Football | 10/23/2015 1:02:00 PM

Friday, October 23, 2015
 
PORTALES, N.M. —The Eastern New Mexico University football team (5-2; LSC 2-2) is riding a three-game win streak into Saturday's Lone Star Conference matchup with Angelo State (5-2; LSC 2-2). The teams are currently tied for third place in the LSC standings with identical records.

This weekend's contest is the final scheduled game for the Hounds at Blackwater Draw. The site made its debut for the 1968 season and has been the location for many great moments in Greyhound football history.

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Last Week
The Hounds never trailed at Tarleton State, but had a wild, back-and-forth contest. Twice Eastern charged to 14-point leads and both times the Texans battled back to pull even. With 6:08 left in the third quarter, De'Aundre Sanders' 51-yard interception return staked the Greyhounds to a 35-28 lead they would not relinquish. After ENMU took its third 14-point lead at 42-28, Tarleton State closed to within four at 42-38. Kamal Cass sealed the win with a 13-yard touchdown, before TSU scored to make the final margin 49-44 in Eastern's favor. The Greyhounds came up with three interceptions, while Jeremy Buurma and Cass both topped the 100-yard mark in the ground game.

Angelo State snapped a two-game skid with a six-play, 46-yard drive to top Texas A&M-Kingsville, 39-34, in San Angelo. Trey Green capped the drive by catching a 16-yard touchdown strike from Kyle Washington with just 11 seconds left in the game. Washington passed for 367 yards and four scores, in addition to 95 rushing yards with a touchdown.

National Recognition
Eastern's win streak has garnered national attention and come in at 15^th in the latest Massey Rankings and 21^st in this week's HERO SPORTS poll. Angelo State ranks 24^th in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll.

In the Numbers
The Hounds feature the second most prolific offense in the entire NCAA Division II (45.9 ppg) and trail only Colorado-Mines in that category. Behind the scoring, ENMU is eighth in total offense, first in passing efficiency, second in yards per completion, and third in rushing (trailing Harding and Lenoir-Rhyne). ENMU is also fourth in fourth-down conversions (trails Shorter, Grand Valley State, and North Alabama) and 19^th in net punting. A key component to the Hounds' success in 2015 is ranking 16^th in turnover margin and fourth in defensive touchdowns.

Eastern is second in total offense in the Lone Star conference and trails only Angelo State. The Rams also lead the league in total defense. The Rams and Hounds are second and third in the league in rush defense, respectively. The Hounds feature the second most yards per kick return, while ASU is third in punt return average. ENMU is tied for second in the LSC in interceptions. Kamal Cass is third in the LSC in rushing yards per game, while Jeremy Doucette and D'Maujeric Tucker are ninth and tenth. Cass leads the league with 10 rushing touchdowns. Adrian Horton is eighth in receiving yards per game and ninth in touchdown catches. Tucker second in the LSC in kick-return average, while Timothy Callian is second in punt average. Defensively, Lawrence Hall is ninth in tackles per game, while Elliot Peters is second in sacks.

In the Series
Angelo State has won seven of the last eight decisions between the teams, but the Greyhounds earned a road win in 2013. On October 12, 2013, the Hounds held a 1-3 record and trailed ASU by a 28-0 score. Christian Long's 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter followed by a Jacob Johnson two-point conversion capped a 29-0 run by Eastern to take the lead. With 1:17 left, the Hounds retained the lead, when a 37-yard field goal attempt by the Rams was blocked. Jeremy Buurma tossed two touchdown passes, both to Jordan Wells. The win started a run which saw the Hounds capture the LSC title.
 
Eastern's last home win over the Rams came by a 38-14 score on October 1, 2005. Trailing 14-7, a pair of Michael Benton touchdown runs in the second quarter gave ENMU the lead for good. Benton added two more touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Benton rushed for 143 yards and passed for an additional 118 yards. Tim Ojeda had 2.5 sacks for the Hounds, while linebacker Tony Johnson made a pair of interceptions.
 
Up Next
Next Saturday, the Hounds will travel to Canyon, Texas, to take on West Texas A&M in the Wagon Wheel Game. After WT, the Hounds will close the regular season with a pair of LSC playoff games.