SILVER CITY, N.M. – No words can really describe just what happened Saturday between the Western New Mexico University football team and West Texas A&M. The Mustangs were ahead 30-16 with just a few minutes to play in the game and the Buffs all-of-a-sudden got loose for a pair of touchdowns and sent the game into overtime in which they eventually came away with the 37-30 win over the Mustangs.

WNMU (3-8, 3-6 LSC) looked poised to defeat West Texas A&M (6-5, 5-4 LSC) to end the season. The Mustangs had just capped off a 18 play, 71-yard drive that chewed up 8:29 off the clock and ended with a 27-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Tyler Vargas (Ramona, CA/Ramona) for the 30-16 lead with just 2:04 to play in the game.

The game is over, right? So thought pretty much everyone you had to think, but it was far from over. Ethan Brinkley marched the Buffs right down the field with big completion after big completion, most notably several passes to running back Devon Paye including a 25-yarder to the five and eventually a one-yard strike with 42 seconds remaining and down just seven at 30-23.

That meant an on-side kick was coming and Conner Hollabaugh executed the perfect kick that went just over 10 yards and took a perfect hop to allow the recovery at the WTAM 46. Just three plays later, Brinkley found a wide open Chris Gilchrist for the 41-yard touchdown to tie the game at 30 with 23 seconds to play.

So, unbelievable the game was headed to overtime. With momentum clearly with the Buffs, they kept rolling right into overtime. WNMU won the toss and elected to go on defense first. After Brinkley missed his first pass, he hit Gilchrist again for the 25-yard strike to move West Texas A&M ahead at 37-30. That meant WNMU had to get a touchdown to keep the game alive.

An unsportsmanlike penalty already had the Mustangs start out on the wrong foot, back at the WTAM 40. Just when it looked like the offense was getting into rhythm with a eight yard scramble by redshirt junior Javia Hall (Dallas, TX/Skyline), an illegal block moved the ball back 15 yards to the WTAM 45. WNMU had an incompletion, an 11-yard pass to redshirt junior D'Angelo Bowie (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) to get close to picking up the yardage at third and 14. The Buffs then shut it down with a four yard sack and then an interception by Chazz Slatinsky ended the game giving West Texas A&M the unbelievable victory.

West Texas A&M started the game on fire taking an early interception back for a touchdown by Davontae Merriweather for the 7-0 lead just over a minute in.

Following a missed field goal by the Mustangs, the Buffs cashed that in with a seven play, 78 yard drive capped when Ben Arbuckle found Eppy Henriques for the 43-yard touchdown. The two-point try after failed leaving the score at 13-0.

The offense came to life on the next drive for WNMU when freshman DeAndre Williams (Tucson, AZ/Tucson Magnet) got loose for a 40-yard touchdown making it a 13-7 game with 6:42 to play in the first quarter. A three-and-out kept the momentum going for the Mustang offense when Hall found sophomore Henry Norman (Fontana, CA/Henry J. Kaiser) for the 30-yard score and the 14-13 WNMU lead.

That score would hold up all the way until the very end of the second quarter when Carter James forced a fumble for the Buffs and they recovered at the WNMU 36. Although the drive only netted five yards, that was enough for Hollabaugh to sink the 48 yard field goal try to give West Texas A&M the 16-14 halftime lead.

WNMU recorded the only score in the third quarter, a Williams one-yard rushing touchdown that was setup by a 40-yard bomb from Hall to senior Xavier Ayers (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque).

To start the fourth quarter, the Mustangs capped off a 13 play, 69-yard drive with an eight-yard pass from Hall to Norman for the 27-16 lead with 12:21 to play in the contest.

One of the longest drives of the year followed when WNMU hit the field goal to go up 30-16 setting up the wild finish.

WNMU held the edge in several categories including first downs (26-16), rushing yards (251-38), total yards (443-348) and time of possession (39:01-20:59) while going 11-22 on third down conversions.

Williams rushed 27 times for 127 yards and two scores, while also catching five passes for 32 yards. Hall completed 20-40 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Ayers caught seven for 75 yards, while Norman added four for 63 yards and two scores.
Junior Ian Davis (Grass Valley, CA/Nevada Union) and senior Alfonso Wilson (San Diego, CA/Morse) led the team in tackles with six apiece.

Devon Paye led the Buffs on the ground with 12 carries for 63 yards. He also caught five passes for 64 yards. Brinkley helped lead the comeback and went 14-26 for 208 yards and three scores. James was all over the field with nine tackles and two forced fumbles. West Texas A&M also benefited from a 3-0 turnover margin.

Eleven WNMU seniors were honored before the game in Xavier Ayers (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque), Curtis Palacio (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey ), Alfonso Wilson (San Diego, CA/Morse), Steven Stewart (Fremont, CA/Irvington), Rodney Lawson (Hayward, CA/Patterson), Lenier Lee (Moreno Valley, CA/Rancho Verde), Gordy Longville (Tucson, AZ/Ironwood Ridge), Zachary Andrews-Worline (San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo), Kyle Ensign (Farmington, NM/Piedra Vista), Larry McKenzie (San Marcos, CA/El Camino) and German Romero-Rosales (San Diego, CA).