WT Buffs and WSSU Rams Battle Saturday Night for Berth in NCAA Division II Championship

Game Notes in PDF Format

ESPN3 Link to Watch the Game

CANYON, Texas – The 16th-ranked West Texas A&M football team continues its magical season with a date in the NCAA Division II National Championship on the line as it travels to No. 2 Winston-Salem State in the NCAA Division II Semifinals Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Buffs a 12-2 on the year, while the Rams are 13-0.

WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE BUFFS - The game will be broadcast on the internet on ESPN3 as John Sadak and Rene Ingoglia will have the call and Angela Mallen will be on the sideline. The game will be broadcast on the radio throughout the Texas Panhandle on KGNC-AM NewsTalk 710 with Neil Horn and Brice Edwards. There are no live stats.

THE COACHES - WTAMU head coach Don Carthel, the winningest coach in terms of winning percentage and wins in WT football history, brings a record of 79-21 (.787) is in his eighth season at the helm of the Buffalo football program. In his 17th season, Carthel is 125-67-1 (.648). He surpassed Joe E. Kerbel in wins Sept. 15 with his 69th win at the helm of the Buffaloes for the most in school history in a 40-10 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Winston-Salem head coach Connell Maynor is in his third season at the helm of the Rams. He is 34-3 going 13-1 and losing in the NCAA Semifinals last season. Maynor was named American Football Coaches Association Super Region One Coach of the Year this week as he has led his team to another undefeated season to this point. Maynor played at Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T and has more than two decades of football experience including 10 years at Fayetteville State as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, as well as working in the Arena Football League where he was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Soul (2006-2008) and an Arena Bowl XXII championship in 2008. He is a four-time Arena Bowl champion with two at Tampa Bay (1993-1994) and two in Orlando at quarterback (1998 and 2000).

CARTHEL NAMED AFCA REGION FOUR COACH OF THE YEAR - West Texas A&M head coach Don Carthel was announced as American Football Coaches Association Division II Region Four Coach of the Year Monday. Carthel earned Co-Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honors this season, too.

GAME 15 - Saturday's game is the 15th of the season for the Buffaloes and will be the most games played in a season in school history as the previous most was 13 games in 2006-2008. The most games played in a season in Division II is 16 set by Wayne State (Mich.) last season as the NCAA runner-up to Pittsburg State (Kan.)

THE SIX-SEED - This is the second year in a row that a six-seed has made it to the NCAA Semifinals. Last season, Wayne State (Mich.) upset Winston-Salem State in the semifinals 21-14 earning a berth in the NCAA championship.




ReCAPPING CSU-PUEBLO - The Buffs' season came full circle last week as WT and Colorado State-Pueblo hooked up once again this season. The Buffs opened the 2012 season with a 44-34 loss at CSU-Pueblo on Aug. 30, but that sour taste changed quickly on Saturday as WT dominated the game from the get go. The Buffs silenced the 10,217 crowd as WT was led by junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan who passed for 324 yards and three scores on 24 of 38 passes with one interception. Senior running back Khiry Robinson tallied 181 yards on the ground and had two catches for 14 yards with a score. Junior wide receiver Nathan Slaughter came up with catch after catch after catch as he tallied 170 yards receiving and two touchdowns on seven receptions. Defensively the Buffs dominated the CSU-Pueblo this time as it held the high-powered Thunderwolves' rushing offense to just 32 yards on the ground as CSUP had 265 yards on the ground in the first meeting in August. CSUP quarterback Ross Dausin didn't have a lot of time in the pocket as the relentless WT defense sacked him seven times for 46 yards led by junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks who had 3.0 sacks for 24 yards and a forced fumble. He now has a school-record 19.5 sacks on the season. Junior linebacker Taylor McCuller had 15 tackles in the game including eight solo stops as he broke the school-record for tackles in a season with 156 as Joe Calhoun had 151 in 1995. WT amassed 517 yards of offense as they had 193 yards on the ground and 324 through the air and held CSUP to just 225 yards of total offense. For the second straight week, the Buffs have knocked off an undefeated and top five ranked team as WT won at No. 4 Ashland Nov. 24, 33-28.

