GUNNISON, Colo.  Fifteenth-ranked Western Colorado on Saturday, September 7, welcomes Midwestern State (Texas) University to the grand opening of the renovated Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex, kicking off the Mountaineers' 2024 schedule with a non-conference contest that will be the first between the two programs.

The 6 p.m. game will be the first game at the Bowl under stadium lights, and follows an afternoon of pre-game events including tours of the facility, a large tailgate party on the practice field, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony that is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the front gate of the Bowl.

The night game is also billed as a Whiteout for Mountaineers fans, who are invited to wear white to match the team's white uniforms in the 2024 season opener.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2023 Stats

• The Mountaineers landed at No. 15 in the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) 2024 preseason poll. The ranking reflects Western's 10-2 record in 2023 that included a 16-13 overtime loss to Central Washington University at the Bowl in a first-round NCAA tournament game.
• The only regular-season loss in 2023 was to then-No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, which went on to play in the NCAA Division II national championship game.
• An offense that average 36 points per game last season returns to its helm quarterback Drew Nash. He averaged just over 200 yards per game in passing while adding in nearly 30 yards per game rushing.
• Western's rushing leader has departed due to graduation, but Braeden Hogan gained a total of 570 yards on the ground, scoring 9 touchdowns, and steps into the lead role in the backfield behind Nash.
• Linebacker Kendall Lightfoot – named to the 2024 D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List – is back to spearhead a defense that limited opponents to 16 points per game and under 300 yards of offense per outing. Lightfoot and safety Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell led the team in tackles with Lightfoot registering 86 and Sanchez-Maxwell totaling 56.
• Defensive end Ricky Freymond accumulated team-bests in tackles for loss (14.0) and sacks (9.5).

MIDWESTERN STATE HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2024 Stats

• The Mustangs opened the season with an 18-11 home victory over Missouri Southern in an MSU home win in Wichita Falls, Texas.
• Devin Cross (101 yards), Jalen March (69 yds.) led the MSU rushing attack, which rang up a net of 214 yards on the ground.
• Those yards were important for the Mustangs, as they saw limited results in the air from three different quarterbacks. That trio finished the victory connecting on just nine of 18 pass attempts for 49 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 50.64 quarterback rating.
• Last season MSU concluded its schedule with a 4-6 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs played four common opponents with Western, losing to Colorado State Pueblo, West Texas A&M, Texas-Permian Basin, and Central Washington. Western's only defeat within that quartet was in the playoffs against Central Washington.

NEXT UP
The Mountaineers hit the road in Week 2, traveling to Canyon, Texas, to take on host West Texas A&M for a non-conference battle on Sept. 14. Western downed the Buffaloes last season, 28-6, in the Mountaineers' season opener.