## West texas A&M (0-2) at Western New Mexico (1-1)

CANYON, texas – West Texas A&M jumps into Lone Star Conference action this weekend as they travel to Silver City, New Mexico to take on the Western New Mexico Mustangs with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. CT at Ben Altamirano Field.

WNMU HEAD COACH BILLY HICKMAN

Billy Hickman is in his third season at the helm of the Western New Mexico football program after serving the 2022 campaign as the offensive coordinator in Silver City. Hickman is 5-18 during his time at Western New Mexico. The Bakersfield,California native played college football at Bakersfield College and Tabor College.

A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS

Western New Mexico enters the weekend with a 1-1 overall record following a 69-55 shootout loss to New Mexico Highlands last Saturday in Las Vegas, New Mexico. WNMU overcame a 35-7 deficit to tie the game at 55-55 in the fourth quarter before a pair of late touchdowns by the Cowboys. The Mustangs opened their season on August 30th with a 35-21 win over Adams State.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Ackerley leads the explosive Western New Mexico passing attack as the Tempe, Arizona product was named the Lone Star conference Offensive Player of the Week following a 529 yard and seven touchdown performance against New Mexico Highlands. The seven touchdown passes tied an LSC single-game record while setting a new WNMU mark. For the season he has completed 46-of-75 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception.

deuce Zim

Buffalo Football: previewing the mustangs

The 2025 Buffalo football roster features 137 student-athletes,with 102 having played their high school football in the state of Texas.

Size up Front

The West Texas A&M offensive line features 20 student-athletes that boast a total of 6,065 pounds of blocking power, for an average size of 303.3 pounds per lineman.

The Series

The Buffaloes and Mustangs meet for the 15th time on saturday night in Silver city, as WT holds a 10-4 advantage in the series dating back to 1992.

Last year’s meeting took place in Canyon during Homecoming on october 12, 2024. The Buffs scored 21 points in the first and third quarters on their way to a 42-17 win over Western New Mexico.

West Texas A&M is 3-2 all-time at Ben Altamirano Field, with their last trip to Silver City coming in 2022. That game saw the Mustangs score with just seven seconds remaining, using a Devin Larsen two-yard touchdown run to stun the Buffs, 41-37.

Head Coach Josh Lynn

Josh Lynn is in his third season at the helm of the West Texas A&M Football program,having been named the 29th head coach in WT history. Lynn is widely regarded as one of the nation’s up-and-coming head coaches and came to Canyon following six seasons at the University of Nebraska-Kearney,where he led the Lopers to an overall record of 35-25,including a run to the Second Round of the 2021 NCAA Playoffs.

New Faces on the Sideline

WT Football welcomes four new faces to the full-time coaching staff.justin Bane was named the new Offensive Coordinator for the Buffs. Mike Bethea will work with the linebackers, while Adrian Duncan (running backs) and cole McDowell (tight ends) also joined the offensive staff. Justin Richter was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in January following two seasons as the defensive backs/co-special team coordinator for the Buffs.

LSC Preseason Poll

The Buffaloes have been tabbed sixth in the 2025 LSC Preseason Poll, announced during the league’s annual Media Day in McKinney, Texas.

Defending LSC champion Angelo State claimed 23 of the possible 30 first-place votes for a total of 292 points to sit atop the poll, followed by Central Washington (four first place, 257), UT Permian Basin (two first place, 229), Texas A&M-Kingsville (one first place, 211), West Texas A&M (157), and Midwestern State (115).