ODESSA, Texas (November 28, 2025) – The University of Texas Permian Basin football team is headed to the second round of NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in program history. The No. 10-ranked Falcons and the No. 15-ranked Western Colorado University Mountaineers will square off starting at 1 p.m. Mountain Time / 2 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, November 29, at the Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison, Colorado. It will mark the third meeting between the two teams in the last four seasons, and will be their second straight meeting in Colorado.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE
In addition to going for a program-record 11 wins in one season, the Falcons will be attempting to reach the regional final for the first time in program history. UTPB is 3-1 this season against top-15 nationally-ranked opponents, and is the only team in the country with three wins over teams ranked in the top-five. The Falcons will need to earn their fourth nationally-ranked win this season to keep the year going.

Last weekend's game allowed the Falcons to exercise their demons from a loss at CSU Pueblo (40-23) during their second game of the season last year. This weekend, UTPB will look to do the same, taking on a Western Colorado squad that defeated the Falcons 35-27 in Colorado during the second game of the 2023 season.

The winner of Saturday's game between UTPB and WCU will face the winner of Saturday's second-round game between No. 6-ranked and No. 4-seeded Pittsburg St. (10-2 overall) and No. 2-ranked and No. 1-seed Harding (12-0 overall) in the Super Region Four final next Saturday, December 6. The Pittsburg St.-Harding second-round game is slated for a 1 p.m. Central Time kickoff in Searcy, Arkansas.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FALCONS
UTPB is 10-2 overall and finished tied for second in the Lone Star Conference with a 7-2 record. In addition to earning the second 10-win season in program history and second in the last three years, the Falcons have now had three straight winning seasons under Head Coach Kris McCullough, who with 27 wins, is the Falcons' all-time winningest coach. UTPB comes into the game at WCU having won five straight games for the second time this season.

The Falcons are currently averaging 39.2 points per game and are only allowing 18.3 points per game to their opponents. UTPB is currently outrushing its opponent by a slim margin of 139.7-136.2 yards per game. However, UTPB makes up for it in the air, averaging 329.7 passing yards per game compared to the 167.4 passing yards their opponents are averaging. In total the Falcons are outgaining their opponents 469.3 yards per game to the 303.6 yards they are giving up.

UTPB is a disciplined team accruing 67 penalties on the year for 639 yards for an average of 53.3 penalty yards per game. The Falcons also like to hold onto the ball, averaging 32:14 minutes per game with the ball. They have been efficient on third-down opportunities, converting on 46.86 percent and have been extremely difficult to stop on fourth down, converting 24 of 34 attempts this season.

FALCONS' LAST TIME OUT
No. 10 Falcons beat No. 4 ThunderWolves 37-24 to earn first playoff win in program history: UTPB earned its first playoff win in program history with a 37-24 victory at No. 4-ranked and No. 3-seeded Colorado State University Pueblo last Saturday afternoon at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado. Junior quarterback Kanon Gibson and junior wide receiver Traylen Suel connected for two receiving touchdowns in the first quarter to highlight a dominant first half, and Gibson totaled five touchdowns with three through the air and two on the ground. In the end, UTPB led 467-330 in total yardage, held the ball for 36-and-a-half minutes, held CSUP to 5-for-16 on third down, and totaled six tackles for loss and 15 pass breakups.

MOUNTAINEERS UNDER THE LENS
Western Colorado, like UTPB, is 10-2 overall, and was also 7-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Both losses have come on final play field goals, and both against teams from the region that are also made the playoffs. WCU leans heavy on defense – limiting opposing rushing attacks to under 100 yards per game and holding opponents to over 100 fewer yards in total offense than what their own team generates. For the first time, the Mountaineers had to play on the road for a first-round playoff game, traveling to Ellensburg, Washington, to square off with host Central Washington University. It was the third year in a row the two teams matched up against each other in the first round. In the end, WCU defeated No. 5-ranked and No. 2-seeded CWU 27-20 in their first-round game. Overall, WCU is making its third straight appearance – and fourth in five seasons – in the playoffs.

Western Colorado's quarterback, Drew Nash, was honored as the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year. Nash – whose 76 career touchdown passes took over the top spot in that category within the program's record book – has thrown for 2,883 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air, while adding 11 touchdowns with his legs. His 32 touchdown passes are tied for the fourth most in NCAA Division II. Nash is tied for third nationally in total points responsible for (258) and is second in DII in points responsible for per game (23.5).

The Mountaineers have been building their rushing attack as the season progressed, but All-American quarterback Drew Nash has led the team through the air with 32 touchdown passes and 2,833 total yards. Caden Measner and DJ Allen Jr. have been the leading receivers for Nash. Measner has 53 receptions for 702 yards and eight touchdowns, while Allen Jr. has 27 catches for 530 yards and six touchdowns. The ground attack has been split between Nash and freshman Quinn Bailey, who both enter Saturday with over 500 rushing yards on the season. Nash has found paydirt with his legs 11 times while Bailey has found the endzone eight times.

