No. 14 West Texas A&M scored 24 points in the second quarter and never looked back as it won 52-28 at University of West Georgia Saturday night. With the win, the Buffs improved to 8-1 on the year, while UWG fell to 3-5.
“I thought it was a hard-fought win,” head coach Don Carthel said. “It’s a good football team (UWG), they are very athletic and physical as they came out ready to play after beating North Alabama. I thought our kids made some good adjustments after we didn’t stay home defensively on the first few drives, but Colby and the defensive staff did a good job. Offensively, we played pretty solid the whole game as we didn’t have punt but twice.”
The Buffs were led offensively by junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan who went 28 of 37 for 335 yards and tied his season and career-high with five touchdown passes. Senior running back Khiry Robinson led the way with 89 yards on the ground and had four receptions for 12 yards and a score. True freshman Word Hudson led the team receiving with five catches for a career-high 90 yards and a score, while redshirt freshman Jarrian Rhone had a career-high 10 catches for 77 yards and a score. For the game, WT amassed 463 yards of offense with 344 through the air and 119 on the ground.
UWG was led by running back David Bailey who had 70 yards and a score on the ground. Freshman quarterback Dallas Dickey had 56 yards rushing and a score, as well as going 7 for 10 for 112 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Defensively, the Buffs were led by junior linebacker Taylor McCuller who had a career-high 20 tackles with eight solo stops. The Buffalo defense held West Georgia to just 151 yards rushing – well below its 223.14 yards per game average coming in as it was ranked 23rd nationally. The Buffs tallied five sacks for 34 yards and nine tackles for loss for 49 yards. The Buffs entered the game ranked first nationally in sacks at over four a contest and third nationally in tackles for loss at just over 10 per game.
After a three-and-out by the Buffs, West Georgia took the ball at its own 36 and drove down field with a couple of nice passes and nifty running by quarterback Dallas Dickey. Dickey then threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to David Bailey out came out of the backfield for a 7-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter.
On the next Buffalo possession, Vaughan went over the top for a 62-yard touchdown pass on a 3rd and three, to freshman Word Hudson down the right side of the field for a touchdown and his first career score.
“We stayed focused and our offense didn’t get rattled after the three-and-out and we know we can take care of the football with our offensive line they are going to pass block and run block and we are going to play our game,” Carthel added. “Our kids adjusted well and they decided after the first series they were going to play and they did.”
Just like the drive before for UWG, Bailey scored this time from three yards out for a 14-7 lead on a 10-play, 64-yard drive. Dickey also did it with his feet through the first two drives by the Wolves as he has six carries for 55 yards.
Two big catches by junior wide receiver Trevor Hammargren, followed by an 11-yard pass to Rhone set the Buffs up with a first and goal at the UWG five. After a rush and an incomplete pass, Vaughan threw a three-yard touchdown pass over the middle to senior Aarrhon Flores for a 14-14 score. It was Flores’ first touchdown of the season.
A big sack by junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, his league-leading 11th of the season, forced the first three-and-out for the Wolves as the Buffs took over at their own 46 six following the 39-yard punt into the wind by Davis Brackett. Westbrooks had two sacks for the game for 12 yards.
Robinson scampered 39 yards, followed by five-yard touchdown pass from Vaughan to Rhone for the Buffs’ first lead of the game at 21-14.
On the ensuing Wolves’ possession, they had a fourth and four and got a first down by virtue of a WT penalty and moved it to the 50, but on fourth and nine, the punt went over Brackett’s head as WT recovered deep in UWG territory.
On a fourth and one on the UWG two, WT lined up for a field goal, but junior defensive back and holder John McSheffery threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Robinson for a 28-14 lead as WT rattled off 21-straight points in the second quarter. It was McSheffery’s first career throw.
Brackett, struggled on his next punt as he shanked hit off his foot for six yards giving the Buffs good field possession with one minute remaining in the half. A nice run by Robinson and a pass from Vaughan to Rhone set WT up in the red zone once again. Vaughan connected with junior wide receiver Torrence Allen for his first catch since the Abilene Christian game for a 2nd and two from the 12 with 30 seconds remaining in the half.
Junior kicker Sergio Castillo, Jr., kicked a 29-yard field goal to give WT a 31-14 lead with 12 seconds remaining in the half. The field goal marked the fifth consecutive drive the Buffs had scored. It was his 11th made field goal of the season and the first since the Abilene Christian game.
For the half, WT led with 200 yards passing on 17 of 24 with three touchdowns from Vaughan. Robinson had 74 yards on eight carries on the ground, while Rhone led the way receiving with 66 yards and a score. Defensively, the Buffs held UWG to 45 yards passing and 91 yards rushing. WT linebacker Taylor McCuller had 12 total tackles.
West Georgia methodically moved down the field all on the ground, except one pass, on its opening possession of the second half as Dickey ran in from three yards out for a 31-21 score on 16-play, 8:03-minute drive.
Vaughan’s first pass after the score was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Tyrell Adams, but a personal foul was called on the Wolves after the pick as UWG started the drive at the WT 34.
Following the interception, Westbrooks dropped Dickey for a loss on first down, followed by a big sack from junior linebacker Kyle Voss and then on third down, Dickey was sacked by junior linebacker Bryan Johnson as Dickey fumbled and Johnson recovered.
“The defensive lineman got his hand up, ball pops straight up and they picked it,” Carthel said. “Dustin (Vaughan) tackled the guy fortunately as he would have scored. “The defense’s motto all year has been ‘put the ball down’ they don’t care what’s happened and they just go out there and play and went out there with that attitude. They (UWG) didn’t get any points out of that and it quite possibly was the biggest play in the game and was a huge stop.”
On the first play, Vaughan threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Allen as it completely changed the momentum UWG had gained following its first drive of the half for a 38-21 WT lead with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter.
On 3rd and 25 from the UWG 39, the Wolves picked up 23 on a screen pass and then on fourth and two UWG picked up the first down on offsides WT. Dickey then went up top as he threw a 33-yard touchdown to Joey Eliezer who out-jumped sophomore Torian Oakley for the score bringing UWG to within 38-28. The touchdown marked the most points WT had given up in a game this season since allowing 44 in the season opener at Colorado State-Pueblo.
The Buffs once again answered UWG as Allen and Slaughter had key catches on the drive as Vaughan, on 3rd and goal, went play action to junior wide receiver Sidney Parker caught the pass for Vaughan’s fifth touchdown pass of the game tying his season and career-high in a game.
Redshirt freshman Geremy Alridge scampered in from just outside the goal line for a 52-28 score late in the fourth. It was Alridge’s third rushing touchdown of the season.
The Buffaloes return home to host Midwestern State for the Lone Star Conference championship as WT is 6-0 in league play, while Midwestern State is 5-1. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium as it is the final regular season home game of the 2012 season for the Buffs and Senior Day.