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2024 Western Colorado vs West Texas A&M

Western Colorado Football Uses 96-Yard Pick-6 To Beat West Texas A&M

Western Colorado Football Uses 96-Yard Pick-6 To Beat West Texas A&M

No. 15-ranked Western Colorado Football travels to Canyon, Texas for a big showdown vs. West Texas A&M. Follow live on FloFootball.

Sep 15, 2024 by Joe Harrington
Western Colorado Football Uses 96-Yard Pick-6 To Beat West Texas A&M

A chaotic end to the third quarter led to decisive plays early in the fourth as No. 15 Western Colorado Football picked up a tough win, 26-17, over West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas on Sept. 14. 

The Mountaineers took a 20-10  lead with 1:41 left in the third quarter when Cameron Cooper picked off West Texas A&M quarterback Sean Johnson at the goalline and returned the ball 96-yards for a touchdown. But that score was negated two plays later when Johnson hit Zorian Stanton for a 72-yard touchdown. 

Entering the fourth quarter at 20-17, WCU quarterback Drew Nash threw an interception of his own, but WT was unable to tie the game on a field goal. WCU took over and drove 79 yards on five plays with the help of two pass interference calls and Nash plowed into the endzone for the final score. 

Nash finished 133 yards on 16 carries and 13-of-26 passing for 185 yards. Johnson passed for 216 yards on 20-for-33 passing and added 49 yards and rushing touchdown. 

Relive the game below. 

Final WCU26, WT, 17

Here are the final stats:

STAT        WCU      WT

Total Yds    435    293

Pass Yds    185    216

Rush Yds    250    77

Penalties    4-25    5-49

1st Downs    23    12

3rd Downs    9-15    3-13

4th Downs    0-1    0-0

Total Plays    71    57

Avg Yds/Play    6.1    5.1

Avg Yds/Completion    14.2    10.8

Avg Yds/Rush    5.6    3.2

Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)    251 (5.7)    77 (3.2)

Red Zone    2-3    2-4

Time of Poss    34:15    25:45

Turnovers (Def Pts Off)    2 (0)    1 (7)

Fumbles-Lost    2-1    3-0

Sacks (Def Yds)    0 (0)    1 (1)

TFL (Def Yds)    6 (17)    2 (5)

WCU Averaging 5.6 Yards Per Rush, Time Running Out For WT

The game nears the two minute warning as the Buffs trail by 9 and WCU is churning on offense with 5.6 yard per rush on the game. 

Buffs Can't Answer With 6:28 Left

West Texas A&M will punt after the WCU touchdown following a three-and-out. WT has just two timeouts remaining. 

2 Pass Interference Calls Help WCU Football Pile On Lead | WCU 26, WT 17, 7:43, 4th QTR

A pair of pass interference calls pushed the Mountaineers over the top as Drew Nash capped a 5-play drive that went 79 yards to extend the lead. 

West Texas A&M Misses Field Goal

And the Buffaloes can't capitalize on another turnover. Cason Polivoda missed a 33-yard field that would have tied the game. 

WT Football Picks Off Drew Nash 

The first possession of the fourth quarter may swing the game as the Buffaloes picked off Drew Nash and take over deep in the Mountaineer territory. 

Fourth Quarter Begins | WCU 20, WT 17

Subscribe to FloFootball to watch the final 15 minutes live!

West Texas A&M Answers With 72-yard TD | WCU 20, WT 17, :51, 3rd QTR

Well, that was quick. After a possible back-breaking turnover, Sean Johnson hit Zorian Stanton two plays later for a 72-yard touchdown to make the scored 20-17. 

96-yard Pick-6 Swings Game For Western Colorado | WCU 20, WT 10, 1:41, 3rd QTR

After 12 plays and 57 yards, the Buffs were looking take the lead, but Sean Johnson's pass was picked off near the goaline as Cameron Cooper returned it 96-yards for a possibly 7-point swing. The Buffs now trail 20-10 after being on the verge of taking the lead. 

WCU Turns The Ball Over On Downs

The West Texas A&M defense forced a four-and-out as WCU turned the ball over on downs at the WT 36 with 6:30 left in the quarter. 

WT Goes 3-and-out

The Mountaineers forced a punt and will take over on the Buffs' 43-yard-line. There is 9:02 left in the third quarter. 

Western Colorado Long Drive Ends In No Points

WCU went 35 yards in 12 plays and 5:06 to start the half, but failed to convert on 3rd 11 and punted the ball away. 

