, but also won LSC’s rushing title with 1,778 yards.
6. UTPB (4–7, 2-6): The Falcons ended 2019 with a program-best four regular season games with a 70-14 thumping of Texas A&M-Kingsville. Bushland graduate and UTPB senior quarterback Kameron Mathis, totaled 283 yards with four touchdowns. All-conference linebacker Chris Hoad ended his year leading the nation in tackles with 157, while ending his career with 528 tackles.
7. MSU-Texas (5-6, 3-5): A 27-3 halftime defeficit was much to overcome in a 34-24 loss at West Texas A&M. It was a rough year for the Mustangs, who see 19 consecuvite winning seasons come to an end.
8. A&M Kingsville (2-9, 1-7): A&M-Kingsville athletic director Steve Roach announced Monday that the school is parting ways with head coach Daren Wilkinson. Wilkinson was 21-35 in five seasons, which did include a 9-3 year in 2016.
9. W. New Mexico (1-10, 1-7): Following a 41-24 loss to Tarleton, the Mustangs have now dropped their last six games. WNM will play one final game against New Mexico Highlands on Saturday.
