ODESSA, Texas (October 11, 2024) – The University of Texas Permian Basin football team (3-3 overall, 2-2 LSC) continues Lone Star Conference action during "Week 6" this weekend. The Falcons will head to the Pacific Northwest to take on No. 9 nationally-ranked Central Washington University (4-1, 3-0) with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Central Time / 6 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, October 12, at Steve Hertling Field at Tomlinson Stadium.

It will be a rematch of last year's Lone Star Conference Championship game in which UTPB beat Central Washington 42-14. The Falcons had been picked to finished seventh in the preseason poll.

The first half saw UTPB and Central Washington playing tough on both sides of the ball. At the 9:23 mark of the first quarter, grad student Kenny Hrncir ran in from the two-yard line to make it 7-0.

Hrncir dove in from the one with 19 seconds left to make it 14-0, Falcons. The Wildcats scored twice in the second quarter.  That made it 14-14 at halftime.

In the first five minutes of the third quarter, Hrncir fired two touchdown passes to senior Jeremiah Cooley. That broke the game open for UT Permian Basin.

Offensively, sophomore Kory Harris ran for 116 yards, his second straight 100-yard game. The Falcons finished with 329 yards rushing.

Hrncir was 10-of-20 for 173 yards and two touchdown and added 74 yards and three scores on the ground.

Defensively, grad student Hayden Kelly had 13 tackles and recovered a fumble while sophomore Frank Mulipola had eight tackles and broke up two passes.

FALCONS SO FAR THIS SEASON
UTPB is 3-3 on the season and 2-2 in Lone Star Conference play this season. The defending LSC champions opened the 2024 season with a 41-3 home victory over Western New Mexico before suffering a 40-23 setback at Colorado State-Pueblo. UTPB bounced back for a 67-14 victory over Adams State before falling to Texas A&M-Kingsville at home by a 20-14 score. The Falcons bounced back for a 27-3 road victory over Midwestern State before dropping their contest to Angelo State at home by a 36-7 score last weekend.

The Falcons are outscoring their opponents 29.83 points per game to the 19.33 points per game the defense is allowing. UTPB is outrushing their opponents 154.2 yards per game to their opponents 108.2 rushing yards per game. The air-game has been a specialty for UTPB, as they're outgaining their opponents 263.83 passing yards to the 160.17 passing yards their opponents are gaining.
 
The Falcons ground game has been dominated by Kory Harris who's rushed for 582 yards and four touchdowns on 131 rushes this season. Camden Tyler is next for the Falcons with 181 rushing yards and one touchdown on 33 attempts. Jeremiah Cooley leads UTPB's receiving corps with 344 yards and four touchdowns on 26 catches. Ben Patterson has 241 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 10 catches while La'Quan Wells has 205 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches.

Tristan Exline leads the Falcons defense with 45 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup, and two quarterback hurries. Frank Mulipola has 25 tackles and leads UTPB with five sacks, adding two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Jalon Rocquemore is second on UTPB in tackles with 33, adding 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one pass breakup, two quarterback hurries, and forced one fumble. Jalani Jefferson leads UTPB with five pass breakups while Malik Allen has two blocked kicks on the year and Eric Franco has one blocked kick.

Rafael Vargas has 21 punts for the Falcons this season for a total of 890 yards with five landing within the opponents 20-yard line and three landing for touchbacks. Angel Diaz is 6-for-11 on field goal attempts with his longest coming at 47 yards and one getting blocked. Vargas is 1-for-2 on field goal attempts making one from 31 yards out. Vargas has 31 kickoffs for 1,685 yards with seven landing four touchbacks and two landing out of bounds. Gunnar Abseck has eight punt returns for a total of 54 yards while Traylen Suel has eight kick returns for 243 yards and one touchdown.