WHERE NO BUFFALO HAS GONE BEFORE - Last Saturday's game at CSU-Pueblo was the first time WT has ever played in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The 33-28 win over Ashland last week was the first time the Buffaloes had advanced past the second round in school history. With the win at CSU-Pueblo, WT moved over .500 in postseason play for the first time at 6-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in six appearances in eight seasons all under Carthel. WT has made the postseason each of Carthel's seven previous years including two wins in the Kanza Bowl (2009, 2011). The Buffs' first NCAA Tournament win came in 2006 with a 30-27 home, overtime win over Abilene Christian, followed by a 43-17 loss at Chadron State in the second round after a home defeat in 2005 to Pittsburg State (Kan.) in Carthel's first season. WT defeated Washburn (Kan.) at home 49-39, in 2007 and followed with a 56-28 loss at Northwest Missouri State. In 2008, the Buffs downed Central Washington in a 49-42 thriller at Kimbrough, followed by the record-shattering 93-68 loss at Abilene Christian. WT then lost 55-35 at Central Missouri in the NCAA Tournament in 2010. The Buffs are 3-1 at home in the NCAA Tournament and, with the wins at Chadron State, Ashland and CSU-Pueblo this season, improved to 3-4 on the road in the NCAA Tournament.

A WIN OVER WINSTON-SALEM STATE WOULD...
Give the Buffs a 13-2 record which would be the most wins in a season in school history

• Earn a berth in WT's first NCAA Championship in football against either Valdosta State or Minnesota State
• Give WT a 7-5 record in the NCAA Tournament all-time in six appearances
• Be the fourth consecutive road win in NCAA Tournament play
• Be the fifth win over a ranked team this season (4-2)
• Mark the fourth time a Lone Star Conference Team has made the championship and first since 1994 (2-1)
• Be the fourth win in the NCAA Semifinals for a LSC and first win since 1994 (3-8)
• Tie for the most games played in a season at 16 with Wayne State (Mich.) in 2011
• Give the Buffs their 480th win in school history and a 480-482-21 record
• Become the first team to defeat an undefeated team in its final game of the season three times in the same season since Northwest Missouri State in 2007 and just the second time in NCAA history

ABOUT WINSTON-SALEM STATE - The Rams enter with a 13-0 mark after a hard-fought 21-17 win over Indiana (Pa.) Saturday in the NCAA Quarterfinals. WSSU's standout quarterback Kameron Smith passed to Ricky Rozier with 3:51 remaining putting WSSU on top. However, Indiana (Pa.) had one last chance and a pass deflection on the final play of the game inside the WSSU 10 by Casey Davenport sent the Rams to the semifinals for the second consecutive season. The Rams are led by Smith who is 183 of 299 for 2,810 yards and 40 touchdowns on the season with just nine interceptions. He ranks second nationally in passing efficiency at 177.68 and 40th nationally in total offense at 258.00. The ground attack is led by Maurice Lewis as he has 851 yards on 164 carries and 11 touchdowns. Jameze Massey is one of two receivers who have over 1,000 yards on the year as he has a team-high 54 catches for 1,099 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jahuann Butler leads the team with 1,114 yards and has 12 scores on 53 receptions. Massey ranks 29th nationally in yards per game at 91.6 per contest. Massey ranks 43rd nationally in all-purpose yards at 134.3. Defensively, the Rams are led by Carlos Fields who leads th team with 97 total tackles, including 55 solo stops. He is second on the team with seven tackles for loss. Daniel Mungin leads the team with 5.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss, while Larry Hearne has a team-high four interceptions on the year.

