Football | 11/4/2014 2:23:00 PM

Tuesday, November 04, 2014
                                                                                                                
PORTALES, N.M. —   For the second straight season, the Eastern New Mexico University team (5-4) claimed the Wagon Wheel in the annual rivalry with West Texas A&M. Now the Greyhounds will open the Lone Star Conference playoffs as the fifth seed and host longtime rival, Texas A&M-Kingsville. With a victory, the Hounds could clinch back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2004 campaign.
 
Greyhound Fullback E'lon Spight (Sr., FB, St. Louis, Mo. / Hazelwood East HS / Grossmont College) enters tonight's game with 1,262 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He leads the conference in both categories and is just 196 yards and three touchdowns for matching Michael Benton's single-season team record from the 2007 season (1,458 yards/18 touchdowns).
 
ENMU Website
ENMU Football
ENMU Roster
ENMU Schedule
ENMU 2014 Statistics 

• The Greyhounds lead the nation in time of possession
• On first downs, Eastern is 11th in the nation offensively and 13th (15th last week) defensively
• The Greyhounds are 38th in the country in total offense and lead the LSC in total defense
• The Greyhounds are fifth (sixth last week) in the country in rushing offense, ninth in defense and first in the LSC in both
• The Greyhounds are 19th (32nd last week) in the nation in passing efficiency and second in the conference
• ENMU is 16th (24th, 37th last two weeks) in the nation and leads the LSC in third-down conversion defense
• Jacob Johnson is sixth in the LSC in receiving yards and fourth in touchdowns
• E'lon Spight is fifth (sixth, ninth last two weeks) in the country in rushing yards and leads the LSC
• Spight is tied for sixth in the nation in rushing touchdowns and leads the LSC

 
LSC Notes

LSC Website
LSC Schedule
2013 Standings
2014 Statistics

After nine weeks of play, LSC teams are 18-14 at home and 15-15 on the road. Last week, Texas A&M-Commerce picked up a big home win, while Angelo State defeated Tarleton State on the road.
 
The winner of today's game will meet the victor of the McMurry at West Texas A&M matchup. The losing teams will also meet next week. Lone Star Conference champion Texas A&M-Commerce will host Tarleton State in the other bracket, along with Midwestern State visiting Angelo State.
 
Home Sweet Home
 
The Greyhounds have won five of seven last five home games and are 7-6 at Greyhound Stadium under Head Coach Josh Lynn. At home in 2014, Eastern is outrushing the opposition by a 322.5-106 yards per game average.
 
Jeremy Buurma (R-Jr., Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) has thrown for 553 yards and seven touchdowns at Greyhound Stadium this season, while Spight has rushed for 543 yards and six scores.
 
In the Series
 
The Greyhounds snapped a five-game skid to Texas A&M-Kingsville and have won back-to-back contests against the Javelinas for the first time in team history. Earlier in the season, the Greyhounds earned their first road win over TAMUK. The 31-0 decision marked the first time the Javelinas had been shut out at home since a 28-0 decision by Southwest Texas (now Texas State, on September 14, 1983. The last time Texas A&M-Kingsville had been shutout at all came in a 17-0 decision at Stephen F. Austin on September 22, 1984.
 
 
On the Run
 
Spight rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown against West Texas A&M and is just 196 yards and three touchdowns from matching Michael Benton's single-season records from the 2007 season. Buurma hit six of his eight pass attempts against WT and rushed for a career-high 81 yards with two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air.
 
Spight rushed for a career-best 196 yards on 40 carries at Angelo State. The 40 carries was the most by any Greyhound player since at least the 1998 season.
 
Spight also had 193 rushing yards and three scores against Tarleton State, while Aaron Johnson had a career-high 117 receiving yards and matched a career-best with two touchdown receptions. Spight has run for a Lone Star Conference best 905 yards, this season
 
Spight was the LSC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 189 yards and four touchdowns on just 27 carries against McMurry. He is just the sixth player since 1998 to have four rushing touchdowns in a game.
 
The Hounds rushed for 290 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Jacob Johnson had another huge game with 110 yards and a touchdown on just three catches. His 75-yard scoring grab was the longest of his career.
 
Jacob Johnson caught eight of the nine passes completed by Eastern against Texas A&M-Commerce for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Three Greyhounds rushed for at least 50 yards: Jordan Wells (Sr., RB, Austin, Texas/Round Rock HS/Southeastern Louisiana) (94), Andrew Lopez (R-So., FB, Artesia, N.M./Artesia HS) (73) and Spight (51).
 
