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Hounds heading to Midwestern State

Both squads 3-1; Mustangs coming off upset to Angelo State.

PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico's football team is in kind of a dizzying stretch.

The Greyhounds won their season opener at home in dramatic fashion, played consecutive road games, then returned home last week to prevail against Texas A&M-Kingsville — and a prolonged lightning delay — 48-34.

This week they turn right around and go back on the road, this time to Wichita Falls, Texas, to face Midwestern State. Game time is 7 p.m. Central Mountain Time.

Each team is 3-1 overall, 1-1 in the Lone Star Conference. Each is at a crucial juncture in its season, getting ready to play its first game of October and looking to reach 4-1.

ENMU should have an edge momentum-wise. While Midwestern lost 28-6 at Angelo State last week and fell from the Division II's Top 25 poll as a result, the Greyhounds are fresh off last week's comeback victory that saw them rally from a 31-17 second-half hole.

"I'm really proud of the guys and hope it carries over into this week," Eastern head coach Kelley Lee said.

That won't be easy against a Midwestern team that won the LSC title as recently as two years ago, a team that is always a tough part of its opponents' schedule.

"They're really well-coached," Lee said. "They play hard, they're a physical, good football team. We're excited about the challenge."

While Eastern is primarily a running team — senior quarterback Wyatt Strand has 466 rushing yards against 255 passing on just 40 attempts — Midwestern tends to mix it up a little more. The Mustangs' 6-3 210-pound junior quarterback Zach Purcell has completed 71-of-121 passes (59 percent) for 765 yards, five touchdowns and no picks.

Senior running back Quinton Childs is the Mustangs' leading rusher so far, tallying 332 yards and three touchdowns. Not a bad total, but it pales in comparison to run-happy Eastern. To put it in perspective, Strand and teammate Paul Terry combined to rush for 374 yards and three scores in Saturday's game against Kingsville alone. Darryl Wiggins added two touchdowns on Saturday.

Eastern obviously got it done on the ground against Kingsville, but also defensively by creating Javelina mistakes. The Greyhounds set up 17 of their 31 second-half points with turnovers, so they'll look to do that while avoiding turnovers themselves.

"We're going to have to play really solid football. We can't have unfortunate errors," Lee said. "They're the kind of team that capitalizes on your mistakes. We're going to have to get good field position and get after their quarterback."

The Greyhounds would love to bag this win because their dizzying season will continue, with currently unbeaten and No. 4 Tarleton heading to Portales the following Saturday. The Hounds, though, aren't looking ahead.

"No, no. You can't," Lee said. "When you've got a team like Midwestern, it's hard to look past. They're such a good program."