CANYON, Texas  Quarterback Drew Nash rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns, and threw for 185 more yards through the air to lead No. 15 Western Colorado to a 26-17 win over host West Texas A&M in non-conference football action Saturday night at Buffalo Stadium.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. WTA&M, 26-17
Records: Western 2-0, WTA&M 1-2
Location: Buffalo Stadium, Canyon Texas

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It took the Mountaineers just two plays to open the scoring. After Braeden Hogan took a first-down carry to the right for three yards, Nash on second down took a keeper the distance, racing 62 yards for a Western touchdown.
• West Texas squared the game with its own TD just seconds into the second quarter, and late in the quarter knocked through a field goal to move in front, 10-7.
• Nash, though pushed the two-minute offense down the field, finishing off the series with a six-yard TD for his second of the game. Though the extra-point attempt was missed, the score enabled the Mountaineers to take a 13-10 advantage into halftime.
• Late in the third quarter it appeared the Buffaloes were heading in for a go-ahead score, but Western's Cameron Cooper stepped in front of a Sean Johnson Jr. pass and raced 96 yards for a pick-six.
• The point after made it 20-10, but that double-digit advantage was short lived as Johnson Jr. connected with wide receiver Zorian Stant for a 72-yard pass and run that found paydirt and drew West Texas to within a score at 20-17.
• Hanging on to that narrow cushion, Nash finally got the offense back in gear with an 89-yard drive that culminated with his third TD run of the game, pushing the ball over on a 2-yard rush.
• West Texas took over after the ensuing kickoff at its own 25, but three plays couldn't move the ball an inch as the Mountaineer defense cemented the victory with a timely stuff of the Buffalo offense.
• Western was able to run out the clock behind Braeden Hogan's and Nash's two first-down runs each.

EXTRA POINTS

• Hogan's 101 yards on the ground gave the Mountaineers two 100+ yard ground gainers in the win. Hogan also added 47 receiving yards for a total of 148 all-purpose yards.
• Nash's 62-yard gallop was his second 60+ yard run of the season, after going for a career-long 68 in last week's win. It is also his third 60+ yard TD run in the past two seasons.
• The Mountaineers ground out 250 yards rushing on the day, and with Nash's efforts in the passing game, finished with 435 total yards. The Western defense limited the Buffaloes to just 77 yards on the ground and 293 yards of total offense.

NEXT UP
Homecoming and the 77th Colorado Classic against Adams State are next on the schedule for the Mountaineers, who open up Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action with the Grizzlies at 6 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 21 in the Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex.