Due to a severe weather warning for the evening of Saturday, Oct. 21 — the day of the homecoming football game against West Texas A&M — officials made a decision on Oct. 20 to move the game from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. in hopes of avoiding the bad weather.
While that decision proved to be mostly a success, the game ended with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter due to lightning, but the football team won 45-3 against rival WTAMU.
The game started with a kickoff by Jaron Imbriani, kicker and sports and leisure studies sophomore. At the 9:40 mark of the first quarter, DJ Myers, wide receiver and psychology senior, made the first touchdown.
“Communication is going great, the coaches are getting the calls to the players very well,” said Imbriani. “Our players are communicating very well getting these plays off.”
The second quarter started off with a score of 7-0 until Imbriani made an extra point at the 6:40 mark. Following the extra point, West Texas kicked a field goal in the 4:13 mark bringing the score to 10-3.
At the 0:42 mark of the second quarter, Tyrique Edwards, wide receiver and criminal justice sophomore, received a complete pass and ran for a touchdown. About 10 seconds later, MSU was up 16-0 and WTAMU started off the next play. Still at the 0:32 mark, Jaydon Cunigan, defensive back and criminal justice sophomore, covered and regained possession of the ball for MSU. With barely any time left in the second quarter, the football team managed to get the ball in the end zone. At the 0:08 mark, Xavier Land, wide receiver and criminal justice sophomore, made the touchdown and bumped the score to 22-3. With a two-point conversion, the score was 24-3 at halftime.
TOUCHDOWN!!! @MSUMustangs scores with 8 seconds left in the half, score: 22-3 against @wtathletics pic.twitter.com/UJGUiXJyDG
— MSU Wichitan Online (@WichitanOnline) October 21, 2017
“The playing is amazing. We are up 31-3 and our team is playing really well,” Drew Mackay, place kicker and undecided freshman, said.
The team has a good mentality of teamwork according to Alex Morgan-Anderson, kicker/punter and general business redshirt freshman.
“Teamwork is all about fighting for your brother next to you, and we don’t care about anything but fighting for him and getting that touchdown,” Morgan-Anderson said.
The third quarter started with West Texas kickoff. A pass complete to Dorian Johnson, tight end and kinesiology and sports leisure senior, brought the team to the 51-yard line. With persistence, DJ Myers, wide receiver and psychology senior, made it to the 18-yard line at the 12:00 mark. Adrian Seales, running back and criminal justice junior, kept pushing his way to make it to the 2-yard line at the 9:21 mark. He added on another touchdown, moving the score to 31-3 with the extra point.
“The overall outcome of the game is going very well, we are up by 28 points. Hopefully we can finish out the third quarter so this game can go down as a victory,” Mitchell Henton, punter and mechanical engineering senior, said.
The final score was 45-3 and the football team remains undefeated.
The team will return to Memorial Stadium on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. against Tarleton State.
RELATED STORIES
Football takes down West Texas A&M
Music students perform at Burns Chapel Opening
Engineering students sail to first in cardboard boat race Oct. 20
Alumni return for catfish, conversation at Fish Fry
Coach apologizes for use of profanity
Mustangs Madness: needs improvements
450 flames light torch parade
Freshman: ‘This is my first bonfire and I expect it to be lit’
Field Day competitions photo gallery
Students let loose at homecoming dance Oct. 18
Meet the homecoming court
Photo booth available to students all week
Homecoming bonfire to bring excitement to campus
’90s trivia event puts students to the test