IN THE NCAA'S - The Buffs have continued their outstanding play each week in the playoffs as they are averaging 35.0 points per game and allowing 23.7 in the three games. WT has rushed for 557 yards (185.7) and thrown for 991 (330.3), while holding the opposition to 304 yards on the ground (101.3) and 742 (247.3) through the air. WT is averaing 516 yards per game in total offense, while allowing just 348.7 yards per game. Senior running back Khiry Robinson leads the team with 469 yards on the ground and three scores, while junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan has throws for 991 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions on 78 of 119 for a 153.73 passing efficiency. Juniors Torrence Allen and Nathan Slaughter have had huge games thus far at wide out as Allen leads the team in the playoffs with 390 yards and three scores for a 130.0 average, while Slaughter has 272 yards and two touchdowns for a 90.7 average. Defensively, the Buffs are led by junior linebacker Taylor McCuller who has a team-high 38 tackles with 20 solo stops. Junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks has been a beast with six sacks to lead the team and eight tackles along with four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.

MULLANE A NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AND WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL FINALIST - Senior offensive lineman Aaron Mullane was named one of 15 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes and he is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy which goes to the absolute best student-athlete in the nation. Mullane, a native of Amarillo, Texas, has a 3.84 overall grade-point average and a 3.95 overall in the science discipline as he is a biology and chemistry double major. He graduates in December and has applied to six medical schools already. The $18,000 postgraduate scholarship he will receive will certainly help fulfill his dreams of being a physician. He, along with the other 14 scholar-athletes, will be honored at the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, Dec. 4, 2012. There, one of the 15 honorees will be awarded the 23rd William V. Campbell Trophy as it is the Academic Heisman of college football.

VAUGHAN NAMED CAPITAL ONE/CoSIDA ACADEMIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan was named Capital One/CoSIDA Academic Player of the Year Wednesday as he not only has excelled on the field, but also in the classroom with a 3.9 grade-point average in biology/pre-med. He was named the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year and becomes the first CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American for WT since Emily Brister earned first team honors in 2008 and 2009 in women's basketball. No WT student-athlete has ever been named Academic Player of the Year until Vaughan. In addition to Vaughan, junior wide receiver Nathan Slaughter earned first team honors, along with senior offensive lineman Aaron Mullane. Junior defensive back John McSheffery was a second team honoree. It is the first time WT has ever had a first team All-American in football and Vaughan, Slaughter and Mullane are the second, third and fourth first team selections in school history as Emily Brister of women's basketball was the only other first team selection in 2009 and 2009.

FOKETI TABBED FINALIST FOR GENE UPSHAW AWARD - Senior offensive lineman Manase Foketi is a finalist for the 2012 Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year Award. Foketi has played and started all 13 games for the Buffs who are playing in the NCAA Quarterfinals this weekend for the first time in school history. He transferred to WT after three years at Kansas State. Foketi protects the blind side for a Harlon Hill Finalist in junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan. He graded out above 95% in each of the 14 games thus far.

SEVEN BUFFALOES NAMED DAKTRONICS ALL-REGION - Led by junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks who was named Daktronics Super Region Four Defensive Player of the Year, the Buffs had seven players named to the Dakotronics All-Region teams as three were named to the first team and four garnered second team honors for the most of any team in the region. Along with Westbrooks, junior kicker Sergio Castillo, Jr., and senior offensive lineman Manase Foketi earned first team honors, while junior wide receiver Torrence Allen, junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan, junior linebacker Taylor McCuller and senior offensive lineman Aaron Mullane were named second team.

NATIONAL BUFFALOES - For the season, the Buffs rank highly in a number of areas on both sides of the ball, including seventh nationally in passing offense at 343.64 yards per game. They are seventh in total offense at 487.29 yards, 14th in scoring offense averaging 40.07 points per game, 38th in rushing defense allowing 126.50 yards on the ground, 32nd in total defense at 338.13, eighth in passing efficiency at 162.01, lead the nation in sacks at 4.14 and are sixth in tackles for loss at 9.14 per game.

