ODESSA, Texas (September 11, 2026) – The first home game for new head coach Chris Softley will see The University of Texas Permian Basin football team (0-1 overall, 0-1 LSC) take on Western New Mexico University (1-1, 0-0) in both its home and Lone Star Conference opener this Saturday, September 12, at 6 p.m. inside Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland, Texas.

The Falcons have won six straight games against the Mustangs by an average of 35.33 points, and have not lost at home against WNMU since their first season in 2016.

FALCONS' LAST TIME OUT
UT Permian Basin fell to FCS opponent UT Rio Grande Valley 44-0 in front of a record 13,698 fans at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg, Texas. Nate TenBarge threw for 151 yards – 63 to Traylen Suel (five catches). Nicholas Butler had 11 tackles to lead UTPB's defense. Matthew Sebade averaged 41.9 yards on seven punts. UTRGV scored points on its first four drives and built a 23-0 lead at halftime.

HOME OPENERS
UTPB is 7-3 all-time in home openers. The Falcons have won their last three home openers, all which have coincidently have also been UTPB's season opener. The Falcons earned a 96-0 win against Texas College at Astound Broadband Stadium in 2023, earned a 41-3 victory over Western New Mexico at Ratliff Stadium in 2024, and claimed a 34-14 win at Astound Broadband Stadium last year against No. 5 Central Oklahoma. 2026 was just the third time in program history and the first time since 2021 that UTPB did not open up its new season at home.

LSC OPENERS
UTPB is 4-5 all-time in Lone Star Conference openers. The Falcons have won their last three conference openers, starting with a thrilling 41-40 overtime win over West Texas A&M at Astound Broadband Stadium in 2023. UTPB then earned a dominant 41-3 victory over Western New Mexico during what was also its season opener at Ratliff Stadium in 2024, followed by an important 43-30 road win at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2025.

THE SERIES (UTPB VS. WNMU)
The Falcons and Mustangs meet for the 11th time in school history on the gridiron on Saturday. UTPB is 8-2 all-time in the series and has won each of the last six meetings between the two teams. UTPB has outscored WNMU 163-13 over the last three seasons. Lastly, the Falcons are 3-1 with three straight wins when playing at home against the Mustangs, but this will be the first matchup between the two teams inside Astound Broadband Stadium.

KEY TO THE GAME: SLOWING DOWN THE MUSTANGS' HIGH-POWERED RUSHING ATTACK
After its first two games of the season, the WNMU offense leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring (47.0 ppg), total yards (578.5 ypg) and rushing (375.0 ypg; 8.6 ypc; 10 TD's). In all of NCAA Division II, the Mustangs rank second in rushing yards per game, third in total yards per game, and are tied for 11th in points per game (T2nd in total points scored).

The Mustangs' offense boasts each of the top-three rushers in the Lone Star Conference in terms of total rushing yards during the first two weeks of the season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jase Ashley leads the conference with 253 rushing yards (126.5 ypg), junior running back Devon Nofoa-Masoe is second with 247 yards (123.5 ypg), and freshman running back Joshua Gaines in third with 189 yards (94.5 ypg) and is first with five rushing touchdowns.

With six combined touchdowns (rushing & receiving) as a freshman, Gaines ranks second in all of DII in touchdowns and in total points scored (36). Ashley, meanwhile, ranks 10th in the nation in total offense (passing & rushing yards) per game (330.0 ypg).

As a team in 2025, UTPB ranked 20th in DII and first in the LSC in total defense (304.1 ypg) and ranked 21st in DII and second in the LSC in scoring defense (19.1 ppg).

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
No. 20 UT Permian Basin overpowers Western New Mexico, 66-7: No. 20 UT Permian Basin totaled 658 yards of total offense – the third most in program history – to power past Western New Mexico, 66-7, at Ben Altamirano Field. UTPB scored at least two touchdowns in all four quarters to secure its second straight win. Kanon Gibson was 16 of 27 for 323 passing yards and three TDs, Kory Harris ran for 112 yards and two scores on 17 carries and Ben Patterson caught three passes for 115 yards and a TD to lead UTPB's offense. Jalani Jefferson returned an interception 35 yards for a TD and David Walker had three tackles for loss and two sacks to fuel the Falcons' defense that surrendered just 182 yards of total offense. For WNMU, Cole Lalama had six tackles and forced a fumble.

MUSTANGS' LAST TIME OUT
Mustangs Fall to Cowboys in La Batalla Bowl: Western New Mexico suffered its first loss of the season, 55-32, at Ben Altamirano Field in Silver City, N.M. WNMU led after the first quarter, 13-7, but NMH rallied with a big second quarter and built up a 28-13 lead at halftime. WNMU's Jase Asley passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 107 yards and another score. WNMU's Zakkarii Black caught four passes for 110 yards and a TD, while Demarion Postell caught four balls for 97 yards and a score. Masumbe Netongo had an interception for the Mustangs.

