Mustangs not end to murderer's row

PORTALES — A victory for the Eastern New Mexico football team over Midwestern State on Saturday would have re-defined the Greyhounds’ season. A lopsided defeat could have been soul-crushing.

Call Saturday’s 31-23 Eastern loss at Greyhound Stadium somewhere in between. The Hounds battled hard against the country’s fifth-ranked Division II team, even led for a while. But ultimately, they suffered their fourth loss in five games this year.

So, Eastern’s showing was encouraging if not re-defining. The outcome was disappointing, though not soul-crushing.

“I think (we gained) as much confidence as you can get when you didn’t win the game,” ENMU head coach Kelley Lee said. “Our last three games we played (Texas A&M) Commerce to the wire, won at TAMK (Texas A&M-Kingsville), played Midwestern (close). I don’t know how much confidence you get when you lose, but I think we can get as much as you can get.”

“I want to congratulate (Midwestern), they’re a fantastic team, but we felt like we should’ve won,” Eastern quarterback Wyatt Strand said. “A couple of plays we could’ve made that would’ve changed that game. (Midwestern) did a fantastic job, defensively and offensively, but a couple of plays would’ve changed that game.”

Midwestern, the reigning Lone Star Conference champion, improved to 5-0 on Saturday and climbed up a step to No. 4 in the country when Monday’s AFCA Division II poll was released. The Mustangs could be on their way to another conference title and D-II playoff berth, but head coach Bill Maskill was taking nothing for granted in the last weekend of September. Especially with Texas A&M-Commerce about to pay a visit.

“The next thing is the next game,” Maskill said. “We’ll do what we think we can do. The most important thing to do right now is to enjoy this win and get ready to go next week.”

Maskill did take time to express how much Eastern continues to impress him.

“A tough win because that’s a good football team,” Maskill said. “You can’t recreate that offense in practice, you can’t simulate that during the week. They’re so much faster and they’ve got better players than guys that we’re using to demonstrate.”

The game

Midwestern began Saturday’s game in expected fashion, as its prolific passer Layton Rabb moved the Mustangs quickly downfield on their opening series. They went 75 yards in 10 plays, and though Eastern appeared ready to make a goal-line stand, Monterey High graduate Vincent Johnson would have none of it. On the drive’s 10th play, third-and-goal from Eastern’s 1, Johnson was initially hit at the line of scrimmage, then spun off tacklers and into the end zone. Jaron Imbriani’s extra point made it 7-0 with just 3:55 gone by in the first quarter.

Eastern then looked like an old Bill Parcells-coached Giants team, slowing down the pace of the game and chewing up the clock with a steady rushing attack. Johnny Smith and Paul Terry did much of the running initially, with another back — Tayshaun Gary — helping out on the Greyhounds’ first pass of the night by picking up a block that turned a possible loss into a six-yard reception for Sanchez Lofton.

In another rare but positive passing play, this one on third-and-13 from Midwestern’s 39, Strand ducked his way out of a sack and threw to a wide-open Terry for an 11-yard gain. That set up fourth-and-two, but an offsides call gave Eastern a first down at the 23.

The drive’s remainder consisted of six plays, all rushing: Strand for eight yards, Terry for one, Strand for three more, Terry for three more, Strand for two, and then the clincher, a draw play to Gary who went six yards for a touchdown. Tyler Vargas — on his way to earning LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors — booted the extra point to tie it at 7 with 4:31 left in the first quarter.

“I think our first drive was about eight minutes long,” Strand said. “That’s just kind of the offense we run; we run it nice and slow.”

It was Eastern’s defense that came up big next.

Though the Mustangs had driven to the ENMU 26 on their next possession, the drive ended abruptly when defensive back Emilio Rodriguez penetrated Midwestern’s backfield and clobbered Rabb, causing him to fumble. Eastern defensive lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Mustang 31. A 33-yard Vargas field goal early in the second quarter was the eventual result, handing the Hounds a 10-7 lead.

Eastern thwarted Midwestern’s next drive with a third-down tipped pass by defensive lineman Jamar Claibourn, who nearly tipped himself an interception but at least forced the Mustangs to punt. The ensuing Greyhound drive was fueled in part by a 32-yard Terry run into Midwestern territory, landing Eastern at the Mustang 27.

And though the Hounds made it as far as Midwestern’s 7, they wound up settling for another Vargas field goal, this one from 30 yards out that made it a 13-7 game with 8:23 left before halftime.