ROAD WARRIORS - The Buffs have been road warriors this season as the Winston-Salem State game will be their then game away from home this season (9-1). The Buffs are 8-1 in true road games and 1-0 in neutral site games. WT has won eight-straight road games and eight away from Kimbrough dating back to the 44-34 loss against CSU-Pueblo Aug. 30 in the season-opener. WT, under Carthel, is 41-11 away from Kimbrough in his eight seasons, including a 4-0 record in neutral site games. Carthel won 11 of his first 12 games away from home in 2005 and 2006, while winning 20 of his first 23 (2005-2008). The eight road wins and nine total wins away from home are the most in school history.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON - The trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this weekend will be the seventh different state the Buffs have played a football game this season. WT has played games in Colorado (twice), Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio and North Carolina. They also flew into Rapid City, S.D., and chartered a bus down to Chadron, Nebraska, for the game.

RACKING UP THE FREQUENT FLYER MILES - Since the playoffs have started, WT logged almost 4,500 miles in its first two road games to Chadron State and Ashland University. The trip to CSU-Pueblo was another 680 miles there and back and the trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., is 2,288 miles there and back. For the four playoff games, the Buffs have traveled 8,024.04 miles.

RUSHMORE BUFFS - The West Texas A&M football team had a great opportunity to visit one of the nation's greatest historical landmarks prior to the Chadron State game as it visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota following the team's charter flight into Rapid City, S.D.

COMING FROM BEHIND - The Buffaloes battled back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit Nov. 17 at Chadron State and battled back from a 28-19 deficit in the third quarter Nov. 24 at Ashland to go along with a 21-19 deficit at halftime. It was the fifth time this season that the Buffs trailed and battled back for the win. Nov. 24 marked the second week in a row that the Buffs have trailed in the third quarter to come back for the win. Last week, WT never trailed in its 34-13 win at Colorado State-Pueblo.

SLAUGHTERING - Junior wide receiver Nathan Slaughter had an outstanding game against CSU-Pueblo Saturday as he tallied a career-high 174 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns in the 34-13 win. He had a 74-yard catch, which was a career-high, as he took the flea-flicker from junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan and ran sideline-to-sideline for the score. It was his first 100 yard receiving game since tallied 133 at Eastern New Mexico (Oct. 20) and the third of the season.

STOPPING THE RUN - The Buffs' rushing defense has been solid all season and Saturday was no exception as WT held the high-powered rushing attack of CSU-Pueblo to just 32 yards on 33 carries. CSU-Pueblo had 265 yards rushing against WT in the first meeting in August. Since then, have held seven teams under 100 yards rushing, including just three yards against Abilene Christian (W, 36-0, Oct. 13), 15 yards at Incarnate Word (W, 24-0, Sept. 22), 49 yards at Angelo State (W, 35-9, Oct. 6). In all, WT is 7-0 when holding teams under 100 yards rushing. The Buffs rank 38th nationally in rushing defense at 126.5 yards per game which is second in the Lone Star Conference.

SACKS FOR WESTBROOKS - Junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks has a school-record 19.5 sacks on the year which ranks him first nationally. He needs just one sack to tie the NCAA Division II record for sacks in a season set by Charlie Cook of LIU Post in 2001. Westbrooks currently in tied with Damien Gilyard of LIU post as he had 19.5 in 2004. Westbrooks has recorded three sacks in back-to-back games and has four games of tallying three sacks. In the first six games of the season he had just four sacks and has followed with 15.5 in the last eight games.