Western Colorado To Start The Second Half With The Ball

The Mountaineers will start with possession in the second half as the halftime kickoff is here!

Western Colorado vs. West Texas A&m Football Halftime Stats

Here are the stats:

STAT        WCU WT

Total Yds    241    164

Pass Yds    87    117

Rush Yds    154    47

Penalties    2-10    2-15

1st Downs    9    7

3rd Downs    4-8    2-8

4th Downs    0-0    0-0

Total Plays    34    34

Avg Yds/Play    7.1    4.8

Avg Yds/Completion    14.5    8.4

Avg Yds/Rush    7.3    3.4

Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)    154 (7.3)    47 (3.4)

Red Zone    1-1    2-2

Time of Poss    13:50    16:10

Turnovers (Def Pts Off)    1 (0)    0 (0)

Fumbles-Lost    2-1    1-0

Sacks (Def Yds)    0 (0)    0 (0)

TFL (Def Yds)    3 (6)    0 (0)

66-yard Kickoff Return Put Buffs In FG Range, But Misses 43-yard Field | WCU 13, WT 10, HALF

Zorian Stanton returned the kickoff 66 yards and Cason Polivoda connected on a 43-yard field goal that was waived off by a timeout by WCU. He missed the second attempt and the half is over. 

Western Colorado Football Regains Lead with 31 Seconds Left In Half | WCU 13, WT 10, :31, 2nd QTR

Drew Nash scored a 6-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 75 yard drive that was 2:19 minutes long. The extra point was missed. 

West Texas A&m Takes The Lead Before Half | WT 10, WCU 7, 2:50, 2nd QTR

Cason Polivoda connected on a 36-yard field goal to give the Buffs the lead before halftime.

WCU Football Forced To Punt

West Texas A&M countered WCU by forcing a punt, the second punt of the game they've forced. 

WT Forced To Punt 

The Buffaloes punted for the fourth time in the first half and the Mountaineers will start at mid-field with 7:28 left in the half. 

Western Colorado Misses Field Goal

The Mountaineers missed a 38-yard field goal with 10:01 left in the half. The Buffs start on the WT 21. 

Watch Sean Johnson Tie The Game

West Texas A&M Football Evens Score | WT 7, WCU 7, 14: 51 2nd QTR

Sean Johnson rushed for 1-yard and scored the Buffaloes' first touchdown of the game. Cason Polivoda converted the extra point. 

First Quarter Comes To Close: WCU 7, WT 0; Buffs In Redzone

The Buffalos will start the second quarter on the WCU 5-yard line. 

West Texas A&M Football Defense Recovered From Big Play 

After giving up a 62-yard touchdown, West Texas A&M has forced a turnover and and punt in back-to-back drives and putting their offense in good field position. The Buffs took over on the WCU 40-yard line for its fourth possession. 

Western Colorado Turns It Over, WT Can't Capitalize 

Western Colorado fumbled their second possession away as the Buffalos took over on mid-field. But the Mountaineers' defense forced their third punt of the game and second three-out of the game. 

WT Football Punts Again

The Buffs picked up their first first down of the game, but the Western Colorado defense stiffened and WT was forced to punt again. So far the Buffaloes have just 24 yards compared to WCU's 65. 

Watch Drew Nash Score The First Touchdown

Drew Nash Goes 62 yards For First Touchdown | Western Colorado 7, WT Football 0, 12:18 1ST

Drew Nash romped for a big touchdown on the second play from scrimmage for Western Colorado. The quarterback went 62 yards for the score. 

Buffs Start With The Ball

WT Football started the game with the ball and was forced to punt on the opening drive. 

Game On! Western Colorado vs. WT Football Kickoff Is Here!

Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium is rocking and kickoff is here! Follow the game live or subscribe to watch the game live!

Lone Star Football Conference Standings

Here's where the teams stood entering Week 3:

School    LSC    Overall

  • UT Permian Basin    1-0    1-1
  • West Texas A&M    1-0    1-1
  • Eastern New Mexico    0-0    2-0
  • Central Washington    0-0    1-1
  • Midwestern State    0-0    1-1
  • Western New Mexico    0-1    1-1
  • Sul Ross St.    0-1    1-2
  • Angelo State    0-0    0-2
  • Texas A&M-Kingsville    0-0    0-1
  • Western Oregon    0-0    0-1

Drew Nash Had A Big Game For Western Colorado Last Week 

Western Colorado quarterback Drew Nash threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions to spearhead the passing attack, and also led the Mountaineers in rushing, including a 68-yard TD run.

