Football | 12/1/2015 6:27:00 PM
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
PORTALES, N.M. —On Saturday, December 5
th, the Eastern New Mexico University football team (6-5) will clash with Arkansas Tech (8-3) in the C.H.A.M.PS. Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas. The contest is the Greyhounds first postseason contest since playing Mesa College in the 1983 NAIA playoffs.
"This means a lot," said ENMU head coach
Josh Lynn. "This is the first postseason anything for Greyhound Football since becoming Division II."
"I believe ATU is similar to Texas A&M Kingsville," said Lynn. "They are a run first football team but have extremely good talent on the outside to hurt you with the passing game.
The contest will air live on Fox Sports Go. To view the game, the Fox Sports Go application must be downloaded first. The contest also will be replayed on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 323 in Texas markets, on December 6, at 7:30 p.m. CT. Video of the contest also will be posted on YouTube the following week.
The bowl game will mark the first-ever meeting between the programs. The Greyhounds have not met a team from the Great American Conference, since the league formed in the 2011 season.
ENMU AthleticsGreyhound FootballGreyhound RosterGreyhound ScheduleGreyhound StatisticsLone Star Conference ScoreboardLone Star Conference Football ScheduleLone Star Conference Football StandingsLone Star Conference Football StatisticsPlaying Past October During the NCAA Division II/Lone Star Conference era, which started in 1985 (ENMU was independent in 1984), the Greyhounds have posted a 31-29-2 record in games played after the month of October. In those games, the Greyhounds have outscored the opposition by a 26.4-25.5 points per game margin. During the
Josh Lynn era, the Hounds are 6-3 in post-October contests, with an average margin of 35.8-32.1 points per game.
The ENMU record for post-October games in a season is five, coming in 1934, 1935, and 1939. The Greyhounds are 0-2 in December, falling to the Mexico City All Stars (45-26) on December 19, 1953, and Mesa College in the NAIA Playoffs (35-9) on December 3, 1984.
December Games | Date | Opponent | Result |
| 12/3/1983 | @Mesa College | L, 9-35 |
| 12/15/1953 | @Mexico City All-Stars | L, 26-45 |
The Natural State Eastern New Mexico University football team has only played two teams from Arkansas: Arkansas State and Central Arkansas. The Hounds played UCA twice, to open the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
ENMU's only win over a team from the "Natural State" came on November 11, 1967, against Arkansas State (Then known as Arkansas A&M. The final score was 60-28.
Against Arkansas Teams | Date | Opponent | Result |
| 8/25/2005 | Central Arkansas | L, 0-51 |
| 8/28/2004 | Central Arkansas | L, 31-38 |
| 12/16/1972 | Arkansas State | L, 7-39 |
| 11/20/1969 | Arkansas State | L, 20-53 |
| 11/11/1967 | (Arkansas A&M) Arkansas State | W, 60-28 |
Neutral Sites The Greyhounds are 0-1 this season in neutral-site games, with a 28-24 setback against Midwestern State at the Lone Star Conference Football Festival. Eastern's last victory in a neutral site game was on September 13, 2013, at the football festival, against Sul Ross State. The Hounds rallied from a 12-0 deficit to post a 55-24 win.
On the Run Through 11 weeks, the Eastern New Mexico University football team features the 23rd-most prolific offense in the NCAA Division II, with a 40.9 points per game average. ENMU is also third in rushing offense (behind Lenoir Rhyne and Harding). Eastern in 23rd in the nation in passing efficiency, and 11th in total offense. The Hounds are eighth in the country in fourth-down conversion percentage. Eastern also ranks second in the country in yards per pass completion (behind Harding).
The Hounds already have set team records with 3,896 rushing yards and 48 rushing touchdowns. The totals surpassed the marks set last season (3,602/39).
Kamal Cass also has eclipsed
E'lon Spight's record of 20 rushing touchdowns in a season. ENMU's 450 points broke the team's scoring record.
The Hounds are second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring and are just one of two teams averaging more than 40 points per game. Eastern leads the league in rushing by almost 140 yards per game. ENMU is also first in the LSC in kick coverage and third in punting.
Kamal Cass ranks 16th in the NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards, ninth in rushing yards per carry, third in rushing touchdowns, and tenth in rushing yards.
Jeremy Buurma is eighth in the league in total offense, while Cass is tenth.
In October, against Angelo State, the Greyhounds rushed for a team record 583 yards to shatter the team mark of 512, set at Bacone College in 2007. The game marked the first time in recent memory the Hounds had a trio of 100-yard runners: Cass (188 yards),
Tayshaun Gary (139 yards), and Buurma (123 yards). Gary and Cass each had three touchdowns. The total came within three yards of Southwest Texas' LSC mark of 586 rushing yards, set against Prairie View in 1978.
The Defense Doesn't Rest The Greyhound defense has taken the ball away from the opposition 23 times, which has allowed ENMU to to jump out to early leads numerous times.
Eastern ranks third in the league in interceptions and are second in run defense. Fe'aoVunipola is 17th in the LSC in tackles per game, while
Brad Hardin is sixth in sacks.
In the first meeting with Angelo State,
De'Aundre Sanders nearly extended the Hounds' streak of games with a defensive touchdown to four. He returned an interception to the Rams' one-yard line. Sanders scored on a 51-yard interception return at Tarleton State, while
Brad Hardin scored twice off fumble recoveries at Bacone. Peters scored on a 74-yard interception return against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Teams that are Special Timothy Callian is 58-60 on point-after-touchdown attempts and has four field goals this season. His 41-yard field goal against Angelo State was his longest of the season. He has punted 44 times this season, with 14 being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line and ten requiring a fair catch. Only two punts have gone for a touchback. On kickoffs, Callian has registered 30 touchbacks on 78 attempts.
D'Maujeric Tucker and Cass have been a dynamic pair on kick returns and average 25.9 and 22.4 yards, respectively.
Wonder Boy NotesATU AthleticsWonder Boys FootballWonder Boys RosterWonder Boys ScheduleWonder Boys StatisticsArkansas Tech has been an extremely balanced team in 2015, with an explosive offense, and a stifling defense. The Wonder Boys have scored at least 30 points on six occasions and won each time. ATU also has limited the opposition to 21 or fewer points in six games, with the only losses in those contests coming in road games against East Central and Henderson State
"The whole thing is for the seniors to play another football game," said ATU head coach Raymond Monica. "The last game at home wasn't their last. They have an opportunity to do something we haven't done in a very long time."
The Wonder Boys, like ENMU finished third in their conference, behind Great American Conference champion Henderson State, and Southwestern Oklahoma State. From the GAC, Henderson State qualified for the NCAA Championships.
LSC in the Postseason The Greyhounds are one of three LSC teams which made the postseason, as Texas A&M-Commerce and Midwestern State reached the NCAA tournament.
Lynn in the Numbers| | W | L |
| Overall | 20 | 19 |
| At Home | 9 | 7 |
| Away | 10 | 10 |
| Scoring First | 15 | 8 |
| Opponent Scores First | 5 | 12 |
| Scoring 30 | 18 | 4 |