Midwestern’s offense then went back to work, piecing together a 10-play 72-yard drive — highlighted by a 24-yard pass to Xavier Land, an 18-yard toss to Juwan Johnson, a 21-yard strike to Johnson and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kylan Harrison. Imbriani’s extra point gave Midwestern a 14-13 edge with 5:05 left in the half.

The Mustangs seemed on their way to another touchdown before halftime, beginning their next drive with a 58-yard pass from Rabb to Land that made it first-and-10 at Eastern’s 16. The Greyhounds’ defense held firm, though, forcing two incomplete passes and getting a sack on third-and-10 when defensive back Todd Countee dragged Rabb down by the ankles, leading to a 47-yard Imbriani field goal to end the half.

Eastern began the third quarter with another slow methodical drive, keeping it mostly on the ground. Included in the series was some nifty running by Smith that brought ENMU from Midwestern’s 49 to the 20, soon followed by Kazyan Martin’s 10-yard run, a two-yard Martin run and an eight-yard Gary touchdown dash. Eastern was back in the lead, and with Vargas’ extra point, that lead was 20-17.

Could an upset be brewing? Was Eastern going to topple the country’s No. 5 team?

Unfortunately for them, no. Midwestern was in control for much of the second half after Gary’s second touchdown. The Mustangs’ next possession, in fact, ended after four plays because the fourth was a 49-yard scoring pass from Rabb to Juwan Johnson.

Before the quarter even ended, Midwestern had scored yet again, thanks to an 86-yard drive helped greatly by a 47-yard Justin Jones dash. The series ended with Jones’ five-yard touchdown run, as 1:14 remained in the third.

Eastern’s offense couldn’t seem get to crackling again, and appeared all but done with roughly nine minutes to go in the fourth, when Strand threw an incomplete pass at Midwestern’s 36 on fourth-and-four and ENMU out of timeouts.

The Greyhounds did get a 44-yard Vargas field goal with 1:22 left, but Harris fell on the ensuing onside kick to end any hopes of an Eastern comeback and upset.

Next heavyweight on the card

With the loss, ENMU had to move on and look forward to this Saturday’s road game at Tarleton State in Stephensville, Texas (6 p.m. MDT).

The Greyhounds have dug themselves a 1-4 hole, though they might be the best 1-4 team ever, having played a seemingly unending slate of nationally-ranked teams.

“We’re a lot better than 1-4,” Lee said. “And we’ve continued to get better.”

“We’ve played Commerce and Midwestern closer than we played them last year,” Strand said. “We played Kingsville and beat ’em more than we did last year, and we beat the rest of the teams on the schedule. We can’t settle and think that we’re going to win the games.”

It doesn’t get easier for the Greyhounds, because here comes another top 25 opponent. 4-0 Tarleton State found itself at No. 21 in Monday’s AFCA poll.

First off, its Tarleton’s offense that jumps out, as the Texans have averaged 44.3 points per game. Their season-low was a still-hefty 35 points against UT Permian Basin on Sept. 22; their season-high was the 54 points they rang up on Angelo State last weekend.

Eastern’s defense managed to at least somewhat contain Rabb, the LSC’s Preseason Player of the Year, this past Saturday. The ENMU defensive unit will now be tasked with stopping an offense that’s already amassed 2,033 yards, 1,142 on the ground.

Junior Daniel McCants leads the Texans in rushing with 545 yards on 65 attempts (8.2 per carry) and five touchdowns. Last Saturday at Angelo State he dashed for 177 yards — his season-high — on just 17 carries (10.4 per carry) and two scores.

And the Texans can also sling it when needed. Senior quarterback Ben Holmes — a Northeasterner who hails all the way from the Buffalo Bills’ home of Orchard Park, N.Y. — has thrown for 891 yards and eight touchdowns on 55-of-84 passing (65.5 percent) and a 176.5 QBR. He can be forced into mistakes, though, as his four interceptions in four games indicates.

Strand is scheduled to make his 27th consecutive start Saturday. The passing of Strand, along with the running tandem of him, Gary, Terry and Smith could be a handful for Tarleton State’s defense, which allowed 33 points against Angelo State last weekend, as much as it had surrendered in its three prior games combined.

However the Hounds attack Tarleton, they need a win. Their 1-4 record may be the result of playing national heavyweights, but 1-4 is 1-4.

“We’ve just got to win out,” Strand said. “We’ve just got to focus on the rest of our schedule, that’s all we can do.”