WILDCATS UNDER THE LENS
The Falcons and Wildcats meet for the third time on the gridiron this Saturday. CWU defeated UTPB 49-14 in their first matchup in Washington in 2022, but last season, The University of Texas Permian Basin football team (#17 / #16) (10-1, 8-0 Lone Star Conference) beat #23 / #22 Central Washington (7- 3, 7-1 LSC) 42-14 to win the Lone Star Conference Championship at Astound Broadband Stadium.

The Central Washington University football team is ranked ninth in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) top-25 poll. The 'Cats have been featured in every poll of the 2024 season. CWU is the only Lone Star Conference team to be featured in the poll after UTPB and Angelo State fell out of the poll with losses in the first two weeks.

The Wildcats were originally tabbed eighth in the country in the AFCA Preseason Poll. The Wildcats similarly were notched at eighth earlier this summer in the Lindy's Sports D2 Preseason Top 25 National Ranking.

The Central Washington University football team was selected to win the Lone Star Conference for the 2024 season in the LSC Preseason Football poll. Central Washington picked up 20 of the possible 30 first place votes. The Wildcats were picked to win their first Lone Star Conference championship after finishing second each of the first two years as a member of the conference. The Wildcats also swept the LSC Preseason Players of the Year as redshirt junior running back Tyler Flanagan was tabbed as the LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and senior safety Tanner Volk was named the LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Volk had a season for the ages in 2023 becoming the first ever Wildcat and junior to win the coveted Cliff Harris Award for the nation's best small college defensive player. That wasn't the only Defensive Player of the Year award he earned, gathering the D2CCA Ron Lenz Defensive Player of the Year, Don Hansen Football Committee Defensive Player of the Year, and D2Football.com Defensive Player of the Year honors. On top of his Player of the Year awards, Volk also was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award. He also collected First Team All-American honors from the AFCA, AP, D2CCA, Don Hansen, and D2Football.com. He also earned the D2CCA Super Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year and was the LSC J.V. Sikes Defensive Player of the Year. He was also recently nominated for the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team. Volk led the entire NCAA in interceptions with 13 and led NCAA Division II in total tackles with 124 enroute to helping the Wildcats to their first playoff victory and regional final since the 2009 season.

Flanagan bounced back in a big way in 2023 after suffering a season-ending injury in the opening game of the 2022 season at Ferris State. He was the sole rusher to gain over 1,000 yards in the entire Lone Star Conference in 2023 compiling 1,014 rushing yards to go with 12 rushing touchdowns. He added on 132 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns as well as five kick returns for 128 yards and 1 return touchdown. Flanagan earned Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American status due to his performance on the field paired with his 3.58 GPA in Sport Management to be the first CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-American for CWU since 2009. Flanagan was named the LSC Offensive Back of the Year as well as being named to the Second Team All-D2CCA Super Region 4 team.

Last week, the Wildcats traveled to Portales, New Mexico where they earned a hard-fought 44-28 victory over the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico on Al Whitehead Field at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium.

Eastern New Mexico took the first punch in the game as Mario Sanchez ran in a one-yard touchdown to put ENMU up 7-0 with 10:07 left in the first quarter. CWU got on the board early in the second quarter when Kennedy McGill ran in a six-yard touchdown and with Wyatt Redding making the point after touchdown, tied the game at seven with 13:30 left in the second quarter. Darius Morrison put the 'Cats up with 5:47 left in the first half after catching a 13-yard toss from McGill and with Redding making the PAT made it 14-7 'Cats. The Greyhounds tied things up when Sanchez had a nine-yard touchdown run with 1:35 left in the first half. Tyler Flanagan wouldn't let the game be tied to enter halftime when he ran in a 31-yard touchdown, and with Redding making the PAT, put CWU back up 21-14.

