2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football team

2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football
2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football
Conference	Lone Star Conference
Record	7–4 (5–2 LSC)
Head coach	Hunter Hughes (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Russ Martin (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Joe Morris (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Buffalo Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Midwestern State $	6	–	1	7	–	3
No. 11 Angelo State ^	5	–	2	11	–	3
West Texas A&M	5	–	2	7	–	4
Texas A&M–Commerce	5	–	2	7	–	4
Texas A&M–Kingsville	3	–	4	5	–	5
UT Permian Basin #	3	–	4	5	–	6
Eastern New Mexico	1	–	6	3	–	7
Western New Mexico	0	–	7	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – Heritage Bowl participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

The 2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football team represented West Texas A&M University during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The Buffaloes were led by fifth-year head coach Hunter Hughes and played their home games at Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas. The Buffs finished the season with an overall record of 7–4 with an LSC record of 5–2, finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the conference.

LSC media poll

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
LSC media poll
1	Texas A&M–Commerce	175 (15)
2	Angelo State	152 (2)
3	West Texas A&M	125 (1)
T4	UT Permian Basin	112 (5)
T4	Midwestern State	112
6	Eastern New Mexico	60
7	Texas A&M–Kingsville	59
8	Western New Mexico	33

Source: ^[1]

Schedule

The Buffs' full schedule was announced on March 18, 2021.^[2]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Texas College*	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	W 73–0	5,350
September 11	6:00 p.m.	at UT Permian Basin	Ratliff Stadium Odessa, TX	L 31–42	5,771
September 18	7:00 p.m.	Western New Mexico	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	W 42–14	5,677
September 25	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Colorado Mines*	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	L 13–21	7,398
October 2	3:05 p.m.	at Western Oregon*	MacArthur Field Monmouth, OR	L 38–41	3,275
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Angelo State	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	W 31–15	9,326
October 16	7:00 p.m.	at Eastern New Mexico	Greyhound Stadium Portales, NM (Wagon Wheel)	W 44–24	3,382
October 23	6:00 p.m.	Texas A&M–Commerce	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX (East Texas vs. West Texas)	L 3–15	6,216
October 30	7:00 p.m.	at Texas A&M–Kingsville	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 35–23	8,537
November 6	6:00 p.m.	No. 21 Midwestern State	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	W 15–12	7,315
November 13	11:00 a.m.	Bethel (KS)*	Buffalo Stadium Canyon, TX	W 52–9	5,728
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Texas College

Texas College Steers at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Steers	0	0	0	0	0
Buffaloes	28	24	14	7	73

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: September 2
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear skies, 85 °F (29 °C)
Game attendance: 5,350
Referee: Jovito Sabal
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

WT – Khalil Harris 69-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 14:41. Buffaloes 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 69 yards, 0:19.
WT – Jordan Johnson 1-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 11:01. Buffaloes 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:34.
WT – Khalil Harris 5-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 8:08. Buffaloes 21–0. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:51.
WT – Markell Stephens-Pepper 8-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 3:22. Buffaloes 28–0. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 2:34.

Second quarter

WT – Markell Stephens-Pepper 36-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 14:14. Buffaloes 35–0. Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 1:19.
WT – Jarrod Compton 7-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 9:19. Buffaloes 42–0. Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:56.
WT – Isaiah Smallwood 3-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 4:31. Buffaloes 49–0. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 2:46.
WT – Gage Urias 19-yard field goal, 0:00. Buffaloes 52–0. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:25.

Third quarter

WT – Lindsay Marcus 16-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 8:00. Buffaloes 59–0. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:30.
WT – Hesston Marshall 13-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 3:45. Buffaloes 66–0. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 3:37.

Fourth quarter

WT – Isaiah Smallwood 3-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 7:41. Buffaloes 73–0. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 6:47.

Statistics	TC	WT
First downs	6	24
Total yards	116	557
Rushing yards	24	402
Passing yards	92	155
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	26:08	29:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas College	Passing	Jerry McConico Jr.	10/19, 92 yards
	Rushing	Diamond Woods	7 rushes, 27 yards
	Receiving	Derrick Cooper	4 receptions, 43 yards
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	10/11, 150 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Khalil Harris	7 rushes, 112 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Markell Stephens-Peppers	3 receptions, 57 yards, 2 TD

At UT Permian Basin

West Texas A&M Buffaloes at UT Permian Basin Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	7	10	7	7	31
Falcons	14	7	21	0	42

at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas

Date: September 11
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 93 °F (34 °C)
Game attendance: 5,771
Referee: Robert Newton
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

TPB – Matt Zubiate 7-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 5:36. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 58 yards, 7:05.
WT – Khalil Harris 1-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 2:31. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 2:55.
TPB – MJ Link 53-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 1:11. Falcons 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:12.