ROBINSON RETURNS TO FORM - After Ashland put on a concentrated effort to stop the run and held senior running back Khiry Robinson to just 58 yards rushing Nov. 24, he came back with another stellar performance in the playoffs as CSU-Pueblo had no answer for him Saturday. Robinson racked up 176 yards rushing on 26 carries and caught two passes for 14 yards and a touchdown. Through the three playoff games, Robinson has 469 yards rushing on 77 carries for a 156.3 average and three scores. He has caught five balls for 74 yards and a touchdown. He set a career-high with 235 yards rushing on 30 carries and three scores in a 38-30 win at Chadron State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 17.

SOLID SERGIO - Junior place kicker Sergio Castillo, Jr., tallied his second kick from 50 or more yards Saturday in the Buffs' 34-13 win at CSU-Pueblo. He went 2 for 2 in field goals with a 45-yarder and the 50-yarder. For the season Castillo is 19-21 in field goals and 68-69 in extra-points for a team-high 125 points. Castillo is 37 of 44 all-time in field goals and 173-176 in extra points. He is third all-time in scoring in school history with 284 points. Castillo had a 56-yard field goal earlier this year which is the second-longest field goal in school history (58) and the longest in the Lone Star Conference this season. Castillo ranks ninth nationally this season in field goals averaging 1.36 per game and he is 24th nationally in scoring at 8.93 points per game.

GETTING IN THE BACKFIELD - The Buffs have been strong all season in tackles for loss as they rank sixth nationally averaging 9.14 tackles for loss per game and lead the conference. Saturday, WT had 12 tackles for loss for 61 yards as it is the sixth game this season it has tallied double-digit tackles for loss. For the season, the Buffs have 128 tackles for loss for an astonishing 549 yards.

1,000-YARD RUSHER/RECEIVER COMBO - Along with Robinson who has 1,516 yards rushing, junior wide receiver Torrence Allen had seven receptions for 142 yards at Chadron State Nov. 17 pushing him over the 1,000-yard mark as he has 1,356 yards this season on 81 receptions to lead the team. Allen ranks 11th nationally in receiving yards per game at 104.31 and 33rd nationally in receptions per game (6.23) which are both tops in the conference. The last time WT had a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season was 1994 with Norman White running for 1,122 and Brad Bailey having 1,552 receiving yards. Robinson is 14th nationally in rushing at 123.67 to lead the conference and is tied for 21st in scoring at 9.00 points per game.

A FOR ALLEN - Junior wide receiver Torrence Allen had a career day Nov. 24 as he made catch-after-catch to help lead the Buffs to a historic second round win in the NCAA Tournament. Allen caught a career-high 13 balls for a career-high 185 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. It was the first three touchdown performance for a WT player since Britton Golden had three touchdowns in a game twice in 2011. The 185 yards receiving are the most for a Buffalo player this season.

STRONG VAUGHAN - Junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan completed a career-high 35 passes and a career-high 50 attempts in the Buffs' 33-28 win at No. 4 Ashland. Vaughan tallied 398 yards for his eighth game this season of throwing over 300 yards and tallied four touchdowns for his fourth game of four touchdowns or more this season.

STOUT ON “D” - Buffalo defense held the high-powered Ashland offense in check for the most part Nov. 24 as Harlon Hill finalist senior quarterback Taylor Housewright struggled throwing a career-high three interceptions and a fumble on the second to last play of the game. Housewright threw two touchdowns and 166 yards, but was 20 of 34 passing and was sacked four times by the top-ranked team in the country in sacks.

STRONG SECONDARY - The West Texas A&M secondary came up with a season-high three interceptions at Ashland. Junior Curtis Slater tallied the first interception in the game and the fourth of the season, while senior Jordan Smith and sophomore Torian Oakley each added a pick later. Oakley and Chris Ceazer where tied for first and third, respectively, in tackles Nov. 17 at Chadron State. Oakley had a game-high nine solo stops with two assisted tackles for a team-high 11 total stops and a pass breakup, while Ceazer had eight solo stops and 10 total tackles. The three interceptions at AU were the most in a game for the Buffs since four pick versus Central Missouri Nov. 27, 2011, in the Kanza Bowl.

