THE MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO 2020 | 2019 SEASON STATS
The Mountaineers are coming off a 5-6 season in 2019, including going 5-5 in RMAC play. The five victories marked the second most for the program since 2003 (Western went 7-4 in 2016) and it included a road win against Colorado Mesa for the first time since 2001 and a victory against Chadron State - the second win over the Eagles since 1997 and the first one at home.

The Mountaineers will feature seven returning starters on offense and four on defense in 2020, but the key components on special teams (punter, kicker, holder and long snapper) will be starting for the first time this season.

On offense, quarterback Connor Desch returns after taking over the starting job in the second game of the season in 2019 - though the junior was injured against Dixie State and missed the final four games of the season. Desch threw for 1,217 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for 91 yards and another touchdown. Luke Nethercot also returns for Western after starting the final four games with the junior throwing for 779 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 60.5 percent of his passes.

The Mountaineers return their top three rushers from a year ago in senior Ty Leyba (521 yards, 1 TD), sophomore Josh Cummings (339 yards, team-high 8 TD) and Deyvon Butler (271 yards, 1 TD). Butler also added 20 receptions for 149 yards and two scores out of the backfield while Leyba (11 receptions, 55 yards) and Cummings (4 receptions, 52 yards) also contributed in the passing game.

At the receiver position, the Mountaineers returns 2019 leading receiver James Bryant (48 rec., 485 yards, 3 TD) as well as Elijah Garcia Gillespie (31 rec., 266 yards), Kai Emmsley (24 rec., 262 yards, 3 TD), Chase Starman (7 rec., 87 yards, 1 TD), Malcom Wesley (4 rec., 52 yards, 1 TD), Connell Maxwell (4 rec., 50 yards) and Damian Macias (5 rec., 45 yards, 1 TD). Also expect to see Cameron Colangelo and transfer Malik White (50 receptions for 925 yards and 11 touchdowns in two years at Fresno City College) in the mix. At tight end, senior Dominic Chance (a 2019 redshirt) returns as does junior Spencer Smith (2 rec., 32 yards)..

The offensive line returns three starters from a year ago in sophomore left guard Clayton Martin, sophomore center Tyler Sexton and junior right tackle Joey Orrino. Junior Brock Boyd will get the start at left tackle with Stevie Byron seeing time while at right guard freshman Mathyus Su'a and junior Kaleb Gaster will see time at the position. Also expect to see sophomore Remington McKnight, and freshmen Tanner Tomlinson and Mickey Montelongo in the mix.

On defense, the Mountaineers' 3-4 defense will be spearheaded with the return of junior linebackers Robert Garlock (60 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Carson Mandrell (35 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT returned for a TD) and junior defensive backs Darrious Gaines (36 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 8 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 3 blocked kicks) and Tim Mullin (46 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 blocked kick).

The defensive line will feature senior Seth Ollice (2 tackles), junior TreVaughn Rhodes (8 tackles), freshman Isaac Anderson, junior Jalen Graham (6 tackles), sophomore Ian Helwick (13 tackles) and senior Vincent Lovett (7 tackles). 

Joining Garlock and Mandrell at linebacker will be freshman Sean Boylan and sophomore Trevor Riters (12 tackles) along with senior Bradley Taylor (13 tackles) and freshmen Wyatt Roth, Kendall Lightfoot and Michael Thacker.

In the secondary joining Gaines and Mullin will be transfer junior Angelo Ortiz and sophomore Andrew Arterburn (9 tackles, 1.0 sack) along with freshmen Bradley Lockett, Cy Shope, Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell and Bryce Lucas.

It will be a new look on special teams for the Mountaineers as sophomore Alec Fonseca - a transfer from Fullerton College who went 9-for-12 on field goal attempts last season - will be the team's kicker while true freshman Kyle Yonker will take over the punting duties as well as be the team's holder. Gabe Paznokas will be the team's long snapper. Wesley and Garcia Gillespie will start as the team's kickoff returners while Macias and Garcia Gillespie will take over the punt returning duties.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2020 SEASON STATS
The Lumberjacks head into Saturday on a three-game winning streak with wins over West Texas A&M (34-6), Angelo State (31-12) and Abilene Christian (35-32) after dropping their first three games of the season to UTEP (24-14), UTSA (24-10) and SMU (50-7).

Last week's win over ACU was in overtime at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, with the Lumberjacks winning the game after holding ACU to a field goal before Chad Aune scored on a 16-yard pass from Trae Self on the second play of their overtime possession. SFA outgained ACU 467-387 with Self throwing for 352 yards and three scores on 27-for-39 passing while adding 22 yards rushing and another score. Xavier Gipson was the team's top receiver with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown while JaQuarion Turner had a team-high 50 yards rushing on 17 attempts. Brevin Randle had a team-high 10 tackles to go along with a half sack and a forced fumble while Bruce Harmon had two of the team's three interceptions on defense.

On the season, Self has thrown for 1,341 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 59.5 percent of his passes. Da'Leon Ward leads the team in rushing with 265 yards and three scores while Gipson has been the team's top pass-catching target with 31 receptions for 556 yards and five touchdowns. Randle lead the team with 46 tackles to go along with 2.0 sacks, BJ Thompson has a team-high 3.5 sacks while Harmon has a team-best three interceptions. SFA's kicker Chris Campos is 7-for-11 on field goals with a season-long 45 while he's 14-for-14 on extra points. Punter Max Quick is averaging 40.2 yards per punt with eight of his 25 punts resting inside the 20.

2020 WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

SERIES HISTORY VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
This will be the first game for the Mountaineers against Stephen F. Austin and first contest against a current Southland Conference team since 1978 when the Mountaineers defeated Central Arkansas, 21-17. Western's only other game against a current Southland member was a 39-14 loss to Abilene Christian in 1948.

SEASON OPENERS
Western Colorado heading into Saturday is 32-62 all-time in season openers. The last season-opening win for the Mountaineers came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. Of their 32 season opening wins, the Mountaineers have finished those seasons with a winning record 19 times (59.4 percent) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5 percent).

BAINS TO COACH GAME NO. 100 FOR WESTERN AGAINST STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Western coach Jas Bains enters his 10th season as head coach of the Mountaineers and Saturday's contest against SFA will mark his 100th game as head coach. He's just the third coach in Western history to reach the 100-game mark - joining Bill Noxon (133 from 1971-84) and Carl Iverson (127 from 1988-2000).

MOUNTAINEER ALUM EKELER CONTINUES TO SHINE IN NFL
Western Colorado alum Austin Ekeler was off to another strong start for the Los Angeles Chargers in his fourth NFL season as he had racked up 246 yards rushing and 142 yards receiving on 16 catches in his first three games of the season before an injury early in week four against Tampa Bay has sidelined him since.

Ekeler, an undrafted free agent signee out of Western in 2017 who signed a four-year, $24.5 million extension prior to this season, has racked up 1,619 yards and nine touchdowns rushing while catching 175 passes for another 1,820 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving in his 50 games in the NFL.

The 25-year-old who came to Western out of Eaton High School in Colorado owns the Mountaineers' single-game (344), single-season (1,676 - also owns the No. 2 and No. 4 spots) and career (5,857) rushing yard records as well as the single-game (5), single-season (19) and career (55) rushing touchdown records. He also owns the single-season (126) and career (378) scoring records at Western.