After a long-awaited return to see Mustang’s football back in action, the Stangs are 4-0 after making a come back at the first home game on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Texas A&M Commerce, then going on to sweep Angelo State 35-17 Sept. 18 and playing when needed the most in overtime this past weekend on Sept. 25 against Eastern New Mexico. Dillon Sterling-Cole (No. 6), quarterback and Masters of Sports Administration, says that he is excited to have the stadiums packed with fans again and that even though many restrictions have been lifted, the team is still taking precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.

“I feel we are all excited about having the stadiums packed with fans again, bands clashing, hearing the cheers or boos about calls made by officials. The ability to see a full schedule of games makes it even more awesome to be a part of. Even with little to no COVID-19 restrictions, as a team, we are still doing what we need to do to continue being safe on campus and in the community. With so much time to prepare and train, as a team, we were able to strengthen the culture of this program from within, by understanding what adversity is and how to overcome it with persistence and trusting our training. Which has showed in the first two games and will be continued throughout the course of the season,” Sterling-Cole said.

Though the Mustangs are currently 2-0, Sterling-Cole says that the feeling of winning only lasts for about a day before getting back to preparing for the next game. He says that paying attention to the details and being mentally prepared is important before each game day.

“It feels good for about 24 hours, then it’s on to preparation for the next opponent. As a team, we need to continue to take the next step in all aspects of the game which is offense, defense, and special teams. We will focus on attention to details in meetings and on the practice field so we can mentally be prepared for when it’s time to go get paid, which for us is ‘game day’ so that we can be 1-0 each week… the key is to always stay humble and hungry,” Sterling-Cole said.

Sterling-Cole is a transfer from Arizona State University and is hoping to win a Lone Star Conference title and compete for a national championship this year, now officially being a mustang, he wants the program and community to know that for this team he will never give up under any circumstances.

Malik Sonnier (No. 8), defensive back and Masters of Sports Administration, says that his 2019 season was cut short due to an injury and feels he has been waiting and even more eager to get back on the field than other athletes.

“I feel really good about having a season again, my 2019 season got cut short due to injury, so I basically waited longer than everybody else. I feel like I’ve grown a lot in my speed and taking care of my body,” Sonnier said.

Sonnier says that since his time being in college, this is his first where the team is 2-0, although thankful, he feels the team needs to improve in playing fast and not trying to catch up later.

“Being 2-0 feels good, I haven’t been 2-0 since I’ve been in college so this is different, especially the way we’ve done it. I think what we need to improve on is learning how to start fast instead of playing from behind and trying to catch up…My personal goal is to be an all-conference and all- American safety. I want to get six interceptions this year and already being at two makes me want more … the goal for the team is to play in the national championship,” Sterling-Cole said.

The next opportunity to watch the MSU football team take another win will be this Saturday, Oct 2. at Tomlinson Stadium against Central Washington University.