VAUGHAN FINALIST FOR HARLON HILL - Junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan was one of eight finalists for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy The list was comprised of four quarterbacks, three running backs and one receiver. Six of the finalist, including Vaughan, helped lead their teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs. Despite not being invited as one of the final three to the 27th Annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet, Friday, December 14 at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Shoals, Ala., Vaughan is the only player among the final eight still playing.

VAUGHAN USES HIS FEET - Dustin Vaughan showed against Chadron State how he not only can use his arm, but also his feet as he had a career-high 69 yards rushing on 10 carries with a career-long 20-yard scamper at Chadron State. Vaughan has a career-high 145 yards rushing on the season for a 10.4 average per game on 63 carries.

BUFFS PLACE 10 ON FIRST TEAM ALL-LSC - Five Buffaloes earned specialty awards as the Lone Star All-Conference Team was announced last week. Junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan was named Offensive Player of the Year, while senior running back Khiry Robinson was named Offensive Back of the Year. Junior wide receiver Torrence Allen shared Receiver of the Year honors, while junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks was named Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Don Carthel was named co-Coach of the Year. All four players were first team selections along with senior offensive linemen Aaron Mullane and Manase Foketi, junior place kicker Sergio Castillo, Jr., senior defensive lineman Tyrell Higgins and junior safety Curtis Slater all were on the first team. The Buffs had seven second team selections and nine honorable mention honorees for a total of 26 players named to the all-conference squads.

DEFENSE STANDS TALL - After a 14-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter by Chadron State, the Buffalo defense clamped down and the offense picked it up holding as the Buffs outscored the Eagles 38-16 the rest of the way and outgained them 454-316 in total offense the rest of the way, including 234-49 on the ground. The defense had three key sacks for 32 yards and five tackles for loss for 39 yards in the final three quarters, while holding the Eagles to just 2 of 11 on third down for the game and 0 of 2 on fourth down. Last week, the Buffs were down 28-19 in the third quarter, but outscored the Eagles 14-0 the rest of the way. WT held AU to 166 yards passing, four turnovers, a crucial missed field goal and four sacks.

STRONG ON THE GROUND - WT amassed a season-high 311 yards rushing at Chadron State on 43 attempts for a 7.2 average. It was the most rushing yards in a game by the Buffs since 300 at New Mexico Highlands on Aug. 25, 2005.

GOOD ON 3RD DOWN - The Buffs were 9 of 14 against Chadron State with a number of key pickups to keep drives alive and pull out the come-from-behind win. In the playoffs, WT is 23 of 44 for 52 percent on third down and leads the league this season in third down conversions at 83 of 177 for a 46.9 average. Conversely, the Buffs are third in the conference in opponent third downs, holding teams to a 34.3 average on the pivotal down on 72 of 210. In addition, they are holding teams to 16 of 44 on third down in the playoffs for just 36 percent.

FIRST AND TEN BUFFS - The Buffs lead the conference in first downs with 323 for a 23.1 average per game.

STRONG LEGGED VAN VORIS - Junior punter Kevin Van Voris had three punts at Chadron State for 153 yards and a 51.0 average, including a career-long 74-yarder. Van Voris is 28th nationally in punting at 40.71 yards. He has 51 punts on the year for 2,076 yards with five touchbacks, 10 fair catches, 18 inside the 20 and eight of over 50 yards along with two over 70 yards.

IN THE “RED” ZONE - WT is second in the conference in red zone scoring on 56 of 64 chances for an 87.5 average with 42 touchdowns and 14 of 14 in field goals. The touchdowns have been pretty balanced at 18 rushing scores inside the 20 and 24 passing. Conversely, the defense is third in the conference on 32 of 40 for an 80 percent average. The opposition has scored 26 touchdowns with six field goals. The Buffs have two red zone interceptions and one fourth down stop, along with five missed field goals by the opponents.