Western Colorado vs. West Texas A&M Football All-Time Series

The Buffaloes and Mountaineers have played eight times. WT is 7-1 all-time in the series that dates back to 1938. WCU picked up their first victory in the series last season in Gunnison, 28-6.

White Out In Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M is asking fans to white out Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium today. 

Sean Johnson Might Be The Best Running QB In D2

Sean Johnson saw limited time at Nebraska-Kearney, but in his first two games at WTAMU he's broken out. 

Johnson has 227 rushing yards through two games, good enough for No. 6 in the nation in D2. He's the only quarterback in the top 10 and the only one to have accumulated over 200 yards already. There are only two quarterbacks in the top 20.

He had a 50-yard run against Sul Ross in the Buffs first game of the season. 

-Ryan Ellis, FloFootball

Western Colorado vs. West Texas A&M Football Kickoff

The game kicks off at 8 p.n. ET at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas. 

How To Watch Western Colorado vs West Texas A&M Football

The game is streaming live on FloFootball and the FloSports app. Replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms. 

How To Watch Division 2 College Football On FloFootball

  1. Harding (1-0) - Previous Rank: 1
  2. Central Missouri (1-0) - Previous Rank: 2
  3. Pittsburg State (2-0) - Previous Rank: 3
  4. Grand Valley State (1-0) - Previous Rank: 4
  5. Valdosta State (2-0) - Previous Rank: 5
  6. Colorado Mines (1-0) - Previous Rank: 6
  7. Minnesota State (2-0) - Previous Rank: 8
  8. Ferris State (1-1) - Previous Rank: 9
  9. Kutztown (1-0) - Previous Rank: 10
  10. Central Washington (0-1) - Previous Rank: 7
  11. Slippery Rock (1-0) - Previous Rank: 11
  12. Delta State (2-0) - Previous Rank: 12
  13. Lenoir-Rhyne (1-0) - Previous Rank: 13
  14. West Florida (1-0) - Previous Rank: 14
  15. Indianapolis (1-0) - Previous Rank: 16
  16. Western Colorado (1-0) - Previous Rank: 19
  17. Ouachita Baptist (1-0) - Previous Rank: 17
  18. Augustana (1-0) - Previous Rank: 21
  19. Henderson State (1-0) - Previous Rank: 22
  20. Minnesota Duluth (1-0) - Previous Rank: 23
  21. Fort Hays (2-0) - Previous Rank: 24
  22. Virginia Union (1-1) - Previous Rank: 18
  23. Bemidji State (1-1) - Previous Rank: 20
  24. Charleston (2-0) - Previous Rank: 25
  25. CSU Pueblo (2-0) - Previous Rank: NR

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Friday, September 13

Saturday, September 14

College Football Rankings 2024 - Stats Perform Poll

  1. South Dakota State (44) - 1-1 (Last Week: 1)
  2. North Dakota State (6) - 1-1 (Last Week: 2)
  3. Montana State (6) - 3-0 (Last Week: 3)
  4. Idaho - 1-1 (Last Week: 7)
  5. Villanova - 2-0 (Last Week: 5)
  6. South Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 6)
  7. Central Arkansas - 1-1 (Last Week: 9)
  8. Montana - 1-1 (Last Week: 4)
  9. Southern Illinois - 1-1 (Last Week: 10)
  10. North Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 23)
  11. Sacramento State - 0-2 (Last Week: 8)
  12. UIW - 1-1 (Last Week: 12)
  13. William & Mary - 1-1 (Last Week: 13)
  14. Chattanooga - 0-2 (Last Week: 11)
  15. UC Davis - 1-1 (Last Week: 18)
  16. Tarleton State - 2-1 (Last Week: 20)
  17. UAlbany - 1-1 (Last Week: 16)
  18. Illinois State - 1-1 (Last Week: 21)
  19. Lafayette - 1-1 (Last Week: 19)
  20. Weber State - 1-1 (Last Week: 24)
  21. Youngstown State - 1-1 (Last Week: 25)
  22. Elon - 1-1 (Last Week: NR)
  23. Mercer - 2-0 (Last Week: NR)
  24. Nicholls - 0-2 (Last Week: 22)
  25. Abilene Christian - 1-1 (Last Week: NR)

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Saturday, September 14

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