Second quarter

WT – Jeremie Karngbaye 5-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 13:49. Tied 14–14. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:22.
TPB – Nathan Tilford 10-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 9:30. Falcons 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:19.
WT – Gage Urias 32-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 21–17. Drive: 13 plays, 43 yards, 4:52.

Third quarter

TPB – MJ Link 44-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 13:47. Falcons 28–17. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 0:13.
TPB – Jordan Smart 13-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 6:10. Falcons 35–17. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:01.
TPB – Jordan Smart 26-yard pass from Clayton Roberts (Carson Roberts kick), 2:43. Falcons 42–17. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:21.
WT – Khalil Harris 1-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 0:36. Falcons 42–24. Drive: 4 plays, 45 yards, 1:59.

Fourth quarter

WT – Markell Stephens-Peppers 8-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 2:13. Falcons 42–31. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 3:16.

Statistics	WT	TPB
First downs	26	21
Total yards	386	408
Rushing yards	125	127
Passing yards	261	281
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	29:00	31:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	25/39, 261 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Khalil Harris	23 rushes, 102 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Markell Stephens-Peppers	4 receptions, 66 yards, TD
UT Permian Basin	Passing	Clayton Roberts	23/32, 281 yards, 6 TD
	Rushing	Nathan Tilford	15 rushes, 75 yards
	Receiving	MJ Link	8 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD

Western New Mexico

Western New Mexico Mustangs at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mustangs	0	0	0	14	14
Buffaloes	14	7	0	21	42

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: September 18
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 5,677
Referee: Joshua Bannerman
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

WT – Caleb Ollison 6-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 9:23. Buffaloes 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:18.
WT – Brandon Blair 22-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 0:08. Buffaloes 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:19.

Second quarter

WT – Noah Bogardus 82-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 13:09. Buffaloes 21–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:44.

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

WNMU – Bryce Coleman 24-yard run (James Hoben kick), 13:57. Buffaloes 21–7. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 4:17.
WT – Marcus Lindsay 22-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 11:45. Buffaloes 28–7. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:05.
WT – Brandon Blair 32-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 8:23. Buffaloes 35–7. Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, 1:41.
WNMU – Kory Coleman 16-yard pass from Devin Larsen (James Hoben kick), 4:46. Buffaloes 35–14. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 3:26.
WT – Marcus Lindsay 6-yard run (Gage Urias kick), 2:55. Buffaloes 42–14. Drive: 3 plays, 53 yards, 1:42.

Statistics	WNMU	WT
First downs	22	19
Total yards	408	479
Rushing yards	39	124
Passing yards	369	355
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	35:35	24:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western New Mexico	Passing	Devin Larsen	34/53, 369 yards, TD
	Rushing	Bryce Coleman	14 rushes, 35 yards, TD
	Receiving	Allen Ortiz	4 receptions, 80 yards
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	14/24, 355 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Marcus Lindsay	5 rushes, 53 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Noah Bogardus	2 receptions, 93 yards, TD

No. 5 Colorado Mines

No. 5 Colorado Mines Orediggers at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Orediggers	0	0	14	7	21
Buffaloes	10	3	0	0	13

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: September 25
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 7,398
Referee: Jeffrey Bell
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

WT – Hunter Kaufman 50-yard pass from Nick Gerber (Gage Urias kick), 14:20. Buffaloes 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 50 yards, 0:09.
WT – Gage Urias 37-yard field goal, 4:12. Buffaloes 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 2:44.

Second quarter

WT – Gage Urias 39-yard field goal, 6:21. Buffaloes 13–0. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 1:17.

Third quarter

CSM – Nathan Mackey 4-yard run (Jacob Click kick), 6:43. Buffaloes 13–7. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 5:27.
CSM – John Matocha 3-yard run (Jason Click kick), 5:27. Orediggers 14–13. Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:22.

Fourth quarter

CSM – Josh Johnston 5-yard pass from John Matocha (Jason Click kick), 11:37. Orediggers 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:13.

Statistics	CSM	WT
First downs	22	13
Total yards	321	316
Rushing yards	193	130
Passing yards	128	186
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	36:28	21:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado Mines	Passing	John Matocha	15/22, 128 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Michael Zeman	29 rushes, 121 yards
	Receiving	Josh Johnston	3 reception, 32 yards, TD
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	12/23, 186 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Khalil Harris	15 rushes, 82 yards
	Receiving	Hunter Kaufman	2 receptions, 77 yards, TD

At Western Oregon

West Texas A&M Buffaloes at Western Oregon Wolves – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	10	7	7	14	38
Wolves	7	14	0	20	41

at MacArthur Field, Monmouth, Oregon

Date: October 2
Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
Game attendance: 3,275
Referee: Jeffry Davis
Box score, Recap