GETTING THE STOP ON 4TH - The Buffs lead the conference in fourth down defense holding opponents to just 7 of 20 for a 35.0 average.

BLOCK PARTY - The Buffs tallied their sixth blocked kick of the season at Texas A&M-Commerce (Nov. 10) as junior defensive back Curtis Slater got his hand on the punt on the opening possession of the game. Junior linebacker Eric Finefeuiaki returned the punt for a touchdown. It was the second blocked punt returned for a touchdown by the Buffs this season.

McCULLER TACKLES - Junior linebacker Taylor McCuller continued his impressive season as he has a school-record 156 tackles on the year with a team-high 67 solo stops. McCuller ranks fourth on the team in tackles for loss with 11.5 for 31 yards and he has 3.5 sacks for 11 yards. He has five quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. McCuller had a career-high 20 tackles earlier this season at West Georgia and leads the team with nine games of double-digit tackles, including seven in the last eight games. He ranks ninth nationally in tackles at 11.14 per game which is second in the conference.

FIRST IN THE NATION IN SACKS - The Buffs are First in the Nation in sacks averaging 4.14 per contest. For the season WT has 58 sacks for 370 yards.

ALL-PURPOSE ROBINSON - Khiry Robinson had a season-high 260 all-purpose yards with 235 yards rushing and 25 receiving at Chadron State Nov. 17. He leads the conference and is 10th nationally in all-purpose yards at a 175.33 clip with a total of 1,897 with 1308 rushing, 405 receiving, 158 in punt returns and 26 in kick returns. The 26 yards returning kicks Nov. 3 was the first time in his career. Robinson ranks 9th nationally in all-purpose runners.

WORD UP - With injuries to a number of wide receivers this year, the younger receivers really have stepped up and picked up the slack as redshirt freshman Jarrian Rhone has been very impressive so far, while true freshman Word Hudson had a career-high five receptions for 90 yards and his first collegiate touchdown, which tied the game at seven in the first quarter at West Georgia (Oct. 27). It was Hudson's second collegiate game and Hudson earned his first career start versus Midwestern State. For the season, he has 11 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Rhone has played in all 14 games with seven starts. He has 48 catches for 534 yards and three touchdowns, while Hudson has played in eight games with one start.

2012 TEAM CAPTAINS - Team captains for 2012 include senior offensive lineman Aaron Mullane (Amarillo, Texas/Tascosa HS), senior defensive back Jordan Smith (Killeen, Texas/Killeen HS), senior defensive lineman Aaron Wampler (Lubbock, Texas/Frenship HS), junior linebacker Taylor McCuller (Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak HS), junior defensive back Curtis Slater (Houston, Texas/Cy-Ridge HS), junior QB Dustin Vaughan (Corpus Christi, Texas/Calallen HS), junior linebacker Kyle Voss (Belton, Texas/Belton HS) and junior offensive lineman Craig Watts (Killeen, Texas/Killeen HS)

FEAR THE BEARD - A number of players decided after spring practice to not shave until the end of the 2012 season this year and to look as Casey O'Conner put it “A Braveheart look.” O'Conner, along with Marc Waller, Aaron Wampler, Lawrence Lehauli and Jacob Laguna all have full beards.

VAUGHAN RANKS HIGHLY - Junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan has had an impressive campaign as he ranks sixth nationally in passing efficiency at 162.08 and seventh in total offense at 334.86 yards per game. Both are tops in the conference.

VAUGHAN THIRD IN CAREER PASSING - In just over two full seasons at quarterback, junior Dustin Vaughan has thrown for 7,955 career yards as he is third all-time in school history. Taylor Harris (2007-2010) leads the school annals with 9,799 yards. Vaughan has 4,543 passing yards this season which is third-most in a season in school history as he already has a career-high touchdowns for a season with 44 touchdown passes and just 11 interceptions.

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