TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2019-20: FOOTBALL UPSETS #21 ANGELO STATE IN HOME FINALE

Moment number seven on our “Top Ten Moments of 2019-20” series came back on Nov. 9^th on a night in which Eastern New Mexico football upset no. 21 Angelo State by a final score of 20-17.

The win proved to be vital for the Hounds in a multitude of ways as the squad would go on to defeat the Co-GNAC Champions Western Oregon the following week and then be selected to play in the 2019 Heritage Bowl against Southern Arkansas. The win also helped send the 2019 ENMU Football senior class off on a high note as the class notched their 26^th win as Greyhounds and assured a finish of .500 or better in conference play for the third year of their careers.

The upset also effectively knocked Angelo State out of contention for the NCAA Division II Playoffs and bolstered a resume for the Hounds to be selected to a postseason bowl game. The win was the second career win over a top-25 nationally ranked opponent for head coach Kelley Lee and also served as a catalyst for the Hounds to win three straight games to end the 2019 season, matching the second-highest win total in program history with an overall record of 8-4 for the year.

The Hounds dominated Angelo State in terms of total yardage 325-to-265 thanks in large part to a game-changing drive that spanned 12:04 in the third and fourth quarters. Angelo State led 10-3 at the start of the second half but only had one possession, the opening kick of the second half, in the third quarter as the Hounds ran 23-plays and covered 90 yards on their first possession of the second half.

Senior Paul Terry capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown score at the 13:56 of the fourth quarter, ending a drive that started for the Hounds at the 11:00 mark of the third quarter. Terry carried the ball 11 times on that drive alone, and finished the contest by matching the school record with 40 carries for the game, resulting in 233 yards and a touchdown.

Angelo State regained the 17-10 lead following a stalled possession for each team early in the fourth quarter before senior Wyatt Strand punched in the final touchdown of his career inside Greyhound Stadium with 4:21 remaining on the clock from one yard out. That scored knotted the game up at 17-17 and forced overtime after the Hounds defense stepped up in a big way and forced a punt with 58 seconds remaining on the clock after a fumbled snap on their own punt set Angelo State up at the Eastern New Mexico 35-yard line.

Senior Tyler Vargas converted a 39-yard field goal on the opening possession of overtime for Eastern New Mexico giving the Hounds a 20-17 lead, a margin which would serve as the final tally as Angelo State missed a 29-yard field goal on the next possession to give the Hounds their first victory over a ranked opponent of the season.

Terry’s historic performance solidified his outstanding season as he broke the Eastern New Mexico school record for rushing yards in a single season with the 14-yard score that tied the game up early in the fourth quarter. He would go on to be one of 36 players in the country nominated for the 2019 Harlon Hill Trophy and garnered his second consecutive All-American honor at season’s end.

Eastern New Mexico swept the weekly Lone Star Conference Player of the Week Awards for the upset-win as Terry was named the Offensive Player of the Week, freshman Mazin Richards was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Vargas was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.