The Mountaineers will counter the Falcons' offense with a defense allowing less than 100 yards on the ground per game, 218 through the air, and an average of 317 total yards and 17 points per game. The linebacking corps has punished opposing offenses, led by Ian Loomis' 100 tackles, along with 73 by Cameron Cooper and 69 by Kade Musser. With 102 tackles for loss at an average of 8.6 per game, the defense ranks third nationally in the category, with Cooper and defensive end Drew Johnson leading the way with 14 apiece. The defense is 17th in DII in sacks at 3.00 per game, and a total of 34 sacks, with Johnson (6), Loomis (5), Cooper (5) and Musser (5) sharing the enjoyment of pulling down opposing quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Falcons fall short in comeback bid against Western Colorado, 35-27: A furious comeback fell just short as The University of Texas Permian Basin football team (1-1) lost 35-27 to Western Colorado (RV) (2-0), Saturday afternoon at Katy O. Rady Field. Western Colorado took a 35-20 lead going into the fourth quarter. With 1:48 to go, junior Nemier Herod dove in from the one-yard line. The extra point by junior Rafael Vargas made it 35-27. The Mountaineers recovered the onside kick. The Falcon defense held WCU and forced the Mountaineers to punt. Taking over at its own 11-yard line, UT Permian Basin drove down the field to Western Colorado's nine-yard line. Kenny Hrncir, a graduate student, had his pass broken up in the endzone as the gun sounded.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: UTPB AT WCU
The Falcons and Mountaineers meet for the third time in school history on the gridiron on Saturday. The series, which began in 2022, is tied at 1-1. Both teams are 1-0 on their home field in the series. This will be the first postseason matchup between the two teams. In the first-ever matchup between the two teams in 2022 in Midland, Texas, the Falcons trailed late in the fourth quarter, but did not blink and pulled off the late comeback for a double overtime 34-31 win over the Mountaineers. After a defensive stop by the Falcons and a missed field goal by the Mountaineers in the second overtime, Carson Roberts drilled a 35-yard field goal to set off a jubilant celebration.

FALCONS TO WATCH:
Kanon Gibson has been the focal point of the Falcons' offense, passing for over 3,000 yards (3,324 yards) and 28 touchdowns this year for an average of 277.0 passing yards per game. He's passed for a completion percentage of 61.48 percent and has only thrown seven interceptions out of 405 attempts. Gibson has passed for over 300 yards in a game six times this season, has five games with at least three touchdown passes, and has three games with five combined touchdowns between the air and the ground. He also had a career-high three rushing touchdowns in UTPB's 28-14 win at No. 5 Angelo State University (Oct. 4). Kory Harris leads the UTPB rushing room, earning 596 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Gibson and Camden Tyler are the other 300-yard rushers on the team, with Gibson accumulating 425 yards and 10 touchdowns while Tyler has added 359 yards and four touchdowns, respectively. Traylen Suel (631 yards, 7 touchdowns), Ben Patterson (629 yards, 5 touchdowns) and TJ McKenzie (593 yards, 6 touchdowns) have led the receiving corps for the Falcons with over 500 yards.

The LSC Defensive Player of the Year, Linebacker of the Year and two-time D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week, Tristan Exline, leads the defense with 115 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss that include 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles while adding one interception. Jamarion Ravenell and Jayden Plater lead the Falcons with three interceptions each while Caimon Mathis has 12 pass breakups to his name to lead UTPB.

FALCONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• As a team, UTPB ranks third in all of NCAA Division II in passing offense (329.7), sixth in total offense (469.3) and sixth in scoring offense (39.2).
• Quarterback Kanon Gibson is sixth in total offense per game (312.4), seventh in passing yards (3,324), seventh in points responsible for (228), seventh in points responsible for per game (19.0), ninth in passing yards per game (277), 34th in passing efficiency (149.78), and 38th in passing yards per completion (13.35).
• Running back Kory Harris is tied for 48th in rushing touchdowns (9), while Gibson is tied for 36th (10).
• Wide receiver Ben Patterson ranks second in yards per reception (23.30).
• Linebacker Tristan Exline is 11th in solo tackles per game (5.58), is tied for 15th in tackles for loss per game (1.54), and is 19th in total tackles per game (9.6).

FALCONS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Single-Game Records:

• Safety Jamarion Ravenell returned his first pick of the season 96 yards for a touchdown in UTPB's win at Adams State (Sept. 6). The 96-yarder is good for the longest interception return in program history, surpassing the previous record of 88 yards set by D'Ondre Robinson vs. Southern Nazarene on February 27, 2021.

Single-Season Records:

• Quarterback Kanon Gibson broke the Falcons' single-season records for completions (225), passing attempts (371) and passing yards (2,981) while his 25 passing touchdowns rank as the second-most in a single season. In addition, his 225 completions and 2,981 passing yards this season both already rank third in a career in program history.
• Linebacker Tristan Exline is tied for the UTPB record for tackles for loss in a single season (18.5).

Career Records:

• Running back Kory Harris owns the UTPB careers records with 608 carries, 2,882 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns and 198 points.
• With 1,725 career receiving yards, wide receiver Ben Patterson is second in program history and is 68 yards shy of the program record of 1,793 receiving yards by MJ Link (2020-22).
• Linebacker Tristan Exline ranks fourth in total tackles (233), tackles for loss (18.0) and sacks (11.0), and is third with four forced fumbles.
• Safety Jamarion Ravenell has recorded six interceptions in his three years at UTPB, which is tied for the second-most in program history. In addition, Ravenell is first in interception return yards in UTPB history for a career (265) and for a single season (121 this year).

EXLINE ONE OF 36 NOMINEES FOR HARLON HILL TROPHY
A list of 36 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year, and included among the list of nominees was UT Permian Basin junior linebacker Tristan Exline.

Exline is one of 17 nominees who played on teams that qualified for the DII playoffs and is one of 10 who advanced to the second round.

The Hill Trophy, which began in 1986, is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears. It is sponsored and presented by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and Great American Conference.

Exline becomes the fourth Falcon to be nominated for the award, joining fellow linebacker Chris Hoad in 2019, wide receiver MJ Link in 2022, and quarterback Kenny Hrncir in 2023.

GAME INFORMATION
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 Chad Kelly (Color Commentary) begin their first season together in the broadcast booth.

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.