After plenty of close games UT Permian Basin Football's regular season will come to a close Saturday at Central Washington.  The Falcons have won two straight and look for their first fall over .500 in program history with a win over the Wildcats.  A potential shot at tying for second place in the Lone Star Conference is on the line and with a win the Falcons would finish no lower than third in the LSC.
 
Live Stats
Live Stream - $10 day pass, $75 for the season
Listen Live FREE
Purchase Tickets Online Here
 
Forecast – 40 degrees and sunny at kickoff
 
Scouting the Opponent
After handing Texas A&M—Kingsville a crushing loss, Central Washington was unable to follow that with another upset over No. 2 Angelo State last weekend..  The Wildcats gave the Rams all they could handle and led at the half. 
The Wildcat offense has struggled in 2022, only averaging 23.44 points per game, and only twice have scored more than 24 points in a game.  They win with a defense that's only allowed 19.4 points per game and only twice allowed more than 23 points. 
Two quarterbacks have had time under center for the Wildcats, JJ Lemming and Quincy Glasper.  Both have thrown for 843 yards but Lemming had six touchdowns to Glasper's four.  Lemming also has 113 yards rushing but Glasper has four rushing touchdowns.
Tre'Jon Henderson has been terrific this season, a two-time LSC player of the week, rushing for 738 yards and 11 touchdowns.  They spread the ball out in the air, with five receivers with 15 catches and over 200 receiving yards.
 
Close Games
For the first time in a while the Falcons had a game that didn't come down to the wire.  After six straight one-possession finishes, the Falcons won handily 37-14 over the Mustangs.  Seven of their 10 games have been decided by one-score or less and all but one saw the game winning score happen in the final 90 seconds of regulation or gone to overtime. 
 
Running Wild
The Mustangs could not contain the Falcon ground game last week as the Falcons racked up 351 rushing yards.  It was the fourth most in a game in program history and the Falcons had two 100-yard rushers for the first time since their 70-14 win on senior day against Texas A&M—Kingsville in 2019.  Nathan Tilford had a career high 108 yards and two touchdowns while Kory Harris went over the century mark for the first time in his career. 
The Falcons controlled the tempo of the game, holding the ball for 35:16.  This was the most they've possessed the ball since 2016. 
 
Even Par
This season the Falcons have played nearly equal to their opponents.  They are 5-5, with a 4-4 record, and a –3 point differential. 
 
Red Zone
Central Washington has been stingy in the red zone, boasting the best red zone defense in the LSC.  The Wildcats allow just 70.4 percent of scores inside the red zone.  They are also the best red zone offense in the league at 86.7 percent.  The Falcons are third in offense at 81.3 percent and seventh in defense at 80.5 percent.
 
Air Raid
Heading into the final week of the season the Falcons are fourth in the LSC in passing yards while Central Washington has the second best passing defense in the league.  On the flip side, the Wildcats are eighth in passing offense while the Falcons are ninth in passing defense, making for what should be an evenly matched game.
 
At the Top
The Falcon offense boasts some of the best players in the nation.  MJ Link is 11th in Division II with nine touchdowns on the year.  Brock Johnson is tied for second among tight ends with four, trailing the national lead by one.  Johnson is fourth in the conference as is Gunnar Abseck.
 
Leaders
Passing—Dylan Graham, 1,859 yards, 16 touchdowns, 186 completions, 58.1 completion percentage
Rushing—Kory Harris, 406 yards, 2 touchdown, 97 attempts, 4.2 yards per carry
Receiving—MJ Link, 764 yards, 9 touchdowns, 52 catches, 76.4 yards per game, 14.7 yards per catch
Tackles—Hayden Kelly, 79 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception