GUNNISON, Colo.  Already a special day with the grand opening of the renovated Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex, Saturday night's 38-33 victory over Midwestern State (Texas) in non-conference football action saw the 15th-ranked Mountaineers set a new attendance record of 2,603 for an event at the Bowl.

The renovations also included the installation of lights, allowing the Mountaineer football program to play its first home night game.

Drew Nash ran for a touchdown and threw two others to spur the offense, and linebacker Kendall Lightfoot – a second-team selection to the 2024 D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List – added a pick six and a sack from the defense.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers scored on their first three possessions of the first half, including a 68-yard touchdown run by Nash, but the visiting Mustangs added two scores in the second quarter to forge a 24-21 advantage heading into the halftime break.
• The momentum swung back in Western's direction coming out of that break, beginning with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Nash to Caden Measner.
• On the first play after MSU returned the ensuing kickoff to its 21-yard line, Lightfoot stepped in front of a Sean Jastrab pass at the 20 and rumbled all the way to the endzone for another score just 18 seconds after Measner's.
• An Adam Tasei 17-yard field goal on the Mountaineers next turn with the ball made it 17 unanswered points for a 38-24 lead.
• The Mustangs made things interesting by adding a field goal at the end of the third quarter, then reaching the end zone to pull within five with a little less than five minutes remaining.
• Western's offense wasn't as productive as earlier in the game, eventually giving the ball back to MSU with 2:46 remaining. The Mustangs drove down to the Mountaineer 29 with under a minute left on the clock only to turn the ball over on downs on a fourth-down incompletion from Jastrab.

BOWL ME OVER

• The game was billed as both a Whiteout – Western electing to wear its away white uniforms in its first home night game – and as a Burst the Bowl event, which didn't disappoint as the new record beat the old attendance mark of 2,589 set on November 2, 2014.
• Nash's 68-yard TD run surpassed his previous long of 62 set last season in a win at South Dakota Mines.
• The running game, excluding Nash's electric run, was limited to 47 yards, but the passing game chalked up 252 yards. Daniel Parsek tied for game-high honors with six catches and 79 yards receiving, while Measner and running back Braeden Hogan each caught one of Nash's two TD throws.
• Midwestern State, which had little success in the passing game while instead having to rely on the running game in its season-opening win a week ago, flipped the script Saturday night, gaining only 45 yards on the ground against the Mountaineers but throwing for 395 yards.
• The Mustangs also registered their own dynamic play during the game, getting a 98-yard kickoff return TD from Jaiden Burnett after Western's third TD of the first half.
• Kaden Stewart finished the evening with a game-high nine tackles for the Western defense, also forcing and recovering an MSU fumble.
• Lightfoot, Stewart and Cy Shope each recorded a sack for the Mountaineer D, which also accumulated nine tackles for loss for a total of 28 yards.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will take to the road for their next game, traveling to Canyon, Texas, for a Sept. 14 non-conference game at West Texas A&M.