MUSTANGS OPEN SEASON WITH VICTORY OVER ADAMS STATE
Western New Mexico secured a 62-45 road victory over Adams State at Rex Field in Alamosa, Colo. The Mustangs dominated on the ground, rushing for 485 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. Devon Nofoa-Masoe ran for 238 yards and two scores, while Joshua Gaines totaled 66 yards and found the end zone four times to lead WNMU. Gaines also had a receiving TD. Clayton Zenter had seven tackles and an interception to lead the Mustangs' defense. WNMU's Conor Martinez averaged 50.2 yards on five punts. It was a one-score game (52-45) with 5:02 left to play until Jase Ashley ran for a seven-yard score.

WNMU'S GAINES NAMED LSC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Western New Mexico University freshman running back Joshua Gaines (Chandler, AZ/Basha High School) made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut, earning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors following a record-setting performance in the Mustangs' 62-45 season-opening victory over Adams State.

Gaines, a Business Management major from Chandler, AZ, found the end zone five times in his first collegiate game, scoring four rushing touchdowns and adding a receiving touchdown. His five touchdowns accounted for 30 points, marking the most points scored by a running back in the Lone Star Conference since 2008 and the most by any NCAA Division II player during Week 0.

The freshman running back set the tone early and continued to deliver throughout the contest. Gaines recorded a rushing touchdown in each quarter, becoming just the latest Mustang to etch his name into the WNMU record book as his four rushing touchdowns tied the program's single-game record.

Gaines finished the night with 66 rushing yards on 16 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry with a long run of 18 yards. He also made his presence felt through the air, hauling in one reception for 15 yards and a touchdown. His receiving score came in the first quarter on a 15-yard connection, giving the Mustangs an early offensive spark.

With five touchdowns in his debut, Gaines helped power a Mustang offense that erupted for 62 points and 485 rushing yards in the road victory. His performance provided an explosive start to the 2026 season and helped Western New Mexico open the year with a statement win.

MUSTANGS UNDER THE LENS
WNMU finished its 2025 season at 2-9 overall and held a conference record of 1-8. It was the third year in a row the mustangs won just two games overall.

Western New Mexico University football was picked to finish ninth in the 2026 Lone Star Conference preseason poll. WNMU was represented at LSC Football Media Day by head coach Billy Hickman, senior offensive lineman Daniel Gonzalez (Norco, CA/Norco High School) and junior defensive back Clayton Zentner (Corona, CA/Norco High School). Gonzalez and Zentner were each recognized as a player to watch heading into the 2026 season. Gonzalez was selected as the Mustangs' preseason offensive player to watch, while Zentner earned the distinction as WNMU's preseason defensive player to watch.

Gonzalez enters the season as a key veteran presence along the offensive line, while Zentner will look to anchor the Mustangs' defensive secondary as WNMU prepares for the upcoming campaign.

WNMU will look to build on its foundation under Hickman as the Mustangs enter the 2026 season with Gonzalez and Zentner leading the way on their respective sides of the ball.

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
The Lone Star Conference football season is two weeks in and all 10 of the league's teams have played at least one game.

No. 17 Western Oregon improved to 2-0 and Sul Ross State won its first game of the season during Week 1. Only UT Permian Basin was idle. Week 3 will feature only three teams in action with two games on Saturday, Sept. 13. No. 6 Central Washington will host No. 1 Ferris State, while UTPB will host Western New Mexico in the conference opener for both teams.

CWU was picked as the favorite to win the LSC title this season, according to the league's preseason poll. WOU senior quarterback Jordan McCarty and CWU senior linebacker Brycen Indell were predicted to win preseason player of the year honors.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday night's contest will be broadcasted on FloCollege. The LSC and FloSports reached a historic agreement in August of 2024 for the largest streaming rights deal in NCAA Division II history. LSC fans will have three subscription plans to choose from: Standard, Student or Family. The Standard Plan is $24.99 per month or $119.88 per year ($9.99/month). The Student Plan is $12.99 per month or $95.88 per year ($7.99/month). Subscribers must have a valid .edu email address from an LSC member institution or affiliate. The Family Plan is $155.88 per year ($12.99/month). FloCollege's newest subscription plan is only available annually. The primary account owner will be able to invite up to two additional individuals to join their account. Each added account will receive its own login with full access to FloCollege and can stream the same or different content from completely different locations.

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.

In addition, 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.