9/4/2019 | Football
PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football is set to kickoff their 2019 campaign under the lights inside Greyhound Stadium this Saturday night as they take on Missouri S&T at 6 p.m.
The Greyhounds will look to enact revenge on the Miners after falling in Rolla, Mo. last season and will get the third year of head coach Kelley Lee’s reign over the program started. Saturday night’s contest will be presented by Big Valley Auto and will serve as the third all-time meeting between the two programs with the series currently tied at one game a piece.
The Miners received one vote in the AFCA Preseason Poll and will play their first game under the direction of new head coach Todd Drury. The Miners finished last season with an overall record of 10-2, including a 51-16 victory over Minnesota State-Moorhead in the Mineral Water Bowl, and a mark of 6-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
KICKOFF
The Hounds are set to kickoff another season under third year head coach Kelley Lee. Under Lee’s guidance, Eastern has went 13-8, which includes a 5-6 campaign a year ago while finishing tied for fourth in the Lone Star Conference with a 4-4 record.
Eastern brings back a deep and talented roster with seven starters returning on each side of the ball, including All-American fullback Paul Terry, four-year starting quarterback Wyatt Strand and All-LSC Second Team linebacker Noah Sweitzer.
The Hounds will look to add some extra hardware to the trophy case after going 2-0 in trophy games last season. ENMU defeated Western New Mexico 55-9 to win the inaugural Chile Bowl game trophy and followed it up with a resounding 28-0 victory at West Texas A&M for its third straight Wagon Wheel win.
Eastern will look to continue to ground-and-pound the competition after finishing in the top five in NCAA Division II last season for the fifth consecutive year, ranking fourth in the nation at 284.5 yards per game.
The Eastern defense will seek to contain the competition again after finishing third in the Lone Star and 47th in Division II, giving up just 22.1 points per game. The Eastern defense surrendered the fewest total points for the season (243) since the 2006 campaign and the fewest total touchdowns in a season since 2003 (31).
ON THE AIR
All games will be broadcast on 105.9 KSEL-FM and KSELCountry.com with Donald “Doc” Elder calling the action.
All games will also be webcast online through Eastern New Mexico’s SIDEARM site GoEasternAthletics.com/Watch. All games are broadcast on a pay-per-view webcast.
STORY LINES
The Hounds enter the 2019 season under third year head coach Kelley Lee after finishing 5-6 overall last season and placed in a tie for fourth in the conference after going 4-4 in league play.
On top of possessing the third-best scoring defense in the Lone Star last season, Eastern will look to build upon a defense that held opponents to the fourth-fewest yards in the league at 368.1 yards per game.
The Lone Star Conference should be up-for-grabs during the 2019 campaign. Last year’s surprise winner Tarleton State will be trying to repeat after going undefeated in conference play, but will be replacing several key pieces on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, including LSC Offensive Back of the Year Xavier Turner. After finishing second in the league a year removed from the winning the NCAA Division II National Championship, Texas A&M-Commerce will be seeking to stay near the top under first year head coach David Bailiff. Finishing third in the LSC last season, Midwestern State will be looking to replace LSC Offensive Player of the Year Layton Rabb after losing the standout senior to graduation in 2018.
With the top three teams in the conference facing significant changes and losing key pieces, it will be interesting to see how the LSC final standings will turn out. Tarleton State will likely be the favorite to win, but it should be a highly competitive conference race and with Eastern New Mexico bringing back most of its starters from a year ago, the Hounds could contend for the top spot.
GROUND AND POUND
The Hounds will look to stay near the top of the nation in rushing offense during the 2019 season. Last year, the Hounds ranked fourth in NCAA Division II after averaging 284.5 yards per game.
The Hounds have finished in the top five in rushing offense in Division II for five consecutive seasons, which includes the 2018 campaign where ENMU posted the top rushing attack in the nation at 352.7 yards per contest.
Eastern returns its top three rushers from last season, including All-American fullback Paul Terry, who led the Greyhounds rushing attack with 989 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries. The Amarillo, Texas native recorded three 100-yard rushing games last season, including a season-high 145 yards on 22 carries against Colorado Mesa.
A threat in the run and the pass game, quarterback Wyatt Strand finished second on the team in rushing with 632 yards, marking the third straight season the field general rushed for 600 or more yards in a season.
Redshirt senior running back Johnny Smith should also be able to keep defenses off-balance with his abilities in the run and pass game. The backer rushed for 592 yards a year ago while averaging a team-best 6.4 yards per carry among all rushers with 40 or more carries. Smith ran for a season-high 97 yards at Texas A&M-Kingsville, nearly eclipsing the 100-yard mark on the ground and in the air after tallying three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the same game.
The ENMU triple option attack rushed for more than 400 yards in back-to-back games against Western New Mexico and West Texas A&M. The Hounds carried the ball 71 times for 457 yards and seven touchdowns against the Mustangs before following it up with a 440-yard performance on 74 carries in a win over the Buffs, marking the third consecutive season that Eastern had put together back-to-back 400-yard rushing games.
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
Even with one of the top rushing attacks in the country, veteran defensive coordinator Michael Walton has built a foundation for success on the defensive side of the football. The Hounds are posting the best defensive numbers in more than a decade, as the 22.1 points per game last year were the fewest Eastern has allowed since the 2003 campaign when the Hounds gave up just 18.5 points per game.
The Hounds defense also ranked in the top four in the league in total defense, giving up 368.1 yards per game, nearly 30 yards better that UT Permian Basin’s fifth-ranked defense at 397.6 yards per contest. Eastern showed little weakness in any area of the field on defense, ranking fourth in the LSC by giving up just 160.4 yards per game on the ground and fifth in the passing game, sacrificing just 207.7 yards through the air.
After giving up 48 points to Tarleton State on Oct. 6, the Eastern defense came alive midseason by holding three straight opponents to fewer than 10 points. The Hounds started the trend with a 55-9 win over the Mustangs in the inaugural Chile Bowl game. ENMU followed it up with a 28-0 road win over West Texas A&M, its first shutout over the Buffs since 1992. Returning home to take on UT Permian Basin, the Hounds allowed the Falcons to score just one touchdown in the second quarter, blanking UTPB in the second half to come away with the 24-7 victory.
The midseason streak marked the first time the Greyhounds defense has allowed single digits to three or more opponents since 2003. It was also the first time Eastern accomplished the feat in three or more consecutive games since the 1983 campaign that saw the Hounds go 8-2-1 and qualify for the NAIA playoffs.
STARTING WITH STRAND
One of the most dynamic playmakers in program history, redshirt senior quarterback Wyatt Strand will continue to be a staple of the Eastern New Mexico offense during the 2019 campaign. The Logan, N.M. product has been a consistent presence in the Eastern New Mexico lineup, starting all but one game through the first three years of his Greyhounds career.
Entering the season, Strand currently holds the fourth-most career rushing yards since 1998 with 2012 and is just 55 yards behind Steven Hinson for the third-most in the last 21 seasons. Strand is currently tied with Hinson for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns with 23 and is just one away from matching Dennis Beard’s third-best mark since 1998.
On top of his accomplishments on the ground, Strand has also done damage through the air as he currently possesses the third-most career completions with 320, the fifth-most passing yards with 2,709 and the fifth-most passing touchdowns with 18.
Strand played an integral role in helping the Hounds score a season-high 55 points against Western New Mexico last season, rushing for a season-best 98 yards, which included a career-best 61-yard score.
TERRIFIC TERRY
Despite losing one of the greatest backs in program history in 2017 with Kamal Cass graduating, the Hounds continued to reload in the fullback position with Paul Terry taking over the starting role. The durable back started all 11 games for the Hounds last season.
The Amarillo, Texas native was able to average 4.8 yards per carry last season, marking the fifth straight season an ENMU fullback was able to average four or more yards per rush on 200 or more carries. Cass achieved that mark in three consecutive seasons from 2015-17, while E’lon Spight started the trend during the 2014 campaign.
Terry led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns, including a pair of scores in the Hounds’ 55-9 win over Western New Mexico in the inaugural Chile Bowl. Terry became the fourth different back in the last six seasons to score 10 or more touchdowns in a season, joining Kamal Cass (14, 14, 22), E’lon Spight (19), and Christian Long (11).
After the completion of his first successful season as the Hounds starting fullback, Terry earned All-Lone Star Conference First Team honors on-top of D2CCA All-Super Region 4 First Team and Don Hansen Second Team All-American accolades. Terry joined Cass and Speight to mark five consecutive years the Hounds have garnered an All-American fullback.
SWEITZER SPOTLIGHT
The Eastern defense returns some dynamic playmakers, including All-Lone Star Second Team redshirt junior linebacker Noah Sweitzer. The Rio Rancho, N.M. product led the Greyhounds with 90 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Sweitzer was particularly strong the second half of the season, tallying double-digit tackles in five consecutive games, which included an 11 tackle, four tackle-for-loss performance in the Chile Bowl victory over the Mustangs.
The dynamic linebacker garnered Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week accolades for his efforts in the Hounds’ 28-0 win over West Texas A&M in the Wagon Wheel game, registering 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss as well as a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
COUNTING ON COUNTEE
The defensive backfield will also return one of the most reliable defensive playmakers in the league in redshirt senior All-LSC Honorable Mention cornerback Charles Countee. The Albuquerque, N.M. native led the squad last season with four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
Countee’s first interception of the season came at a crucial moment against top-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce, picking off a Lions pass and returning it 39 yards to the five-yard line, setting up a Paul Terry score that closed the Hounds’ deficit to 14-11.
Countee was able to find paydirt in the final game of the season against Western Oregon with a 28-yard interception return with 10:49 to go in the opening quarter for the first score of the game.
In the Wagon Wheel game against the Buffs, Countee tallied a career-high four pass breakups to help lead the ENMU defensive efforts in the lone shutout of the season. The defense as a whole held the Buffs to just 73 yards passing on 9-of-21 passing as well as 61 yards rushing.
SPECIAL TEAMS SAVANT
A dynamic weapon as a kicker and punter, senior Tyler Vargas will look to continue to make a big impact for the Greyhounds in the kicking game in 2019.
The redshirt senior from San Diego, Calif. earned All-LSC Second Team honors as both a kicker and a punter after converting on 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) of his field goal attempts and 29-of-30 (96.7 percent) of extra point attempts while averaging 39.8 yards per punt.
Vargas nailed one of the longest field goals in ENMU history at Angelo State when his 52-yard boot in the third quarter, which was the second-longest field goal in program history and the longest since 2005.
Against Midwestern State, Vargas tied the eighth-best scoring mark by a kicker in a single game, going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, which included a 44-yarder while also notching a pair of extra points.
ITS ALL ACADEMIC
On top of being one of the top performing schools in the conference, the Eastern New Mexico football team has been the top program in the Lone Star Conference academically, posting the highest GPA of all football programs in the league in five of the last six years.
The Hounds placed the most athletes out of all the programs in the Lone Star on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the spring semester with 35 members making the list.
HOUNDS ALL-TIME RECORDS
The Hounds’ 2015 season still sits atop the all-time records for scoring, total offense, and rushing. The 2015 squad scored 485 points, totaled 5,878 offensive yards, and rushed for 4,144 yards.
Fullback Paul Terry’s 989-yard rushing season last year set the ninth-best single season rushing mark since 1998 and currently holds the seventh-best career rushing mark in the program with 1,637 yards.
Tailback Johnny Smith also continued to make dents in the ENMU receiving record books, as his six touchdown receptions in 2018 ranked as the fifth-most in a single season. Smith also recorded 26.2 yards per catch, setting the sixth-best mark in program history a year removed from breaking the program record in 2017 with 34.3 yards per reception. Playing all over the field for the Greyhounds, Smith set the sixth-most all-purpose yards in a single season with 1,374.
In the kicking game, Vargas set an ENMU record for the best field goal percentage in a single season by converting on 88.9 percent of his attempts, surpassing Taylor Cannon’s mark of 78.6 percent set during the 2009 campaign.
On the defensive side of the football, Charles Countee set the second-best mark in program history in pass defensed with 16 during the 2018 campaign, finishing only behind Rodney Mitchell’s mark of 23 set during the 2009 season.
THE HOUNDS IN LSC PLAY
The Hounds finished 4-4 in conference play in 2018 and placed in a tie for fourth in the league standings.
By finishing .500 in conference play on the season, it marked the the fourth consecutive year that the Greyhounds finished with a record of .500 or better in conference play, which includes a 6-2 mark and a third place finish during the 2017 campaign.
Tarleton State won the league title with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play and finished 12-1 overall. Texas A&M-Commerce placed second in the league with a 7-1 record while Midwestern State finished third at 6-2.
