ODESSA, Texas (October 18, 2024) – Coming off its highest nationally-ranked win in program history last time out, The University of Texas Permian Basin football team (4-3 overall, 3-2 LSC) continues Lone Star Conference action during "Week 7" this weekend. It's Homecoming Weekend as the Falcons return to Astound Broadband Stadium for their final home game of the season and Senior Day at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, against Western Oregon University (4-2, 4-0).

It is the second straight season the Falcons will host the Wolves for homecoming. Before the game the Falcons will honor their graduating seniors.

Last week the Falcons rallied around true freshman starting quarterback Issac Mooring and the defense and special teams shined as UTPB came up with a hard-fought 14-13 victory on the road against No. 9 nationally-ranked Central Washington University.

Mooring would finish 12-of-24 for 107 yards passing, but showed his toughness as he led the Falcons with 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts. In the second half alone, Mooring was 9-for-13 for 105 yards passing while adding 42 rushing yards.

LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UT Permian Basin junior cornerback Jalani Jefferson had two interceptions and five tackles to help the Falcons upset No. 9 Central Washington on the road. Jefferson also had two pass break-ups and one tackle for loss in the 14-13 win. Jefferson and company limited CWU to just 77 yards of offense in the second half and kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. It was the highest ranked team the Falcons have beaten in program history. Jefferson's two picks came in the first half and he broke up the Wildcats' final pass attempt of the game.

WOLVES UNDER THE LENS
The Western Oregon football team was tabbed to finish eighth when the Lone Star Conference Football Preseason Poll was released during LSC Football Media Day.

The Wolves finished with 118 points, 10 points behind Eastern New Mexico for the No. 7 spot and 50 points ahead of Western New Mexico in the 9th spot.

WOU finished 3-8 overall in 2023 and 2-6 in LSC play - tied for sixth in the conference.

WOU opened the 2024 season against a pair of Division I opponents as they fell to Idaho State (50-10) and Cal Poly (31-14) on the road. Since then, the Wolves have won each of their first four Lone Star Conference games of the season. WOU has scored 34 or more points in three of their four conference games and has yet to allow more than 20 points in conference action.

The Wolves enter the week having won four in a row after beating Eastern New Mexico 49-20 on Saturday - the most points WOU has scored in a game since Nov. 13, 2021 (55-16 win over Lincoln (CA)).

Kainoa Jones showed off his versatility at the QB position in Saturday's win over ENMU, going 9-for-12 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a team-high 94 yards and three touchdowns.

Andrew Simpson picked off a pair of passes against ENMU - returning one for a touchdown. A WOU player last picked off two passes in a game was Joey Sinclair on Oct. 22, 2022 against ... Eastern New Mexico.

The four-game winning streak for WOU is the longest for the Wolves since 2019's GNAC title season. A fifth win in a row would be the longest win streak since 2015 when the Wolves won six games in a row.

THE SERIES (UTPB VS. WOU)
The Falcons and Wolves meet for the third time on the gridiron this Saturday. In the first matchup between the two teams in 2022, Hayden Kelly's 55-yard interception and return for a touchdown sealed UT Permian Basin's 27-24 win at Western Oregon. Last season, it was a memorable homecoming as The University of Texas Permian Basin (#22 / #19) (8-1, 6-0 Lone Star Conference) beat Western Oregon (3-6, 2-4 LSC) 28-16 at Astound Broadband Stadium.

WOU is looking for its first win over UTPB, having gone 0-2 against the Falcons - a loss in each of the last two seasons. It's one of two teams in the Lone Star Conference the Wolves have yet to beat (the other is Angelo State).

In last season's loss, WOU trailed then-ranked No. 22 UTPB 28-3 before scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final four minutes to make the final 28-17. Brenden Hodge had a breakout game for WOU, catching seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown - including a 74-yard touchdown reception.

The game this weekend features two of the top four teams in the LSC in sacks - UTPB is first with 18 while WOU is second at 14.

WOU EXTRACURRICULARS
WOU two-time all-conference linebacker Malcolm Liufau is averaging a team-best 6.8 tackles per game - good for ninth in the LSC. Tackling is in the bloodline as he's the younger brother of Dallas Cowboys rookie and former Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau.

Against Cal Poly, Dominique Loggins became the first WOU player in the Wolves' NCAA era (since 2001) to rush for 100 yards against a NCAA Division I opponent - rushing for 100 yards and two scores against the Mustangs.
Kainoa Jones' 224 passing yards against Cal Poly was a career high.

Last month against Sul Ross State, WOU rushed for 264 yards - yet didn't have one player rush for more than 55: Jermaine Land (55 yards), Dominique Loggins (51), Armaad Hubbard (47), Fresh Ison (47), Jordan McCarty (36) and Kainoa Jones (22) accounted for all but six of the team's rushing yards.

WOU HEAD COACH
Arne Ferguson is now in his 20th season at the helm of the Western Oregon football program and is in his 39th year overall at WOU. The former defensive standout for the Wolves holds an overall record of 104-93 during his time in Monmouth.

Ferguson has produced nine All-Americans and a pair of NFL draftees during his time on the sidelines for the Wolves. WOU claimed a share of the program's first GNAC Championship in 2019 as Ferguson was named the GNAC Coach of the Year.

He was a first-team all-conference player for the Wolves from 1985-88, began coaching at WOU in 1989, became the defensive coordinator in 1997 and the head coach in 2005. His 103 wins is the second most in WOU history, behind only Bill McArthur's 180 wins in 36 seasons.

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
Western Oregon, Angelo State, Midwestern State, West Texas A&M and UT Permian Basin all earned wins in "Week 6" of Lone Star Conference football. All were home victories except UTPB's 14-13 win over No. 9-ranked Central Washington.
WOU and ASU each have a four-game winning streak and are atop the conference standings at 4-0.

Eastern New Mexico is producing 431.8 offensive yards per game, followed by CWU (408.5 ypg) and UT Permian Basin (390.7 ypg). The Greyhounds are scoring a league-high 30.3 points per game and have scored 24 touchdowns – tied with CWU and UTPB.

On the defensive side, CWU is allowing just 228.8 yards per game. ASU (269.3.8) and UTPB (270.7) are also holding opponents under 300 yards per game. ASU has the LSC's top scoring defense at 10.8 points per game and has allowed just eight TDs all season.

"Week 7" will again feature all 10 teams and all Saturday games.

GAME INFORMATION
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.

2024 Football Media Guide
Week 7 Game Notes
KQRX 95.1 FM, 95X
Watch Live on FloSports
UTPB Live Stats