Statistics	WT	WOU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Oregon	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Angelo State

Angelo State Rams at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	3	0	6	6	15
Buffaloes	7	10	7	7	31

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: October 9
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 9,326
Referee: Joel Williams
Box score, Recap

Statistics	ASU	WT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Angelo State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
West Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Eastern New Mexico

West Texas A&M Buffaloes at Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	10	17	14	3	44
Greyhounds	7	3	0	14	24

at Greyhound Stadium, Portales, New Mexico

Date: October 16
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT/6:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
Game attendance: 3,382
Referee: Tony Acosta
Box score, Recap

Statistics	WT	ENMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern New Mexico	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Texas A&M–Commerce

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	5	0	10	0	15
Buffaloes	0	0	3	0	3

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: October 23
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 6,216
Referee: Dal Watson
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

TAMUC – Team safety, 8:00. Lions 2–0.
TAMUC – Jake Viquez 40-yard field goal, 0:47. Lions 5–0. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:25.

Second quarter

No scoring plays

Third quarter

TAMUC – Miklo Smalls 9-yard run (Jake Viquez kick), 12:16. Lions 12–0. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:35.
WT – Cason Polivoda 35-yard field goal, 6:26. Lions 12–3. Drive: 15 plays, 65 yards, 5:45.

Fourth quarter

TAMUC – Jake Viquez 42-yard field goal, 1:17. Lions 15–3. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 4:59.

Statistics	TAMUC	WT
First downs	18	15
Total yards	290	233
Rushing yards	104	135
Passing yards	186	98
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	32:30	26:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Miklo Smalls	21/38, 186 yards, INT
	Rushing	Carandal Hale	12 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Matt Childers	7 receptions, 76 yards
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	12/25, 98 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Brandon Blair	16 rushes, 60 yards
	Receiving	Noah Bogardus	1 reception, 30 yards

At Texas A&M–Kingsville

West Texas A&M Buffaloes at Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	14	7	0	14	35
Javelinas	2	3	10	8	23

at Javelina Stadium, Kingsville, Texas

Date: October 30
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C)
Game attendance: 8,537
Referee: Robert Newton
Box score, Recap

Statistics	WT	TAMUK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Texas A&M–Kingsville	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 21 Midwestern State

No. 21 Midwestern State Mustangs at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Mustangs	0	12	0	0	12
Buffaloes	0	0	15	0	15

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: November 6
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 7,315
Referee: Joe Horn
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

MSU – Kylan Harrison 6-yard pass from Dillon Sterling-Cole (Ritse Vaes kick), 13:43. Mustangs 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 0:52.
MSU – Team safety, 5:13. Mustangs 9–0.
MSU – Ritse Vaes 25-yard field goal, 0:03. Mustangs 12–0. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 0:57.

Third quarter

WT – Isaiah Smallwood 22-yard run (Cason Polivoda kick), 11:44. Mustangs 12–7. Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 0:54.
WT – Nick Gerber 6-yard run (Nick Gerber pass to Noah Bogardus), 0:59. Buffaloes 15–12. Drive: 11 plays, 99 yards, 5:08.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics	MSU	WT
First downs	22	20
Total yards	356	322
Rushing yards	106	205
Passing yards	250	117
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	27:28	32:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Midwestern State	Passing	Dillon Sterling-Cole	26/45, 250 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Dillon Sterling-Cole	8 rushes, 44 yards
	Receiving	Jayden Moore	4 receptions, 62 yards
West Texas A&M	Passing	Nick Gerber	12/23, 117 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jarrod Compton	30 rushes, 160 yards
	Receiving	Noah Bogardus	3 receptions, 53 yards

Bethel (KS)

Bethel Threshers at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Threshers	9	0	0	0	9
Buffaloes	10	21	14	7	52

at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas

Date: November 13
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 5,728
Referee: Jason Hickey
Box score, Recap

Statistics	BET	WT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bethel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
West Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "2021 LSC Football Media Guide" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
^ Cochran, Tamlyn (March 18, 2021). "West Texas A&M 2021 football schedule has been announced". KFDA-TV. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
^ "2021 Football Schedule". Retrieved January 29, 2025.

[1] "2021 LSC Football Media Guide" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2025.

[2] Cochran, Tamlyn (March 18, 2021). "West Texas A&M 2021 football schedule has been announced". KFDA-TV. Retrieved January 29, 2025.

[3] "2021 Football Schedule". Retrieved January 29, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e West Texas A&M Buffaloes football
Venues	Buffalo Stadium (–1958) Kimbrough Memorial Stadium (1959–2018) Bain–Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium (2019–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern New Mexico: Wagon Wheel Texas A&M–Commerce: East Texas vs. West Texas
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025