2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football team

2021 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football
ConferenceLone Star Conference
Record7–4 (5–2 LSC)
Head coach
  • Hunter Hughes (5th season)
Offensive coordinatorRuss Martin (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorJoe Morris (3rd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumBuffalo Stadium
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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

LSC media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
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)
Midwestern State 112
6 Eastern New Mexico 60
7 Texas A&M–Kingsville 59
8 Western New Mexico 33
Source:

Schedule

The Buffs' full schedule was announced on March 18, 2021.

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 27:00 p.m.Texas College*
W 73–05,350
September 116:00 p.m.at UT Permian Basin
L 31–425,771
September 187:00 p.m.Western New Mexico
  • Buffalo Stadium
  • Canyon, TX
W 42–145,677
September 257:00 p.m.No. 5 Colorado Mines*
  • Buffalo Stadium
  • Canyon, TX
L 13–217,398
October 23:05 p.m.at Western Oregon*
L 38–413,275
October 97:00 p.m.Angelo State
  • Buffalo Stadium
  • Canyon, TX
W 31–159,326
October 167:00 p.m.at Eastern New Mexico
W 44–243,382
October 236:00 p.m.Texas A&M–Commerce
L 3–156,216
October 307:00 p.m.at Texas A&M–Kingsville
W 35–238,537
November 66:00 p.m.No. 21 Midwestern State
  • Buffalo Stadium
  • Canyon, TX
W 15–127,315
November 1311:00 a.m.Bethel (KS)*
  • Buffalo Stadium
  • Canyon, TX
W 52–95,728
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Schedule

Texas College

Texas College Steers at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steers 0 0 000
Buffaloes 28 24 14773

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

See also: 2021 UT Permian Basin Falcons football team
West Texas A&M Buffaloes at UT Permian Basin Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buffaloes 7 10 7731
Falcons 14 7 21042

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 34Total
Mustangs 0 0 01414
Buffaloes 14 7 02142

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 34Total
No. 5 Orediggers 0 0 14721
Buffaloes 10 3 0013

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 34Total
Buffaloes 10 7 71438
Wolves 7 14 02041

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 34Total
Rams 3 0 6615
Buffaloes 7 10 7731

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 34Total
Buffaloes 10 17 14344
Greyhounds 7 3 01424

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

See also: 2021 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team
Texas A&M–Commerce Lions at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 5 0 10015
Buffaloes 0 0 303

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
Statistics TAMUC WT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce Passing
Rushing
Receiving
West Texas A&M Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Texas A&M–Kingsville

West Texas A&M Buffaloes at Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buffaloes 14 7 01435
Javelinas 2 3 10823

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

See also: 2021 Midwestern State Mustangs football team
No. 21 Midwestern State Mustangs at West Texas A&M Buffaloes – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 21 Mustangs 0 12 0012
Buffaloes 0 0 15015

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 34Total
Threshers 9 0 009
Buffaloes 10 21 14752

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

  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.