THE HOUNDS AT HOME
The Hounds finished the 2018 season with a 3-3 record at home under second year Head Coach Kelley Lee.
Eastern New Mexico holds an 11-6 overall record at Al Whitehead Field in Greyhound Stadium since opening in 2016.
THE HOUNDS ON THE ROAD
Eastern New Mexico is 7-5 in road games in Lee’s tenure, including two wins against LSC rival West Texas A&M.
Since 2015, the Hounds are 13-10 when playing in true road games and 0-3 in neutral site games in that span.
AT THE HALF
In the last two seasons, the Hounds are 10-0 under Head Coach Kelley Lee when leading at halftime.
In 2018, the Hounds were 4-0 in games when leading at the half, which included a 28-3 advantage over Western New Mexico. The 25-point edge at the Chile Bowl break marks Lee’s largest halftime advantage in his two-year tenure.
The Hounds struggled last season when trailing at the break, going 0-6 in games with a halftime deficit. Eastern is 2-7 during the Coach Lee era while down at the half. In the last two seasons, the Hounds are 1-1 in games tied at the halftime break, which includes a 19-14 win in last year’s season finale against Western Oregon that saw a 14-14 tie heading into the break.
400 CLUB
ENMU continued to dominate last season when they eclipsed the 400-yard mark in total offense, going 2-0 and improving Kelley Lee’s career record to 8-1 in such games.
When totaling 500 or more yards of total offense, ENMU is 3-1 during the Lee era.
KEEPING THEM UNDER 20
The Hounds have been unstoppable when limiting opponents to 20 or fewer points under Lee, as Eastern went 5-0 last season when holding the opposition to 20 or less.
Eastern now holds an 8-0 record over the competition when holding them to 20 points or less in the last two seasons.
AROUND THE LSC
Tarleton State was able to go undefeated in Lone Star Conference play a season ago after achieving the 8-0 mark after defeating Western New Mexico 58-0 in regular season finale. The Texans captured the conference title in dramatic fashion. pulling out a 35-34 overtime road win over Midwestern State when the defense stuffed the Mustangs’ potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt. The Texans season came to an end in the NCAA Division II Super Region 4 Playoffs after Minnesota State rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to beat TSU 13-10, closing out a 12-1 season for the Texans.
Texas A&M-Commerce finished the year with a 7-1 record in league play and wrapped up the year with a 10-3 record overall. The Lions reached the NCAA Division II playoffs a year removed from winning the national championship and were able to advance to the second round before falling to LSC rival Tarleton State 34-28.
The Mustangs from Midwestern State closed out the conference season with a 6-2 mark in conference play and an 8-2 record overall after defeating West Texas A&M 24-23 in overtime in the season finale.
Eastern New Mexico finished in a tie for fourth in the LSC with a 4-4 record along with Angelo State and West Texas A&M. Texas A&M-Kingsville went 2-6 in league play last year, while UT Permian Basin placed right below at 1-7 and Western New Mexico closed out the year without a win.
HOUNDS FOOTBALL HISTORY
In the 82 seasons of ENMU Football, the Hounds have compiled a 399-399-21 (.503) record in 819 total games.
Since joining the NCAA in 1984, the Hounds have a 177-179-4 (.496) record in 359 total games
The Hounds have won eight or more games nine times in program history and have posted 25 seasons of seven or more wins.
ENMU has won a school-record nine games two times (1957 & 1987).
Since joining the NCAA in 1984, ENMU has won seven or more games in 11 seasons and posted six seasons of eight or more wins, with the most recent coming in 2017.
ENMU has won or shared two LSC Championships in school history with the last coming in 2013.
UNDER LEE
Eastern New Mexico head coach Kelley Lee has a record of 13-8 (.619) after two seasons at the helm.
Through two seasons, Lee holds a perfect 3-0 record in trophy games. Last season, the Hounds won the inaugural Chile Bowl game at home against Western New Mexico by a score of 55-9. The Hounds followed it up with their third straight Wagon Wheel game win over West Texas A&M, pitching a 28-0 shutout over the Buffs in Canyon.
In Lee’s first season in 2017, the Hounds won eight games, which was the most since the 2002 season. The eight wins tied the most in ENMU history by a first year head coach.