Two weeks ago against Adams State, the Hounds rolled up 608 yards of total offense, the highest total since September 19, 2009 (736) in a 76-56 win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Eastern's 442 rushing yards marked the first 400-yard game on the ground since September 15, 2007 against Easter Central (488 yards). Spight continued to spark the offense with 142 rushing yards, with included 125 yards on 24 carries in the first half. Aaron Johnson (So., WR, Colorado Springs, Colo./Vista Ridge HS) hauled in a pair of touchdown passes.
 
Jacob Johnson (R-Sr., WR, Idalou, Texas/Idalou HS) turned in a career game at New Mexico Highlands, with three touchdowns and 178 yards on just four catches. He posted the first two scores of the game on receptions of 22 and 69 yards and added a third, late in the half on a 49-yard grab. Over the last two games, he has five touchdown catches.
 
Spight crossed the century mark, with 144 yards rushing on 28 carries with a touchdown.
 
The Defense Doesn't Rest
 
Eastern turned in a strong performance in the Wagon Wheel Game and limited the Buffaloes to a season-low 266 yards of total offense, which included just 35 yards and two first downs in the first half.
 
The Greyhounds limited Angelo State to 252 yards of total offense, 78 rushing yards and just two-for-eleven on third downs.
 
After giving up 457 yards of total offense including rushing yards 236 yards in the first half against Tarleton State, the Hounds limited Tarleton State to 206 yards with 41 rushing yards in the second half.
 
Seth Bailey (R-Sr., LB, Texico, N.M./Texico HS) registered the first pick six of the season, at McMurry. He also had seven tackles with 2.5 for a loss, a sack, batted down two passes and had a QB pressure.
 
The defense turned in a dominant performance at Texas A&M-Kingsville and limited the Javelinas to five plays or less on 10 of their 13 possessions. The 31-0 shutout marked the first time ENMU blanked an opponent since the 2007 finale at Oklahoma Panhandle and the first LSC shutout since Southwestern Oklahoma in 2005.
 
The 186 yards of total offense given up by to Adams State was the lowest total since Southwestern Oklahoma State managed 180 yards on September 5, 2009.
 
Teams that are Special
 
Mitchell Cox (So., PK/P, Kent, Wash./Kentwood Senior HS) had a big game against West Texas A&M with four touchbacks on kickoffs, two punts downed inside the 20 and a 40-yard field goal.
 
Kevin Reaves (Sr., DB, Albuquerque, N.M./Manzano HS/NMMI) had a 53-yard kick return against Angelo State, continuing his strong special teams play.
 
D'Maujeric Tucker's (So., RB, Lubbock, Texas/Frenship HS) 100-yard kick return against Tarleton State was his second for a touchdown in his last two seasons. It also was the fifth 100-yard return in team history and earned him LSC Special Teams Player of the Week Honors.
 
Dillon Metzger (R-Jr., RB, Rio Rancho, N.M./Rio Rancho HS) leads the special teams with seven tackles, with four on kickoffs and three in punt coverage. Bradley Beeston (Sr., WR, Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS/Eastern Arizona College) leads the kick coverage with five tackles, while Logan O'Brien (R-Jr., TE, San Angelo, Texas/San Angelo Central HS) has four in punt coverage.
 
Reaves was selected as the Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked two field goals at Texas A&M-Kingsville. It marked the first time a player blocked two kicks in a game, since Nathan Uland at CSU-Pueblo in the
2009 opener.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville Notes
 
TAMUK Website
TAMUK Football
TAMUK Roster
TAMUK Schedule
TAMUK 2014 Statistics

Since opening the season a 1-1 record, Texas A&M-Kingsville has lost its last seven contests. The Javelinas defeated Colorado Mesa by a 17-14 score.
 

• Texas A&M-Kingsville is second in the conference against the run and third against the pass
• The Javelinas are third in PAT kicking with a .950 percentage
• Texas A&M-Kingsville has been sacked the third fewest times in the conference
• The Javelinas have the second-best fourth-down conversion rate in the LSC
• Texas A&M-Kingsville is third in the LSC in time of possession
• Shawn Vasquez is ninth in the league in rushing yards
• Jordan Thomas has the 13th most receptions in the conference
• Trey Mitchell is seventh in the LSC in total offense
• Trevor Pesek is ninth in the LSC in tackles per game
• Braedon Robinson is fifth in the conference in sacks