The 'Cats creeped down the field to open the second half taking nine minutes to march down the field to see Morrison catch his second touchdown of the day, this time a three-yard catch from McGill and with Redding making the PAT, saw CWU up 28-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Marcus Cook got in on the action with a 19-yard reception from McGill with 1:49 left in the third quarter to make it 34-14 'Cats. The Greyhounds immediately responded when Jeremiah Moore made a 78-yard reception from Sanchez to make it 34-21 crimson and black. Flanagan opened the fourth quarter with a 29-yard rushing touchdown with Redding making the PAT made it 41-21 'Cats with 12:42 left to go. Redding added a 19-yard field goal to increase the 'Cats lead to 44-1 with 5:46 left in the game. ENMU struck once more when Gerry Gomez made a 32-yard reception from Sanchez to make it 44-28 CWU.

McGill finished the game completing 16/23 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 114 yards and one touchdown. Tyler Flanagan led the rushing attack with 127 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns adding a 12-yard reception with Cam Daniels adding 92 yards. Morrison finished with 64 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Cook added 49 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Brycen Indell led the 'Cats in tackles with eight adding a fumble recovery. Dominic Wieburg, Kuma Scanlan, and Daniel Matagi all added six tackles while Mikaio Edward had five tackles. Jeremy Banks had the only pass breakup for CWU. Dan Stewart punted once for 30 yards while Redding went 1/2 on field goal attempts, making an attempt from 19-yards while also finishing 5/6 on PAT attempts. Redding also added eight kickoffs for 467 yards with three landing for touchbacks. Cook had the only punt return for CWU returning it for 17 yards while Darrien Gaines and Flanagan each had one kick return for 19 and 17 yards, respectively.

CWU HEAD COACH
Chris Fisk is now in his sixth season at the helm of the Central Washington football program, entering Saturday with an overall record of 34-17. Fisk spent three seasons as an assistant in Ellensburg before being promoted to head coach in February of 2019. Fish led the Wildcats to the Regional Finals in 2023.

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
Western Oregon, Angelo State, Texas A&M Kingsville and No. 11 Central Washington all earned "Week 5" Lone Star Conference football wins and improved to 3-0 in league play. Sul Ross State and West Texas A&M had byes.

With their victories, TAMUK and CWU now have four-game winning streaks, while WOU and ASU have each won three straight.

Eastern New Mexico has the league's top offensive at 441.6 yards per game, followed by CWU (433.2 ypg) and UT Permian Basin (418 ypg). CWU owns the top defense, allowing just 229.2 yards per game. UTPB (268.3), ASU (286.8) and TAMUK (292.4) are also holding opponents under 300 yards per game.

"Week 6" will feature all 10 teams in action on Saturday, highlighted by ASU at TAMUK (6 p.m. CT kickoff) to see who will improve to 4-0 in league play. CWU hosts defending conference champion UTPB (8 p.m. CT kickoff) in a battle of the league's two teams that reached the playoffs last season.

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Thanks to the generosity and support of Edgardo Madrid & Associates, The University of Texas Permian Basin Athletics Department has announced Tristan Exline (Football) as the September Men's Student-Athlete of the Month.

Exline is a sophomore linebacker from China Spring, Texas. He led the Falcons football team with 36 total tackles, including 24 solo tackles, and 9.0 tackles for loss during the first month of the season. He was also second with 3.5 sacks and added an interception. Exline also led the Lone Star Conference in tackles for loss and ranked fifth in sacks and sixth in tackles. In all of NCAA Division II, Exline was 25th in tackles for loss per game (1.8) and was tied for seven in solo tackles per game (5.0).

GAME INFORMATION
New to Central Washington's 2024 home athletics season, ticket sales are cashless and parking for football games will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will be $10. General ADA parking is in parking lot X-12 (dirt parking lot north of Tomlinson Stadium).

To watch LSC football games all season long, tune in to FloSports (monthly and yearly subscriptions are available).

All UTPB home and away football games can be heard live on KQRX 95.1 FM, 95X, a West Texas Radio Group station" with the pre-game show beginning 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Monty Montgomery (Play-by-Play) and Ben Farmer (Color Commentary) return this season in the broadcast booth for the Falcons.

To follow the action for the Falcons all season long, please check out our Live Events page for all of the video and live stats details: https://utpbfalcons.com/coverage.
 
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